TRIBUTE TO RAILWAYS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 503, 5 November 1928, Page 1

TRIBUTE TO RAILWAYS

SUCCESS OF COMMERCE TOUR CO-OPERATION WANTED ! Late on Sunday afternoon the tour of the first Chamber of Commerce train ended at Auckland. Altogether the party travelled over 1,700 miles in nine days by train, motorcar, launch, and on foot. The cheerful good-byes at the Auckland and suburban stations, and the songs sung at the Henderson station before the party broke up, proved what a success the tour had been. Mr. J. W. Collins, secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce, first thought of the idea, and with the whole-hearted co-operation of the Railway Department, and much work by the officials of the Chamber of Commerce, the tour was finally made possible. The organisation for the whole |tour was a marvel; there was not one hitch in the whole arrangement, and not a moment was lost in transporting the travellers from train, car, and launch, and back again, even in the most out-of-the-way parts of the North. The final function was at Whangarei on Saturday evening, when the last official speeches were made, and the last tributes to the ability of the officers of the Railway Department were paid with great enthusiasm. TOUR AN OBJECT-LESSON Speaking at the official dinner given by the Whangarei Chamber of Commerce in honour of the visitors, Mr. H. H. Sterling, general manager of the railways, said that 1,300 miles had been covered by the train, 450 by motor, and 20 by launch. The cost to the people who had travelled in the train had been lid a mile. That was an object-lesson to the people who thought that the railways were obsolete, and were being superseded by any other form of transport. He went on to say that the trip had been an example of how the various methods of transport could be co-ordinated, and that the comfort and the possibility of the trip had been due only to that coordination. As general manager of the railways, and as a New Zealander, he was trying to solve a problem which affected New Zealand as a whole. The railway servants were all imbued with the spirit of service. A lot had been said about bringing the railways to a state of commercial prosperity, but it must not be forgotten that they were a service to the Dominion before they were profit-earning. The North had great possibilities which must be unlocked? and the key to the I door was transport. He asked those present to set aside all prejudice and catch-cries regarding the railways. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce had given a demonstration of the service which could be done by the railways, and if the people of the Dominion gave their support they would get a service second to none in the world. SPECIAL TRIBUTES At the end of the tour, special votes * of thanks were accorded Mr. E. Casey, i divisional superintendent; Mr. D. I Rodie, commercial manager; Mr. J. G. ' Rickerby, district traffic manager; Mr. ; A. W. Welsted, business agent; and all ; other railway officials who had made ; the trip. Dr. E. P. Neale, secretary of the i Chamber of Commerce, who has ' worked indefatigably throughout' the { whole trip, received the thanks of everybody ; and Mr. J. T. Collin, who j acted as secretary on the tour, was presented with a silver cigarette case. Before the journey ended Mr. Sterling called together the staff which had travelled on the train, and congratulated them on their work during the trip. Guard J. Melican, he said, had never left a passenger behind, or overcarried any visitor to the train. Mr. Melican was also congratulated by Mr. Merritt. Drivers A. Roughton and J. Snell were also congratulated on their work.