TRANSPORT CO-ORDINATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 July 1937, Page 6

TRANSPORT CO-ORDINATION.

The reply of the existing road transport organisations to the Government s proposals for the "co-ordination" of transport crystallises the thoughts and fears of a large section of the general public. After enjoying practically a monopoly before the motor-lorry came into general use the railways declined in popularity until mueh traffic that should have gone fay rail went by road. Keen competition was accompanied by price-cutting and duplication and redundancy of services that in the general result must have been to a certain extent uneconomic. At this stage the late Government began a regimentation of the transport industry that has been accentuated a hundredfold by the new Government. In other 'words the industry is quickly being entirely gocialised. Every effort is being made to transfer traffic back to the railways, but realising that road transport cannot be entirely eliminated the Government Is adopting the policy of i?urchasing a number of existing businesses, and conducting them as State enterprises in conjunction with thp railways. In the proress many existing businesses, which in some cases carefully built up over a long period of years, are being severely hamBtrung if not actually hanged. That is their misfbrtune, and doubtless the Government's contention is that the few must be sacrificed in the interests of the mahy. What chiefly concerns ' the general public is whether the new deal is really in the interests of the people. Monopolies have grave inherent dangers, ihe greatest of which is decrease in efficiency and service. Moreover State monopolies are particularly susceptible to failings such as this. Successive Governments have been thoroughly justified in endeavour ing to retum to the people's railways traffic tliat rightly belongs there, bui, the process can be carried too far, until not only is individual in justice done but a blow dealt to the efficiency of a vital community service. People should try to appreciate wliither the ■drastic transport "co-ordination" is leading.