TRANSPORT BOARD.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 282, 28 November 1929, Page 14

TRANSPORT BOARD.

LOCAL BODIES' CRITICISM CALL FOR RESIGNATIONS. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION SUGGESTED PERSONNEL. "Owing to the apparent unrest and lack of confidence, the Transport Board should be asked to allow Messrs. Paul Hansen, H. Tiarks and G. W. Hutchison

to make an independent investigation and report on the whole undertaking."

This was the motion carried by a large majority at a conference of suburban

local bodies held in Newmarket last night, when the Auckland Transport Board was harshly criticised.

J The Mayor of Newmarket, Mr. S. Donaldson, presided, there being 22 members of outside local bodies present in the council chamber. Two members of the Transport Board, Mr. L. E. Ehodes, Mayor of Mount Albert, and Mr. F. S. Morton, were present. Shortly after the meeting commenced Messrs. J. Lundon and W. H. Murray, members of the City Council arrived and took part in the discussion.

In reply to an invitation from the Newmarket Borough Council to send representatives to the conference the town clerk, Mr. J. S. Brigham, wrote stating that the City Council had already determined its policy in regard to the questions to come up for discussion, and it would not be represented at the conference.

"Such a xeply is characteristic of the City Council," said the chairman, Mr. S. Donaldson. "The council has never attended a conference of outside local bodies, except one. The council's action is. to be regretted."

•The chairman, in reviewing transport matters generally, said he had been told by a railway official that as a result of less generous tram concessions many more people were now travelling by train. If the Transport Board had deliberately endeavoured to antagonise the public could not have done so as well as by its recent decision in increasing the price of concession tickets.

Root of the Trouble. Mr. F. W. Mountjoy, Onehunga Borough Council, said they would have to,go a long way back to find the root of the trouble. When the City Council took over the tramway system it paid £1,500,000 for property on which the outlay had been £800,000. "It has been the bungling of the City Council right from the very start," said Mr. Mountjoy. *The losses are due to the City Council's mismanagement. The trouble increased when the opposition to the buses arose. This was wholly due to the City Council's failure to provide a proper tramway system before the buses came on the road. Overcrowding was shocking and almost indecent. When the buses came the City Council rushed to Wellington and succeeded in pushing buses off the roads. Their representative in Parliament assured us that there would be no increase in tramway fares, and yet the Onehunga fares went up 2cL The City Council had no opposition, it I had the whole power in its hands and yet it failed.

"Public Disgusted." "One of the greatest wrongs ever foisted upon people was the setting up of the Transport Board. The public is disgusted and dissatisfied, for the board is simply run by the Auckland City Council. People have lost all confidence in the board. The City Council could not even run a fish business; let alone a tramway system, yet we find the council has the governing control in the Transport Board. (Laughter.) Don't-forget this that the Auckland City Council even opposed hydro-electricity coming to Auckland."

"Full Information" Wanted. "What is absolutely necessary at the present time is that confidence should be restored in the Transport Board," said Mr. W. H. Nagle, Mount Eden Borough Council. "It could and should be made a complete success instead of a tragic. 7 failure, as it surely is to-day." Mr. Nagle said his-, council had asked the board to

resign in its own interest. The board as it was constitutedlwas-not functioning as it should. Some 1 of the members of the board were fine men individually. He thought that matters had reached such a stage! when -definite and. drastic action was necessary. Mr. Nagle then moved that each local body within the transport area should appoint a representative, and that the board should be requested to confer with them and supply all possible information. -, At. present, he added, all that could. be got was dis-1 connected information. j

A Voice: You will never get anything else.

Mr. Nagle: Well, if we cannot get the board to resign we should do the next best thing and go for full information.

"Rafferty Rules." Mr. A.' A., Bupkley (Mount Albert) seconded the motion. He,said the biggest mistake made was when, the City Council was allowed six representatives' on the board out of ten members. The board should have an independent chairman. He doubted whether any of the members of the board used the trams more than four times a week. Most of them rode in motor cars, and did not know what the outside people had to contend with. "It has been rafferty rules from end to end," said Mr. Buckley. "Unfortunately I live at Mount Roskill. The bus service to Mount Roskill. from the Dominion Road terminus is an abomination. The board has lately cut" out-Sunday-services, and. during the-week the-houses-never run to time-table. People wait in" the street for long periods for buses which do not arriv,e," . . .

Mr. Mountjoy then moved an amendment, declaring that the local bodies represented at, the' conference strongly opposed the .increase in tramway fares, and in.view of the general dissatisfaction and the lack of confidence in the board the members should be called on to resign, to enable the setting up of an elective,board,-failing which the Government should be asked to set up a special commission to inquire into, the business of the'board. ; : n

This was seconded by Mr. J. H. Langley, , Mount- Albert, who declared that people had lost all confidence in the present board. :

Town Clerk's Letter "Untrue." At this stage Mr. J. R. Lundon and Mr. W. H. Murray arrived at the conference. Mr. Lundon said he had just come from' a meeting of the Drainage Board, where several members of the City Council, including the Mayor, had< attended. "I believe you liave a letter from the town - clerk ; which I say, ■ i true," said Mr. Lundoiu Mr, Lundon j

commented on the fact that the letter sent by Mr. Brigham stated that the council would not be represented at the conference. Members of the council knew nothing about the letter. "Mr. Allum once handed in his resignation as chairman of the board," said Mr. Lundon. "If

you men have got any backbone at all, you will put your hands in your pockets and go to the Supreme Court and obtain a writ of mandamus." (Laughter.) Mr. Lundon proceeded to deal with a recent judgment of the Supreme Court concerning the Transport Board, but members of the conference pointed out to the chairman that the speaker was digressing somewhat from the business of the meeting. Mr. Lundon apologised and resumed his seat.

Mr. W. H. Murray advocated the holding of another public meeting when members of the Transport Board could be present to hear the criticism and answer it.

After further discussion, Mr. I. J. Goldstine's amendment, that Messrs. Hutchison and Tiarks, two accountants, and Mr. Paul Hansen (formerly manager of the old tramways company) should be allowed to investigate and report on the transport undertaking, became the motion and was carried. Elective Board Desired. _ A resolution was then passed regretting that the House of Representatives had not allowed the Transport Board to become elective as from next year. Mr. L. E. Rhodes expressed the hope that the board would be formally notified if any further move was initiated to make the board elective.

"That should have been done las time," said Mr. Donaldson.

The committee appointed to place Mr. Goldstine's resolution before the board was as follows:—Messrs. I. J. Goldstine and R. G. Clark (One Tree Hill Road Board), Russell (Mount Albert), Mountjoy (Onehunga), Bryden (Mount Eden), Murray (City Council), Jones (Mount Roskill), and S. Donaldson (Newmarket).