Railway Criticism

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 485, 15 October 1928, Page 1

Railway Criticism

“DISSATISFACTION NOT WELL GROUNDED” MR. STERLING IN REPLY Press Association WELLINGTON, To-day. In an address delivered to-day to tfle Associated Chambers of Commerce, Mr. H. H. Sterling, general manager of New Zealand Railways, on the question of transport, said that much of the dissatisfaction with the railways was not well grounded. “Much of the matter spoken and published from day to day,” he said, propaganda by get-rich-quick Wallingfords, who were skimming off the cream of high-class transport and leaving the skim milk to the railways.” Mr. Sterling pointed out 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 methods taken by private enterprises to crush opposiion. The time had come for a national stocktaking in regard to transport. Motor transport has come to stay, he said. It could undoubtedly render 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 the railways were closed down and trust placed entirely in motor transport, the country would be up against, not only an economic but also a physical impossibility. “Under the present conditions motors were simply preying on the community. In his opinion, if they were made to pay their fair share toward the maintenance of the roads, which they were not doing at present! New Zealand would arrive at a solution of the transport problem.”