COMMISSION NOT WANTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19808, 1 December 1927, Page 12

COMMISSION NOT WANTED.

PROTEST FROM NEWMARKET. REFUSAL TO GIVE EVIDENCE. Strong disapproval of the proposed appointment of a commission of inquiry to investigate the transport question in Anckland was voiced by the Newmarket Borough Council last evening. The view was expressed that a commission was unnecessary and that the establishment of a local transport board would solve the problem. The resolution of protest, which was moved by the Mayor, Mr. S. Donaldson, and wa3 passed unanimously, read as follows:—"That the Newmarket Borough Council protests against the appointment of the proposed transport commission on the following grounds: (1) That such a commission is unnecessary, the obvious solution being the constitution of a controlling or licensing authority representative of the area affected. (2) That the result of such an inquiry would probably be as unsatisfactory and ineffective as that of the recent Water Commission, due to the manner in which the Greater Auckland movement is introduced to cloud the real issue," It was further decided to refuse to accept any citation to give information before such a commission of inquiry. In support of his motion, the Mayor said he desired to emphasise that, the appointment of a local controlling authority, on which all local bodies interested in the question were represented, was the only way out of the difficulty. The Parliamentary Committee which recently considered the question had arrived at this decision, but its conclusions had apparently been ignored. 1 Several members ol the council made reference to the results of the Water Commission, and the question of expense was raised. The town clerk, Mr. H. Wilson, stated that whereas the Water Commission had cost £ISOO. the Samoan inquiry had cost only £2OOO, and a Roy,a! Commission for the consideration of local government, which -had occupied two years and before which 500 witnesses had given evidence, had not cost more than £SOOO. He therefore suggested that such investigations as the Watet- Commission were disproportionately expensive. "Someone always has to pay for these commissions, ,and it is not always those who ask for them," remarked a councillor. It was decided to send copies of tho resolution to the Prime Minister, the local member of Parliament and all tho local bodies concerned.