Mayor Leaves Committee

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 81, 6 April 1938, Page 4

Mayor Leaves Committee

OBJECTS TO TREATMENT BY TRANSPORT MINISTER Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, April 5. Because of the “treatment meted out to tne metropolitan licensing author:*v by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, the Mayor, Mr J. W. Bear.land, who is chairman of the authori’.;-, refuses to continue as a member. Th.» was announced by the Mayor last niglil at a meeting of the Christchurch City Council. Mr Beanland’s statement was as follows: “The council, being a metropolitan licensing authority under the Transport Licensing Act, 1931, delegated its powers to the committee, but owing to the treatment meted cut to the committee when dealing with the taxi business by the Minister of Transport, I find 1 cannot see my way to continue as a member of that committee, and I ask the council to relieve me of the position." The council discussed the Mayor s statement in committee. It v was afterwards reported that a resolution had been passed expressing to the Minister regret and dissatisfaction at’ “the way the authority’s work had been stultified.”

Mr Beanland’s comment on the Minister’s action apparently related to hi handling of appeals against the authoiity’s decision, which was upset in th/e? important points. The first was ii? the substitution of the system of assessing fares by "passenger'' miles instead of by “cab” miles, as decided by the iuthorty. The second was in allowing sir ippeals against concellations of lice ces by the authority, and the third was the minister’s ruling that in fixing the dates between which taxi-meters were to be installed, the authority did n'»t correctly interpret his judgment.