INCREASES IN RATES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 64, 16 March 1944, Page 6

INCREASES IN RATES

ROAD GOODS TRANSPORT DECISIONS OF TRIBUNAL (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Decisions by the Goods Services Charges Tribunal, and approved by the Minister in charge of Stabilisation, Mr. Sullivan, effecting increases in road transportation rates ranging from 2i per cent to 15 per cent in several districts, have recently been released. Particulars of these decisions are summarised as follows:— South Auckland, 5 per cent increase; Manawatu, 5 per cent; South Canterbury, 2 J per cent; Northern Hawke's Bay, 15 per cent; Wairoa, 15 per cent; Bay of PlentyWhakatane area, nil; Rotorua-Tau-ranga-Taupo, 5 per cent; Opotiki, 12i per cent. The secretary of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance, Mr. H. J. Knight, through which body applications for increases were made, stated that they were long overdue to meet the cost of increases since 1938.

. While it was admitted that better control of traffic and co-ordination within the industry had taken care of some of the increased cost of operation, this factor had also been taken into account in the present increases, which in some districts were not considered adequate. The industry was very concerned at the omission of contract rates (cream and bobby calf) from the decisions.

In spite of the wide areas affected by the decisions there were still greater areas awaiting consideration and there was grave concern throughout the industry at the intolerable delays in remedying injustices. Production without transport would be useless, concluded Mr. Knight, and there was urgent necessity to place transport on a proper economic basis to ensure its continuance as an essential public service.