“DOWN TO TIN TACKS”

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20532, 25 September 1936, Page 11

“DOWN TO TIN TACKS”

TRANSPORT POLICY EXPLAINED ASSOCIATION FORMED The brood lines of the Government’s recent transport legislation’ and its future policy were explained to a gathering of about 60 South Canterbury carriers in Timaru by Mr T. H. Langford (chairman of No. 3 District Licensing Authority) last night. At the conclusion of the meeting those present formed themselves into a Carriers’ Association. Mr Langford was briefly introduced by Mr E. 8. Brittenden (district traffic manager of Railways, Christchurch). Mr langford expressed gratification at the first opportunity of coming into contact with the road users on the question of transport. The Licensing Authority was anxious to co-operate, and did not want to be in any way dictatorial. "You must agree with me, and I am not criticising anyone who has gone before me, that the time has come when we must get down to tintacks tn the matter of transport in this country," he said. Transport represented 25 per cent of the cost of production in New Zealand, and that was out of all proportion to our needs. Transport had brought a higher standaru of living, particularly in the backbloclts, and had brought primary products nearer to markets but that was only one side of the story. New Zealand had millions wrapped up in railways and it was the business of the Government to see that the country got the best possible expenditure for that Investment. Some people would say that that was not justified,

but the railways had brought a wonderful service to the country. The Railway Department spent £420.000 on coal and bought general goods in the country to the value of £1,807,'00. The Government expected the Department to get as large a measure of business as possible to maintain that service to the .public, who had to find the money. Personally, he did not think the Railway Department was a charge on the Consollrtrted Fund, for the physical side had to be studied as well as the accounting side. There should be a great deal going to the Department by way of invisible credits, but that was not the way things were done at present. Large Sums Invested Referring to road transport, Mr Langford said there were now 209,000 vthicles in New Zealand representing an investment of approx-mately £30.000.000. and in addition to that, large sums were invested in garages, assembly works and petrol depots throughout the country. He said it was a question to know where to put the knife ir and make restrictions. He was one who did not believe in restrictions, for they made for defiance and evasion of the law, and he though, it better to get together and co-operate. "It is essential that if road operators are not prepared to go the whole way in co-operating with the Government, steps wifi have to be taken to put matters right," added Mr Langford, who quoted as a case of State control the present nationalisation system in Germany. Route Licenses The policy of the Government regarding route licenses was that licenses would be granted only up till May 31, 1937, said Mr Langford. That wa- for freight paralleling the railway for more than 30 miles, and in the meantime the operators could get into cooperation With the Railway Department with a view to being taken over by the Department. The Department did not want to be dictatorial regarding prices and there would be no possibility of plundering. If the operators and the Department could not come to an agreement the Licensing Authority would act as arbitrator to decide the prices, ft had also been decided to take active steps to deal with the ancillary user, the pirate of the roads. That was going to be of great assistance to road operators. In no othei industry than the dairy Industry had transport gone so “rafterty.” As far as the collection of cream was concerned, it was found that the cost of cartage could be reduced from £300,000 to £323,000 by nationalisation and if zoning was introduced the cost would not be much higher than £350,000. Mail Contracts Referring to mall contracts, Mr Langford said that in future the Post and Telegraph Department would accept tenders on'r from licensed operators, and it was possible that tenders would not be called at all in cases where the present contractor was satisfactory. In the past it had been impossible for inspectors to "cep track of the movements of the fivemQe limit men, but now in towns of a population of 6000 or less ill operators had to apply to the Authority for licenses and justify their right to operate. That arrangement had been restricted to small towns in the meantime until the Department obtained sufficient staff and machinery to extend the system to the larger centres. tfrging the carriers to form an association, Mr Langford said that if they could not run their businesses properly, the Government would step in and run them as they thought tilings should be run. “I can visualise nothing else of the people who operate the transport system cannot do so

economically. That is not a threat. It is absolutely essential to you, as businessmen, to form an association in South Canterbury." Mr Langford add* ’’’ that in future it was hoped to decide applications, to which there were no objections other than the blanket objection lodged by the Railway Department, in the authority's offices, and so save the time and expense of the operators in attending a sitting of the Authority.

Mr V. Raines (Dunedin), chairman of No. 4 Group also briefly addressed th* meeting. Many questions relating to the new policy were explained, and a vote of thanks accorded Mr Langford fo his address.

At the Conclusion of the meeting, it was unanimously decided to form' a Carriers’ Association, and to take preliminary steps to bring the organisation about.