GOODS DELIVERY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3821, 14 October 1936, Page 5

GOODS DELIVERY

CENTRAL RECEIVING OFFICE SUGGESTED. LOCAL BUSINESS MEN EXPRESS KEEN INTEREST. An innovation so far as Te Awamutu is concerned, but an actuality in some other centres, was put forward at last evening’s meeting of Te Awamutu Chamber of Commerce, and was warmly supported by several speakers. The president said the council, at its last meeting, had briefly discussed the need for establishing a central transport station, where passengers and parcels could assemble for dispatch to the out-districts. He understood the system worked very satisfactorily in some southern centres. Mr C. M. Whitehouse amplified the plan saying that restrictive legislation tended to forbid the existing friendly interchange of services by which a butchers’ delivery van carried bread or other goods to his customers in the out-districts. A central station would enable all goods to be assembled at one point, and distributed to the various service vehicles radiaring to all parts of the district. Connection could be made with all the transport services. He said one such central agency was functioning very satisfactorily '.in Auckland, and he predicted that all up-to-date towns would adopt the same method. One member remarked that he experienced great difficulty at times in finding country carriers to pick up goods from his premises for dispatch to the out-districts. He approved the plan as outlined. Mr Whitehouse indicated how the it would be met as soon as the whole volume of goods was converged at one station. The cost to the customer would not be increased. The scheme had been Instituted in Te Awamutu by private interests establishing a central parcels depot, but it was not yet developed. Mr L. G. Armstrong thought the Chamber should confer with the local and district carriers, with the object >t' evolving a workable scheme.

This brought forth a suggestion that the present Te Awamutu-Kihi-kihi bus service might be extended to nake Tokanui Hospital its terminal instead of Kihikihi at least once a day. The service could even be developed to make the round trip to Tokanui and Te Mawhai and Puniu Road. It was suggested that the Chamber appoint a sub-committee to pursue investigations along the lines suggested.

Messrs C. M. Whitehouse, L. G. Armstrong, and A. G. Warburton were appointed as a committee to report on the suggestions regarding the establishment of a passenger and goods central station.