ROAD TRANSPORT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20333, 4 September 1931, Page 19

ROAD TRANSPORT.

RESTRICTIONS DECLARED NECESSARY. _ AN AUCKLAND OPINION. The necessity tor some restrictions ou competitive road transport was emphasised by the Auckland Chamber 0 .. Commerce in a letter received lafcfe, evening by the Council of' the Canter? bury Chamber of Commerce, acknowledging the Council's representations against the Transport Licensing Bui. Correspondence between the Auckland Chamber and the Minister foi Transport (the Hon. W. A. Yeitch) was enclosed. "I am afraid that members of our J committee are unable to agree in de- J tail with the somewhat laissez faire tone of your bulletin, No. 54," wrote the secretary (Dr. E.-Pi N«alfi). ® should have liked to: have seen measures introduced long ago to perinit the Railway Department to acquire, competing services iii a manner somewhat similar to that whereby the tramway undertakings acquire competm„ bus services, though perhaps without the excessive compensation that 1 some instances appears to have been paid to the rood transport . undertakings. Disproportionate Increase. "If competition is left to settle culties in the transport field the process is necessarily wasteful, and from interesting figures published in last year's annual report oE the -Uaus-; port Department, you will see that capital expenditure in takings has increased out of all proportion to national production, iws is. certainly prima facie evidence that unrestricted competition has ed _ socially wasteful expenditure; although we are prepared to admit that • liavo also been other, factors operatmg to brills about the results disclosed by the figures." _____