ACUTE POSITION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 85, 11 April 1945, Page 6

ACUTE POSITION

TRANSPORT VEHICLES MANY APPLICATIONS HEARD "The position regarding petrol and tyres has never beeen more acute than it is to-day," said the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority, Mr. E. J. Phelan, at a sitting held in the Native Land Court this morning to hear applications for ancillary licenses. Among applicants who were deserving special consideration, he said, were farmers and those associated with essential production. There were in force to-day sufficient carriers' licenses to cope with all ordinary requirements, but where ancillary services were needed by farmers their claims would be carefully weighed. In a list of 32 applicants there were, in addition to farmers, a number of market gardeners, mainly Chinese growers, several men who desired facilities to market firewood, particularly on the northern side of the harbour, and several builders and contractors. In the majority of the cases the authority reserved decision. "If anv new transport licenses are now required, priority should be given to the claims of returned soldiers,' 'said Mr. Phelan, when W. E.' Tisch, produce dealer, of Epsom, sought permission to run an additional truck in connection with his business. "So long as there is a decent livelihood to be obtained returned "men should come first. That policy has met with the general approval of the carriers. There will be hundreds of men returning from overseas who desire to start operating, and we consider it our duty to help them as much as possible. Limitations of Licenses Mr. Phelan made it clear that if ancillary licenses were granted those who received them were not entitled to use their vehicles for hire, but must limit them to such work as assisting operations on farms or within a limited distance, or to the carrying of machinery or gear or repair materials by builders and contractors. It was a breach of such a license to make an extra charge for the delivery of timber to a job, or for the carting of firewood or any similar service. In some instances the master carriers' organisation, which was represented, opposed applications on the ground that it considered the work for which ancillary licenses were sought could be done by carriers, and the authority carefully questioned a number of applicants regarding the 'possibility of engaging carriers instead of endeavouring to do their own carrying. One of ..the largest market gardeners in.the Auckland district, Quong Sing, of Panmure, who had three production areas, at Panmure, Papatoetoe and Glendowie, of a total area of 220 acres, asked for permission to run another truck, as the two he already had were insufficient to enable him to develop 87 acres of Government housing land he had secured at Tamaki for the growing of vegetables. It was stated that he was a big producer of cauliflowers and other winter vegetables for the city. - ,-... Government Gardens Smaller • When Mr. Phelan said that many Pukekohe growers were compelled to rely .upon the services of licensed carriers, Mr. Chong, counsel for Quohg Sing, said the main crops grown there were potatoes, onions, carrots and swedes, except for large quantities of cabbages supplied to the dehydration plant at Pukekohe. The marketing of green vegetables in Auckland was a more difficult matter, and an extra truck was essential. A city produce merchant said Sing would have a tremendous quantity of vegetables to market this winter, and, like some others, he had undertaken a heavy production programme at the request of the Internal Marketing Department, following a contraction in the area of Government gardens. The Government had decided to close down vegetable growing on about 800 acres in this district, it was stated when applications by two other Chinese, Wing Lee and Kwong Loong, were being heard. Instead, the Marketing Department had contracted with local market gardeners for supplies of certain vegetables for the armed forces. In each case decision was reserved. Applications were granted to the Mace and Bartlett Construction Company, Limited, Newmarket, for extra transport facilities in connection with their business; to A. W. Parker, farmer, of Woodhill, to operate a small truck; to Raysko Products, Limited, to operate between their three factories; two of which were at Penrose and one at Onehunga; to C. S. West, of Helensville, for a ton truck; to R. J. Monk,. Remuera, for a truck as an adjunct to his contracting work; to E. R. Smith for working on his farms in the Mangatangi and Mangatawhiri valleys; and to W. Daubney, builder and contractor, of Otahuhu.