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The Development of Road Transport Despite Industrial Depression.

3rd November 1925
Page 2
Page 2, 3rd November 1925 — The Development of Road Transport Despite Industrial Depression.
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11-1 HE ability of mechanism to deal with the vast transport problems of those fateful five years from 1914 to 1919, spent in hostilities and the consolidation of the military position prior to the signing of peace, brought home to manufacturers and' traders in the many and various industries of this country the fact that there had occurred a definite revolution in methods of conveyance, our wonderful system of roads providing the important arteries along which so much of the traffic could flow, mechanism now being able to accomplish that which was beyond the capacity of horses and even enabling road transport to compete on level or even favourable terms with the railways. In the six years that have followed mechanical road transport has made astonishing strides. It has been adopted in municipal work and in connection with almost every industry. It has proved effective, useful and economical in the transport of goods and materials of practically any weight up to 12 tons, whilst even a 60-ton item of machinery can be handled by it; in fact, can be handled only by mechanical road transport, because of the railways' limitations of loading gauge. What is so remarkable is that this development has been effected in a period of industrial depression. What would-have happened had some genius arisen who could have set the world busy upon a great scheme of reconstruction one need scarcely stop to speculate, for we have evidence of the possibilities of the situation in that curious use of our financial resources that has created the boom in pleasure pursuits, one effect of which has been to bring about the rapid recovery and development of the passenger-carrying industry. There is now a very substantial measure of confidence that the result of the Locarno pact will be an early revival of industry following upon the establishment of superior international credits. This revival must, in turn, create a greater demand still for goods-transport facilities, the development of long-distance conveyance, and of light rapid local delivery systems entailing an expansion of the use of the middle-load vehicles (from 3 to 6 tons) in the transport of raw materials as well as of finished goods in bulk. It is almost certain that the railways, in the next Parliamentary session, will make a further effort to secure the powers so greatly desired by all railway men to handle road traffic without necessarily having a railway component in the transport. If they should gain their point, much additional traffic would come upon the highway, but it is equally obvious that, in the effort to attain this end, the railway companies will have to meet strenuous opposition f r om the haulage industry now in possession of the field. This matter, however, will come up for serious discussion at a later stage.

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