REHABILITATION POLICY

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24052, 14 September 1943, Page 6

REHABILITATION POLICY

EFFECT ON TRANSPORT INDUSTRY

“We don’t want to keep the transport industry to a selected coterie, and we are prepared to admit that it must play a part in rehabilitation,” said the secretary of the Christchurch- branch of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance (Mr B. Taylor) at a sitting of the No. 3 Transport Licensing Authority in Christchurch yesterday, when an application by V. F. Roberts, of Christchurch, for a new goods service licence was heard. The applicant stated that he was a returned soldier of both the Great War and the present war, and produced a letter from the secretary of the Rehabilitation Board (Mr M. Moohan) in support of his application. Mr Taylor said he did not want to oppose the application. However, the whole matter depended on polipy, and if further cases similar to Roberts’s were to come up for hearing, it would be better if something were done to lay down a definite policy. • The Transport Authority (Mr T. H. Langford) said that there had been some discussion on the matter with the Goods Transport Control Committee. It had seemed to him, because of the number of applications for extra licences coming fprward, that there was some work in Christchurch for men properly fitted into the transport industry. Before granting any new licences, he had to be sure that the applicants were going to make a success of their venture, even if they were returned soldiers.

Mr Taylor said he was not going to oppose the granting of new licences where members of the Alliance were not affected.

“I haven’t actually wanted to deal with this problem of rehabilitation yet,” said Mr Langford. “I really wanted some opportunity to discuss the policy to be laid down.” Irrespective of what Government was returned at the elections, said Mr Langford, it would have to undertake the task of laying down a policy on this matter.

e*T think there is work for one or two new vehicles in the city,” he added. “In view of the service this man has rendered New Zealand, I’m going to grant the licence.”