ROAD TRANSPORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 July 1939, Page 6

ROAD TRANSPORT

EFFECT OF RAILWAY SERVICES ELIMINATION OF COMPETITION DESIRED. WAIRARAPA CARRIERS' POSITION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The No. 2 Transport Licensing Authority (Mr J. P. Skoglund) met in Wellington yesterday to consider applications for the renewal of road licences taken over by the New Zealand Railways during the past two years, the services covering Wellington Palmerston North. Wanganui, and New Plymouth, and Masterton. Dannevirke. and Napier.

Making an application for the renewal of the licences, Mr A. L. Smith (Railways Department) said that there was no intention to ask for an extension of licences, A report had been prepared for the Government, but its decision had not been received. The Railways Department desired coordination, but asked that their road services be carried on as they were and their operations be not restricted, Mr H. J. Knight, representing the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance, said that his objections were to the work of the Department in areas, and in towns. Its licences should be limited to the routes, and restricted to depots. The present conduct of the railways services was increasing competition between the town carriers and those in the country. If the licences were renewed there should be restrictions upon them to reduce competition with the country and town carriers.

MASTERTON’S POSITION.

Mr J. Macfarlane Laing, representing the Wairarapa Transport Federation, said that it was desired *to eliminate competition between railways road carries and the Wairarapa carriers. The road ran alongside the railways, and they had been told that the object at the back of the purchases of the licences by the railways was to eliminate competition, and they took it that when that happened, the road services would' come to an end, and the goods would be carried to Masterton and vice versa by rail. With the road wagons at the command of the railways more goods than ever were being delivered direct to the business houses by road operators, as distinct from those only working in Masterton. It was on these grounds that he objected to the renewal of these railway licenses. The competition/ by the railways was serious round the Wairarapa, and particularly in Masterton. The Transport Department had said one thing and done another. Mr Laing went on to give definite instances of efforts of co-ordination between the Railways Department and the carriers to feed the railways, relying on the promise of the Department to eliminate competition. But instead, competition had increased, and the Wairarapa carriers were getting less business. For instance, last week in a railway load of 35 tons, 100 sacks of oats came for Masterton. The ordinary carier who had delivered to the produce merchant consignee from the station regularly for years was refused delivery of these sacks, which were delivered by railway lorries. OPERATIONS IN BOROUGHS. Th Licensing Authority. Mr Skoglund, said that operating in boroughs did not come under the jurisdiction of the authority. If the Railways Department had vehicles operating in the borough of Masterton, they should have a licence from the Masterton Borough Council, but he understood that that borough did not issue any of the licences. Mr Laing stressed the necessity of the establishment of a central carrier depot. If the railways licences were renewed, they should be limited to ! the routes between the termini. From the first of this month, he was advised, freights on the railways were 42s 9d, but by the railways road services 28s 7d. He asked that the terminals of routes should be defined, and that the vehicles should be plainly marked “Wellington-Wairarapa Road Service.” All railway vehicles operating in the .district should be labelled. There ‘were 19 road licences being used by the' Department in the Wairarapa. In conclusion, Mr Laing said that the Wairarapa Transport Federation most earnestly desired to co-ordinate with the Railways Department.so long as their respective spheres of activity were not encroached upon, and the grounds for the present complaints of the private carriers removed. The onus rested heavily upon the Department and" the future smoothworking of a co-ordinated transport policy in the Wairarapa laid with it. Mr Laing then called Mr L. Pearson, a master carrier of Masterton, to give evidence .in support of his address to the Authority. LICENCES TO BE REFUSED. Reserving his decision, Mr Skoglund said: “The policy of the Government with regard to co-ordination of road and rail ’services has been mentioned. I was advised by the Minister of Transport, when I was appointed, that the great objective was the coordination of these services. I have heard nothing to the contrary. So far as I am concerned the policy of the Government is still co-ordination between railway and road. In the endeavour to secure that objective the first step I was to take was to endeavour to arrange the carriers throughout the district, and the second by tariff schedules to lay the foundations for co-ordination, and thirdly to achieve co-ordination through acquisition by the Government of those services which operate against the railways. My conception of the objective was that the Department should have control of all long-distance haulages, leaving the private-owned services the work of feeding the railways in their own districts. In my opinion this is the only course which will achieve co-ordination. If the applications for the renewal of their area licences by the Department are their idea of co-ordination, then it is not mine. Competition is the antithesis of co-ordination. It comes as a surprise to me that the Railway Department should ask for area licences in addition to route licences. That it should have the route licences I am in accord with, but only the work complementary to the railways, not carrying more goods by road than the private operators carried previously. When it is finalised I am sure you will find that the road services granted will be complementary to the rail and not. as they are today, in competition. I cannot give a definite decision, but I will indicate to the Railways Department that I will not grant it any area licences.”