“Taranaki Central Press” FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1937. THE CO-ORDINATION OF TRANSPORT.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 364, 19 February 1937, Page 4

“Taranaki Central Press” FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1937. THE CO-ORDINATION OF TRANSPORT.

The silting at Stratford yesterday of the No. 2 Transport Licensing Authority, except for the fact that an ex-resident of the town presided, might be passed over by those who were not directly interested in some material way. It was just another State-con-trolled affair licensing carriers and such-like services.

But although no special significance could be attached to yesterday's meeting in particular, the whole question of the licensing of transport operators is one of considerable importance and does concern every citizen, whether directly concerned with the transport industry or not. First of all, it repesents one form of State-control of industry, and that is important, particularly as the licensing of all industries has been provided for by special Act of Parliament passed during last session. Secondly, this State interference with the policy of laissez-faire concerning transport is, or was originally supposed to be, an attempt to co-ordinate transport in New Zealand into a national, privately-owned, publicly-regulated transportation system in which each unit occupies its proper place.

Transport co-ordination was instituted because of the rapid growth of motor services and the consequent upheaval of the existing system. New Zealand had spent, and continues to spend, millions on establishing and maintaining a national railway system. Much traffic was also sea-borne. Then came the motor —a more flexible form of transport than either of the established services, a definite and immediate threat to the existing order.

The Transport Department with its erstwhile Boards and Authorities grew out of the concern of the then Government to save, first of all, the Railways. There can be no denying that fact, nor can there be any denial of the fact that the concern of the Government is still for the railways. Consequently, though the original Transport Licensing Act provided for the complete coordination of services, that ideal has been subjugated to the Government’s concern to safeguard the interests of the railways and maintain them at the expense of more modern and more flexible means of transport.

The co-ordination of objects is the bringing of associated things into a definite order so as to form a complete unit working harmoniously. The co-ordination of motor transport with other and, for the most part older, forms of transport, implies the adoption of the motor carrier into a general system of transportation upon a common basis with all other carriers, so that all, by united action, may render more efficient service. The end to be achieved is the movement of persons and goods more rapidly and efficiently and at lower cost to the operators and to those who pay for and use the services.

Co-ordination, as applied to transport, should not mean the relegation of road motor operators to a position of minor importance in the whole system, or that updue importance will be placed on railways. But, unfortunately, the history of the administration of the Transport Department shows that such is being done. It does seem that the motor services are being limited almost to the field of horse-drawn vehicles before the advent of motor traffic, and that the railways are being sheltered in order to recapture and control all the traffic they carried before the motor vehicle entered into competition.

That, then, is the real significance of yesterday’s sitting of the area Licensing Authority. While it is in the public interest that the economic limitations of each type of carrier be recognised, is it in the public interest that the railways be permitted to continue certain unprofitable services at the expense of general efficiency?