Some of the ideals with which he has undertaken the direction of the Railway Department were outlined by Mr. H. H. Sterling, General Manager, in a speech at the dinner given to the party on the Commerce Train by the local bodies at Whangarei.

Mr. H. T. Merritt, President of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, who proposed the toast of the Railway Department, spoke of the work of the railway officers on the tour as revealing a special degree of efficiency, and a desire to meet the demands of the public. The New Zealand Railways were, he believed, never so efficient as today, and whatever other modes of transport could be dispensed with, the railways were a vital necessity. That being so, it was for the commercial community to decide for itself whether or not it was going to support and cooperate with this great national asset. Instead of asking the Legislature for new powers in their competition with motor traffic, the railway officers had set themselves to achieve a high state of efficiency, and the running of the Commerce Train had been an indication of their success.

Factors in Transport.

In his reply, Mr. Sterling said that in studying the transport problem he had found no better exemplification than the present trip of what he could wish the transport system to be, for in it he had seen every form of transport co-ordinated with the railway system to bring about 100 per cent. of satisfaction and 100 per cent. of service. What had to be considered was how best to co-ordinate every other mode of transport with the railways. On this trip the co-ordination of motor with rail, and launch with both, had given perfection of arrangements.

“I come to the transport problem as a New Zealander endeavouring to solve a problem that affects New Zealand as a whole,” said Mr. Sterling. “I say deliberately that so far as I am able to co-ordinate the various factors in transport I shall feel it my duty to devote my best energies to that coordination, without isolation of any factor in the transport services of the community.”

The Spirit of Service.

All the officers connected with the Commerce Train were imbued with the spirit of service, which must be the keynote of every publicly owned institution, said Mr. Sterling. It had to be remembered that the railways of New Zealand were a public service before they were a profitearning institution.

In conversation with one northern farmer to whom he had not disclosed his identity he had found that the farmer's idea was that the country wanted railways on which his fertiliser could be brought in, and also roads on which he could travel by motor-car, but he would still send out his wool by water-carriage as being the cheapest way. If that were the general idea, “then God help the officers who were trying to make the railways pay.” But he felt that as the people of the country grew in their sense of responsibility for the transport, and recognised that the railways were a community capital investment, they would more and more recognise where the railways stood in the economic service of the community.

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Referring to the resources of the Far North. Mr. Sterling said he had scrutinised the district in the light of the knowledge he had gained in the period he had been closely associated with farming. He thought the portion of the country he had seen was full of infinite possibilities, but these had to be unlocked by the key of cheap transport. Until that key was provided, the district could not make the advance it looked for.

Confidence in Future.

He felt very deeply the responsibility that rested upon him in the matter, and so, he knew, did Mr. E. Casey, Divisional Superintendent, and other officers. They came to the public in the spirit of service that was exemplified by the Commerce Train. All he asked of the public was to think clearly upon the transport problem and see where the railways stood in relation to economic and industrial life.

“I say that the railways are going to pay, in the only sense in which that statement can have any rational interpretation in a country situated in the position in which New Zealand is in relation to its railways, that is, in the giving of the transport services essential to the needs of the people at the lowest possible cost, and if we are able to solve the problems of co-ordinating the various branches of transport, the future of my officers and myself is absolutely assured,” continued Mr. Sterling. “I ask you to set aside passion, and not to be led away by catch-cries or prejudice. I feel sure the railways will stand, according as the problem of transport is made clearer and clearer by the closely co-ordinated thinking of all sections of the community, and that is the lesson of the Commerce Train. That is why I and my officers have rejoiced that the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and Mr. W. J. Collins, Secretary of the Department of Industries and Commerce, who was the originator of the idea, have rendered us the greatest service possible by giving us the opportunity to demonstrate in a tangible way that we are here for service to do the best we can to give you what you want—that is, adequate transport for your goods at the lowest possible rate, and, as regards the transport of passengers, all that makes for comfort.

“We aim to do that. We are here to give you 100 per cent. of service. With less than that you will not be satisfied, and neither will we.”