CAR HIRING.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 124, 29 May 1939, Page 10

CAR HIRING.

iNEW CONDITIONS. INCENSES GRANTED. AUTHORITY'S COMMENT. RATES NOT DEALT WITH. With the. ixhjerf, of obviating unfair competition by hirn rental cars with rejprfar mud passenger service", special condition*; ha\e Ixr-en fittticheil to licenses which ha\c bpeii is I fur the lii-.l time t.o rental car o peril hire \,y the No. 1 Transport. Licensing Authority, \lr. K. J. I'helan. In Mime instances in the past hirers of cars haw liri'ii permilled to Inivel certain distance- and leave t lie vehicles at country depots, lull Mich a practice « ill not. lie pos-ilile in the future, as Mr. IMiehin has stipulatr<l that all contraces entered into In |he terms of the liceii-e* i.-Miierl tr> operators must commnire and terminuto nL the depot of origin. Another provision is that enrs nui<t he rlrivi'ii either by the hirer or his personal chauffeur, and in either ease, while crnise *hips are in the port, of Auckland, the driver of the ear shall not lie a person who ordinarily earns his livelihood by oper.itinjr a ply-for-hiro vehicle for the carriage of passengers.

Mr. Phelnn heard the applications for licenses on Friday, and in announcing his decision* this morning, ho said that licenses had been granted in 25 cases involving 25.'{ cars operating in his area, which embraced North Auckland nnd plaeeu us fur distant us (Jisborne and Tatirangn. Double tin , number of license* ■.'ranted had been "ought, but the number of cars which would bo on the road under licenses was only n slight increase on that of vehicle* which had been operating in tho past. Any operator desiring to inerpn.se the number of his ears, of course, would he required to lodge liis Application to the. Commissioner of Transport. To all intents and purposes, however, the rars now licensed should bo capable of meeting all requirements. "Proper Transport Control." Mr. Phelan said that when applicants for licenses were before him he had explained that the regulations relating to rental care had been introduced at the request of the operator* themselves, and it. was pleasing to know that the operator* had thus appreciated the value of proper control of transport. It was not ilia intention at the sitting to deal with t. lie question of rates, he said, but he wnnted to make it quite clear that he had tho necessary authority under the Transport Licensing Act to review at any time the license of any or all operators in regard to any matter affecting his or their activities as licensees. The declaration of the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, with respect to rental cars, had been made ■ n March 7 last, and from then on all operators of rental carsi actually came within the scope of the Act.

Mr. Phelan added that he had afeo stated that one of the most important points to l>e considered by him was the i.eceseity or desirability of any service under the Act. While those operators who were operating purely as rental car ■ operators at the time the Milliliter made Ins declaration had, no doubt, a moral claim, it would bo very necessary for nny applicant who was not operating at that time to offer very good evidence as to the necessity for the license at this stage. He did not propose at the moment to restrict unnecessarily the operations of any genuine rental car proprietor. Power still rested with him, however, to investigate, and if necessary amend, any particular license should the occasion jpnse. He trusted, nevertheless, that he would have no occasion to take any drastic steps, and tha* the successful applicants would make it their business to comply with the requirements of the Act in all respects.