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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 1 (May 1st, 1926)

General

General.

In any comparison of Capital and Costs per mile with those of other countries, recognition must be made of the fact that the cost of railway construction is necessarily heavy in New-Zealand, owing to the exceptionally difficult nature of the country through which most of the lines have been driven. On the other hand tariff rates, to a great extent, are governed by competitive conditions both by sea and road, where the competitors are freed largely from the cost and upkeep of a permanent way, of a safety signalling system, and of terminal accommodation facilities. The hard logic of existing conditions points the only way to a betterment in the financial situation as being through an improved operating ratio between earnings and working expenses. Herein lies the opportunity for a great forward movement by co-operative effort and improved industrial and commercial management.

To achieve the best results it is further necessary that every one employed on our Railways should be equipped with the best machinery and other appliances for his work. The greater the volume of traffic the less will be the unit cost of transport. Therefore the obtaining of more traffic (in which every member of the service may assist the efforts of the Commercial Branch) is the first feature of a policy likely to benefit the Department, its employees and the Dominion.

The cost of construction and repair work on rolling stock is being reduced by improved methods of workshop management. New workshops are about to be erected in the vicinity of Auckland and Petone, and extensions at Addington and Hillside, with the latest world-standards of construction, arrangement, operation and machinery. When these are available this feature will be further developed.

Improved methods for the purchase, standardisation and control of stores are among the economies to be effected.

Better ways for the handling of passengers, parcels and goods traffic are being devised, and already standard elementary works on Railway Economics have been obtained and distributed throughout the various districts as a beginning of vocational instruction, with a view to improving the individual and collective capabilities of every department of the Railway Service.

Efficiency is being promoted also by safety propaganda to reduce accidents among employees. A Safety-First campaign among the staff is under way. This includes the exhibition of posters in Workshops, etc., graphically impressing the lesson of self-preservation, and the Departmental Magazine also will be used to further the same purpose by the exchange of safety-first ideas. Action also is being taken regarding the distribution and exhibition of poster and sticker warnings for the public emphasising the need for taking the greatest care at level-crossings.

Although a most gratifying response has already been made to the new policy I bespeak a still keener interest in, and a still more earnest application to the work in hand. With educational and managerial development along the lines indicated, a fuller appreciation of the spirit of co-operation within all ranks of the service, coupled with increased skill and the elimination of useless waste, the outlook for improvement in the operating ratio—on which staff betterment in conditions and prospects depends—will be brightened considerably, and the likelihood of better rates and accommodation for the public materially increased. Given these, we can look to the future with a cheerful optimism, being well assured that the only dependable method of securing the confidence and goodwill of the public is to deserve them.