READY FOR WORK

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 10

READY FOR WORK

With the appointment of a Commissioner of Transport tho way is now clear for tho operation of tho Transport Department and the Advisory Board. The

personal appointment is an admirablo one. Tho ofiicer chosen is well equipped to undertake the detailed work which must bo done if an advisory board is to base its advice on facts and not prejudice. Will tho board be prepared to do so? Unfortunately thero are complaints which suggest a doubt. Tho private motorists first objected to their small representation, and this has boon corrected. Now the municipalities are protesting that the local authorities will be out-voted by motor interests. As we stated when the constitution of tho board was first announced, such Dis-

jections are not overwhelming. The board is advisory and tho Minister of

Transport may quito properly give greater heed to the arguments advanced than to the counting of heads on the board. If he does not do so thero will

certainly be a grave danger of the board's being used as a lever to thrust the weight of road-cost upon tho taxpayers and ratepayers.

If votes aro to count there is only one way to avoid this: by carefully balancing ratopayer and motorist representation and leaving the decision nto the chairman (tho Government nor-

ineo). But this is not the way to settle differences. A much better course would be for the representatives thenisolvos to forget any partisanship and endeavour to deal with the problems on a broader basis. Superficially, motorist and ratepayer claims aro conflicting. The motorist desires to put as much of tho cost as possible upon tho rate and tax revenue and to havo his own con-

tributions reserved for special improvement works. The ratepayer wishes to sue- some of the motor revenue applied in ordinary road work in reliof of rates,

and lie has the right to expect this. But this seeming conflict of interests does not necessarily mean a tug-of-war. Thero is a fair midway course which will provide the legitimate development of motor transport without going so far as to subsidise it from the public purse. We have stated on many occasions previously that this is not merely a matter of relieving the ratepayer or penalising tho motorist. There is a

more important end in view in the attainment of an adjustment of road charges and a distribution of roadrovenue so equitable that the economic allocation of transport between road, rail, tramway, and sea is advanced. This cannot be fully secured so long as the biggest road-control authority handling tbd greatest revenue—tho Main Highways Board —is constituted without representation of the boroughs.