TRANSPORT LAW

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21290, 9 October 1934, Page 7

TRANSPORT LAW

ANOMALY ALLEGED NELSON PROTEST SUPPORTED BY CITY COUNCIL The Christchurch City Council decided at its meeting last night to support the protest of the Nelson City Council against the provisions of certain sections and sub-sections of the Transport Law Amendment Act, 1933, under which appeals are heard by the Transport Co-ordination Board. The letter from the Nelson council stated that the anomalous position arose when the Transport Co-ordin-ation Board was appointed, as two of the members of the new board had previously been members of the Transport Licensing Authority which had dealt with applications for passenger service licenses, and had refused a Nelson applicant. On the appeal being lodged against this refusal the new board upheld the decision of the Licensing Authority, the inference being that the two members of the old board influenced the new board in its decision to dismiss the appeal. Grounds for Objection The Nelson City Council objected to the sub-sections in the act providing for appeals being heard by the board, although any member of the board may have been a member of the licensing authority against whose decision the appeal was lodged, and objected also to the provisions that the board in determining any appeal was not bound to hear any person nor to take any evidence, nor to receive any representations from any person. The council was of the opinion that these sub-sections constituted an outrage against the principles of British natural justice, and asked that those obnoxious provisions be repealed. The finance committee's support for the Nelson report was endorsed.