TRANSPORT CONTROL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 76, 11 March 1933, Page 7

TRANSPORT CONTROL

DOMINION-WIDE SCHEME. GOVERNMENT’S INTENTION. Wellington, March 11. An announcement that legislation would probably be brought down next session to provide for a complete reorganisation of transport control in New Zealand was made by the Minister of Finance, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, during the debate on the Christchurch Tramway District Amendment Bill in the House yesterday.

It is known that the Government has had under consideration for some time past a scheme for more direct and rational control of the industry, and Mr Coates indicated that rough drafts of the coming legislation were already in hand.

The question arose when the House was discussing clause 10 of the Bill which sought to define a trolley-bus as a tram carriage and so to remove it from the operations of the Motor Vehicles Act, the Transport Licensing Act, the Tramways Act, and Third Party Insurance Act,

' ‘The whole question of licensing and of transport generally will be subject to intense examination during the next 12 months,” said the Minister. ‘lt is essential that we should establish some more simple and direct method for the control of the industry. If this clause is passed it will place the Christ, church Tramway Board in a position different from that of any other author, ity, and it will make the Government’s task of straightening out the whole problem of transport much more difficult. If the House agrees to this, it will be deliberately hindering the solu. tion of the whole problem, and it is a problem that has to be clearly and carefully handled.’’ Mr Coates said it should not be a case of the Christchurch City Council and neighbouring local bodies being brought under the Tramway Board. One licensing authority should control the whole of a large area, not only Christchurch, but as far south as 'Umaru. The Government sought to have larger authorities controlling larger areas. “If we pass this clause,” ho repeated, “we will be creating difficulties for the legislation that is to be promoted at the next session. I cannot speak for my colleagues in Cabinet on this matter—it has not been discussed there—but 1 can only toll them that if it passes the Minister of Transport will be confronted with many difficulties in the future.” Mr H. T. Armstrong (Lab., Christchurch East): Are you legislating next session ? Mr Coates: The rough drafts are ready now. We want to widen the districts, but in most cases we shall use the personnel of the existing authorities. In spite of the Minister’s appeal the clause was retained by 25 votes to 23.