ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19423, 7 September 1937, Page 9

ROAD TRANSPORT POLICY

MINISTER'S EXPLANATION .MAXIMUM USEFULNESS NO LOSS OF CONVENIENCE (Per Press Association.) WANGANUI, last night. That the Government did not intend to buy out long-distance freight transport services, and then arbitrarily close them, was the information conveyed to the Wanganui Chamber of Commerce to-night in a letter from the acting Minister of Transport, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason. 'The Minister's letter was in reply to a resolution re!cently forwarded to the Government by the chamber's imports and shipping committee. "Your fears appear to. be based on a misunderstanding as to the Government's policy," stated the letter. "It must not be assumed that the Government proposes to buy out longdistance road services and arbitrarily cease operating them. If this were done, it would certainly give rise to justifiable complaints from many individuals and businesses receiving the benefits of the mobile and flexible service offered by modern motor transport. The Government lias no intention of doing this, which would be tantamount to turning back the wheels of progress. On the contrary, the fundamental basis of the transport policy is to bring within reach of all the most efficient and cheapest form of transport that science and industry have placed at our disposal. "The Railways Department will continue to operate the roau service that are taken over, and co-ordination will be brought about gradually, after a careful survey of the traffic in each area, and in full co-operation with the users of the services. After all, the public demand must be the deciding factor. "The single ownership policy applies only to long-distance routes, where careful investigation has shown that there is scope for co-ordinating road and rail services, so that each is developed in its sphere of maximum economic usefulness. This means that road and rail services must be complementary rather than competitive. While the' long-distance road services are organised in small, independent units, co-ordination of road and rail transport is almost an impossibility, and wasteful duplication of services, which must be reflected in higher costs to the community, is inevitable." The chamber decided to refer the letter to the Associated Chambers of Commerce.