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NORMOUS • financial losses are J—t sustained year after year because of delays, breakages and pilferage on the South African railways, says the South African Association of Chambers of Commerce.
Whenever the question of relaxing the Motor Carrier Transportation Act is raised,. it states, the authorities make the stock answer: Highrated traffic would be diverted from the railways, leaving them to carry low-rated consignments. " One abuse is used as an argument to maintain another," it declares.
" Apart from this, however, the Newton committee has shown that even part of the high-rated traffic railed over short distances does . not yield sufficient revenue to cover terminal costs, let alone the cost of conveyance. Moreover, the trucks used on short-distance hauls are a cause of congestion on the railways, and are not aVailable for earning revenue on long-distance hauls." The Association's statement continues: !` In any event, it is a lamentably. short-sighted policy to allow the supposed interests of the South African Railways to take precedence over a developing country's needs.
The Association remarks that " in the recommendations of the 'Board of Trade and Industries on private enterprise, there is the excellent recommendation that State-owned • undertakings should be subject to the same monopoly .regulation as private. firms."