EXPERT ON ROADS

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20170, 24 February 1931, Page 8

EXPERT ON ROADS

I MR *W. REES JEFFREYS s IN DOMINION. at ' - 8: ' r: , ' l * r PROBLEM OF CO-ORDINATING l" i - . <■ TRANSPORT. s . Ii . - [TBB' 78888 Special Service.] \ ), , , AUCKLAND, February 23. 3 A world-renowned authority on roads * and transport, Mr" W. Bees at ohe time' tof the British. poad v Board, arrived by the Niagara to-day to make a private investigation into the transport problems of < hag taken,. an active part in the road' improvement movement '.in <* . England during ! ' the '-''last,4oyears,and <is chairman of the Beads ■ Improvement Association, and a member ' of the Advisory Committee attached -to' the Ministry of Tranapdrt. ' y -V 1 , 1 Mr Jeffreys is now feturning from a visit to/the; Uidted wfcer# acted as chairman iof thefßritish ;dele* gation to the International BOad Congress, at -which New Zealand was represented. ( ; also , xepWented Britain at the Canadian !. Good Boads Convention, - .held at Qtiabec in Septem-, ber, since wheh he has made a eaxe£plj study of the traappoijtUnited f S^ates , and Canada. . ..\ c < Mr Jeffrija proposes to pay partienlax , attention of co-ordin-ating road'and railway transport .In th* Dominion.}: During the last two years, he has made a special study of this problem from-tha Ca£Q to Oairo. He believes thkt, tfpeak-' . ing broadly, EoUth Africa lias much on railways and not sufficient on roads, withthe th«| : port charges in the Union are unneoessarlly bifeh". - ' V' 1 'S- * ' , '."Southv" Africa's, .high'" tiinsport charges are btctoght about,'? ;^yilh l e\Jfaot thai if 1 tho railway, admin,, istratios; a Goverweht'; ministration, builds railways (pattieubranch lines) pay, it, has in effect ti cfiarfee'the overhead expenses, of the branch J Kae>'ovi^'the r whole of the system, so putting" up the cost of rail transport. Under a proper,! jsystem. not Aave a brianch railwayline t&gt would not pay, and a bad d 4 choose which -wonld - suit conditions liest, and would then- shut-ld'owH ihe"' railway line and spend tmtmey; on the' improvement and development tff the road, acting on the principle that it is.best to cut capital "loßses <thaa -go on losing hundreds of > thousands of on railways. < 3ta South Africa they are beginning to find that although ,the is poor, it ia ttecessairy t6 close down non*paying briuich; railway lines ,and<- develop roadtransport' instead. ~ * • - ~ 1. , 1 (< Ali over- the world find thltl lem of- co-ordinating' rbad and rail traffic a,very live and-vital'one. ■ln theBritish in particular is most important that the costs of transport should.be reduced tor a minimum, so aB tp reduce the costs of production/ both of rawjuaterials and manufactured gqodß, into which, 'transport charges enter, very largely.: ;The problem 'is' more difficult in countries'like New ilea-" land and South ,where the. nation ownsr the railways, than/in; Great Britain and -the 'United .-States; Vhere the railways are owned by- private capi- w tal." ■ • - ' - ' The British Dominions, rin Mr Jeffreys's opinion, are not. spending, sufficient money oa rbad .researCh, including «perimental bureaux and-road chemists." They are not making the best use, he looal 'material and reSonrces< in i the United .<■ States, icn- tha other nana, large sums were. spent on what was called scientific roads investigation.