HARDY'S TRANSPORT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 209, 4 September 1934, Page 4

HARDY'S TRANSPORT

OPPOSITION TO LICENCE PETITION MADE BY CARRIERS WELLINGTON-HAWERA SERVICE A petition bearing nearly 300 signatures of carriers operating between x\ew ' Plymouth and Wanganui was handed tu the No. 5 Licensing Authority at Wanganui yesterday morning. It protested against Hardy 's Transport, Ltd., being granted a renewal of its good* service licence between Wellington and Hawera. The application was also opposed by the Railways Department. Mr P. Thomson presided, and associated with him were Messrs K. A. Wilson and J. G. Rolleston. Mr. R. J. O’Dea appeared for tire Hawera Carriers’ Association io protest against the licence being renewed. He said that general merchandise carried by th® railways to Hawera had fallen off considerably during recent years, thereby causing a loss to the railways and depriving the Hawera carriers of their business. He called evidence to show that the decline had been 75 per cent, during the past four or five years. Mr. 11. C. Couch, traffic manager of the Railways Department at Wanganui, said that truck rates had been offered Hardy’s for the goods to be carried between Wellington, Palmerston and Wanganui, thereby saving the company running over that distance and allowing them to distribute goods at both cities. It was claimed by the railways that the goods carried by Hardy’s, small merchandise could be carried equally well by the railways. Mr. B. C. Haggitt represented Hardy’s Transport, Ltd., and pointed out that the offer of the railway was unsuitable to the company. In view of other applications to be made by transport companies, the decision of the Authority was reserved. Manager’s Evidence Cecil Heighten, managing director of Hardy’s Transport Co., said that his company followed the main route between Wanganui and Hawera- Authorities were held for six trucks. Eight trucks had been run previously, aud application was being made to secure i authority to run a seventh truck. This would replace the other two that had been taken off. Cross-examined by Mr. O’Dea, wit- i ness said no actual time-table was kept 1 by the company. It made two or three ' trips to Wanganui a day and one or ! two to Hawera from Wanganui. The : lorries carried 4£ tons, and catered - mostly for small parcels. Mr. O’Dea: You will admit, then, ■ that you are in competition with the railways? Witness: I do not think that is a fair question to ask. Mr. O’Dca: You do not co-operate £ with the local carriers in Hawera? —No. ( Cross-examined by Mr. Couch, witness said the company’s lorries con- t nected with the New Plymouth Express 1 00. at Hawera each day, one or two I trips being made between W'anganui i and Hawera daily as required. Twice 3 nc mnnj vaTiiplao wprn hp.lwpp.n 1

as many vehicles were used between Wellington and Wanganui as there were between Wanganui and Hawera, but two-thirds of the goods brought from Wellington were for the district north of Hawera, and that was coped with by the New Plymouth Express Co. from Hawera onwards. The goods brought from Wellington totalled anything up to 16 tons daily. Witness said that the offer of truck rates to Palmerston North and Wanganui made by the railway were unsuitable. No Farm Produce Questioned by the Authority, witness said the company catered for general merchandise, not farm produceGoods were dropped at depots all along the route and distributed from- thereHeadquarters were at Wanganui, where goods wore distributed by smaller lorries, while the big lorries went straight through to Hawera, where goods were also distributed. Generally speaking, the lorries travelled from Wellington at night, taking more goods out of Wellington than were brought back to it from the north. Rates for carriage to Palmerston North from Wellington were £2 5s a ton, and to Wanganui from Wellington £4 a ton. In opposing the application for the renewal of the licence, Mr. O’Dea said he appeared for the Hawera Carriers’ Association, which was supported by carriers between New Plymouth and Wanganui. He handed, the Authority a petition protesting against a licence being issued, and stated it had been signed by nearly 300 carriers. Mr. O’Dea said that the association was not acting in concert with the Railways Department, but its case was on parallel lines with the department’s. Mr O’Dea said there was no doubt that road transport services were 'contributing in no small degree to the loss made by the railways, and the most serious drop had been in small goods. Local carriers in Hawera fed the railways, and if the business done by the railways declined, they lost their livelihood, while the tradespeople also suffered accordingly. The staff employed by the railways had had to be cut down to meet the position, and, at Hawera, the pay-roll had dropped by nearly half since 1927. Damage was also done to the roads bv heavy lorries carrying tons in addition to their own weight. Tie submitted that long distance road transport was economically unsound, and said his clients were being caused serious hardship, which they were taking steps to combat. Carriers Affected Mr W. Livingwell, a carrier of Hawera for the past seven years, was called by Mr O’Dea. Witness stated that there had been a big decline in small goods carried by the railway during recent years, which, he contended, had been due to the operations of the road transport. He estimated the decline at 75 per cent, during the past four or five j’ears. This had a serious effect upon the Hawera carriers. Mr Haggitt: What is the size of the lorries operated by the Hawera carriers? Witness: Usually about one ton. Mr Haggitt: And the whole of their capital is represented by that lorry?— Yes, as a rule. Mr Haggitt: And you want to prevent big firms like Hardy’s and Wright and Co. operating several large lorries and many employees to keep your local carriers in employment?—We are talking about 60 men as against your 20.

Evidence was also given by Harry Leo Chadwick, chairman of the Hawera Carriers’ Association, instigators of the opposition to a licence being granted to Hardy’s. He said there was no doubt that general goods by rail had been reduced considerably, with the result that Hawera carriers were often falling over each other to get jobs. Mr Haggitt: There is no restriction on the numbers of carriers allowed to operate in Hawera? —No. Mr Haggitt: The trouble is then that there are too many carriers in Hawera? —Yes. Co-operation Suggested Mr Thomson: Has anv approach been made by the local carriers to transport firms to carry goods from depots to consignees? > Witness: It has never been necessary in Hawera. Hardy’s have always done ' it themselves. Mr Thomson: But have you approached them? —No. Mr Thomson: Isn’t that lack of initiative on the part of the persons interested? —I don’t know. If we asked Hardy’s if we could deliver their goods when we saw that they were doing so, they might think it presumptuous. Mr Thomson: I would not worry whether they thought it presumption or not. Mr Thomson asked whether the fall in small goods carried on the railway was accounted for by their being carried by post. Witness said he did not think so. The contractor to deliver mail at Hawera formerly delivered the usual mail and parcels. Owing to a falling off in the number of parcels he had not contracted to deliver them this vear. Railway’s View Albert George Grant, railways business agei<c for the Wanganui district, said truck rates had been offered by the railway to Hardy’s but had been refused, the company saying they were unsuitable. A train left Wellington at 7.26 p.m. for Wanganui and arrived there at 6 a.m. the following morning. It would be suitable for the carriage of small goods, which would be available for distribution at 8 a.m. To the Authority, witness said the rate from Wellington to Wanganui by rail was £2 16s Id per ton and to Hawera £4 3s 7d. which included delivery in both cases, the class of goods being the same as that catered for by Hardy’s. The truck rate system from Wellington to Palmerston North would be 12s 6d per ton and to Wanganui 25s per ton, providing an eight-ton truck were filled. Cross-examined by Mr Haggitt, who stated that Hardy’s delivered their goods at Hawera at 7 a.m., witness said that Hardy’s could get the goods from the Wanganui station on arrival at 6 a.m. and send them on to Hawera, a three-hour run. Witness thought Hardy’s could work the Bulls-Sanson area in a similar manner from Palmerston North, the goods being railed to Palmerston North bv train and distributed by Hardy’s from there. Mr Haggitt said such arrangement would be unsuitable to the company, as it had no depot established at I’alinerston North. Harold John Fowler, group inspector for counties and local authorities in the Rangitikei County, said that the principal transport services operating in the county were Hardy’s, Wright and Co., Williams and Co., and the Wcl-lington-Raetihi Transport Co.

t iingten-itaetini iransport go. e The Authority reserved its decision until applications made by these firms t had been heard. FURTHER OPPOSITION c I S. WRIGHT AND CO.'S AREA k The Authority also reserved its decision in respect to au application by Messrs 8. Wright and Co. The company applied for the renewal of an . area licence to operate in the Waitor tara, Wanganui, and Rangitikei Coun- . ties, and for a defined route licence to r operate between Wanganui and . Hawera, Wanganui and Palmerston D North, and Wanganui and Wellington . via Foxton and Shannon, with the right t to deviate for five miles on either side > of the road. Opposition was forthcoming from the Railways Department [i and the Hawera Carriers’ Association, f represented by Mr O’Dea. j Mr P. L. Dickson represented Wright } and Co. and called Mr G. J. McKen[i zie, a director of the company, to give i evidence. Witness said there was now a greater demand for the service than c in previous years. He estimated that j 80 per cent, of the goods were carried northwards from Wellington, while 20 / per cent, were taken to Wellington. 1 Lorries left; Wellington at 6.30 p.iu. v and 7 p.m. at night and arrived at 2 Wanganui at 2 o 'clock in the morning. ! The return trip was commenced at 4 •_ a.m., the lorries arriving at 10 a.m. at s Wellington. The lorry leaving for . Hawera departed from Wanganui at 6 a a.m. and arrived there at 10.30 o’clock, the return trip being made between 2 . p.m. and 6 p.m. The company’s business, which was extensive, was centred , at Wanganui. Witness said that his firm had been approached by the railways regarding ‘ the truck rate. The offer had not been , suitable to the company for the prin- ' cipal reason that the carriage by train would result in the goods being delivered too late in the day. Even if the goods were available at the station at 6 a.m., it would not be possible ' to leave Wanganui with them before ; 8.30 a.m. On the south bound run, . there would be insufficient goods to ’ fill the trucks. If the trucks were used, p it would mean that the company’s • clients would be charged a higher rate. b It was quite true to say that during ' the past four or five years fewer general goods had been carried by the railways on account of the road transport services. There was a big demand by storekeepers for their goods : to be delivered to them straight from ? the warehouses in Wellington. 1 Cross-examined by Mr O’Dea, witi ness said that the area licence granted’ T the company by the Patea County al- - lowed it to operate over the whole » county. I Mr O’Dea: So that you arc competJ ing with the local carriers for the cari riago of wool? Witness: Possibly we are. Possibly they are competing with us. ? Witness said that the company had • a depot in Hawera, and delivered goods direct. Mr O’Dea: Has your company ever ' made any attempt to work in with the - local carriers in Hawera?—We have had no occasion to. Mr O’Dea: Your attitude is to keep t the lot?—If we can. If necessary we i would secure the assistance of a local I carrier. Mr O’Dea: You realise that if the