BUS LICENSES

Waipa Post, Volume 44, Issue 3190, 14 June 1932, Page 4

BUS LICENSES

TRANSPORT AUTHORITY CRITICISED. INADEQUATE NOTICE GIVEN. The Borough Council last evening was by no means backward in criticising the actions of the executive of the No. 3 Licensing Authority, at pre- • sent sitting at Hamilton. The secretary of the Licensing Authority advised the engineer that Mr J. Watson has applied for a passenger service license " betweerfs-Te Awamutu Post Office and mutu." The authority will meet at Hamilton on the 14th inst. This intimation was dated June Bth. A similar intimation, but dated May 30th, stated that the Authority would meet on June 9th to hear an application by Mr W. Tootill for a passengeir service license between Te Awamutu post office and corner of Pakura Street. The Mayor commented that notification had been made through the Waikato Times. This mode of notification he considered quite unfair, as the public was entitled to know of the applications and if desired, lodge objections. The notification should be made in the local paper. Cr Armstrong moved that the matter be referred back to the Authority on the ground that the notification has not been advertised in a proper manner;,, to enable those affected to lodge any objection. The town clerk said he had been subpoenaed to give evidence as to traffic routes, etc. It transpired that Watson's application was for a service between the post office and the railway station/ The town clerk said Watson's already have a permit for a service between Kihikihi and Te Awamutu post office, and it is proposed to extend the service to the railway station; at present three trips are made from Kihikihi. The new service would provide four certain stopping places in the borough. Cr Empson said he was decidedly opposed to granting the license. It would mean the taxis would be forced out of, business. The bus would not leave the main street. That would impose a hardship on those people living off the main street. The taxis had maintained a reasonably good service in the past. Other Councillors also expressed, opposition to the application for various reasons. Cr Savill considered the council should protest at the action of the Licensing Authority. Many people in Te Awamutu were affected, and they are debarred, by lack of publicity, from entering objections to any application. Crs Rainey and Gilbert supported, the latter reminding the council of the attitude taken up by the licensing authority in the past. It was decided to enter a protest. To a question by Cr Gifford, the clerk said he was not going to Hamilton to represent the council. At Cr Armstrong's suggestion, the clerk is to ask the Licensing Authority to give the council reasonable notice of applications in future. An application by Watson's Bus firm to be granted permission to use a bus stand (opposite BurchelPs shop was preferred) for taking passengers from town to the Tailway station, in connection with the Kihikihi to railway station service. It was stated that another stand on the opposite side of the street would be necessary on the return trip. Councillors commented that there is already a bus., stand provided, but that the bus has been seen to pull up at several other parts of the town. Or North said the bus returning from the station could use the stand already provided for it in Arawata Street. It was mentioned that the service run by Watson's between Hamilton and Te Awamutu was only granted conditional on the service being extended to Kihikihi and to the railway station, otherwise the Railway Department would object to it as -competing with the railway. It was stated that if a bus stand is provided in Alexandra Street the time for the bus to remain stationary would have to be curtailed, otherwise there would be complaints by business people, who object to the bus pulling up in front of their premises and thus preventing customers with cars from getting near the shops. A suggestion was made that a better place for a bus stand in Alexandra Street would be between the Commercial Hotel and the Bank of New Zealand.

Cr Empson said he was of opinion that other taxis would be forced out of business. If they want stopping places, he would suggest one at Park Road corner, and the other at Tawhiao Street corner! (Laughter). It was decided to allow the bus to stop for not more than three minutes between the hotel and the bank, to pick up and put down passengers from Kihikihi or the railway station. An insurance company wrote offering to issue a policy protecting messengers carrying cash from robbery such as occurred recently in Auckland.—Received. Later the matter was re-opened, and Cr Empson asked whether, under the present license, the buses could pick up or set down passengers in Te Awamutu while on trips from Kihikihi to the railway station, and vice versa. If that was so, he considered it would sound the death kneHof the local taxis. The Mayor said the permission given would certainly imply this.