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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 7, Issue 1 (May 1, 1932.)

[section]

The greater proportion of capital expenditure in building the railways of this country was incurred at a time when the projectors could count upon securing the great bulk of the traffic available. Hence the range and quality of service to be rendered was based on such estimates, which included a long-term view of prospective additions to traffic through productive development made possible and specially assisted by the railways. In general, a broad outlook was held and generous attitude maintained regarding the responsibilities of the railways in fulfilling their function as the national transport undertaking.

The first consideration was to protect the lives of passengers. How well this has been done the remarkable record of recent years amply testifies. A further obligation to the public was the safe carriage of freight. In this, too, wonderful results have been achieved. Then suitable buildings, plant and timetables were required to assist in securing comfort and convenience for travellers and in meeting the needs of the senders and receivers of freight.

There are now over eleven hundred railway stations along the lines of this country, or an average of one for every three miles of track. Of these, nearly three hundred are officered, so that information about railway services as well as assistance in arranging transport is easily available to all.

Cattle and sheep yards, goods sheds, station platforms and waiting rooms, cranes for “out-size” lifts, trains to cater for various types of traffic, with suitable tracks and routes for them to run on, wagons for heavy loads, special types of trucks for different classes of traffic—fish, frozen meat, fruit, butter, cheese, coal, etc.—all these were provided on the long-term view that the railways would reap where they had sown.

Settlement has followed the railway as trade has followed the flag, but road transport along rail-serviced routes — competing transport that does not provide one tithe of the general public service which the railways do—is reaping where the railways have sown, with results that are proving decidedly detrimental to the financial position of the Dominion.

Help for farmers, help for suburban settlers, help for secondary industries, help in times of drought, flood, earthquake or war, all this has been given by the railways, in the course and cause of national development, and in a way which would have been impossible to any other form of transport. Hence when considering the advice “travel by page 6 rail” and “send by rail” it is well to remember that comparisons of bare operating costs do not tell the whole story, and that national advantage as well as personal security lies in the fullest possible patronage of the railways.