ROAD SERVICES

Grey River Argus, 13 August 1937, Page 7

ROAD SERVICES

Farmers’ Trucks NO RESTRICTIONS. WELLINGTON, August 12. A definite assurance that the Government has no intention of imposing any restrictions on farmers using their own trucks for the carriage of their produce has been given by the Minister of Railways (Hon. D. G. Sullivan). Referring to this assurance, the Secretary of the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance (which has been campaigning against the Government’s policy in the matter), Mr. H. J. Knight says: Without impugning the sincerity of this utterance as representing the present intention of the Minister, it is important to observe that the assurance is very limited in its application, and inadequate as a safeguard even within its limits. It may be the intention of the Minister for the time being not to interfere with farmers carrying their own produce, but no Government can bind itself indefinitely. The present transport policy will not stay put where it may be intended to stop at the moment. If it should turn out that the carting by farmers of their own produce in their own vehicles is considered to operate adversely to lailway revenue, there is little reason to doubt that restrictions will soon be imposed in one form or another to force them to employ railway transport. Mr. Knight continues: The Minister should give a clear answer to the question as to whether it is proposed to intervere with the carriage of freight by road hauliers in their own vehicles. The restricted terms of the Ministerial “assurance” lend colour to a belief that such interference is contemplated. The Minister stated that plans were in hand with a view to giving the public a flexible first-class goods service.

Mr. Knight says: This statement is vague and non-committal. Does it mean abolition of road motor transport and the transfer to the railways of the work at present carried out by the road motor industry? This is the natural interpretation of Mr. Semple’s statement that ninety per cent, of the present goods motor transport could be efficiently carried out by the railways. If it does not mean abolition of road transport, what does it mean? The road motor transport industry is already giving the public a flexible first-class transport service, of a kind which the railways, from their necessary restrictions, cannot possibly do, for purely technical reasons. The Minister has given no indication as to the nature of the "flexible first-class service.” The inference is that the motive for interference is the intention to bolster up, at the cost of users of freight transport, a railway monopoly.