ASSISTANCE TO RAILWAYS.

Waikato Times, Volume 109, Issue 18344, 2 June 1931, Page 3

ASSISTANCE TO RAILWAYS.

STRONG AUTOMOBILE OPPOSITION The Main Highways Board has an arrangement with the Railway Department whereby 23 railway bridges throughout the Dominion are being used by road traffic. The Highways Board contributing an annual payment to the railways, the recent Railway Commissions recommended that the charges for the use of railway bridges by road traffic should he based on a more logical basis and considerably increased. It was explained toy the Touring manager of the Auckland Automobile Association, at the meeting ’Of the executive of tho Hamilton Agency of the association last evening that while generally the Main Highways Board felt that the present contributions were inadequate, it did not agree in toto with the proposed basis of 11 Railway Department. Actually th< Railway Department was proposing an Increase in 'the annual charges from £2662, the amount now paid, to a proposed charge of £18,479. In strongly opposing such a heavy increase said Mr Champtaloup, tho association was conferring a benefit on all road users and by co-operating with the Counlies’ Association in its protest was also helping to safeguard Hie interests of county ratepayers. While motorists could not object to a reasonable increase, provided the present annual charges could toe shown to toe 100 low, the bolstering up of railway receipts by an increase of almost 700 per cent., seemed to be out of all reason.