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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 3, Issue 9 (January 1, 1929)

Modern Travel

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Modern Travel

The tendency of modern times is to make travel increasingly attractive by making it luxurious. Work and travel do not go well together. Excepting for those directly engaged in the actual work of transport the time spent in travel is regarded as a time of ease and relaxation. Everything that can be done to make the flitting from place to place pleasing to the senses and emotions meets with immediate approval and brings business to the enterprise that has the courage to introduce progressive ideas to this end. And how fertile has the research of scientists and the genius of inventors been, in these recent years, in finding ways to make travel a source and purveyor of pure delight! By rail, road, sea, and air a constant competition is going on to find and supply just those things that will make the vehicle and accessories of travel irresistibly attractive.

In this connection, and following upon a series of recent progressive developments throughout the system, the decision of the General Manager to place parlour cars on two of the principal passenger runs in the Dominion will be assured of full support from the public.

The popularity of the parlour car specially fitted up for use on the Commerce Train which toured the Auckland province early this summer, was most marked. While other parts of the train had their ups and downs in the matter of occupation, the parlour car was the one vehicle which was always full—some times to overflowing. The reason for this was obvious. The car had a broad utility value—apart from the facilities it afforded for social intercourse—not found in the ordinary cars, comfortable though these were. The numerous tables were convenient for writing, games or refreshments; comfortable “occasional” chairs and settees made group or private conference easy; the books and magazines supplied gave that desirable, unrestricted, carefree atmosphere best described by the term “home-like,” and this result was augmented by the artistry and skill evident in the fittings, colour scheme and general arrangement of the car.

The decision now made to place similar cars on the Auckland-Rotorua and Christchurch-Greymouth Expresses will doubtless make an appeal to the average traveller similar to that made upon the members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The fact that a small additional charge is to be made will prove no deterrent to those who, like the patrons who keep the De Luxe cars on the Wellington-Auckland night Limited filled to capacity page 6 recognise that a good thing is always well worth paying for.

But the feature of modern travel that must receive increasing attention in future is safety, and in this the Railways more than hold their own. Speaking in November last, Mr. E. W. Beatty, chairman and presdient of the Canadian Pacific Railway drew attention to the fact that two million passengers were carried in 1927 for each passenger fatally injured, compared with one passenger killed for each half-million passengers carried in 1912. New Zealand's railway figures shew an even better result, with no passengers fatally injured among the 26 millions carried in each of the years 1927 and 1928. Mr. Beatty also remarked on the fact that railway accidents of all kinds show a decrease, with the exception of those due to automobiles. With a fuller understanding of the facts regarding their safety compared with competing forms of transport, and the additional comforts and luxuries that the railways are able to provide, it is clear that modern travel must swing back increasingly to the railways for all distance travelling by land.

Railway Management

Our columns are at all times open to helpful discussion of Railway problems. It is with pleasure, therefore, that we publish the following letter from one of New Zealand's captains of industry and commerce, Mr. A. G. Lunn, (past-president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce), giving a typical business man's viewpoint regarding the Railways as a commercial concern.

7/1/29.

To the Editor, “N.Z. Railways Magazine,” Wellington.

Dear Sir,—

It may be of interest to your readers to have the views of some business men in regard to the management of the New Zealand Railways.

Hitherto various forms of management havebeen in operation with varying degrees of success, but all have been subject to political influence, and this influence has not always been to the public interest nor an aid to the economical administration of the Railways.

Branch lines have been built which should not have been built, or at least should have been delayed for many years; with the results that the loss entailed has been accumulating until, with the proper reorganisation of Railway accountancy, these deficits have had to be recognized and shown as losses to be made good by contributions from the Consolidated Fund.

It is questionable whether sufficient allowance for depreciation of stock (rolling and other) has been made in the past, and whether necessary provision has been made for replacements.

There can be no doubt that whatever drawbacks have existed previously (the losses for which may have been sunk in the capitalized figures of the Railways) the time has arrived for a strict and businesslike administration of the service. No longer is the Railway a monopoly, with huge capital into which may be sunk the cost of errors of political lines and lack of business-like conduct to await the day of awakening to the fact that we have an interest bill which cannot be met by the Railway earnings. The competition of motor transport is becoming acute; and to save this—the largest business in New Zealand—from disaster, the Railways must be freed from political influence and kept in the hands of a capable manager, whose duty will be to see that it is run as an efficient public service, and that it meets the interest cost (if no more) of the capital involved. I firmly believe that on this basis economies amounting to hundreds of thousands might be effected, and when effected the man who could do it would be worth not £3500 per annum but £10,000 per annum. Give such a man the confidence and support of the men in the service and the public, and we should be on the road to success and should hear less of the foolish controversy, in Parliament and out, as to whether £3,500 is too much to pay for a good man.

Business men with less than one-hundredth part of the capital invested in our railways pay higher salaries than this because it is recognized that brains, initiative, organizing powers, and character are of higher value, and are the only means to success in the conduct of Big Business.

The Department has on its roll many men of great ability and energy, and under sympathetic and able management they would no doubt assist in the more economical and efficient running of the Railways.