WAIMATE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20763, 25 June 1937, Page 3

WAIMATE

ROAD LICENSES AUTHORITY SITS "It is up to the Waimate Carriers’ Association to go into the matter and endeavour to arrange for a better distribution of work among carriers in the district. The.v can’t expect to come along to sitting after sitting and put obstacles in the way of a man who is I offered work and hasn't got the vehicles to do it,” declared Mr V. Raines. No. 4 Transport Authority, at I a sitting held in the Waimate Court- | house yesterday. 1 "Where an association has not a disinterested person as secretary, I find that it does not function as it should.” continued Mr Raines. He instanced an association in another part of the district which did not function to the satisfaction of the Transport Department or of the carriers themselves. Possibly it was the same in Waimate. Tn his opinion it would be a good move for the association to get such a man and arrange for a better distribution of the work available. A public accountant held the secretary’s posiI tion in Oamaru. he said. The Post Office referred licensing matters to him and farmers who had difficulty in 1 getting carriers got directly into touch | with him. Mr Raines said that there | was not the same confidence reposed in a secretary who was himself an i operator or who had an interest in an operator’s business. The application under consideration was that of H. D. Richmond (Willowbridge) who sought to have one of his road metal authorities extended to cover the transport of potatoes from j April 1 to August 31. Application Opposed The application was opposed by Mr W. B. Boland, on behalf of the Waimate Carriers' Association. With Richmond under crossexamination, Mr Boland submitted that when witness secured a license for his new lorry an assurance was given that it would not be used for other than road services. Counsel at the time had stated that the application was the thin end of the wedge for an extension to other classes of transport, and that contention was borne out in the present application. Mr Boland enumerated the carriers in the district, and submitted that there were sufficient to cope with the work. Mr P. Kelly, farmer, of Willowbridge, gave evidence of the difficulty he had experienced in securing carriers to cart his produce and stressed the danger and inconvenience of delay. If the position was not remedied, he said, farmers would have to purchase lorries and do their own carting. Mr Boland submitted that there had been an excess crop of potatoes in Willowbridge last season, but did not admit that there were not enough carriers to do the work, especially as much of the work was done in the evening when town vehicles were available. He further stated that no carrier had an automatic right to an extension of his license without others having a chance to get a share of the work. If more authorities were to be granted more consideration should be given to the older established carriers. He quoted the case of a Willowbridge carrier whose business, he said, had been eaten into by the competition of newer operators, and also mentioned the case of a Waimate firm which had been deprived of three vehicular authorities. Willowbridge people apparently thought that their work should be done by the Willowbridge carriers, but the Licensing Authority should take a wider view and look to the interests of the district as a whole. Mr T. A. Wilson, for Richmond, said that if the Carriers’ Association thought it just to oppose the application they should have brought evidence. That was the third occasion on which they had opposed an application from Mr Wilson without giving evidence. He submitted that sufficient vehicles should be available to handle farmers’ produce when required. Operators were not working long hours and the granting of the application would enable the work to be done in more reasonable time and allow of better service to the community. Farmers must have service when they are handling grain or produce, said Mr Raines. They often got very short notice for consignments. A good deal of the fault lay with the Carriers’ Association, which had been given an opportunity of arranging for a better distribution of work in the district, and to this end Mr Richmond had been considerably restricted. However. Mr Richmond seemed to be getting the work because he was efficient and gave better service. Decision was reserved. Extensions Granted Mary H. Saunders applied for an additional authority to carry goods from the Fairlle Station to the National Mortgage Store and to deliver to customers of the firm within a mile radius of the township. Mr Coxhead, representing the Fairlie Carriers’ Association, said there was no objection to the license as long as the additional lorry was not used in connection with a county license held by applicant. Tire application was granted.

P. Mclvor (St. Andrews) was granted an additional license to cart grain from .'ebruary 1 to June 30, and for the balance of the season to cart lime or manure to his lime sower. Mr H. L. Gibson, for the Railways Department, said there was no objection so long as the grain was carted to the rail head. This assurance was given.

An application for the transfer of a business from C. G. Ellis to R. Murray was opposed by A. F. Rogers. After a long discussion decision was reserved.