VERY LOPSIDED

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1935, Page 10

VERY LOPSIDED

TRANSPORT CONTROL. RAILWAY AND WATER SERVICES. NORTHERN APPLICATIONS DEALT WITH. CHAIRMAN’S COMMENTS. AUCKLAND, This Day. The statement that he and his colleagues had come'to the same conclusion, that the transport, control facilities were very lopsided, was made today by the chairman of the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority, Mr W. Jones. “Here we are today sitting in judgment on the lorry side of the question,” he remarked. “The railway and the water services are in a position to object, but we have no control over them.” Mr K. M. Garstens, on behalf of the Northern Steamship Co., Ltd., opposed the renewal of several licenses. It was the first occasion the company had appeared before the Authority to record objections. Mr Carstens. said that the east coast from Auckland to the Far North had, since the early days; been served by frequent boat services, and numbers: of these services' were still being maintained, but it was becoming very difficult to continue running some services against the motor competition. The Northern Steamship Company had for years maintained a service to Warkworth, and the service today was run twice weekly. The boat was capable of handling four or five times the amount of cargo usually carried. If necessary, the number of trips per week would be increased. A weekly service was maintained to Matakana. Water carriage was recognised as being the cheapest mode of transport, and the company contended that most of. the area could adequately be served by boat to the nearest wharf. Freight could be jdelivered by local carriers from the wharves.

In noting the objection, the chairman made the remarks made above. He mentioned that a truck load of goods freighted from Auckland to Whangarei cost £7, but the same amount from Auckland to Cambridge would cost £22 or £23. '

Mr Carstens referred to his company’s rates of freight, and expressed the opinion that there should be coordination between all three modes of transport. The chairman said that they endeavoured to bring about such co-ordina-tion. Thd public had to be served, and he was satisfied that the trains were a convenience to the people. Renewals of licenses were granted, without amendment, to a number of applicants. . An application from W. L. Bayliss, Kaipara Flats, was opposed by Mr Carstens, on behalf of thp Northern Steamship Co., in respect to carriage of goods from Auckland to Warkworth. Mr F. G. Craig, for the Railway Department, also objected to the renewal, on the grounds that the license was originally granted for the carriage of tea-tree, and had since developed into one for the carriage of general goods, in opposition to ! the railways.

The license was renewed. Renewals of goods service licenses, with amendments, were granted to the following applicants:—A, T, Roke, R. Edwards and M. H. Fletcher. A route license via No. 386 highway, including the Helensville town district, was granted to J. C. Peterson, of Kaipara Flats, the applicant being restricted to one trip a day, and permitted to carry all classes of goods excepting live stock.