AUSTRALIAN RESTRICTIONS PROVE A BOOMERANG
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POLICIES that retard development .I. of road transport in Australia, in order to protect Government-owned railways from competition, have become a boomerang in the war effort, according to a Sydney correspondent of " The Christian Science Monitor." Abnormal conditions are stated to have put a great strain on the railways and administrators would now welcome the help of the road transport which their past efforts have restricted.
" Ever since road transport became a competitor, executive heads of the railways, which here are all Stateowned, have brought pressure on the Government to hedge road transport with restrictive regulations," says the report. " The Government, in an effort to prevent the railways from becoming a burden on consolidated revenue, have done as they have been asked. Road transport is restricted by the Transport Co-ordination Act, designed to prevent road competition with railways. Among other things, it provides that a lorry owner, before he can travel more than 100 miles, must get a permit and pay a special fixed tax
according to the type and goal:laity Of" goods carried." .
Because the railways of Australia are now swamped with traffic, "exports are now declaring that it is inevitable that road transport will have to take over some of the burden," says the statement,