MUNICIPAL TRADING

Taranaki Daily News, 4 February 1930, Page 11

MUNICIPAL TRADING

NEW PLYMOUTH DISPUTE

BUS PROPRIETORS’ -COMPLAINT. TRANSPORT TO SWIMMING PICNIC. The question of municipal trading and alleged unfair interference on the part ot the borough council with private enterprise was again raised at a meeting of the New Plymouth Borough Council last night when a complaint was received with reference to the transport of some swimmers to the Everett Road reserve, near Inglewood, by borough bus. . “We desire to draw the attention of the council to the unfair competition carried on by the manager of the borough buses in connection with the visit of swimmers to the Everett Reserve on Sunday, January 26,” wrote Gibson’s Motors, Ltd., and Campbell’s Motors, Ltd. They had been asked to tender for’ the transport of the swimmers, they wrote, but the borough department had put in a much lower price and, of course, secured the business. "The price charged by the borough council ■ (£l2 for 170 miles) was absurd when taking into account mileage and wages of the drivers at overtime rates for. Sunday work, and a loss must have been made on the job,” continued the letter. "It is respectfully pointed out that the competition was most unfair when taking into consideration the fact that the council is not paying heavy traffic license fees out of the towns, whereas we have to pay license fees both to the. council and the County Council and, on top of that, we pay rates to the borough.” It was pointed out by the motor companies that a verbal agreement was made some time ago between the manager of the bus department and the companies that the borough machines would not run outside the borough, except to the showgrounds and the Meeting of the Waters. It was submitted that in every case the companies had done their best to assist the council when the tram or bus services had broken down, and for the council to permit the borough buses to run in competition with the companies’ buses outside the borough appeared very unfair indeed. Concluding, the letter said: "It is most unjust for the borough council to take advantage of its exemption from license fees to compete with our machines outside the borough and thus rob us of the business for which we specially cater and for which we have to pay heavy traffic license fees.”

Writing on the same subject, the Fitzroy Surf Club and the New Plymouth Amateur Swimming Club thanked the council for the use of the buses, “We might say,” said the letter, "that these clubs feel very grateful to the council for the assistance given in this matter, as it would otherwise have been impossible to have undertaken the picnic at all. Our primary object in combining to hold this picnic was to make it essentially a recreation for the junior members of the clubs, and the fact that approximately 80 junior members attended the picnic gives ample proof that the venture was a very popular and happy one from their point of view.” It was felt, continued the letter, that in asking the council to supply conveyances, the clubs were in some small way reciprocating the kindly assistance always afforded by the council during the swimming season. ■’