OWNERSHIP OF TRANSPORT

Southland Times, Issue 23332, 16 October 1937, Page 8

OWNERSHIP OF TRANSPORT

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO STATE POLICY PURCHASE OF UNITS ONE BY ONE (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, October 15. The omission from the Budget of reference to the proposals for the amalgamation of local authorities and for the single ownership of transport was criticized by Mr S. G. Smith (Nat., New Plymouth) during the Budget debate in the House of Representatives today. Mr Smith said the Government should make clear its policy on both these points, which were being discussed up and down the country. “The point that struck me in the Budget was the silence of the Government on two very important subjects,” Mr Smith said. “These are the proposals for the amalgamation of local bodies and the policy of the Government for the single ownership of all transport facilities in the Dominion. These are subjects of absolute importance, but there is no mention of them in the Budget.

“Every man who owns a transport system today has a sense of insecurity

arising from the policy of the Government,” Mr Smith said. “Every man is in the position that he does not know when he goes for his mail whether he will not receive a letter meaning the end of his business. In fact, the golden age of transport is ended. If the Government is determined to have single ownership of transport in the Dominion then it should take its courage in its hands and say so. The present procedure of buying transport units one by one is worse than complete and outright confiscation.” Mr Smith also mentioned what he described as the strange silence of the Government about a land policy. After 22 months of office the Government was still carrying on work, the foundations of which were laid by the last Government. The Minister of Lands (the Hon. F. Langstone) had made a “most ill-considered contribution” to the Budget debate. Mr Langstone had not settled one single person on freehold land during his term of office. When the Minister had gone to Samoa he had annoyed the Samoans; when he acted as Native Minister he had annoyed the natives over the Orakei affair. He was a Minister who ought to be held in check by the Government.