ECONOMIC TRANSPORT

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 107, 1 November 1924, Page 6

ECONOMIC TRANSPORT

At this stage of the session it would have been fatal to the, Public Works Amendment Bill to refer it to a Select Committee. In, the circumstances the Minister of Public Works took the only course open to him in deciding that motor traffic bylaws, as provided for in the Bill, should be made by Order in Council after consultation with the interests most intimately concerned. Regulation of heavy motor traffic at present is in a most unsatisfactory position. Local authorities have different views as to what is best for the roads and fair to the motor carriers, and it is urgently necessary that some order should be evolved out of the chaos. This is of importance to the whole community as well as to the motor transport owners, as it is the community which must pay the price of an uneconomic system. Penal charges upon motor traffic are not desired, but there is a great difference between penal charges and the failure to debit a reasonable proportion of road wear and tear to the road-users. Failure to impose reasonable charges does not stop with the damage to the roads. It affects also the railways. For example, it was reported only a few days ago that a Northern dairy, company was congratulating itself upon effecting a saving of £250 a year by contracting for the carriage of its produce by motor and coastal steamer instead of rail. Carriage of so great a quantity of goods as would be necessary for this saving must result in considerable damage to the roads. For this the ratepayers -r-including the dairy suppliersmust pay; but- because they make the payment as rates and not as freights they will continue .to believe that they have made a great saving, and perhaps they will a3k for an extra Government grant to put their roads in order. Of course they will use the railways still for the carriage of lime, fertilisers, and road metal at the nominal charges fixed by the Government. To correct this it is essential that road charges should be revised; and as Parliament is unable to undertake the revision it-must be done by Order in Council. At the same time it would not be advisable to accept this exceptional instance as a precedent.- Parliament is the proper authority to legislate upon such subjects, as it is the,only body representing all interests and affording full scope for free and open discussion.