Action Deferred On Transport Merger

Press, Volume C, Issue 29674, 18 November 1961, Page 16

Action Deferred On Transport Merger

A meeting of the Local Government Commission was held in Christchurch yesterday to consider an application made by the previous Christchurch Transport Board to have the functions of the board transferred to the Christchurch City Council. Hie present board rescinded the motion of the previous board to apply to the commission to have the board’s functions transferred to the City Council and notified the commission of this resolution. The acting-chairman of the commission (Mr N. H. Moss) yesterday explained to representatives of the transport board. City Council, borough and county councils present, that an application, under the Local Government Act, could not be withdrawn. After hearing the views of speakers, all but one of whom spoke against any amalagamation of the transport board with the City Council, Mr Moss said the present commission, which would go out qf office in January, would not deal with the controversial proposal. He said the commission had power to call a public inquiry into the proposal but there was no evidence before the commission of any public agitation for such an inquiry. The commission could call for another sitting on the application and invite evidence from interested parties and the public, but there did not appear to be any need at present for another sitting. The commission could, if it thought fit. do nothing further about the application. Views Invited The commission, comprising Mr Moss and Mr W. A. Lee. took no evidence on the application, but invited representatives of the local authorities present to give their views. The chairman of the transport board (Mr E. J. Bradshaw) said the present board saw no merit whatsoever in P ro P° sa l *° amalgamate the board’s functions with the City Council. The chairman of the Waimairi County Council (Mr J. I. Colligan) said a meeting of local authorities in the area, apart from the City Council, had unanimously voted against amalgamation of the board with the City Council. He said that the council

could only rate within its area. The transport board’s services ran outside the city area and its rating area extended beyond the city, so the result of the City Council running the services now run by the board would be that many persons rated for transport purposes would be taxed without representation if the City Council took over the functions of the board. The commission’s secretary (Mr R. Buist) read a legal opinion obtained by the commission that the City Council, be means of a local bill, could rate over the whole transport rating area if it took over the transport board’s functions. Difference Possible In reply to questions by the Deputy-Mayor (Mr H. P. Smith) and the district officer of the Transport Department (Mr D. L. Hogan), Mr Buist agreed that it was only one legal opinion and other opinions might differ. Mr H. E. Denton, a member of the transport board, said the previous board had made application to have its functions taken over by the City Council after sincere consideration. He thought a sub-committee of the council could run the transport services as well as the board. The council could then service its trucks in the board’s bus workshops—“the finest in New Zealand.”

Mr W. S. Mac Gibbon, a city councillor and member of the transport board, said the board’s workshops were for diesel buses and the council did not have diesel trucks. He did not think a committee of the council could run the services as well as the transport board. The council committees already had a great deal of work. After several more representatives had spoken against the amalgamation, Mr Moss said it appeared that rating could be overcome but there still remained giving all those rated the right of voting if the council took over the board.

He mentioned the regional authority of Toronto, which exercised policy - making power through committees of all local services, and said he considered a committee of the council could run the transport services. However, that did not necessarily mean he was in favour of amalgation.