TRANSPORT WORRY

Southland Times, Issue 20617, 16 October 1928, Page 7

TRANSPORT WORRY

METHODS DISCUSSED THE RAILWAYS DEFENDED ADDRESS BY GENERAL MANAGER (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, October 15. An address was delivered to-day to the Associated Chambers of Commerce by Mr H. H. Sterling, the General Manager of Railways, on the question of transport. Much of the dissatisfaction with the railways, he said, was not well grounded and much of the matter spoken and published from day to day was propaganda by the Get-rich-quick Wallingfords skimming off the cream of high-class transport, leaving the skim milk to the railways. Mr Sterling stated that the Government could not adopt the uneconomic methods often resorted to by private enterprise in such cases, as the cry immediately arose of monopoly. Mr Sterling, however, did not defend the methods taken by private enterprise to rush the opposition, but he condemned them. The time had come for a national stock-taking with regard to transport. Motor transport had come to stay. It could undoubtedly render a great service as a feeder to the railways, but as a substitute he contended it was absolutely impossible, as shown by the illuminating figures in the Public Works statement. If railways were closed down and the trust placed entirely in motors the country would be up against not only an economic but a physical impossibility. Under present conditions the motors were simply preying on the community, in his opinion. If they were made to pay a fair share towards roads, which they were not doing at present, New Zealand would arrive at a solution of the transport problem.