CONTROLLING ROAD TRANSPORT.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4953, 9 February 1937, Page 4

CONTROLLING ROAD TRANSPORT.

The Minister of Transport, Mr. Semple, made the statement last week that the Government will introduce legislation to bring private motor trucks under the Transport Act. In other words this means that those firms owning their own motor vehicles will be compelled to observe the regulations of the Act. The remark may mean more than that—private firms may be prohibited from using their own trucks in their business, and only licensed carriers will be allowed on the road. All competition, not alone in the transport of goods, but in the passenger services, will be eliminated, and the whole of the road transport be rationalised. Rationalisation of any service has its advantages up to a point, but can be overdone. It seems only reasonable and fair that if a firm finds it an advantage to own its own trucks for transport of goods, no obstacles should be put in the way, and these firms be allowed to arrange their own services. This is the only way to prevent the creation of monopolies. These privately owned vehicles would pay their own fair charges, including the ascertained cost of road maintenance, and the award rate of wages would be paid. Merchants and others would have no cause for objecting to the rationalising of road traffic, but when it comes to having their own business arrangements interfered with it is a very different matter.