TO CO-ORDINATE TRANSPORT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 228, 26 September 1945, Page 5

TO CO-ORDINATE TRANSPORT

COUNCIL TO MAKE A REPORT ON ROAD, RAIL, SEA AND AIR

PLANE JOURNEY, AUCKLAND TO WELLINGTON, IN ONE HOUR

(P.A.r Parliament Bldgs., Sept. 25. It was announced in the House of Representatives to-day, by the Minister of Transport (Mr. O'Brien) that a Transport Co-ordination Council was being set up to report upon co-ordination of road, rail, sea and air transport. He said it had been predicted that within five years most passengers would be airborne and an air trip from Wellington to Auckland would take one hour, carrying 40 to 50 passengers. The debate was initiated when the .House was discussing the report of the Railways and Coastal Shipping Committee.

Speaking to the report Mr. W. J. Polson (Opp.—Stratford) said a number of ships commandeered for war were now finding their way back. Wnat were they going to do for trade if cut-throat rates made it impossible for them to compete with the State-owned railways? The Minister of Transport, Mr. O'Brien: The farmers are in favour of cheaper transport. Mi. Polson said the farmers were better off with shipping competing with the railways than in the nands of a railway monopoly. Mr. Polson complained that the report of the Railways and Coastal Shipping Committee, which was voluminous, and had a bearing on the problem, had beeen tabled in the House, but never presented.

Mr. O'Brien said that any member ot the Opposition requiring a copy oi! the report was welcome to it. The question of nationalisation of transport had been under consideration by .he Government. For instance if the “community truck’’ system, operating in North Auckland, whereby a group of farmers could share a railway truck at truck rates, were withdrawn, as the shipping interests had asked, the farmers would object strongly. Differential rates represented a very old policy of the Railways Department, and did place shipping interests at a disadvantage. The question for the country was what type of transport was most reasonable? It had been predicted, by those studying air transport, that within five years most passengers would be air-borne. Mr. O’Brien said that witiiin a few years planes would be able to flv between Wellington anil Auckland in one hour, carrying 40 to 50 passengers.

There was now a fierce clamour for more air services, and there would be air seivices all over New Zealand before long. Mr. E. B. Corbett (Opp—Egmont): Will the Minister assist us in that? A Government member: There will be a Bill soon. Mr. O'Brien: When the Bill comes in, we will attend to it. COUNCIL TO BE SET UP

The Minister said there was now in the making a Transport Co-ordination Council, wliich would be asked to bring down a report on co-ordination of road, rail, sea and air transport, to see that these various services did not clash, but combined to give New Zealand the best possible transport system, with these different services taking their place in it. There already had been some meetings under the auspices of the Organisation for National Development. With that in mind it would be foolish to nave differencial rates, which resulted in putting one form of transport out of business when all were needed. All four arms of transport were needed to give the people the best service possible. He believed that the Railways Department's differential rates did cause some hardship for coastal shipping. For instance, a truck of coal could be railed from Greymouth to Dunedin for the same freight as from Greymouth to Timaru. To charge uneconomic rates, in order to get trade, was foolish. The Co-ordination Council would be composed of experts from each transport service. They would advise the Government as to which was the best transport service to nut in in order to meet public needs. While coastal shipping must be safeguarded, goods must be transported by the cheapest means. Mr. S. W. Smith, (Opp.—Bay of fslands) agreed with the Minister on the need lor co-ordination. He could think of nothing better than the suggested Co-ordination Council, provided it acted in accordance with the recommendation in the report under discussion—that no regulation, or restriction, would be placed on any form of transport merely to benefit another form. The test must be ptibllc interest.

Mr. Smith said the decline in coastal shipping indicated by the fact that m 1919 there were 314 vessels trading on Hie New Zealand coast, employing 2498 seamen. In 1939 the figures were 140 vessels, with 1668 men, and last year 114 vessels with 1341 men. The figures indicated the decline was not substantially due io the wtir. It was commonly argued that a vast amount had been invested in railway construction in Now Zealand but large sums also had gone into the construction of harbour facilities. RAILWAYS VERSUS SHIPPING Mr. Smith said that in his district, before the railway opened, shipping freights were high and shipping companies paid good dividends. Since the advent of the railways freights had been lowered, but settlors were apprehensive lest the railway should force shipping out of business, and then raise railway freights. The Coordination Council, such as the Minister had discussed, should be a per-

manent authority approaching the problem from a national and not a parochial viewpoint. Mr. Clyde Carr (Govt. —Timaru) said that although much had been achieved in co-ordination of road and rail transport, much remained to be done in co-ordination between road-cum-rail and shipping services. He hoped the centralisation of shipping, which had been a wartime necessity, would not continue in peacetime. Otherwise, secondary harbours would be unable to meet their capital charges. Mr. Carr added that the Decentralisation of Industry Committee, of which he was chairman, was urging the railways to make further freight consessions to small centres, in order to encourage industries to go to such towns, and he was afraid this policy might increase the difficulties of coastal shipping. He looked forward to the time when all our merchant marine and our Navy would be manned and officered by New Zealanders, trained for a sea-going career. Retention of coastal shipping would help that objective. He had recently learned from the Seamen's Union that there were insufficient jobs for New Zealand boys who were waiting for jobs at sea, to enable them to train for a seafaring life. He said “good luck’’ to these boys, whose ambitions were in the maritime tradition of the British nation. He thought the Co-ordination Council would face a difficut task for years to come. Mr. W. S. Gooseman (Opp. —Waikato) said the idea of setting up a council for co-ordination ot transport, was the best way of dealing with the present situation, which became more and more a problem as lime went on. Some way must be found of retaining sea ana rail transport, and something would have to be done to ensure that both services would be used to the best advantage, without indulging in cut-throat competition. He suggested that the railways were being used in such competition to cut out sea transport. The Minister of Railways, Mr. Semple, said it was not the intention, or the design, of the Railways Department to destroy shippng transport. As the populaton of the country grew and spread, so did the problem of transport increase. From the few years experience he had had of road and rail transport he considered that no Minister of the Crown had the time or the opportunity of co-ordinat-ing these services. The whole question needed close, complete and scientific investigation by those who knew the particular problems involved, so that co-ordination could be effected without one service destroying the other. SMALL PORTS AF FECTED

Mr. W. Sullivan (Opp.—Bay ot PJenty) said the report stated there was widespread competition between rail and shipping services, particularly in the North Auckland and Bay ot Plenty districts. The truck system, he considered, was Introduced by tne railways to lake away freights from shipping companies, which had added a further rating burden on that already carried bv the ratepayers in port towns and cities. He quoted from the report figures which gave the percentage of decrease In shipping in the following ports between 192538—Hokianga 41, Kaipara 28, Thames 60, Tauranga 60. Wairoa 73, Waitara 93 and New Plymouth 50. The position was causing considerable concern to smaller harbour boards, especially in the North Island. He contended it was necessary for ports to remain to assist the devclapment of affected districts. He added that the territory between Tauranga and Gisborne was almost entirely dependent on cqastal shipping. If the st.er could find ways and means of ’

keeping coastal shipping services to those parts of the country where the service was required, lie would b» doing a very great thing. Mr P. Catr (Govt.—Auckland West) said that if there was more co-opera-tion from shipping companies there would not be so much freight competition. Ships, he said, bunkered bituminous coal in Auckland suffidqpt for a round trip to the Soutli Island and back, which seemed to indicate that they desired to take the coal away from the railways and gas company. Those shins concerned could bunker in Lyttelton. He fell ho could not be concerned with the shipping companies, because their profits were not returned to lhe country, but went into the pockets of the shareholders.

Mr F. W. Doidge (Opp.—Tauranga) said tile crux of the matter was coordination. Everything should be done to give every form of transport a fair chance. There was a danger of coastal ports, which had built up first class coastal shipping facilities, becoming derelict. The debate was interrupted at 5 30 p.m.