PETITION TO MINISTER

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22017, 15 February 1937, Page 10

PETITION TO MINISTER

ISSUE , OF MOTOR-CAR CERTIFICATES

WIDER DISTRIBUTION OF. AUTHORITY SOUGHT A petition against the granting of the sole right of issuing certificates of fitness for motor vehicles under the Traffic Regulations, 1936, to those members of the New Zealand Garage Proprietors' Association who are the owners of A grade garages has been signed and sent to the Minister for Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, by 40 garage proprietors in and around Christchurch. The petition claims that the association is primarily an organisation to protect motor-car importers, and it states that a movement is on foot to form a Motor Engineers' Iniustrial Union of Employers. The petition asks the Minister that in the meantime he will not allow a small minority of garages to obtain the benefit of the remedial legislation to the detriment of skilled motor engineers. "Without drawing comparisons with the mode in which work is carried out in garages that have been issued with A grade certificates, we respectfully submit that the testing of motor vehicles can be carried out as efficiently and conscientiously in our garages as in those issued with certificates," the petition states. "Many of us employ mechanics, apprentices, and garage assistants on our staffs. We feel that if we are not permitted to issue such warrants our regular customers will draw an erroneous conclusion that our garages are inferior to those controlled by the holders of A grade certificates; that such a feeling will lead to a serious loss to us of the patronage of such customers, in the end jeopardising the existence of our respective businesses and the employment of our staffs. Inspections Asked For

"As our customers are already seeking information regarding the issue of warrants of fitness for their vehicles we respectfully ask you to cause an inspection to be made of our garages to ascertain whether or not A grade certificates should be issued in respect thereof. As this would take some time, during which period our businesses will suffer greatly, we further ask you whether you would be so good as to issue to us temporary certificates of fitness pending such examination. 'Most of the signatories hereto are not members of the New Zealand Garage Proprietors' Association, which is not registered as an industrial union of employers and which the majority of us feel is an organisation primarily set up and suited to protect motor-car importers in matters relative to tariff. "We are genuine motor engineers, and feel that it would be in the interests of ourselves, our employees, and of the public generally to form a union of employers. A movement is on foot to form such a union almost immediately, and we trust that in the meantime you will not allow a small minority of garages to obtain the benefit of your remedial legislation to the detriment of skilled motor engineers."