REPAIRS TO MOTOR-BUS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20423, 27 November 1929, Page 14

REPAIRS TO MOTOR-BUS.

SERVICE NOT MAINTAINED.

ONLY ONE VEHICLE USED.

PROSECUTION OF PROPRIETOR.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —n\VN CORRESPONDENT. [] WHANGAREI, Tuesday.

A motor-bus test caso was heard in tho Whangarci Magistrate's Court yesterday, when tho borough traffic inspector proceeded against J. Hamilton, as part proprietor of a sorvice, for not running to timotablo.

Defendant's company has only one bus and tho inspector admitted agreeing to slight adjustments of tho timetable, but said he had refused to allow suspension of running for somo days while repairs were dono. ITowover, tho bus was taken off in tho evening of November 5 and did not return until November 9. Three bus companies ran in tho borough and where thcro was opposition on any routo a timetable was demanded.

Tho inspector added that when the request was mado to him for suspension of tho running' ho had suggested tho engagement of taxis, but counsel for tho defence contended that this would havo been altogether impracticable. There were no other buses or charabancs in Whangarci which could bo hired. Counsel asserted that tho by-law was unreasonable in tho caso of a company owning only ono bus, bocauso the bus had to be repaired from time to time. Tho inspector evidently realised tho impossibility of tho bus maintaining an absolute timetable, as his assent to previous alterations showed. Counsel contended that tho fact of tho inspector having waived the timetable in ono instance bound him to do so again. Counsel'said tho by-law, ho thought, was framed to deal with "tinkering about" with timetables and undue rivalry, not boua-fido breakdowns.

Tlio magistrate, Mr. G. N. Morris, said tho public and not the bus-owners had to bo considered in these cases and tlio missing of a single trip was likely to cause inconvenience. The inspector had agreed to slight amendments, but when it camo to a matter of days tho case was altered. Jn view of the ease being a test one ho proposed to enter a conviction without lino to allow bus proprietors to know where they stood.