I think public opinion is on the side of the railways. If in by-gone days their monopoly made them slow to introduce reforms; they were no worse in this respect then every other business organization that ever lived. Since the war they have hada hard time. Government control during the war messed up their management, and left them saddled with terrific wages bills, While the motor: lorries pay no more for road maintenance than any other motor vehicle, the railways pay rent and rates for their tracks, for the upkeep of bridges that cross them and other charges. Some cargo, coal for instance, can only be carried by rail, but any day's outing by car w show you how deeply the lorries have cut even into the heavy transport, carrying large machines and great trunks of trees which, in the general interest of road-users, ought to go by rail.
And against all discouragement, the railways do give a splendid service. I have done a great deal of travelling in recent years, and the comfort and excellence of trains are admirable. This is not merely an old fogy's view. Numbers of young people, lovers of motoring, say "When it comes to travelling, give me a train."
Meanwhile wonderful to relate, the railways are pleased with the Transport Council's report, the road people seem pleased, newspaper critics are pleased, "Everybody has won and all must have pri
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