RAILWAY BUSES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 70, 19 September 1930, Page 10

RAILWAY BUSES

HUTT ROAD SERVICE

HEAVY RUNNING COSTS

The statement that the railway buses on the Hutt road were coating more per mile than the Eastbourne Borough Council buses was made in the House of Bepresentatives to-day by Mr. W. Nash (Labour, Hutt), who asked that the Minister supply details of the service and also investigate the whole position. Mr. Nash said that last year there was a loss on the service of over £800, in spite of the fact that the route was as good as any in New Zealand. The railway buses cost. 15.66 d per mile, while the Eastbourne buses cost 13.11 d per nrilo. The Eastbourne Borough Council had perhaps better buses, paid better wages, and gave better conditions. He knew that the Kailway Department had paid the private companies a certain amount for goodwill, and that a number of buses purchased wore old ones, necessitating repairs, but the Eastbourn© Council allowed a depreciation of 33 1-3 per cent, on the original capital cost. Tho Department gave detailed information of other activities, and lie hoped that the particulars of bus services would be given just as fully. In roply, the Minister of Railways (the Hon. W. A. Veitch) said that if Mr. Nash supplied his figures ho would be pleased to go into them and thank him for any suggestion. Mr. Nash: "I want you to supply figures." Mr. Veitch said that the railway management was eager to adopt any suggestion that would improve tho service, and would go into tho figures of other services in order to see what could bo done.

Mr. A. E. Ansell (Reform, Chalmers) said that the conditions wore favourable for an ideal service along the Hutt road, and he asked the Minister whether the State could expect to compete successfully against privatesowned services. Voices: "Yes."

"It seems to mo," said Mr. Ansell, "that they can't, and they are not."

The Fire Board to-day decided to leave the purchase of a now firo engine for the Ngaio and Khandallah districts in the hands of the secretary to finalise, provided that the net cost to the board, taking into account the promised Khandallah donation of £114, does not exceed £176.