TRANSPORT CONTROL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21342, 17 November 1932, Page 13

TRANSPORT CONTROL

CAREFUL INVESTIGATIONS

DIFFICULTIES OF PROBLEM

NO ACTION REGARDING TAXIS

[BIT TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON, Wednesday When the Estimate for the Transport Department was being discussed in the House of Representatives to-day, Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Independent—Egmont) asked how far the Transport Department intended to go with what lie described as restrictive and possibly unnecessary regulations.

He said it appeared that the department was going to take upon itself powers, the exercise of which would force motor services off the road, wholly and solely in the interests of the railways. He submitted that motor transport had performed a substantial service to the country.

Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour —Napier) asked whether it was proposed to go ahead with the policy eliminating uneconomic forms of transport. He said there was a a great deal of overlapping of taxi services and many taxi-drivers were eking out a most precarious existence. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Transport, replying to Mr. Wilkinson, said there were two sides to the question. So far as restrictive legislation was concerned lie assured the House that he would approach the whole subject of transport services with a very open mind. By the end of this month all objections which might bo lodged by those interested in running transport services would have been received and the whole position would be most carefully investigated. Until he had had an opportunity of considering thoroughly all the objections it would not be possible for him to indicate what it was proposed to take in the direction of licensing services, particularly with respect to the carriage of goods. He realised the position was full of difficulty. Replying to Mr. Barnard, Mr. Coates said it was not proposed to extend the powers of the board with respect to the regulation of taxi services. Mr. R. McKeen (Labour— Wellington South) urged that more attention should be paid to the inspection of service cars.

Mr. Coates said all service cars were inspected annually when the licences weie issued.

Mr. McKeen expressed the opinion that more frequent inspections should be carried out.

CAR SERVICES AND FARES

" TOO MUCH INTERFERENCE"

COUNTY COUNCIL'S CRITICISM

[by telegraph—OWN correspondent]

GISBORNE, "Wednesday

The Cook County Council to-day decided not to present any evidence at the rehearing of the Whitfield case by the No. 4 Transport Licensing Authority, but to urge a lowering of fares between Gisborne and Napier. It was also suggested that the Transport Act should be jettisoned, as it caused too much interference in private enterprise. It was stated that the single fare from Gisbome to Napier was £1 15s for 150 miles, while the fare from Napier to Wellington was £1 7s 6d for 210 miles.

Where there was no railway competition it seemed, said Mr. Hall, that the fares were put up, but where there was railway competition the fares were brought- down to a competitive basis with the railway. Mr. W. G. Sherratt said that previously there were more services running at 25s to 30s between Gisborne and Napier than there were now at 35s and the services seemed to be doing well at the lower fares. He believed the council should protest against the higher fares and also against the Transport Act, which interfered with private business by demanding that a. man must run a service on a certain road at a certain fare. The sooner the Government stopped interfering with private enterprise the better it would be. Mr. Hall: You want the Transport Act repealed ? Mr. Sherratt: Yes. Put it in the fire.

DECISIONS OF AUTHORITY

DISSATISFACTION AT WAIROA

[by TELEGRAPH —OWN correspondent] GISBORNE, Wednesday

Criticism of the district transport licensing authority was expressed at a meeting of the Wairoa Borough Council. Recently the authority refused a licence to a motor service proprietor lo conduct a one-day service between Wairoa and Gisborne, holding among other things that Wairoa business interests lay more with Hawke's Bay. Now, however, the authority has fixed a sitting at Gisborne to deal with Wairoa matters, and if the Wairoa Borough Council is to be represented its delegates must spend part of two days travelling in order to attend on the intermediate day, whereas formerly they could have left in the morning and returned the same evening.

The Mayor, Mr. H. L. Harker, said Wairoa was receiving practically no consideration from the authority, which was supposed to study the interests of the travelling public. The authority had no idea how best to serve tho interests and convenience of the district.

A resolution was carried unanimously deciding to approach the Transport Board and urge that, as the present authority evidently was not conversant with the requirements of the district, a separate authority be appointed to control the district from Wairoa to the east coast. It, was also decided that tho council could not send a delegate to tho sitting of the transport authority, as the authority itself, by refusing adequate service, had made the journey to Gisborne unduly expensive. •

PROPOSED REGULATIONS

RESOLUTION OF PROTEST

The following resolution of protest against tho proposed regulation of goods transport services was passed at a meeting of the l'etrol Re-sellers and Motor Traders' Association in Auckland yesterday:—"This meeting considers that a thing such as this should be put through Parliament in the form of a bill instead of becoming law by Order-in-Council. It is thought that the regulations, :f put into force, will increase the cost and decrease the efficiency of transport. The regulations are being brought in to protect the railways against competition from road transport. Private enterprise is taxed very heavily through different sources and this association considers that the railways should be able to compete. In these modern times the whole world is moving toward motor transport and railways do not meet the requirements of the country