Delicencing opposed

Press, 6 September 1980, Page 18

Delicencing opposed

It would be unfortunate if delicencing of the transport industry was. brought in, said the retiring chairman-of Transport (North Canterbury) Holdings, Ltd, (Mr A. C. Fraser) at the annual meeting yesterday. In a personal view, he said that delicencing “might have a marked and detrimental effect • on the industry. At present there is a Commission of Inquiry into freight-forwarding being held in Wellington). Mr Fraser said he agreed with the principle of the Road Users Charges Act 1977, that the user pays, but he did not agree with the method of payment or some aspects of how the act was enforced.

“The payment in advance of the distance tax is a burden which all transport companies must abide by, and in the case of Transport (North Canterbury) Holdings, cost about $3OOO a working day, or $15,000 a week. “I believe that the present tax should be paid after use — using the same readings as at present. — but after the mileage has been done and not before.” 1

The saving would be in the interest it cost the company ..to pay on the work which .was yet to be completed, and which was not paid for. The bank overdraft of the group had increased about $150,000 just because of the distance tax, Mr Fraser said.

Some humour was injected into the meeting when Mr Fraser spoke on what he considered to be anomalies in the act. The enforcement of the weight limit penalised the urban operator because of the number of traffic officers in the city areas, but the distance rural operator usually knew when there were enforcement officers in the areas, and could therefore take “precautions,” he said.

Mr Fraser’s 46 years of being actively associated with the road transport industry came to an end at the meeting when he was presented with an armchair on behalf of the directors and staff. Pre-war and postwar memories were revived as many people paid tribute to Mr Fraser’s efforts with the company, including comments from the founder of

the group, Mr R. G. Grant, who recently turned 90-years-old. Mr W. M. Scrimgeour was, appointed the new chairman at a directors’ meeting later in the day, and Mr A. R. Mac Gibbon, the general manager and a director of Canterbury Timber Products, Ltd, was elected a director to fill the vacancy caused by Mr Fraser’s retirement.