SWEEPING REPORT

Hokitika Guardian, 5 December 1932, Page 2

SWEEPING REPORT

ON TRANSPORT CONDITIONS

SYDNEY, November 25

'One of the political events of the week has keen the production of the Transport Advisory Committee's report, which has now been tabled in the Assembly. The committee’s recommendations are certainly sweeping and compi-ebe®-sive enough. They, involve..the abandonment of certain tram services and their ..replacement by* bus service, the cessation of a certain amount of projected railway construction ip; tfrp suburbs, and the creation of/; a public' utility company with a 25 years- franchise to conduct both bus and tram (services. The 'ejection of this l’ast proposal—the establishment of a great private monopoly to which the trams, now owned by the community t would bo’ transferred—is so obvious that the committee has suggested two possible alternatives. One is that the Government should buy out the bus proprietors and conduct the two services jointly—but this the committee does not recommend. The other is that while the Government retains control of the trains, the bus services should be taken over by ia public utility transport corporation, to handle exclusively an omnibus transport in the metropolitan area. The Government, of course would- be represented on the directorate of this body by members Who would be expected to watch over the interests of the State and the general public. , ,• '

The whole scheme is, of course, highly controversial, and strong objections already have been raised in various quarters to any proposals that would involve the dismissal of large numbers of tramway men, the establishment of a great transport monopoly or the transfer of the trams to private hands. At all events the report is an honest attempt at coordinating the public transport services, and to that extent at least it is a step in the right direction.