RAILWAYS MEETING ROAD COMPETITION

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6541, 24 February 1928, Page 6

RAILWAYS MEETING ROAD COMPETITION

PERSISTENT EFFORTS PROVING SUCCESSFUL OFFICIAL DECLARES (“Times” Special.) AUCKLAND, Last Night. The persistent effort? which arc being made by the Ballway Department, frequently with gratifying results to the State, to meet road competition in the transport of goods and passengers effectively,, wjw outlined at Auckland this morning by Mr. D. Bodle, commercial manager of the New Zealand Railways, who conveys the Impression that In some localities at least the Department is getting some of its own back from the roads. A fleet of 13 buses has been placed on the iroad between Napier and Hastings in opposition to a privately-own-ed transport service, he said, and 13 months’ operations had been attended with success and accompanied by a lowering of train operating costs. The Department also was now rum ning a fleet of 30 buses in the Hutt Valley, but It was too early to essay a prediction upon the, financial results or possible economies in train running COStS. ' ■ In the goods traffic section successful reports were given by Mr. Eodio- of the establishment of special local freights in certain areas, where figures had been brought down to a basis competitive with road transport services. Butter and cheese, benzine and ge’neral goods were affected and figures showed that the railways' wero holding their own in many districts and in others gradually recapturing the bulk of business.