ROAD TRANSPORT.

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20271, 13 August 1937, Page 9

ROAD TRANSPORT.

(To the Editor.) ; Sir, —According to a recent report, a “definite assurance that the Government had no intention of imposing any restrictions on farmers using their - own trucks for the carriage of their produce” has been given by the Minister of Railways, the Hon. D. G. Sullivan. Without impugning the sincerity of this utterance as representing the present intention of the Minister, it is important to observe that the assurance is very limited in its application, and Inadequate as a safeguard even within its limits. It may be the Intention of the Minister for the time being not to interfere with farmers carrying their own produce, but no Government can bind itself indefinitely, and the present transport policy will not “stay put” where it may be intended to stop at the moment. If it should turn out that the carting by farmers of their own produce in their own vehicles is I considered to operate adversely to | railway revenue there is little reason io doubt that restrictions will soon be Imposed in one form or another to force them to employ railway transport. The assurance, which is limited in sot terms lo outward carriage of produce, is restricted to farmers. Docs this limitation mean that it is intended to prevent the commercial ancillary user from operating his own goods transport in his own vehicles? The Minister should give a clear, explicit nnd unambiguous answer to the question as lo whether it is proposed ;o interfere with the carriage of freight by road users in their own vehicles. The restricted terms of the ministerial •‘assurance” lend colour lo the belief that sucli interference is actually contemplated at the present time. The Minister also stated that "plans were in hand with a view to giving the public, a flexible first-class goods scr- ! vice.” Tills statement is equally \;igue and non rommillrd. ho-'s it menu abolition of road nmlor Iransporl and the Iransler to Hie railways ..r Hie work at presold carried out by the. mad motor industry? This Is Hm natural interpretation of Mr Semple’s statement- that. 90 per cent, of Hie present goods motor Irausporl ran be. efficiently carried mil hv the railways. If il docs not mean abolition of mad transport, what does it mean? The road motor transport, industry is already giving the public a flexible, firs! .-lass transport, service, of a kind which I lie railways, from their nccc«sar> restrictions, cannot possibly do. for purely technical reasons. The Minister lias given no indication as lo the nature of the “flexible firstclass service” be proposes to substitute for Hie present, admittedly highly efficient- road transport industry, and the irresistible inference is Hint the. motive for interference is the Intention to bolster up. at the eost of users of freight transport, an uneconomic, expensive, inconvenient and dictatorial railway monopoly.—We are. etc.. N.Z. IDiAD TRANSPORT ALLL' Vi ;E Wellington, August 11.