LEVEL CROSSINGS

Southland Times, Issue 20661, 17 April 1929, Page 5

LEVEL CROSSINGS

FATAL ACCIDENTS. RAILWAY DEPARTMENTS ATTITUDE. UTMOST CARE TAKEN. (Special to the Times). Wellington, April 16. “I cannot regret sufficiently the frequency with which there appear in the columns of the Press alarming headlines such as ‘Another Railway Crossing Fatality,’ The Deadly Level Crossing’ and the letters we get about accidents at railway crossings,” said Mr. H. H. Sterling. General Manager of Railways at the Wellington Automobile Club’s meeting. "We have given anxious and constant consideration to the protection of human life, both on and off the railways, as affected by level crossings. We have from time to time carefully made up our programme. We have gone with the utmost care into every circumstance as we can see it as it affects the motorist and train but then we find the accidents happening where we did not think they could. Just as all of us have not a magic wand without fear of contradiction I say that our record in New Zealand will bear the most microscopic investigation. Wc get innumerable suggestions as to what should be done. The people say we should put in crossbars and bridges and put men on to guard crossings, but on investigation we find that over a large part of the Continent of Europe crossing keepers are being cut out and the onus is left entirely on the motorist to carry. I want to say (and it is not known to the public) that the Department has no control over the question of vision at. crossings where it affects private property but the Department does its best to make level crossings fool proof.”