ROAD AND RAIL

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 138, 7 December 1929, Page 8

ROAD AND RAIL

RIVAL TRANSPORTS

ASPECTS OF THE PROBLEM

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, This Day. Kefereucc (o the Transport Bill, which came before the last session of Parliament, was made by Mr. A. E. Ansell, M.P., at the quarterly meeting of the (South Island Motor Union to-day. Mr. Ansell stated that the Minister of Transport has beeu authorised to set up a Transport Board, which the speaker understood was to investigate the question of co-ordination between road and rail traffic. Mr. Ansell expressed the opinion that it was their duty, as member of motor associations and as citizens, to devote some consideration to the question. His own opinion was that no serious attempt had been made to co-ordinate the two systems. No cloubt the ideal solution would be that each form of transport would deal with traffic most suited to it. At present the railways were losing about £.1,000,000 per annum, with every prospect of a serious increase in the loss, unless some action was taken. That loss, of course, had to be met by the taxpayer. The capital invested in motor traffic in New Zealand amounted to £69,000,000, and the capital cost of railways was about £57,500,000. These two forms of transport were in competition with each other, but surely that competition could be eliminated by some form of co-ordination. The running cost of motor transport in the Dominion was more than £20,000,000 per annum, to which had to be added at least £8,----000,000 or £10,000,000 for depreciation. He did not know where the country was going to land with such a heavy expenditure. The railway service was costing £-7,000,000. Motor associations could with advantage try to devise- some system to eliminate such wasteful competition. BIG INCREASES. Figures regarding the importation for nine months of the current year were really startling compared with the first nine- months of last year. The increase was SO per cent. The increase in expenditure was also enormous. The figures for. the first month of 1929 were £3,279,000, wllereas for the samo period in 192S they were £-1,080,000. ' Mr. Ansell said that, while he thought no tears should be shed over the- shelving of the Bill, in the meantimo they should endeavour to assist in evolving a system that would meet the difficulty which must be" faced in the near future. This problem was being faced in almost every country in the world from some angle. TASMANIAN SYSTEM. In Tasmania, where motor traffic ran parallel with a railway, it was penalised, but where it was acting as a feeder to railway licence fees were comparatively light. He thought that system might be put into operation in New Zealand. The tendency was to penalise fairly heavily the heavier types of vehicle which, caused most damage to the road. The country could continue to spend millions every year, and if motorists could stop the loss which was going" on they would do something worthy of their citizenship. " SOUTH ISLAND BOARD. Mr. Ansell referred to the question of setting up a Highways Board for the South Island. Ho contended that the Government's proposal was very clumsy and unworkable, and he was not sorry that that part of the Bill was cut out. Every effort should .be made to see that the Highways Board was kept free from political control of any description. (Hear, hear.) In the past people in the South Isjand had suffered simply because they were in a minority in Parliament. Any proposal that would give the Minister a political pull should bo strongly opposed.