TRANSPORT BILL

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12866, 21 May 1936, Page 5

TRANSPORT BILL

OVER £200,000,000 INVESTED ,IN INDUSTRY. OPPOSITION VIEW OF NEW BILL. CLOAK TO HAMSTRING PRIVATE ENTERPRISE. STATE CONTROL ALREADY STARTED IN OTAGO.

(Press Association), WELLINGTON, May 20

t Tho second reading debate on the Transport Licensing Amendment Bill was resumed in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Broad foot (O.) said there were weaknesses of omission and commission in the legislation, and the last. Government bad intended revising.it, and bringing it up to date. The capital involved in the transport industry was just over £200,000,000 and Hie matter of ownership was raised. Tho. question was ’whether transport services word to lie allowed to run as they did before, or whether they were to lie socialised. On the face of it, the legislation looked innocent, but ho thought ifc was a clonk to hamstring private enterprise. A start had been made in Otago, and lie thought that, before long all the road transport in the South Island would bo mopped up by the State. He claimed that private enterprise gave a service which the raibynys could not do, and should be allowed to continue. He asked the Minister whether the same good service as was given to-day would exist under State control.

Mr. Broadfoot. continuing, contended that no one man could control the services as Transport Boards bad done. The territories would be large, and local knowledge would be required. The four men would be Departmental officers, who would first consult the Minister, and then carry out his requests. He thought, the transport authorities should consist of three, and should he free from political control. Tho same powers that were given the Transport Co-ordina-tion Board were to be taken by the Minister, but thov should have been widened to control the shipping and railway services.

STATE SHOULD RUN AIR SERVICES

The- speaker, continuing, said be thought it was necessary at- this time that the State should step in, and say who woret going to run air services. Private enterprise should not be allowed to corner ,alr transport. The railways bad not faded, roads had 1 not failed intelligently, but instead of being built as a competing service, they should have been built, as feede” .services, and under a Labor Government he knew there) would be a place for the railroad, a: place for the shin, a place" for the motor car. a place for. the aer-o-.plane. and a place fob every system of transport. They aimed not at avoiding use of any. hut at co-ord-inating tho use. of all.

PLEA FOR PRIVATE ENTEB- ' PRISE

Mr Kyle (O.) contended that State enterprise could not- give the same service as: private enterprise and instanced a case in Christchurch and Canterbury, where private control bad succeeded' where State or municipal- control bad failed. Sutely, lie said, the Government was not g.oUiSf in socialise the (Shipping service. They knew what- had happened in Australia when a Labor Government established at State shipping service.

Mr Snealter said there was no provision for a shipping service in the Bill, and Mr Kyle was out of order in referring] to it. Mr Kyle satl it looked as if the Government intended to take the- entire control of transport services of the Dominion. He thought private enterprise should be allowed? to continue.

PAYMENTS TO CO-ORDINATION BOARD MEMBERS

The Rev. A. Norcimeycr (G.) said that the large number of amendments! to the transport, law were so confusing that even Lawyers had to approach the Transport Department for an interpretation of the various provisions. He thought the Government would be wise to consider a con sol ; dat : na; measurel which would simplify the position. The Government should also consider whether in' a case where Government, action had prevented a road user being mined by competition that road user should bn 'able to include the goodwill when disposing of IBs business. He said the 13-11 did what Mr Coates- took unto himseil' tor do three years ago, and yet now said lie was- opposed, to it, lock, stock and barrel. The sneaker said that all the provisions, of the Bill must ’. commend themselves' to the intelligence of ordinary people. Air Coates for his own convenience saw many things that were not in the! Bill, and failed to set* things, that- were in the Bill. For the two years in which the Transport Co-ordination Board had been in existence tho chairman drew £IOB7 in, salary andl £SOB travelling expenses, one member received: £989 salary 'and £-513 travelling expenses, and., the third member £9S7 salary and £547 travelling expenses, a total of £4733. Mr Nordmeyer said lie did not know tho whole mind of the Minister, hut he did not think it was intended tc take control of the whole of the ancillary services of the Dominion.

; Mr Broadfoot referred to tho huge, losses that would he incurred _ by harbor boards and shipphtg services through competition' of road services Ho su'd the Minister would not have fimo to consider the apmals so that they mould he dealt with by some unknown official. Surely -the Minio-

tor's decision, should he the subject of review hi a court which was- open to the public. He suggested that the Minister should- review his whole system of transport qontnol and institute control on the lines l of the present power boards. He: thought the Minister had, .arrived at his decisions on half the story, and condemned the board on misrepresentations.

ATTACK ON MR COATES Mr Lee (L.) said it was: an extraordinary utterance that had been made 1 by Mr Coates previously. He preached what he never used to practise. Air Coates,, with indignation, real of simulated, in his voice, saicl the Bill was Socialism, and private enterprise would be strangled. Mr Lee doubted if any Government in the history of New Zealand had represented a. larger part of the New Zealand people thijn the Government now in power, and the people had not gone mad. He claimed that when they had an intelligent co-ordination of -transport. Hie, person who was giv ing good service to tliei community, and the persons, who did want to use thd roads for the pleasure of hims'eilj and bis family, would l be as safe as never before. Air Coates had referred to Air Semple as a Alussolini-, but Air Contes when in office was a. Socialistic dictator. The Minisler at present in charge of Public Works; was different. He was "n Socialistic Democrat, giving effect to tho policy for which the party of which he (Mr Leo)- bad the honor to be a member received a mandate at the last general election.

“WHY' NOT A LTTTLE SOCIALISTIC CONTROL?”

Continuing, Air Lee said the Trans port. Co-ordination Board did net give non-political control. TTe na-M that, two- out of the three members were connected with the anti-Social-istic party, and tho third was a squatter. He was not sure that the pry of non-political control was not just political humbug. Mr 1 Lee referred to the. taxation on motor,i transport imposed by the last Government in tlie way! of Customs duty, tyre duty, tyre tax, petrol tax, and licensing fees. Which last year, amounted to £2,400,000. He sa-'d that a. little mO.-0 of that sort- of assistance for modern motor traffic, and the patient would l>e dead. There was not question in which society was so imrrested as transport, and when there was so' much that was. social in transport, why not a little Socialistic control. They could not do without railways,, but they could not do without cars. but. in an intolligenti community they could have both, and in New Zealand they, would' have, national control .by a. responsible Minister. The railways had not- failed, and, were deserving of assistance What had failed was the money system that bad built them. Mr Nordmeyer said. that, on at least two •orca.isions, the late Miirster had so much, confidence in the Transport Co-ordination Board that, after asking it, to make investigations, he entirely neglected to act upon its rec-ommendatio'-.s. MR McDOUGALL PRAISES MINISTER

Mr McDougall. (1.) congratulated the; Minister fo’- Public Works on bringing the Bill before the House

and be was sure it would go- throuo-h. 11l they could only cut down. the death-roll, surely that would be to the credit of the- Minister. They had hacl nqf control' in the: past and had bad Rafferty rule. He was sure the Minister would do his job' without fear or favor for anyone. He was

glad t'ho Bill would put a stop to lorry drivers working long hours at night and hoped it would also stop tho carriage of sheep at night, as so much sheep stealing was- taking place. He hoped the drivers’ hours Would be limited! to nine hours per day 'and. that thev would be adequately na : d.

PROFIT ON STATE MOTOR -SERVICES!

Air Lyon (G.) said! Air Coates had based: his opposition! to the B,d -on the' assumption that it would result in all forms of .transport being completely subordinated to the, Railway service. He did not see how that could .be deduced from the Bill. In New Zealand they had allowed railway construction to become stultified Thei Bill, arrived * at the closest coordination and most, effective co-op,s-ration in order to get the best service possible. He wondered what would have happened had the development of the country been left to pi mite enterprise. He" referred to the differing viewpoints of the Opposition speakers and asked -whose statements were to fee accepted as the official Opposition opinion. He quoted the profit made by the Government meter services and. said the total, profit was. £5672,. and suggested that was a complete answer toi- the case that the Opposition had brought up—that a -Government service could not possibly pay. He referred to the need for closer co operation between the Railway and. the Tran sport Depn rtm cuts.

Air Lyon finished speaking just before 10.15 p.m., and Air Smith rose to speak, bub the Prime Minister said that if ATr Smith, spoke it would knock) the bottom out of the broadcasting arrangement. Air Smith therefore moved the. adjournment’ of the debate, which was agreed to and the House rose.

PROBLEM OF APPEALS FORMER APPEAL BO APE "Press Association). MASTER-TON, May 20. Observations on the Transport Licensing Amendment Bill now before 'the Hpusci wore made to-day by Mr T. Jordan, Mayor of Mastrrtpn, and president' of the Municipal Association and at member of the former Transport Appeal Board.

Referring to the provision to make the -Minister 'tho 'final tribunal of a,p. peal, Alt Jordani said, that when the lt>3l Act was being drafted, the Municipal Association strenuously urged that there should be an Appeal Board of judicial standing to deal, with all appeals. That board was l set up and, subsequently, replaced by another which bad now been torpedoed. As the, present Bill proposed l to reduce each, of the district licensing authorities. to a committee of one, the need for an appeal tribunal become more urgent. Appeals: in the past had involved the hearing.of evidence at great length, in some eases and, if the Minister is to hear and -dispose of all these appeals, he will need, the assistance either in hi-) capacity of appeal tribunal or in that of Minister of Public Works and Transport. It was- true that there was power in the Bill to determine appeals without bearing anyone or taking evidence- But, sure ly, it. was not. contemplated, that questions affecting; millions, of capital should be dealt-with in that way? There was also power to refer question®’ arising: out of appeals to home nominee of the Minister.. Would it not..be better and in the interests of everyone that appeals should, be: entirely handed over to a judicial body which could serve a.s a solid buffer between, the/ Minister and the inside and outside pressure that- was bound to bo applied to him? Air Jordan expressed regret that as yet there was no provision to coordinate the whole of transport.