TRANSPORT "CONFISCATION"

Evening Star, Issue 25469, 27 April 1945, Page 4

TRANSPORT "CONFISCATION"

MINISTER DENIES CHARGES (P.A.) WELLINGTON, ApriL 27. "The statement is -wholly contrary to the facts, and Mr Knight must be aware that this is so," said the Hon. J. O'Brien, referring to the statement by Mr H. J. Knight (national secretary of the Road Transport Alliance, the Carriers' Federation, and the Taxi Proprietors' Association) in which he referred to the confiscation of transport licenses and "Nazi methods." Mr O'Brien also described as contrary to fact the statement that he had repudiated the assurances given to the industry on April 13 last. Mr O'Brien quoted a report of the editor of the transport industry's own journal to support his statement. He had told the industry that endeavours would be made to fit ex-servicemen in wherever possible, even . where the mergers of companies or firms holding large numbers of vehicle authorities were concerned. "To deal with the other matters raised in the statement," said the Minister, " any operator who can make a case before the Licensing Authority is entitled to the restoration of operating rights voluntarily curtailed by the industry's control committees, and nothing in my statement implied otherwise. I again say that it is not the Government's intention to confiscate tho services, as I understand the term ' confiscation.' To my mind, and according to the dictionary definition, the term means appropriation without payment or compensation, and this is not proposed." The Minister said that from the general tenor of Mr Knight's statement he felt bound to believe that Mr Knight had gone out of his way to imply sinister motives where none were intended, and that his'use of terms such as ''Nazi methods" and "confiscation " were intended to mislead the public. One of the most important policy matters the Government had to deal with wasv the rehabilitation of ex-ser-vicemen, and, where rehabilitation could be carried out in tho transport industry without undue hardship or financial embarrassment to those already engaged in it, the Government intended to take all steps possible to rehabilitate men in that industry. There was no intention, however, oi interfering with the present judicial methods dealing with transport licenses or of amending the.law in this respect, While he had the highest regard foi the transport industry, he had a- very definite responsibility to the general users of transport and to ex-service-men. He intended to see that, as far ns possible, transport legislation was administered so that all classes received just and fair treatment.