SERVICEMEN & TRANSPORT

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 October 1944, Page 3

SERVICEMEN & TRANSPORT

MR. O’BRIEN'S STATEMENT WELLINGTON, Oct. 24. The policy of the Department was to give every possible assistance to ex-servicemen, seeking to get road tiansport licenses, said Mr. O’Brien to-night, commenting on a recpnt statement by a Transport Licensing Authority that, while he was trying to be sympathetic to. returned men it was necessary to point out that the transport industry was reaching, saturation point.” Mr. O'Brien pointed out that the law now required licensing authorities to consider the desirability, in the public interest, ol rehabilitating discharged servicemen in the road transport industry. The Ministry of Supply gave the returned men the first call on released Army vehicles. The Minister said that, subject, to the requirements’of legislation being fulfilled, the only circumstances in which an application from an ex-ser-viceman was declined was where, it was clear to the Licensing Authority that taking into account the business available, and the existing services already licensed, he would not have a reasonable prospect of succeeding. In such cases it would be misleading to the servicemen themselves to launch them into business where bankruptcy would also be a disservice to the 600 soldier licensees whose licenses stand suspended while they are overseas. Any serviceman dissatisfied with a Licensing Authority decision could appeal to the Transport Appeal Authority Mr. O’Brien said that to date 274 transport licenses had been, granted to ex-servicemen, including 111 transfers and 163 new licenses. T.he majority of these soldier licensees were achieving excellent results; some had done remarkably well. Consideration was at present being given to a proposal to make all licenses which endure for the war period terminate in the near future. All such licenses wouiud then come before the Licensing Authorities for renewal, and, in renewing them, the rehabilitation of servicemen would be fully considered. , 4 , , Mr. O’Brien denied suggestions that inefficiency and high rates, were developing in the road carrying industry. Goods Transport Control Committees had saved millions of truck miles and large quantities of petrol and rubber. An indication that the rates were not excessive was that the I Goods-Service Tribunal had recently I been granting some increases, though only to offset increased costs.