THE SECOND HURDLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1932, Page 6

THE SECOND HURDLE.

‘There is much food for thought in the Impartial but concise review of the present position regarding the New Zealand railways uttered by Mr. H. H. Sterling, chairman of the Railways Board. In traversing the events leading up to the establishment of the board Mr. Sterling put his finger on the vital weakness of the former railway administration when he stressed the necessity of removing control from political influence. One does not need to look far to see examples of branch lines that were doomed to failure before ever their construction began, and had no justification whatever beyond their political expediency. Having come into being the board was faced at once with the task of Stemming an alarming fall in revenue. The very existence of railway transport was threatened by the vast increase in competitive road services, and the continuance of the depression and unrest in the coal industry made recovery all the more difficult. The logical first step was to reduce costs in keeping with the decline in revenue, and it is a tribute to the board’s work that not only was it able, by the end of the last financial year, to overhaul the falling revenue but it was able to show for the year an 'actual increase in the net revenue. Entering another sphere of activity the board attacked construction on what it considered unjustifiable new lines, with the result that work was stopped on all but the Taranaki-Main Trunk railway. As Mr. Sterling said, this is considered a “border line” Case. Not only were the possibilities of the territory actually traversed by the railway taken into consideration, but also other districts which may benefit by the line if its value to them is properly recognised. The matter is now out Of the board’s hands, and the point has been reached when it Is for the people to show Whether the new line is justified or not. It is little use building a railway at enormous expense for people to rejoice over but not to use. In securing the completion of the line the residents of Taranaki have certainly cleared the first hurdle. It now remains for them to negotiate the second.