TRANSPORT BILL

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12867, 22 May 1936, Page 5

TRANSPORT BILL

Mil SMITH’S CAUSTIC A CRITICISM

"SOME MOST AMAZING CLAUSES

‘‘NOT SORRY BOARD BEINGGOT RIB OF"

(Press Association). WELLINGTON, May 21. The second reading of tire Transport -Li'cehsihg Amendment Bill was resumed,* urgency bdutig 1 taken tire passing of the second reading. ' Mrj Smith; (O.) said the Bill contained some of the most amazing clauses he had ever seen in any Bill. The only 'good points in the Bill were) the Minister’s 'declaration that lie was going to take powers to reduce the hours .worked hy some operators’in New 'Zealand and that ho would try •to control the ownerdriver. The Minister had spoken of the chaotic conditions that existed wheni lie came into power. But thgt whs hot- horde out .hy the facts. Mr Snfith- claimed that, as the result of the Transport Act placed on the statute hook in 1031, order had emerged from chaos. He claimed too, that it was unfair ,to 'operators of read services'to create the ininfession that there* was onci death a day under the Transport Act. He had always found the service ear drivers to be most careful. He said! the Bill provided for political patronage of the. worst possible form. He was shedding no tears over the loss of tlie personnel of the present board, but he did regret the change of policy 7. He knew that the hoard by its judgment, decisions, ami agreements had! done great harm to the oeople in, his- district. He considered the. clause giving comolete control to the Minister should- he deleted.

SERVICES BROUGHT BY STATE MUST BE PROTECTED-

The Hon. D. Sullivan said the Bill meant that in cases where the Government, through the Minister for Railways .and tlie Railway Department, had purchased a service, that service would lie protected to the extent of the license it had purchased. Could anyone take exception to the Government being protected, definitely'lA the -field it had; pur-ehalse-d ?'ln all cases the prion right of the licensee would-, he protected exactly the -samel as in previous It,-gi-slation. He was; amazed at the interpretation that had been placed on clause 15 hy Opposition speakers. Mr Coafesi: "It makes; the Minister a Dictator of the Road.” Mr Sullivan; “Mi! Coates is talking the sheerest nonsense in tlie world.”

Air Sullivan said the matter had been discussed with, all the interested parties. "• Ho wanted members, road operators, and the country to know that there was no intention on tlie part of the Government to deprive- any) road operator of anything that belonged to- him fairly and honestly find squarely and. when service was taken over, the road operator . wo-iikl be Paid for it. Mr Smith: “Who will fix the price?”

POSITION OF ROAD OPERATORS

NO INJUSTICE

Mr Sullivan -said the price would ho fixed exactly as it had been fixed in all negotiations that had taken place during the existence of the present Government up to the present. when the price paid was arr.'.ved v sit by friendly agreement. No injustice would he done- any road operator. Neither would they permit any injustice to be done tlie railways and the people who owned them. He said the coiiditxjn# of the operators who were rendering real service would lie improved and some- of the restricts ions at present placed on them would he removed. It was intended to- give fair play to both railways Wild- road operators, and it it were found the legislation had not properly interpreted the of the Government, to give fad* play, tlie Minister would! bring down further legislation that Would fiiVe fair play.

MR, COATES AND THE RAILWAYS VllE THEY A FORLORN HOPE?

Mr Sullivan said; he 7 was surprised at Mr Coates’ remarks that the railway's were obsolete and that there was no possibility of 'then* recovery. Mr Coates: “None; it is a forlorn hope.” Mr Sullivan thought Mr ( oates was Apt keeping abreast of tlie tunes. Ho thought- Mr Coates’ was ignoring the possibility of the rail car. He considered the radways cy-ffld. win hack a substantial percentage of the patronage that had been lost. He believed they were-, approaching a. period of- rejuvenation -so- fad as? the railways were concerned. Mr Dickie (0.) thought! the; transport industry could have been, handled adequately by the Highways Council and the Public Works Department. He did| not object- to the disappearance of the district boards. Lie considered much money was Wast edi each year* in the changing of the motorists’ number plates He said the money so involved would be better spent on, roads. He suggested tho railways should reyort to the system of having ' dining cars on trains to -save unpleasant delays at certain stations. , " Mr iMoncur (G.) said the Minister had taken iii hand a man-size job anc| he was certain ho would do it. He did not say the measure was perfect and rt might- have t© be amended. He thought more _ attention should be paid to inefficient machines and sat'd, if the- Minister and his advisers could remedy that, they would be worthy o!l the’r, jobs. He contended that many railway servants wore badly oveworkod and the staff should be increased.

A MONOPOLISTIC MEASURE *. i . • V' .. I ■ V •.« " Mil Margcst (0.) -said the Bill wao purely and entirely a monopolistic measure. It wasi only competition with motor services that jhjcl made the. railways what they were! to-day. The Bill was. just another step , to socialise industry, jyhpn tjlf B.iJI was passed’ the- 'Government would have power to close up a, great num; her oi: .services in this country apd ■ iri w’biildl > only want thoso that Were successful. The. value of the railways to-day was less . If! y £lie Government ‘ tried to make them pay on a ha.sis of £54,QCO.OOO they ijypuld faij, and, if they were going to' restrict' other services., they would do a great injury to the: transport industry of tlic'llotriinion. Mr Christie said the Railway Department had treated its servants 1 well and competition with the railways by a service that would be almhst ‘ unfettered - by regulations would : he unfair. ’ The; transport service as administered 1 by the Government would be run not for the profit off a few.- people' but for : the heneifit 'of j|iie peopl'd"as;a’ wholet Ho rethe' Post-Office',- ■ which had

proved one. of the- most efficient in the world and said- that there were other 'Government services- which wero also efficient.

IN CRITICAL MOOD Mil FORBES ENUMERATES WEAKNESSES IN BILL APPEAL COURT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY Mr Forbes said the Government speakers had spoken of members of the Transport Board being two lawyers and ai squatter. He would suggest that many solicitors and squatters knew a- great deal about motoring. They were now told there wore, to be four new appointees. He would tike to know on what- lines they were to- ho selected. Wore- they to be engineers, because thorn were some engineers who were awful duffers when itl came to motoring? He pace! n tribute- to- the work of members of The Transport; Board and did not think it a fair thing to try to discredit men after the good service they had, given. He felt confident the system of having three! men being changed to one on licensing auth oritics would not be as satisfactory as- in the past. There would be a great- deal of dissatisfaction and discontent. Those, single men would have the power to ruin men. and put men out of business and the only right of appeal would be to the Minister. He called to mind how the Government when in Opposition libelfought for appeal courts. Mr- Forbes did not think the appellants would be- satisfied with the Minister’s decisions, because he; would have to stand hy his officials. That was why there should be an appeal court, which could give- fair and impartial decisions. He contended that the Minister would have great difficulty in giving an impartial decision if the occasion arose that an appeal was made to him with an election looming and a whole! district, agitated over the matter.

Mr Mason: "Do you suggest the Co-ordination Board was -such a body?”

Mr Forbes: "The Co-ordinalion Board had no political connection.” He said the Alir.ist.: r of Public Work* was a man of impulse and ho contended that there should be a form of appeal at which no one could point the finger of criticism. With a hoard constituted: of departmental officers, the- dice would he loaded against any applicant lor a transport lcense if the Railway Department! was an objector. It was a Bill, he thought in which strangulation would be adopted, and he did not think the Minister would satisfy the public with, the 1 methods he was adopting. Ha could not see how the reduction of authorities to four would reduce tlie number of accidents on roads. The Bill had the elements of great injustices in it. and had- th'fi means of greatly reducing motor services. It could not have tho support of those who wanted to .

see justice done to those services. Mr Robertson (G.j said that if the Bill took- away the powers of the Transport Co-ordination Board and vested them in; the Minister directly responsible to Parliament and the people that should he preferable til a board of Hu'-ee appointed under a. system savoring ol political patronage. Tho growing need of the times was co-ordination of transport services and that could be achieved only by complete control ol those cervices. He said that no country other than New Zealand- would allow private ente>u'Ue to link up two important railheads as those of Lyttelton and AVellington. The debate was adjourned. A DREAM OF THE FUTURE Afr Meachan (G.) said that Mr Forbes had betrayed his own elector-

ate amd the neighbouring electorates and the whole of the South Island by stopping' the: construction' of the South Island main trunk railway. Flo.looked; forward, to tlpe. time when that line would be- completed and a State ferry service established and when! railway 'truck's! cotild be sealed down and sent from Bluff to Auckland and vice Versa. Tie thought the State) should take over the, air services and predicted that, before- long there would;the much night 'flyjig iff New Zealand' ail'd ; the Government Would bo called upon to provide beacons, just as it had to provide emergency landing grounds. Air End can (CM thought a State terry service would be to- the detriment- of New Zealand. As the' State shipping -services had proved' a failure, political tribunals throughout the world had proved a failure and the Bill -established the Minister bl' Transport as a. political tribunal. Mr Cullen (GA said that 80 per cent, of tho carriers in New, Zealand were insolvent. As- a result- of 'cutthroat. competition, carriers had had to reduce their charges substantially, drivers were working LG to 17 hours, a day and, in -soffie- eases, were paid only 2os a week, private enterprise was taking advantage of til© wages paid to reduce costs to tho farmer, who was paying 50 per cent. IcSs than he was in 1831.

AN EXTRAORDINARY CONCOCTION.

Air Poison (0.) said he e/unoosed there were some good points in the Bill, hut when one came to tho meatone found that it was one of trie most extraordinary concoctions ever put together. The Bill opposed the principle the Labor party had been advocating for years. They had opposed dictatorships, hut thq Bril esshe Minister for Transport as an absolute dictator. He was. not worried over the disappearance of the Co-ordination Board, because lie did not always agree with its decisions. and heca.usci it -superseded' a, hcttc" Board, the Transport- Appeal Board. ITe considered that there Would be an increase in Die number of appeals and that would put a greater opportunity in the bauds of the Minister. The Bill was another departure from pre-election ideas placed- before the electors.