TRANSPORT MERGERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23965, 15 May 1941, Page 10

TRANSPORT MERGERS

OBJECTION OF FARMERS Commenting yesterday on tlie statement of the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority, Mr. E. J. Pliolan, that farmers' opposition to the merging of transport services had now vanished, Air. A. E. Robinson, secretary of the Auckland provincial branch of the NewZealand Farmers' I'nion, said that what farmers were concerned about was that such great savings as Mr. I'helan claimed in petrol consumption and vehicle hours did not result in reducing the cost of cartage of sheep. Instead, the cost had been increased in recent schedules.

"The excuse for the independent owner-driver was that he gave service." said Mr. Robinson. "The objection to him was that he worked overtime, without. chalking it up and in other ways provided unfair competition. Mis elimination was preached as necessary in the interests of economy in transport, and it was stated far and wide that combines could do the work much more cheaply. It was not said that combines would give better service, nor have they. And it also appears that they cannot work more cheaply, for transport costs continually increase. "Whatever the causes, and they are numerous, road transport is very costly in the Dominion. State interference in transport has added the cost of a Government department to taxation, and has given the transport industry much unpaid form-filling, but it has most decidedly not reduced costs, and increased costs on the farmer at present are imposed on reduced means of meeting them."