TRANSPORT CONTROL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22398, 20 April 1936, Page 8

TRANSPORT CONTROL

To judge by his outline of pending legislation, Mr. Seraple is determined to take the transport bull by the horns. He intends to scrap the existing system of control and administration and substitute a new and much less elaborate organisation. That which is being superseded was not born without much pain and travail, and, unless the Minister's plans are exceptionally well laid, he may find his hands full. The 14 district licensing authorities are to be abolished in favour of four, one in each of the main centres, and each to consist of one man. The enlargement of districts should prove a move in the right direction, but the man who is to issue licences will need to have superlative qualifications. Mr. Semple recognises this. He says the men have no.t yet been selected, but must have a sound knowledge of transport, understand the law of evidence, and be fearless in judgment. The specifications will not easily be filled, especially if these are to be part-time appointments. Any failure at the licensing stage, moreover, will throw a heavy burden of responsibility on the Minister, who proposes to abolish the Transport Co-ordinsition Board and decide appeals himself. The further intention to substitute State for local body control in traffic regulation will probably be welcomed by road users as bringing order out of the confusion at present existing. Yet there is a good deal to be said for preserving a reasonable measure of local discretion. A central authority cannot possibly possess the particular knowledge of local traffic problems necessary to an administration that should combine efficiency with, elasticity. Whether the enforcement of regulations and by-laws will be better secured by local officers or a State inspectorate is a moot point. The same considerations apply to the decision to transfer control of main highways from the counties to the board. In general the Minister's trend- is toward extreme centralisation, and, in so complex a matter as transport, his success must depend largely on the efficiency of his administrators.