TRANSPORT BILL

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11592, 19 August 1931, Page 5

TRANSPORT BILL

PLEA FOR MiOKEI POWERS FOR

LOCAL BODIES

ROAD AND,, RAIL COMPETITION

SHOULD BE SEVERELY CUR-

TAILED

MINISTER’S REPLY

PROBLEM IS NOW A NATIONAL

• ONE

:v„.. G'resfl• Assoolutiw> i- WELLINGTON. Aug. 18. The Transport Licensing Bill was reported in the House to-daj' r 9, r ! l the special select committee, vrth amendments. , , Mr- Ansell (R.) said lie wauled the Minister, of Transport to get over tho difficulties raised by the mum-, cipal authorities in respect to legislation. .There was an, objection to the abolition of portions of the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act dealing with municipal authorities. He mentioned, the case of the Auckland transport Board, which had operated successfully under the Motor Omnibus Act. The services which causing so much loss were not local ones,' but the through ouos. Ho desired the Minister to do his utmost to assist the foetal authorities m this respect. , Mr Parry (L.) supported Air Ansel I in his claim for; some comproim ise with the local authorities. U this wea*e not done the Bill would meet, with, serious opposition in tho House. , , Air AVright (It.) stressed the need for curtailing competition between road and rail, (and said if the Government had not protected tramway undertakings in the cities thev would have been annihilated and the costs passed on to the ratepayers. The same applied to the railways to-day. „ ~ , ~ Mr Nash (L.) submitted that.the local authorities should he given the maximum power to control the transport system within their own boundaries, whether it were trams or buses. Air Cojates agreed that the Jransport authorities under legislation should control all tho through services. However, he was not iu lavor of the immediate creation of a huge new government department. The state of things might he left much as it was now, and the provisions of the legislation brought into operation gradually. One matter for serious objection was that central licensing authorities, ignorant of local conditions would bo able to dictate the routes of the services, irrespective of the state of the raads. That surely wa s the function of the local bodies. ■ The Hon. W. A. Veitch : Hie Bill does not provide for that. Air Fraser (L.) urged that every endeavour consistent with maintaining the efficiency of the measure, should be made to meet all the points of view expressed by tho various interested authorities, particularly muuieipalties. lie paid a tribute to the manner in which the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act hud worked. , , Air Clinkard (U.) said he could not conceive the likelihood of any transport licensing board failing to meet the views expressed by mufticipalties. MISREPRESENTATIONS! '.MADE

TO A l LUMBERS

The Hon. AY. A. Veitcli said an important duty devolving upon the Minister in charge of thq Bill was that in an. endeavour to meet the wishes of those who had been influenced from various quarters, and to whom misrepresentations had obviously been made, he should not allow the principle of the measure to bo destroyed. It was absolutely necessary tßat some confidence should be placed in those responsible for tho administration of the Act. When it passed, it would become quite inipractiqable to administer tlio Alotor Omnibus Traffic Act (alongside this measure. The Motor Omnibus Traffic Act had dealt with a pressing problem, as it had existed at, the time the Act was passed. Tho problem ujas to-day much more extensive, and had reached far beyond the limits of the powers of any local body. It had, in fact, become a national one, and the time had come for tho formulation of some fixed principle for coping with it. The existing legislation had had the effect of eliminating competition with publicly-owned tram services, and tho question arose whether this p/rinoiple shoiuld be extended in the direction, of eliminate ing competition with all publiclyowned transport services. Air Lysnar: “Hear, Hear* That’s what you ought to do.” Continuing, Mr Veitcli said thut if when the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act had been passed, it had then been laid down that such a course should be followed, he would have concurred, b&t that had not been done. Aleanwliile, services had been established, on ’the public roads, and large sums of money had been invested ip them. It seemed to him that it would be a Have sty of British justice, and contrary _to tlio principles of Thq constitution, if Parliament now summarily' passed a Jfiw that would sweep these services out of existence. The Bill, however, would prevent an increase in the number of privately-owned motor services running in competition with - tho Railway Department, and would co-ordinate Tand encourage those services which .were now serving the Department, of which there were many. LOCAL BODIES AVELL PROTECTED

The Minister said the principal points raised during tho debate hhd related to what was believed -to he interference by the Government with the rights of local bodies. He pointed out that under tho measure local bodies would still make their (pwn by-laws, which it would not he possible to overrule, except by means of tho very reasonable process which the measure proposed to lay down. It was provided that if the holder of xi transport license believed lie had been, unfairly treated by a local body lm' would then make application tq tho transport licensing body, which would consider the daso, and if it was then satisfied there was no injustice, the applicant would' then have no further recourse. If the licensing body agreed that there was ground for tho applicant’s protest, it would endeavour to reach a settlement by means of a conference of; the interested parties. In the event of such conference failing to attain a solutiori, the case would then ho referred to the Appeal GoUrt, whicli the Bill proposed to sest up, arid the decision of that court would ho final. MOTOR SERVICES AND TEAMS ■ >Mr Veitch intimated that lie proposed to submit jan amendment, providing-, that where. it was proposed to inaugurate a motor service in any area where the local authority already had a tram service, ’the. iocral authority concerned should have absolute preference, over any private enterprise. Mr Nash (Hutt): “Suppose the local body does not want to- start a motor service to compete with its t#imc?” .' Tho Minister said provision would be . included that where any application was - mdde tho licensing board must satisfy (itself ttyh/t the proposed service was a necessity or in the public interest, and if that were riot so, the application would riot be

NEED TO PROTECT ROADS

STATEMENT BY MINISTER

IMPORTANT CONFERENCE TO BE

HELD

. (Press Association!

- M: WELLINGTON, Aug. IS. A Seon today with the reference to tho draft -amendment to the heavy lorry regulations, the lion. W. Veitcli said the Transport Department had been actively; 1 engaged during the last two years parrying out extensive investigations.;' 1;' .■- ■■ ■. ■ - .■

Commenting oa road transport generally,'he said that specially qualified engineers were obtained from the Public AVorks Department and a good deal of information had been placed at the. disposal of the" local authorities to :■ illustrate tho desirability, of road protection powers being fully exercised. The response had heen extremely gratifying in most cases with tho result that about three thousand miles of important main highways had been classified by local authorities in conjunction with the department for the purpose of reducing the gross loads of vehiles. This would result in considerable economies in road costs and the actual cost of road transport, despite tho fact that smaller vehicles wore necessitated.

Every opportunity had been taken also to encourage road controlling auGlorifies to bring abont wider observance of these heavy lorry regulations. But it was not likely that any action could be taken by 1 lio Transport (Department which would have the effect of materially iucreasin<T transport costs.

Tt was interesting to rmto, said tho Minister, that some of those authorities which had been loudest in their criticisms of suggested changes in tho regulations were doing little or nothing to enforce the necessary restrictions under the existing, regulations which protected their own ratepay«y»a. In regard to the new regulations, the Alinister went on tn say that tho Government, had sought constructive advice, but its effort at harmonious consultation had not been universally accepted in that spirit and, in some eases, its nroposals been opposed on the ground of additional expense, whilst eooTiomioa which far outweighed the cost had been ignored. He said that arrangements had been made with the bounties Association and others to hold a conference in Wellington to consider Hie draft regulations and all suggested amendments. The conference would include representatives of local bodies, road users, and motor interests as well as an executive commission specially set up by tbe Civil Engineers’ Society to investigate rural reading in the Dominion

MOTOR TRANSPORT COSTS £32,000,000 YEARLY.

Air. Veitch stated there were very few people who realised the cost of motor transport to the Dominion, ill was in Die neighborhood of £32,000,000 per annum. Whereas the raihvav engine was written off at the end of 30 years, (allowance having; been made for two boilers), motor vehicles depreciated at the rate of 25 percent per annum. The loss on motor vehicles was one of the burdens ou country ratepayers, and where unnecessary motor services could ,b e eliminated without interfering with the reasonable rights of private people, it would be possible to reduce the cost of maintaining the roads. The Alinister remarked tlfat the cost of administration of the Bdl should not exceed £SOOO a year, and this would at the same time bo relieving another Department of some of its expenditure. He added that a\ itii the exception of amendments that would hinder the efficient administration of the measure, or that would st--.nd m tho way of economies which it would effect, he would be pleased to consider every proposal members might desire to put forward.

LICENSING BODIES SHOULD BE REDUCED.

Air. Jull (chairman of the special committee) replying, said there appeared to be a disposition on the part of members to press ior an increase in the number ol lieensmg authorities, rather than reduce them. Under the provisions of tho Act there are thirteen authorities, and suiely the time had arrived when they should make some reduction m that number. In most countries where transport legislation was in force the number of authorities was small In America, for instance there was onlj one authority for each State, a - though the population ol some States was greater than the popul--tion of Now Zealand. The report was received.