TRANSPORT ACT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22449, 19 June 1936, Page 10

TRANSPORT ACT

FOUR APPOINTMENTS NEW LICENSING AUTHORITIES MINISTER'S ANNOUNCEMENT WIDE GENERAL EXPERIENCE [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON. Thursday Four district licensing authorities have been appointed bv the Government under the new Transport Licensing Amendment Act, apd they will take the places of tho former central licensing authorities and will have power to grant passenger service licences and to exercise jurisdiction in respect of transport affairs under Ministerial control. Tho four authorities who have been appointed by tho Minister of Transport, the Hon. 11. Semple, with the concurrence of the Cabinet, are Mr. E. Phelan, of Auckland; Mr. Phillip Skoglund, town clerk of Stratford; Mr. T. H. Langford, of Temuka; Mr. Victor Haines, of lnvercargill. Tho appointments indicate tho respective geographical representation. Mr. Phelan, - who is well known in local body administration in Auckland, will control licensing in the Auckland Province; Mr. Skoglund will have charge of tho southern part of tho North Island, including Wellington; Mr. Langford will control Canterbury and Westland; and Mr. Raines, Otago and Southland. The Minister said to-day that 110 would make an official announcement about the appointments within tho next few days. He was satisfied, he said, that tho four men appointed would "fill the bill." All the men appointed were of wide general experience, had a sound knowledge of the districts which they would administer, were 100 per cent loyal to tho policy of tho Government, and were sympathetic toward the transport situation. Mr. E. J. Phelan, J.P., is secretary of the Auckland Timber Workers' Union, and has been a member of the Auckland City Council since 1025, having had the honour of being returned at the head of tho poll, lie was a member of the Tramway Committee of tho City Council, and ho has been a member of tho Auckland Transport Board since its inception. His public activities havo been very wide. He has been a deputy-chairman of tho Auckland Rugby Union, and later he helped to establish Rugby League in Auckland. He was manager in 1911 of the first Rugby League team to visit Australia. He has served 011 the Patriotic Association, tho Repatriation Board, the Kaipara Hospital Board and the Parnell Licensing Committee, and he as a trustee of the Trades Hall and Carlaw Park. He was born in Auckland in 1874. Mr. Skoglund lias been town clerk at Stratford for 25 years. He joined the National Bank of New Zealand at Grevmoutk and served the bank subsequently at Hokitika and Timaru before he was appointed to the Stratford branch, where he was accountant when he accepted his present position. Mr. Skoglund's first entry into political activity was last year, when as a Labour candidate ho opposed Mr. W. J. Poison in the Stratford seat, but was defeated by a narrow majority. Mr. Skoglund is keen follower of sport and as a bowldr has played in a number of important New Zealand tournaments. Mr. Langford was born in Christchurch 43 years ago. He has been actively associated with football, rowing and swimming. He served in tho Great War, being wounded in France in 1917. Mr. Langford unsuccessfully contested the Temuka seat in 1922, 1928, 1931 and 1935. Mr. Raines received his primary school education at lnvercargill. After studying law at Victoria University College, Wellington, he became clerk to Sir Thomas Wilford, and later managing clerk for Sit Alexander Gray. Having qualified as a barrister and solicitor he established a practice in lnvercargill in 1920, his chief interest being commercial law. Mr. Raines is at present vice-president of the lnvercargill Labour Representation Committee, and also vice-president of the Tnvercargill branch of the New Zealand Labour Party. He is a keen cricketer, swimmer and golfer.