ROAD TRANSPORT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 85, 20 January 1938, Page 3

ROAD TRANSPORT

DESIRE FOR A COMMISSION. BRITISH SYSTEM FAVOURED (Per Press Association ) WELLINGTON, January 19. Important policy questions W'ere discussed at an executive meeting of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance at Wellington to-day. Discussions disclosed the wide difference that exists between steps contemplated by the New Zealand Government, and the results of a systematic investigation ivhich the Government in Great Britain had recently concluded. It w'as stated that in New' Zealand the present policy had the prospect of taking the form of a sinele ownership, a purchase tribunal having negotiated for the purchase of privately-owned road services by the Government. There was also in the policy a restriction of road haulage to 30-mile limits where these services operated parallel to the railway.

Many load transport operators considered that the policy was directed to the protection of the railway services by the creation of a transport monopoly operated by the Railways Department. In Great Britain it was stated that the Transport AdvisoYy Council had conducted an inquiry into the whole incidence of transport during the last four years. The British Council w r as under the presidency of the Rt. Hon. Sir Arthur Griffith-Roscawen, P.C., and consisted of 29 eminent public men representative of all sections of the fommunity interested and affected. In a .recently-announced recommendation to the British Government, the council had said “that any attempt to dictate services and to endeavour to decide that certain goods should go by certain dorms of transport would he impracticable, and it was advised that it would be impracticable,” and it was advised that all farms, of transport should be rate-controlled, and that from this point the public should have free choice of transport facilities.

A[h view of these recommendations, if was decided by the N Z. Road Transport, Alliance to-day to approach the Government asking that. before the purchase and single-ownership is attempted, a similar commission he appointed in New Zealand to investigate and advise on future transport policy in the Dominion.

OPPOSED TO MONOPOLIES

FARMERS’ UNION ATTITUDE. WELLINGTON, January 19. Conferring yesterday with the executive of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance, Mr A, P. O’Shea (secretary of the N.Z. Farmers’ Union) urged that the strongest representations should be made to the Government against the trend toward the creation of transport monopolies. Explaining the view of the union, Mr O’Shea said it was felt that with transport taking the form of monopoly, whether under the direction of the State or in a private company, there was a danger of imperfect service. Mr O’Shea added that the union was not necessarily opposed to voluntary cooperation or co-ordination schemes under which individuals could pool their services to increase efficiency by elimination of dead mileages and the securing of better balancing of traffic, but it was a different thing entirely to force mergers which virtually created monopoly control over all transport arrangements.

The policy of single - ownership, whether by the State or by private companies, was exceptionally dangerous, and contained all the elements giving rise to immediate future troubles. Subject to no hindrance being, offered to voluntary co-operation, the Transport Alliance endorsed the views expressed by the Farmers’ Union and it was said that it was further hoped that the. union would associate itself with carriers’ associations in mutually striving for conditions which would give stabilised transport, blended to . the needs of every locality.