The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1928 MODERN TRANSPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 January 1928, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1928 MODERN TRANSPORT.

The clash in transport by rail and road i.s manifest in New Zealand. It is even more manifest in Great Britain, where the question of modern transport is a burning issue Ik- tween the rival carriers by rail and road. | The two Congresses which were held [ in London recently have Inrnislied ample evidence of the fact that tlie ! authorities responsible for the ■welfare | and development of modern transjxirt | facilities a.re leaving no stone unturn- ! ed in their endeavour to attain the j highest degree of efficiency. It has [ lien rightly said that transportation | is the basic industry of civilisation. | This being so. it is of the utmost imi poitance in these days of rapid development in the productive industries I that the means of transporting goods j and com modi ties, as well as persons, from one place to another should at I least keep pace with the progress made | in other spheres of our industrial and commercial life. At the World Motor Transport Congress held at the Savoy Hotel, and attended by some 250 delegates representing no less than 50 countries, developments and possibilities in regard to motor-ve-icles was the one all-absorbing topic. The varying claims of rail and road transport obviously came under notice, and there is no donht that, although much has been made of late concerning the antagonism between these two forms of transportaton, the view that the. great railway systems can fie fairly co-ordiuated with road transport is finding increasing acceptance. As Lieut-Colonel Ashley, Minister of Transport, rightly pointed out, coordination will enable the wasteful competition which now exists to lie eliminated and hotli these industries should ho aide to carry on successfully if overlapping and waste are prevented by legislation. The essential problem of all forms of transport is bow can the cost per ton-mile- be reduced, and in this connection Mr OrnisbyGore. Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Colonial Office, stressed the point that every reduction in tonmile cost would open up a larger area of country for development. Tn a reference to six-wheeled vehicles which to-day are coming into operation and also to the caterpillar type of motor transport, Mr Ornisby- Gore held that it was to motor transport in these forms that they had to look for an increasing measure of development in primary production throughout the world. Already the six-wheeled vehicles have appeared to lie admirahlv suited to conditions in Australia. One problem that is of outstanding importance in the Commonwealth is the high cost of petrol, hut this fact should encourage enterprise in the production oif suitable alternative fuel's. \The road i.s. of course, playing an increasing part in the efficiency of madern motor transport and it was more particularly to this subject that the Public Works Congress; at the 11 oval Agricultural Hall addressed itself. Associated with the Congress was an exhibition n,t which a large number of the very latest tvpes of road vehicles, road-making machinery, etc. were on view. At .various sessions practically every subject which ran lie included in the term “public works"’ was dealt with. Sr Harry Mayhury. Chairman of the Organising Commitee. pointed out at the opening luncheon that the problem of transport was one of the most important, and certainly one of the most expensive in this country. Britain was spending on the roads something like £45.000.000 n year and there was something like 287,000 miles of roads vested in local authorities. Another fact of interest mentioned was that since 1920 some 200 miles of new arterial roads liiiw twn pQnstFPPted

in the London, .neighbourhood, and about an equal number in the |irnvinces at a cost of upwards of £3,000.000.