Railways Grapple With Motor Rivals

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 784, 3 October 1929, Page 6

Railways Grapple With Motor Rivals

RETRIEVING LOST BUSINESS INQUIRY MISSION ABROAD With the object of securing information upon mobile units of [ railway transportation, an officer i of the Government will be sent abroad during the current year to | report upon the operation of railcars in other countries. The General Manager of the Railways, Mr. H. H. Sterling, shows that the people of the Dominion are not using the railways to the extent they were 22 years ago. The biggest problem which the Railway Department has to face today—that of competition with motor transport—is dealt with extensively in Mr. Sterling’s annual report, which was presented to Parliament yesterday, in company with the statement of the Minister of Railways, the Hon. W. B. Taverner. The increase in the use of private motor-cars, and the greater mobility of service cars have resulted in a heavy and consistent falling-off in passenger traffic on the railways, until today, in the words of Mr. Sterling, the railways are hack to the basis of 22 years ago so far as ordinary passengers are concerned. The peak of the traffic was in 1921, since when there has been a steady decline. Figures show that in 1907 the population made 9.98 trips a head in the year, and last year the population made an average of only 6.15 trips a head. New Zealand is not alone in this falling off. The United States of America, where the proportion of motor-cars is also very high, has suffered a drop even more severe, for last year the number of passengers carried on the railways there was smaller than in any year since 1905. PRIVATE CAR TRAVEL A disconcerting feature of the fall-ing-off in passenger business is that costs, are n&t the greatest influence. For. as Mr. Sterling mentions in his report, it is found that people freely use their. motor-cars at a cost, when taking all factors Into account, that must be considerably higher than that at which transport, could be secured by rail. A further difficulty in connection with the competition of private motors is to be found in the practice, which is assuming large proportions in this country, of private motor-car owners who. make regular use of their cars in travelling between the suburbs and the cities, picking up their friends ,en route. Allied to, this there is also the practice which has arisen at holiday times of persons sharing their motorcars with their friends .for the purpose of extensive trips throughout the country. FEWER STOPS “As regards the matter of speed, I think that improvements in this connection will be in the direction of running long-distance trains with fewer stops while working the intermediate traffic requiring more frequent stoppages at the less important stations by means of smaller rail units having a relatively high rate of acceleration, or by road services.” WORKERS’ TICKETS One unfortunate aspect mentioned by the Minister was the fact that, while the motors took the remunerative suburban traffic the railways were left with the unremunerative workers’ concession tickets. Mr. Sterling expressed the belief that the railways would continue to hold the workers’ tickets, but the casual traffic would be retained by the motors, even if the railways were electrified to the suburbs. Improved methods of traction and higher standards of services and facilities would enable the railways to hold the long distance traffic, but the traffic between the long-distance and the suburban would probably he met by an elastic service with quick stopping and starting facilities like rail cars. In its endeavours to create new business the department had encouraged point-to-point excursions, and the development of touring trains had been undertaken, while the results of the night trains were sufficiently encouraging to suggest that they might eventually prove of great financial gain to the Department as well as of public service. MINISTER’S INTENTIONS The institution of rail-cars has been under the consideration of the Minister of Railways, particularly in respect to branch line traffic. Speaking of this, Mr. Taverner says in his annual statement: “A committee of executive officers of the department is now undertaking a thorough and systematic examination, first, as to the best method of Working the traffic; that is whether by rail-cars, road services, or trains; and, secondly, in the event of rail-cars being recommended, what is the most useful type for the particular service required in each case. “The rapid development that has taken place in recent years in connection with various types of railcars, particularly Diesel electric and other similar types, renders it very desirable that we should have firsthand information regarding the most modern types of vehicles and their adaptability to our conditions. To that end I propose to send abroad immediately a competent officer to inquire on the spot into the actual performance of the various kinds of rail-cars on railway systems where they have been adopted. I confidently expect that during the coming year we shall be able to formulate definite proposals.” •