TRANSPORT RATES

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22063, 14 June 1943, Page 2

TRANSPORT RATES

TRIBUNAL SITTING ENDS SCHEDULES ANNOUNCED LATER The first public sitting of the Goods Service Charges Tribunal to review and hear representations concerning th‘e rates schedules of goods service operators in the South Auckland district reached its conclusion in Hamilton on Saturday evening. The tribunal consists of Sir Francis | Frazer (chairman), Messrs A. C. A. | Sexton, T. H. Langford, J. M. Sim- ! son and R. A. Glen, i During its five-day sitting the tribunal heard submissions and evidence by the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance, represented by Messrs* S. McDowall and J. C. Black, and by Mr F. O. R. Phillips on behalf of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Limited, the Sheepowners’ Federation and other transport users. The Alliance asked that the tribunal prescribe and review the charges to be made for the carriage ; of goods in the area. It was con- : tended that in many cases the costs were excessive and that higher rates were justified to meet these costs. ! Mr Phillips submitted that the ! profits of operators had steadily increased and had reached up to £l2O a vehicle last season. He asked that : as far as possible charges be stabilised at present figures. Promulgation of Schedules Sir Francis Frazer announced that the tribunal would delay promulgation of schedules in the area until at least one sitting had been held elsewhere. In about a month’s time the tribunal would sit again for a short time in Hamilton while on its way to the Bay of Plenty district and would hear the Road Transport Alliance’s final representations, for which <here was no time at last week’s sitting. In the interim the Tribunal would give due consideration to the submissions and evidence presented. Sir Francis said it appeared there must be a little alteration in the freedom of contract clause but it was outside the tribunal’s power to order any carrier to cart cream for a dairy company. It could deal only with rates and conditions attached to rates. To questions concerning bobby calf cartage Sir Francis advised that contractors would have to adhere at present to last year’s rates but these would be subject to an increase, which would be retrospective, authorised by the tribunal. Dairy Company Contracts

During Saturday afternoon Mr Phillips produced his final witnesses and presented his submissions to the tribunal. Mr T. Kemp, in charge of arrangements for transport of cream for the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, stated that in several instances carriers had been prevented by their association from tendering for contracts to the company.

In his submissions on behalf of local bodies, dairy companies and other transport users in the area, Mr Phillips asked that freedom of contract be retained in the schedule, even if different conditions were fixed for the rest of the Dominion. In the Waikato the dependence ofvthe whole district on the dairy industry made freedom of contract essential. It was obvious from what had already happened, continued Mr Phillips, that the dairy companies could not get their work done at what they thought a fair rate. They would have to transport their own cream and go further into the general goods cartage. As cream cartage was the backbone of all country carting this would mean the ruin of all country carriers in the Waikato. Stabilisation of Costs “I trust that whatever recommendation you make to the Minister you will give the dairy farmers’ position due weight,” said Mr Phillips. “They ask that if costs are increased the increase Jae paid out of stabilisation accounts, after allowing for any adjustments due to transport co-ordination. They are not anxious for an increase in costs nor for a subsidy. They do not like the principle of subsidies and prefer to have costs at an economic level.”