TRANSPORT INQUIRY

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 50, 3 May 1928, Page 2

TRANSPORT INQUIRY

COLLECTING STATISTICS.

MOTOR TRANSPORT SERVICES.

Press Association — Copyright. WELLINGTON, Last Night,

In connection with the inquiiy now being undertaken by the Government into the transport systems of the Dominion, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Mon. J. G. Coates, announced to-day that it has been decided to colect regular and systematic statistics in regard to commercial motor transport services. The returns; which will he treated as confidential, will he made loi tl:e traffic in one month of each quarter in the case of organised services running over defined routes and annually in the case of private business cars and irregular long distance trips. The committee set up to compile these statistics consists of the permanent heads of the Public Works Department, the Post and Telegraph Department, the Railway Department and the Marine Department, which are the principal departments of the State concerned in transport, with whom are associated the Government Statistician and representatives of the Prime Minister’s Department. Such a n inquiry, which has not previously been made, may disclose a needless deputation and overlapping of means of transport, especially in proposals for the .future, for example, a deplication of parallel roads and railway s in some cases where possibly a first-class road would adequately meet all re " quirements and save the taxpayer the cost of the railway and its operation. The most suitable months suggested for the collection of the information were January, April, July and October. As April i s just passed the next collection will be for the month of May which, while representative of this quarter, would also have the advantage of being six months from the last collection made in November. “It was decided, however, that these regular collections should be confined to organised services tunning over defined routes,” said Mr Coates. (“The Government statistician was accordingly instructed 1 ! to take the necessary steps for the May, and future collections. The preparations are well advanced. I Wish to make it clear that these returns will not be used for any departmental purpose. Individual returns will be held in the strictest confidence by the Government statistician and only the combined results will be made available to the transport committee and the general public. I would appeal to motor 'owners engaged in transport business to assist the work Of the committee by supplying the returns as promptly and fully as possible.”