CARRIERS' DUTIES

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXII, Issue 4721, 25 November 1938, Page 6

CARRIERS' DUTIES

SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC. EMPHASIS BY AUTHOEITY. BOBBY CALF COLLECTION. "Licenses are not issued for the benefit of operators but so that service can be rendered to the community. Unless that service is rendered we must introduce other services to take steps to see that the community is satisfied," said Mr. E. J. Phelan, No. 1 Licensing Authority, at a sitting in Hamilton on Wednesday when hearing a dispute regarding the collection of bobby calves. Mr. Phelan said he was anxious to assist the carriers and the public in all matters relating to transport, but he was determined to see that no carrying combines were evolved.

Alleged Non-Collection.

' The dispute before the authority concerned a complaint made by the Hamilton Federation of Bobby Calf Pools regarding the collection of calves in the Rukuhia district where a contract had been let to D. Mitchell, a licensed carrier of Ohaupo, who had let a sub-contract to H. Day, a licensed carrier of Rukuhia. The complaints alleged breaches of the contract, the federation stating that calves had not been collected on certain days. The authority said although Mitchell had let a sub-contract to Day, Mitchell was responsible to the federation for the whole collection. Mitchell said his sub-contract to Day was only a verbal agreement. The contract for the season ended at the end of this month, and Mitchell gave an assurance that all collections would be made until that time. Mr. Phelan said had he known the matter of failing to collect the calves had been so serious, he would have made a special trip to Hamilton to hear the dispute. He received the complaint on October 8 and he advised the federation to communicate with him immediately in the event of further complaints. j

Lesson to Carriers,

"This should be a lesson to carriers who sub-let their contracts," said the authority. "The matter of sub-contracts should be given serious consideration for the original contractor is responsible for the entire contract and the manner in which the sub-contractor operates." It was stated by representatives of the federation that the complaints did not concern Mitchell's work but the work of the sub-contractor. Mitchell had been involved as he was responsible for Day.