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"Public Transport Must be Regulated by Government"

24th November 1950
Page 40
Page 40, 24th November 1950 — "Public Transport Must be Regulated by Government"
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Keywords : Logistics, Transport

'IN an increasingly complicated econom;e order, it is essential for public transport to be more and more regulated by government and, where necessary, to be government-operated,' said Mr. F. Q. den Hollander, president of the Netherlands Railways, in his paper, "The Future of Railways," read before the Institute of Transport on Monday.

it is the same," he continued. "with the transport and distribution of energy, just as with letters, telegrams and telephones; they are of public interest and no modern society can afford to accept them in disintegrated forms. The ties between government and railway transport are everywhere very close. So also with, road, water and air transport; private enterprise cannot be allowed simply to have a free hand."

In a transport system which required heavy capital investment, unbridled competition quickly resulted in an intolerable excess of equipment and personnel, both of which were necessary in other departments of human society whicli consequently suffered deficiencies of therm

Turning to the question of transport in the Netherlands, Mr. den Hollander said that there was a gradually accelerated increase in the total volume of transport. Dealing with the division of the task before the various means for transport, the speaker stated that in the passenger field, at the outset, the railways had such a start over other means that restraint was put upon them by the

• Government. When road transport began its striking development, there was a long gap which was filled only slowly, but greatly in haste at each instalment, as the result of past events. During the first period of development this resulted in unbridled competition on the part of road transport which was highly detrimental to the railways. Regulating legislation was gradually developed; in the Netherlands; it was aimed at amalgamating undertakings.

The regulation of goods traffic was still in its initial stage. Private transport played an important part in the movement of goods. Data on the subject were vague, but there seemed to be a diversion of traffic from public to privately owned means for iransport.

In the future traffic would undoubtedly increase. The number of passengers was connected with the increase of population and the development of industry. It was necessary more than ever to make a division of the total possible future traffic—goods and passenger—between road-, rail-, airand water-borne transport.

Railways were indispensable, as were the other three means for transport, as national undertakings. By regulated "competition, further development of all systems would continue to take place. No section of transport should exceed the strength necessary to carry out its task. Government interference was necessary to determine the volume of traffic appropriate to each method of transport.

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Organisations: Institute of Transport

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