TRANSPORT CONTROL

Wairarapa Age, 20 May 1936, Page 5

TRANSPORT CONTROL

AMENDING BILL BEFORE THE HOUSE. MINISTER ON CUTTHROAT COMPETITION. MR. COATES DEFENDS ROAD SERVICES. (By Telegraph—“ The Age” Special.) WELLINGTON, May 19. Moving the second reading of the Transport Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives this evening, the Hon. R. Semple described the measure as one giving the Minister of Transport power to* eontrol air and road services, while the Minister of Railways was responsible to Cabinet for the railways. The Bill would control road services and regulations would impose conditions which would prevent the serious overworking of many road drivers, some of whom i worked 16 to 17 hours a day, while others, under the gu'ise of owner-driv-ers, though they were not ever likely to own a spoke of a lorry, were working in miserable conditions which caused cutthroat competition with other services.

The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, following, asked for a clear definition of how far the Government intended to go to bolster up the railways. He put in a strong plea for road transport, which gave such good service and" had won a goodwill no bureacratfic. concern could ever secure. If the Government Wished to recognise the development or social service aspect of the railways, it should, instead of forcing private enterprise off the road, take the alternative of allocating say '25 millions of railway capital as developmental capital, leaving the railways to meet interest on the remaining 29 miltions, because it was no use deluding the people into thinking that the railways could do more. The debate was not completed when the House rose.