CARTAGE COSTS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 54, Issue 3895, 28 April 1937, Page 12

CARTAGE COSTS

REQUEST FROM KAWHIA. STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER. At the commencement of the sitting of No. 1 Licensing Authority yesterday, Colonel Mattson (chairman of the Kawhia County Council) asked the Authority what rates the farmers were to be charged•for cartage and what would be the method of classification. Would it be on the tonnage rate per mile or on the vehicle mile per hour? Mr Phelan replied that there was provision in the Act for the Authority to fix traffic rates, but it was not deemed advisable to do so at present. It was the desire of the Minister that the interested parties should get together at a round-table conference and endeavour to arrange matters among themselves. If that procedure failed something in the nature of what the Colonel indicated would have to be done. But before this was done, the Minister was anxious that all parties concerned should arrive at an amicable arrangement. They would ndt stand anything which would exploit the public, but wanted them to act in the best interests of all the parties. Thein best endeavours will be to see that that was carried out. If they failed to do so, the Authority would have to intervene. The local people knew the local requirements best and realised their own local difficulties. So he advised them to get together, but to remember that neither side should create a monopoly, but should have regard to the interests of the people as a whole.