“NEED FOR CARE”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21504, 8 September 1944, Page 2

“NEED FOR CARE”

TRANSPORT LICENSES REHABILITATION ISSUE SYSTEM O~F~CONTROL (P.R.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 8. The rehabilitation of returned men by placing them in the transport business had to be approached with some care, said the Minister of Transport, the Hon. J. O'Brien, speaking in the Budget debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. He said that returned men would only be put into the business whether driving a taxi or an ordinary carrying vehicle, when he could get a living. “If there are any organisations of road services getting sufficient profit to allow returned men to go in, we will put them in cheerfully,” added the Minister, “but we are not going to allow returned men to go into those services when they would not get a living. A few years ago taxi men were making about 4d an hour and a number had to be put off the road to enable those left to get a living. Wherever returned men can be put into the transport business they will be put in, particularly in the taxi industry, which does not call for any extraordinary physical effort and is suitable for" returned men suffering certain disabilities.”

Discussing a suggestion that local body lisensing authorities might be abolished, the Minister said that that proposal hacl been given some consideration during the last year or so. Most of the local body licensing authorities had teamed up with the Government and the Transport Department and there had not been much to complain of there, except that there was dual conrol. That was not desirable, and, as far as the Government and those operating the transport licenses were concerned, they "would prefer to have one con-trol-transport licensing authorities with an appeal to a judge of the Supreme Court.