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ANNUAL COSTS The public pays approximately £37,000,000 a year in freight charges and passenger fares. The estimated annual operating costs for motor-vehicles other than those used in public transport services—e.g., private cars, &c.—is £39,000,000. Adding this figure to the £37,000,000 paid to public transport services, we get the total figure for expenditure on all kinds of transport —viz., £76,000,000. This represents 37 per cent, of the value of total national production for a year. The different transport agencies share in this cost as follows : Kind of Transport. (000,000° omitted). Motor transport — £ Private cars, &c. .. . . .. 39 • 0 Public services .. .. .. 14-0 Railways .. .. .. ..15*0 Shipping* .. .. .. .. 5-0 Tramways .. .. .. .. 2-0 Air .. .. .. .. .. o*7 Total .. .. .. .. 75-7 * Includes receipts of Harbour Boards for year ended 31st March, 1945, and an estimate of revenue from coastal shipping at present freight rates. PERSONS ENGAGED The transport industry provides employment for approximately 68,000 persons, all engaged in the vital work of facilitating the flow of production and movement of people. This work, in general, calls for a high measure of skill and initiative and has an appeal for our people, who excel at it. It is estimated that out of every ten persons of our working population, one is engaged in public transportation. Indirect employment is provided for many thousands of others in industries and services allied to transport. Employment is provided by the different forms of transport as follows : Kind of Transport. Persons engaged. Railways .. .. .. .. .. 24,000 Road transport (public service only) .. .. 24,000* Shipping .. .. .. .. .. .. 16,000 Tramways .. .. .. .. 3,000 Air services .. .. .. .. .. 1,000 68,000 * Includes only persons engaged in public motor transport services ; drivers of " ancillary" trucks and trucks operated by local bodies or Government Departments are not included. CONCLUSIONS The figures I have quoted show the importance of transport in the life of the Dominion. Certain conclusions can be drawn from them. Our transport facilities represent a huge investment of capital. The railways provide just under half the freight transport in the country. Private motor-cars are easily the most popular form of passenger transport, doing approximately the same amount of work as all other forms combined. The public pays £37,000,000 per annum for the carriage of freight and passengers on public transport services. It costs approximately £39,000,000 per annum to operate private cars, ancillary trucks, local-body and Government vehicles, and motor-cycles. The annual cost of all forms of transportation in the Dominion is estimated to be £76,000,000, or 37 per cent, of the value of the national production.

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