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Railway Progress in New Zealand
General Manager's Message
A Bright New Year.

From the point of view of the Dominion's national transport organisation, the year 1936 opens with distinctly bright prospects.

The Railway equipment is particularly well placed to meet the demands that the business of the new year is expected to make, and the Department has never been in a better position than now to provide cheap, punctual, fast and reliable transport.

Further, 1936 may be expected to see still greater development of those facilities which add to the attractiveness of our service.

We shall have rail-cars operating on important routes for the first time in the history of the Dominion.

The new terminal facilities at the Capital City will be well advanced and the obvious advantages of the improvements will be patent to all.

Improved wagons to deal with such traffic as fruit, butter, cheese and chilled beef, will be running in more plentiful supply than previously. Traffic conveyed in open wagons will be more adequately protected by the new and lighter type of tarpaulin just being introduced. The Department's own road services will be better developed, as well as the co-ordination of road and rail as between the Department and private interests.

The past year has seen a clearer understanding, especially amongst local bodies, of the Department's problem and its relation to the national interests; this understanding may be expected to develop still further during 1936. There will also be a further development of railway effort in combined publicity with the districts concerned in drawing attention to the attractions of the various resorts of the Dominion.

The new year may, in general, be expected to show a steady advance in the utility of the Railways as a national and economic service.

General Manager.

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