A COMMISSION SOUGHT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22305, 20 January 1938, Page 12

A COMMISSION SOUGHT

Road Transport In

New Zealand

SYSTEM FOLLOWED IN

ENGLAND

(FKBSS i»aOCIATIOa TII.BOEAM.) WELLINGTON. January 19. Important policy questions were discussed at an executive meeting of the Now Zealand Road Transport Alliance at Wellington to-day. Discussions disclosed the wide difference that exists between steps contemplated bV the New Zealand Government, and the results of a systematic investigation which the Government in Groat Britain had recently concluded. It was stated that in New Zealand the present policy had the prospect of taking the form of single ownership, a purchase tribunal having negotiated for the purchase of privately-owned road services by the Government. There was also in the policy a restriction of road haulage to 30-mile limits where these services operated parallel to the railway. Many road transport operators considered that the policy was directed to the protection of the railway services by the creation of a transport monopoly operated by the Railways Department.

In Great Britain it was stated that the Transport Advisory Council had conducted an inquiry into the whole incidence of transport during the last four years. The British Council was under the presidency of the Rt. Hon. Sir Arthur Griffith-Boscawen. P.C.. and consisted of 29 eminent public men representative of all sections of the community interested and affected. In a' recently-announced recommendation to the British Government, the council had said “that any attempt to dictate services and to endeavour to decide that certain goods should go by certain forms of transport would be impracticable, and it was advised that it would be impracticable,” and it was advised that all forms of transport should be rate controlled, and that from this point the public should have free choice of transport facilities.

In view of these.recommendations it was decided by the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance to-day to approach the Government, asking that before the purchase and single-ownership is attempted, a similar commission be appointed in New Zealand to investigate and advise on future transport policy in the Dominion.