Select Committee To Take Evidence On Transport Bill

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26847, 11 August 1948, Page 5

Select Committee To Take Evidence On Transport Bill

WELLINGTON, Aug. 10

After its second reading, the Transport Law Amendment Bill will be referred to a special select committee which will be appointed to take evidence from all interested parties. This was announced by the Minister of Transport, Mr Hackett, in the House of Representatives to-night when he began the debate on the Bill.

He said the State, through the Railways Department, owned £77,000,000 of the £350,000,000 invested in the transport industry in the Dominion, and the Government would do its utmost to protect that public investment. It did not not, however, wish to establish State controls and had not accepted large transport enterprises which had been on offer to the Government for 12 months.

The Bill gave legislative form to war-time regulations. It had been in preparation for more than 12 months and the organisations concerned had seen and largely approved the draft copy, but when the measure went back to the law draftsmen after the Government had looked at it, some alterations were made.

Mr Hackett predicted that the Opposition’s heavy artillery would concentrate on certain sections of the Bill, but it was a necessary measure. The Dominion’s transport industry had an annual turnover of £175,000,000 with more than 90,000 employees. Of this, the Railways Department had an investment of £77,000,000, including £700,000 in road transport.

Co-ordination Council

A feature of the Bill was its provision for a transport co-ordination council which would be charged with ensuring that good service was provided at reasonable charges, with some form 1 * of economic security for the workers involved. Some would read into the council a further step to Socialism, but the Government’s view was the same as it was years ago when the late Mr M. J. Savage said that the more freedom the people could have in their work and elsewhere the better. There were on offer to the Government to-day transport enterprises. one of which had £240,000 invested in it, and another £60.000. Mr Hackett said these concerns had been on their knees asking the Government to take them over. Mr Hackett said that if members of the Opposition wished to form a company they could buy out these concerns. Both were road operators licensed under the present Act. Reverting to the co-ordination council to be established under the Bill, the Minister said it would be chiefly an advisory body. Its 14 members would represent the chief interests in the transport industry. Mr W. S. Goosman (Oppn., Piako): It is getting more like a public meeting.

Mr Hackett said the operators had been concerned about that, but such fears were groundless. The council would be a workable body, and it was likely that on some issues the trade union representatives on it might vote against each other. It might be argued that representatives of Government departments find trade unionists on the council would go into one corner and vote for some extreme measure, such as the complete nationalisation of transport. Mr C. M. Bowden (Oppn., Karori): That’s the idea. Mr Hackett: There is no cause to suppose that. Mr Bowden: Can you put that assurance into the Bill? Licensing of Operators

Discussing the licensing of transport operators, Mr Hackett said he thought the Opposition and the operators themselves would now oppose the abolition of the licensing system. The Transport Charges Committee, with a membership of three, for which the Bill provides, would replace the Goods Services Charges Tribunal set up under the War-time Regulations, and was favoured by the industry itself, which, however, hoped that all three members would be accountants expert in costing procedures. There would also be a transport charges appeal authority, and the judge who had been presiding over a similar body appointed under the regulations would continue to hear appeals Mr Hackett. discussing the clause of the Bill giving the licensing authority power to prescribe additional conditions in the granting of taxi cab licences, said the country had been crying out for an improvement in the taxi services which was long overdue. It was felt necessary that some rostej: system be introduced, and be believed something was necessary in the taxi industry in order that the customer should know whether to expect a taxi cab when he ordered one.

Mr M. H. Oram (Oppn., Manawatu): What sort of roster has the Minister in mind:

Mr Hackett said he had in mind a roster which would give a 24-hour service. He had reports of cases of pirating and cases where taxis came out only at peak hours; during which they used up all their petrol. Taxis were a social service, and should be on roster for 24 hours of the day. He suggested that taxis on shift work should show a certain coloured light, which would be one means of eliminating pirating. The Minister said the Taxi Proprietors’ Federation itself had seen the provisions of the Bill and realised that, unless something was done to discipline some of their own drivers, then the demand for licences would be so great that there would be a likelihood of the industry being flooded. . The Bill made an attempt to eliminate the drunken driver and the hit-and-run motorist.

Opposition to Bill

Mr G. H. Mackley (Oppn., Wairarapa) said there was volumious evidence that there was opposition within the industry to the Bill, and he suggested that the Minister would have been better advised to draft a Bill on the evidence that would come before the Select Committee. Mr Mackley said the New Zealand Federation of Labour had in the past advpcated nationalisation of the transport mdusk&lr C. L. Carr (Govt., Timaru): They don’t formulate policy. , , . Opposition chorus: Oh, yes, they do! Mr Mackley said the Government had not handled the country’s transport efficiently or satisfactorily since it had been in office. There were many people in the country who would suggest that the transport had fallen away in efficiency very considerably. It was almost at breakdown point. There were manv people, too, who were chafing under the unfortunate transport system," and there was a suggestion that the Bill was the thin end pf the wedge so far as the nationalisation of transport was concerned. The Transport Co-ordination Council had a huge preponderance of Government representatives. „ _ , .. Mr T E. Skinner (Govt., Tamaki) said the Bill went a long way toward ensuring that those enjoying something of a monopoly position in the transport industry would be obliged to give honest service to the public. Mr Goosman said the Bill was an intricate one with far-reaching effects. He hoped that the Minister, after the Bill had been to the committee and evidence heard, would see his way clear to make changes so that the measure would be more acceptable to the public Transport of Manure

three wickets for five runs, finished off the tail-enders, and Lancashire was 191 behind on the first innings. Bradman, anxious to keep the match alive for the third day, decided to forgo his right to make the county follow on, and the Australians scored 81 in even time before stumps for the loss of 'Morris’s wicket. Bradman and Barnes this time gave the slow bowlers. Ikin and Roberts, no mercy. Scores:— Australia First Innings Barnes, c Ikin, b Roberts .. .. 67 Morris, c Wilson, b Roberts .. .. 49 Bradman, c Wilson, b Roberts .. 28 / Miller, lhw, b Ikin 24 Hamence, c and b Roberts .. .. 14 Loxton, c Edrich, b Roberts .. .. 2 Lindwall, c Wilson, b Roberts ~ 17 lan Johnson, c and b Pollard .. .. 48 Tallon, c Pollard, b Greenwood .. 33 Ring, not out .17 Toshack, c Howard, b Pollard .. 2 Extras 20 Total 321 Bowling.—Pollard, 2 for 58; Greenwood, 1 for 62; Cranston, none for 24: Wharton, none for 4; ikin, 1 for 80: Roberts, 6 for 73. Second Innings Barney, not out 39 Morris, c Place, b Pollard .. .. 16 Bradman, not out 25 Extra 1 Total for one wicket .. .. 81 Lancashire First Innings Washbrook, c Miller, b Lindwall .. 38 Place, c Ring, b Lindwall .. .. 5 G. Edrich, c Tallon, b Lindwall .. 0 Ikin, c Bradman, b Loxton .. .. 9 Sharton, c Bradman, b Miller .. 5 oward, not out ~28 Cranston, st Tallon, b Ring ... .. 18 Greenwood, st Tallon, bI. Johnson 3 Pollard, c Lindwall, b Ring .. .. 1 Roberts, c Loxton. bI. Johnson .. 1 Wilson, c and bI. Johnson .. .. 4 Extras .. .. .. t. .. ... 18 Total .: .. 130 Bowling.—Lindwall, 3 for 32; Miller 1 for 22; Loxton, 1 for 11; Toshack, none for 17; Ring, 2 for 25; I. Johnson, 3 for 5.

Whoever had been responsible for fixing charges for the transport of manure on rail did not know his job, and the farmers were paying more than was necessary. Under the present system there was insufficient transport to provide for the needs of a small population and with more control came less efficiency. Trains were being taken off and were replaced by trucks and buses. He had understood that licensing to a large extent was introduced to protect the railways. Transport was the lifeblood of the country and New Zealand could not go ahead unless she had a system which kept up with expansions. Surely there was someone in the country who could bring the railways up-to-date.

POLICE ACTIVITIES

HEAVY DRAIN ON FORCE EFFECTING OF RECAPTURES Special to the Daily Times WELLINGTON, Aug. 10. The .large number of escapes from various institutions had given the police t considerable concern, and had involved a heavy drain on members of the force and on transport as well as considerable expense in effecting recaptures, stated the report of the Commissioner of Police, Mr James Cummings, for the year ended March 31 last, which was presented in the House of Representatives to-day. The report added that a good deal of expense was also incurred in the organisation of search and rescue parties in rough and mountainous country. Apart from this, a heavy burden fell on members of the force in carrying out the rescue work which became necessary in many cases through some inexperienced member of a party, obviously with little knowledge of the' danger, drifting away from the more experienced members. The number of offences reported to the police in 1947 was 34,628, and arrests or summons resulted in 29,238 cases, leaving 5390 in which no prosecution followed, but which were still the subject of inquiries or had since been disposed of. - The offences re- • ported showed a net increase of 612 on the figures for 1946. There were increases in cases of burglary and .breaking into shops and dwellings, forgery, receiving stolen property, false pretences, obtaining credit by fraud, indecently assaulting a male, and of indecent assault. There was a decrease in cases of unlawful conversion of motor vehicles. There were 12 cases of murder, three of attempted murder, and eight of manslaughter. In one case the offender had not been traced—that of a man murdered at Wellington, but inquiries were still being continued. Liquor at Dances Prosecutions in connection with liquor at dances showed a decrease. The police were making eyery effort to fignt this class of offence. Prosecutions against hotelkeepers, which showed a decrease of 63, totalled 339, and resulted in 248 convictions. There were 84- prosecutions for selling liquor without a licence, the fines impose:! on sly-grog sellers amounting to £Bl7 10s. There were 518 prosecutions under the Gaming Act, against 521 in 1946 There were 266 prosecutions in connection with bookmaking -during the year and 214 convictions, the amount of fines imposed being £15,108. The number of prosecutions for causing death or bodily injury through reckless driving of motor vehicles showed a decrease, but there was an increase in the prosecutions for being intoxicated in charge of a motor vehicle and for reckless or negligent driving. The hammer shotgun and the .22 rifle continued to be responsible for the large majority of reported accidents with firearms. Nearly every accident was due to lack of proper care on the part of those involved or to a sense of false security in relation to -unsafe mechanisms.