Transport White Paper out before election?

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33814, 10 April 1975, Page 14

Transport White Paper out before election?

The White Paper on transport may be out before the General Election in November.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Transport (Mr E. E. Isbey) told the Drivers’ Federation in Christchurch yesterday that submissions on the Green Paper, a consultative document, would end at the end of this month and it was hoped the White Paper would be out before the election.

“We want to present a report which we hope will become the basis of a White Paper, and from that paper we hope we can get legislation, for the reorganisation of transport in New Zealand,” Mr Isbey said. The Green Paper took a new approach to every' aspect of transport in New Zealand and was a set of guidelines

for discussion and evaluation. “The concept is that transport in New Zealand should be considered a single entity. Too often people in the transport area have gone their own way and it has not turned out economical.” Mr Isbey said that the Green Report had met with a phenomenal response. “There has been wide agreement with some points, and severe criticism on others. We have been called arrogant Socialists for some of the points.” The paper was a desirable mix between private and public enterprise which would lead to a more efficient transport system in New Zealand, he said. It was suggested in the Green Paper that the Railway Department become a corporation like the National Airways Corporation, which would give it a much greater autonomy, said Mr Isbey. The department would be divided into four parts — the road transport division, the road passenger division, a railway transport division, and a coastal shipping division. “LARGER” “Private enterprise would (ike to see a much more restricted rail department; we envisage a much larger one,” he said.

The paper also suggested that a Maritime Commission be set up. “This would elirn-

■inate the present system of parochial harbour board administration and stop topsy-turvey and higgledypiggledy development.” “It is possible that we need a New Zealand Airports Authority. We have airports throughout New Zealand making demands which exceed the necessity for the facilities they require.” Mr Isbey told the conference that overseas predictions were for the economic climate to begin to pick up by the end of 1975.

The Government had attempted to “hold and tighten” the present economic situation, with the primary objective of sustaining full employment, he said.

“If we hold this situation, it has been predicted that there will be an upturn in 1975.” There were 3058 unemployed in New Zealand at the end of March, which represented 0.3 per cent of the total labour force. In the United States there was 8 per cent unemployed, and in Australia there was 3 per cent.

“If we look at these figures New Zealand has relatively few unemployed per head of population,” Mr Isbey said. “BETTER” He said the Government had tackled the economic situation better than nearly all countries in the Western world.

“In the field of transport the employment position has not been that bad, although there was some fall off in provincial areas. The number of unemployed in this field is a constant number,” he said.