TRANSPORT CONTROL

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 237, 6 October 1928, Page 12

TRANSPORT CONTROL

AMENDED PROPOSALS. RATEPAYERS TO DECIDE CITY COUNCIL MAY VETO. DRAFT RADICALLY ALTERED. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELTSBSGTO'S, Friday. Framed on linos precisely in accordance with the.terms of the settlement reached betwefin 'the Auckland members of Parliament and the representatives of the city and suburban local bodies, tho Auckland Transport Board Bill wae introduced in the House of Representatives this afternoon. . ■ . . The bill, of-fipurse, has been radically changed from thie*~form in whioli it was prepared by the City Council and the outside local bodies. An important provision is contained in eiauso 70, which provides that nothing in the' measure shall have any force or effect; and polls shall not.be taken, unless and until the City Council, by. resolution, lias approved the Act. The City Council shall within fourteen days of the- passing of tho Act hold a special meeting to consider and -determine' the question. Within 42 days of the passing of the Act the City Council shall- take a pol> of city ratepayers on the-question whether or not the Act shall come, into operation. Within the samtS■• period the other local authorities shall take a similar poll of their respective districts.

Thebill stipulates that the proposal to be-submitted to the ratepayers shall be: "That : the iAi:ckland Transport Board Act, 1928, shall come into operation!'?. •'.'...' '.::.. ;.' Ratepayers To Decide. It is specifically'provided that for the purposes of ascertaining 'whether that proposal is carried or lost the votes of the ratepayers of all constituent districts other than Auckland City shall be taken together; and all polls in outside districts shall- be deemed one poll. It is important to note that if at each of the two'polls (city'and'outer districts), a majority of valid votes cast is cast in favour of thp proposal, then the proposal shall be deemed carried, and the Act shall operate immediately after a Gazette notice appears, but if at either of the two polls a majority of the valid votes cast is against the proposal the Act shall not come intovforce. Thus it will be seen that any one outside district could not bring about the rejection of the proposal. If the proposal is carried the Transport Board shall refund all the expenses of taking the polla. . '■ ' Board From 1931. The original bill provided that the first board was to be elected by the local bodies, arid to "remain in office till April 30, 1932, when one-half of its members would retire, and afterwards one-half of ita members would retire each third year.- The ratepayers were to vote for the election'of board members after the first board had been nominated. The bill, as introduced, provides that within one month, of 'to Act becoming operative, -the City Council shall elect sis members ofithe board at a special meeting, and within the same period the outside lofcal bpdies (Mount E<len, Mount Albert, Newmarket, Onehunga, One .Tree Hill, Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington, Pan mure and Ellerslie) shall elect representatives to fijl the other four vacancies on the board. JThe ten. members elected shall'hold office till the first Wednesday in' May, 1931. There is,. however, an important proviso, that any local body concerned may at any time after the first Wednesday in May, 1929—that is, after the next mrinicipal elections — remove any of- it 3 representatives and appoint others in their stead to hold office till May; 1931. '<■ -■■ "-' ";i Term of Office.-

The bill provides that the term of office of members of the board shall be four years ■■from the first Wednesday in May, 1931, and on that date, in every fourth year thereafter, a; general election of board members shall be held. The rolls of the electors of the. several constituent districts in each, constituency, taken together, shall be deemed to .be the roll of 'the electors of the constituency, and all elections are to be held provisions of the Local Elections and.Polls Act. ... The; Chairman's Salary. . The original draft of the bill provided that a chairman'was to.be elected once in every six years, but that provision has been deleted, the new bill stipulating that the''board shall elect a chairman every two years. , ' Another alteration has been made regarding his salary, which was originally fixed at,£2so a year. Under the terms of the new bill an annual allowance for the chairman (amount not stated) shall, from time to time, be fixed by the board, with the approval of the Minister of Public Works.- No alteration of the amount of allowance shall tako effect.. during the •tenn"of the chairman for the time being. ;Existing Services Safeguarded. - All licenses granted by the No. 1 Licensing Authority for bu3. services running within or partly within the district shall continue in force, as though the Transport Board Act had not been passed, and all powers in' relation thereto which might have been vested in that licensing authority may be exercised by the Transport Board, lne City Council shall cease to be a licensing authority and by Order-in-Council some local body, may be appointed a licensing authority for the Noil district (subject always to the exclusion of the Transport Board's'district). The financial: powers of the-board remain unaltered, and it ha 3 authority to levy upon local authorities of an excess of expenditure, j •".' ';.-.■' ■;'.'.',' . , .... • The s remainder of the original bill stands. . • ■ - ■;..