The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1929, AN "OMNIBUS" ACT.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 227, 25 September 1929, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1929, AN "OMNIBUS" ACT.

for the oaute that lacke asMietanee, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, Ami the good that we oan do.

In variety of material the new Transport Bill is like an Irish stew; all sorts of odds and le ends have gone to its making. The doctors, ](1 however, assure us that Irish stew is •" very wholesome, and probably this . curious "Omnibus" Bill—the play on the word is quite legitimate—the effects of which are difficult :d to judge at first sight, will, by providing better le supervision of transport, benefit the community.. The provisions of the Bill range from ie alteration of the constitution of the Main n Highways Board to a much-needed amendment n of the law relating to prosecutions for speeding. The idea of establishing a separate d Board for the South . Island lias been abandoned, and instead the existing Board is enlarged and special representation is given to r each island. This seems to be a sensible compromise, but a protest must be lodgedl against the provision that the representatives of one island shall not vote on proposals affecting the other island. Parochialism is the curse of New Zealand politics, but why admit its inevitability in this way? Highways policy is a national concern, and it should be assumed that members of the Board will look at problems in that light. Also, apparently, allocations between the islands now made by the Board are to be made by the Minister. Parliament should insist on the Board's responsibility being retained. A very important provision of the Bill, and one that will have a special interest for the people of Auckland, is the creation of new licensing authorities for districts. This will mean that the Auckland Transport Board will no longer be the licensing as well as the main owning authority. Nothing has caused so much criticism of the City Council in connection with transport, and of the Transport Board, as this dual function; such a body, it has been felt, should not be made a judge of its competitors' case. The Bill also provides that in dealing with licenses the new bodies shall, subject to certain conditions, give I preference to community-owned services. These provisions will have to be very carefully examined. Private caterers Avill welcome both the proposal to establish a national Appeal Board and the clause providing that compensation shall be fixed —compensation being payable for loss of license as well as value of property taken over —by a Court under the Public Works Act. There are a great many either clauses which it is impossible to discuss I here in detail. But we say that motorists 1 will welcome the removal of the injustice involved in the present system of prosecution, by which a driver is! sometimes notified of a charge so long after the date that it is impossible for him to remember exactly what happened, or to collect evidence. There seems to be no reason why the proposal to notify offenders against the speed regulations within seven days should not apply to prosecutions generally.