The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1936. ABSOLUTE MONARCHY IN TRANSPORT

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 202, 23 May 1936, Page 8

The Dominion. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1936. ABSOLUTE MONARCHY IN TRANSPORT

The reasons given by the Minister o£ Transport for the amazinglj far-reaching powers to be vested in him by the .transport Licensing Amendment Bill are not likely to be accepted by the public as adequate justification. The Bill confers upon him absolute authority over an immense industry. He will be called upon to pass judgment in appeals involving business interests over a wide area. He declares that he can call for evidence and judge the merits of a case himself; that he does not want to leave any loophole for lawyers to profit by disputes over questions of licensing. This kind of argument does not indicate a judicial mind, which is what will be necessary in the Minister if licensing questions are to be decided fairly and equitably. With the best-intentions in the world, Mr. Semple may find himself giving decisions from which affected parties may feel they have ground for appeal on points of simple justice, apart altogether from legal technicalities. This being so, he would save himself a great deal of trouble in the future if he recognised the wisdom of providing a right of appeal. He does not believe in delegated authority,_ but he may discover in the course of a crowded experience as Minister of Public Works and Minister of Transport that there may be advantages in such a system. There are strong arguments for any sound device of administration that will relieve a Cabinet Minister of the burdensome details of his office.