RAILWAY BUSES

Southland Times, Issue 20012, 28 October 1926, Page 8

RAILWAY BUSES

PURCHASE OF RIVAL CONCERNS. PREVENTING FUTURE COMPETITION. Since it was announced that the Raflway Department proposes to negotiate for the purchase of competing bus enterprises, the question has arisen as to how a renewal of competition, after the purchase of any one concern, can be guarded against. Inquiries made by an Evening Post reporter recently showed that this was a point which the department had not overlooked. It was stated that, in several instances, bus proprietors had already felt the effect of measures taken by the department to recover lost business, and once their enterprises were taken over it was not anticipated that any fresh concern would be anxious to come along to compete with the bus services which the department would itself maintain after buying out the private enterprises.

The Government, it was explained, by the financial resources it could command, was in a position to be able to combat competition in a most vigorous manner if need be, but, as was stated on Tuesday, it did not wish to cause hardship and financial loss to bus competitors at present operating, and was therefore ready to negotiate in a reasonable manner for the acquisition of opposing businesses. Of course, if it became necessary to do so, the precedent of the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act in regard to the protection of tramway services could be followed, but for the present, at any rate, if was not anticipated that Tarliament would have to be asked to pass similar legislation in respect to safeguarding the railways from the effects of bus competition. In acquiring the plant of competing bus interests, it was recognised by the department, however, that it would have to maintain equally as efficient if not better services than the private concerns had done if the requirements of the travelling public were to be reasonably and satisfactorily catered for. Motor transport w-as a modern development, and being faster than the rail in certain circumstances, while cheaper to run, the department recognised that it had to meet what public demand there was for this form of travel, especially on suburban runs. As a transport medium, the Railway Department was out to give quick and efficient service, whether by train or by motor.

So far as the experiments with the rail motors are concerned, it was stated that the Clayton machines running on the Kurffw line was continuing to do good work, and the trials of the Sentinel engine between Thames and Frankton had exceeded expectations in results. The Sentinel had not been a success when running between Wellington and the Hutt because the demands placed upon it by the traffic requirements of that line were very exacting, but betw’een Frankton and Thames it had done very well so far, and was a means of enabling Thames people, by connecting with the night Limited at Frankton, to get to Auckland and back in one day. Rail-motors, it was recognised, might do very well in some districts, but would be of no use in other

places where the circumstances were totally different. Experiments would continue to be made with the rail-motors, and the results of the tests in other countries noted and applied where desirable so that the Department might be in a position to fulfil adequately the demands of the ptffilic for speedy and reliable service.