Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12
SEES MOTOR TRAVEL
AUSTRALIANS NEED
Auto Manufacturer Suggests
'VehicuIar Transportation to
Solve Economic Problems.

@Australia today faces certain eco
nomic problems, rather serious in them
selves, which can be solved in part By
the intelligent use of motor vehiculai
transportation" said l.. NJ. Rumely
vice president and general manager d
one of the large American automobile
export companies. upon his arrival here
today from an extended visit to thai
country where he visited General Mo-
tors operations in Melbourne, Sydney
Brisbane. Adelaide and Perth.
Australians themselves admit that
an error was made when railways were
built to distant points while land closer
to markets and already provided with
railway transportation had been only
partly developed" said MIR Rumely
To-day in Australia there are farmers
settled in remote places Excessive dis
tances result in high transportation
costs and make dear to the farmer the
things which he is obliged to buy
Fruit growers are SO far from their
market that they have little profit left
after they pay transportation charges.
Australians are aware that all land
provided with means of transport should
be made fully productive before further
isolated communities are established
The high cost of living in Australia is
due principally to the high cost of dis
tribution and that in turn is explained
by long distances. But today Austral-
ians are being told that the motor car
and truck can provide the transport to
enable the land go miles east or west
of q railway to be made productive and
the land nearest the market should
produce the goods which cannot meet
with high transport costs.
Australians Area Cited.
l.
from the United States that we forget
that it is a country whose greatest
length is 2,400 miles, its greatest width
1900 miles, with an area of 2946, 700
square miles-slightly less than that Of
the United StateS-and population of
100000. 1t is a country whose de-
velopment has proceeded from harbor
settlements, through pastoral settle
mentS on the fringe Of the continent
and later on mineral discoveries gold
particularly, and the pursuit of agricul-
ture has resulted in a large increase of
population. followed by the develop
ment of secondary industries.
''As the British Economic Mission,
nominated by the government of Great
Britain at the request of the common
wealth of Australia, pointed out, 'ade-
quate and cheap transport is of para
mount Importance to Australians welfare
and future development. So fully was
this recognized in the past that when
the necessary capital could not be at
tracted for her railways they were pro-
vided by the government, and during
the postwar period the experiment of
running her own ships was also entered
upon as state undertaking, in the
hope of giving better services to Aus
tralia at lower freights'
ITO realize the extent of Australia S
problem of transport it is only neceS-
sary to remember that she ships from
overseas between 100000 and 5000 GOO
tons OF cargo each year and sends away
a similar amount; that her interstate
shipping amounts to more than $780,
600 tons annually; that she has Is 900
miles of government railways and 3,143
miles of privately owned railways, 80, 900
miles of properly made roads, and that
the total length of surveyed roads in
Australia probably exceeds 400, 900
miles. There are 100000 motor vehicles
registered, or nearly one to every IL
Inhabitants.
Roads Rapidly Developed.
Australia is proceeding rapidly in
the development of its roads. 1t is tax
ing motor vehicles reasonably and using
the funds SO obtained exclusively for
the building of new roads and the main
tenance and improvement of existing
ones.
I'm its report the recent British Eco
nomic Mission said:
Motor transport, even at the stage
Of its present development, has become
the ordinary means of carrying passen-
gers over short distances and carrying
goods for distances up to 40 or so
miles where there are well constructed
roads. 1t Is also, by means of the
lighter trolley, taking the place of
horse-drawn traffic, and appears to be
especially suitable as feeder for the
railways. Future extension of motor
transport appears to be almost unlin-
tied, and we commend the action of the
Development and Migration Commits
sion In setting up a committee to de-
eide upon the most appropriate types
OF motor vehicles for Australia and the
possibility of the utilization of some
other motive power than petrol
But Australia is aware of her trans
portation difficulties and is rapidly max
ing use Of motor cars and trucks and
Is building roads to solve these prob
lens.
Lively Competition Seen.
American manufacturers Of auto
mobiles, trucks and buses offer to each
other competition more severe than that
offered by English manufacturers, al
though of late small horsepower cars
which can be operated economically,
have proved quite popular. These cars
do not provide the degree of comfort
that American manufacturers consider
essential but the economic advantages
of such baby cars expected in the way
of low maintenance cost, low tire and
petrol consumption, in the opinion Of
the purchaser compensate for this dis
advantage.
II return home feeling quite opti-
mistic over the outlook In Australia.
Australians, much like the English,
have faculty for seeing situations
through to successful conclusions. They
have difficulties but also a we'll justi-
fed confidence in their capacity 10 solve
those problems.
Australia is bound to go further The
quality Of its people is a guarantee of
that Mistakes have been made in the
past, but Australians recognize and ad-
NIT their errors and proceed TO profit
from them and to rectify them. !