TAXI LICENSES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 118, 21 May 1945, Page 6

TAXI LICENSES

MULTIPLE HOLDERS

CASE FOR EX-SERVICEMEN

"If a decision is made to break up these multiple licenses, we strongly recommend the claims of discharged servicemen applicants," said.Mr. F. Hackett, M.P., speaking on behalf of the Auckland Rehabilitation Committee, when making submissions to the Auckland Transport Board, sitting this morning as the Metropolitan Licensing Authority to further consider the renewal of taxicab licenses, both public and private. The statement put in by Mr. Hackett was vouched for as the policy of the Government by Mr. F. H. Taylor, an officer of the Rehabilitation Department.

Mr. Hackett said the Auckland Rehabilitation Department had 62 discharged servicemen on its books who had expressed a desire to become owner-drivers in the Auckland Province. Of that number, at least 24 had had previous experience and were either owner-drivers or had been drivers of taxicabs prior to their military service. It was safe to assume that there would be many potential applicants amongst the servicemen yet to be discharged. From a list received from the authority, dated March 7, it was noticed that 35 of the licenses held by proprietors within the category of multiple holders were not held by them prior to December 1, 1939, and it was to those licenses that the committee wished to draw particular attention.

In normal circumstances the exservicemen now applying for licenses would have had an opportunity of obtaining those licenses, but through their war service they had lost the opportunity, Now that it had been ruled that all licenses had expired and applications for renewal were being considered, it was the opinion of the committee that every such license issued since the commencement of the war should be subjected to the closest scrutiny, bearing in mind the urgent need to implement rehabilitation promises by performance. Searching Investigation Mr. Hackett said the committee did not desire to put any drivers out of work, but ex-servicemen and servicemen not yet discharged had strong legal claims for extra consideration. He appealed for a searching investigation into all circumstances surrounding multiple licenses with the object of breaking them up into single, separate, ownerdriver units and making them available now, or in the future, to exservicemen. That process should be carried out in such a way as to protect to the full whatever reasonable goodwill the original licensees were entitled to at the time of transfer.

A section of the Transport Act provided that no person was entitled as a right to a renewal of a license, Mr. Hackett said. It would be an impossible task to compensate exservicemen for the hardships and rigours of their war service, but it was a comparatively easy task to recompense some of them for the opportunities they had lost by reason of their absence on service by the granting of licenses. It was clearly in the public interest that that should be done, especially when it involved no actual or cost to existing licenses in whose interest, and in the public interest, war service had been given and where opportunity to profit from the licenses had clearly been enhanced by conditions arising from the war The transport industry had outstanding attractions for ex-service-men and unusual merits as an avenue for their successful rehabilitation. It provided an open-air job. ~° many °f them, by reason of war disabilities, taxi-driving was almost the only occupation for which thev were still fitted. A considerable number of the men had served in transport units for many years. For those and other reasons they felt they belonged" to transport. Good Work Done In replying to Mr. Hogben, who i one le applicants, Mr. Taylor said the Rehabilitation Department desired to place all returned servicemen in suitable employment. Mr E. V Sutherland, a member **1 • Metropolitan Licensing Authority, said the Rehabilitation Department deserved to be congratulated on the work it was doing. Answering the chairman. Mr. W. H. Nagle, Mr. Taylor said the licensing authority had given the Department every assistance in respect to the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen in the taxi industry. Asked by Mr. Haigh, representing a. number of licensees, whether the Rehabilitation Department would apply its policy to all other forms of business, including picture theatres and hotels, Mr. Taylor said he could only reply to questions relating to transport, as he was engaged exclusively on that work.

In respect to passenger services, Mr. Taylor said some consideration had been given to the question of a certain service being taken over by a number of returned men on a cooperative basis, but at the time there were not sufficient men to fill all the posts and nothing had been arranged. Asked by Mr. A. P. Postlewaite, who represented the R.S.A., whether he considered the door was being closed to ex-servicemen who desired to obtain a taxi license, Mr. Taylor said the committee had supplied a list to the industry of the names of returned servicemen who desired to obtain licenses. However, he had not seen one of the men whose name was on the list come before the authority for a transfer.

Mr. Nagle announced early in the proceedings that decisions would be reserved.