The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the Wost Coast Timed. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1931.

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1931, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the Wost Coast Timed. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1931.

RAIL AND ROAD TRANSPORT. The Acting Prime Minister stuck to ins guns with admirable firmness last week, comments the Otago Times, when an influential deputation from Gisborne attempted to stampede the Government into a withdrawal of its decision to discontinue work on the Gis-borne-Waikokopu section of the East Coast railway. He is to be thanked ior this and also for the frankness with which he acknowledged that the step taken by the Government, in stopping— at least temporarily—the operations on this undertaking and on three other railway construction works, was “overdue.” He might have added, with perfect truth, that the Government would have been justified in suspending other construction works the completion of which will simply have the effect of swelling the losses that are being incurred on the railways of the Dominion and must necessarily increase the burden falling on the shoulders of the taxpayers. The present suspension of works, Mr Ransom says, has been decided upon merely in order that the Government mn> have “a. breathing space” in which to go into the whole question. If the Government had not deliberately shut its eves to the evidence which has been available to the whole community, it must have recognised long ago that the changed conditions affecting transport. as well as the economic conditions within the country, rendered it desirable that it should not persevere with its extensive programme of railway construction. The Dominion simply cannot afford to go on building railways—and building them in the most expensive wav—in ordei that, when they are finished, thov may be operated at a loss. The Government has not gone ns far ns it should, now that it is taking “a breathing space,” but it is fortunate that it has gone S onu» way towards the suspension of undertaking that come within the category of unproductive works anti it is to ho hoped that it will not allow

itself to be deflected from the determination of which it has arrived. The reply which Mr Ransom made to the deputation from Gisborne was important not only in respect- of what was definitely said but also in respect of what was implied. It is impossible to draw from it any inference other than that the Government has been driven to the consideration of measures which may have the effect of bringing back to the railway a good deal of the traffic that has been diverted from it to road transport. The Government proposes, the Acting Prime Minister says, to investigate the whole question of road transport and rail transpore and to devise a definite policy “as far as meeting the position created by the competition between the Iwo services was concerned.” There is, of course, an obvious anomaly in the fact that by constructing and maintaining good roads, which rim parallel with the railways, the State is providing motor transport organisations with the means of successfully competing with the State-owned railways. If it was believed that, the community, ns owner of the l'nilwavs, would support the railways in preference to other inodes of transport, that belief has now to he abandoned, “it had,” Mr Ransom said, “been impossible to educate tire neople generally up to the fact- that the railways were their property and that any losses upon them would have to lie ho’ tm by the taxpayer. Until,’' lie added, “that spirit of mutual support had been imbued in the people, it would he impossible to sue any hone in the future of the railways.” In these circumstances Mr Ransom hints at the adoption of some drastic policy with the view of safeguarding the railway revenue. .He suggests the, likelihood that the Government may have to take steps to enforce restriction that would divert traffic from the roads to the rails. There are various means by which, if it is driven to it, it may impos ( . a cheek upon the operations of the road services that are in competition with the railways. Tt may be doubted, however, whether the present Government possesses the strength that would enable it to nnply anv or all of these means effectively. Yet it would receive a great deal of public support in anv reasonable proposals it- put forward for the protection of the public interests in the railway svstetn.