MOTOR TRANSPORT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 90, 20 November 1939, Page 8

MOTOR TRANSPORT

AMALGAMATION WANTED

OPOTIKI OPPOSITION

A fully-attended meeting of the Opotiki Carriers' Association Avas held recentlv to consider the Gov-

ernment policy concerning transport

Following the recently declared policy of the Government, co-ordina tion committees were set up for 21 districts in New Zealand, such committees each consisting of three members appointed respectively by operators, Railway Department and the Transport Department.

The operators' representative on the Bay of Plenty Committee, Mr V. C. Florey, had previously met the Association and had reported on the result of a conference of the combined co-ordination committees. He had stated that the Government insisted on amalgamation or co-ordina-tion failing which the industry was threatened with elimination.

The first, matter considered was that of amalgamation. The meeting unanimously decided not to consent to an amalgamation of the various businesses in the Opotiki district and notwithstanding the frequent assertions of the Minister of Transport that the Government had no intention of taking over the transport industry expressed grave fears that such was the Government's ultimate object. The greatest harmony exists in this district between users and operators and members felt that amalgamation would be looked upon by the users as a combine and would tend to increase competition by ancillary users who were entirely free from the various restrictions placed on licensed carriers. Regarding co-ordination the industry in this district had for some time past done its utmost in this direction. It was hampered however by the services recently set up bj r the Railway Department in direct competition with local carriers. The services were not controlled by the rules of the Association but were n law unto themselves, and so long as they continued to exist complete coordination in the district could not be affected.

The proposed rules of the New Zealand Carriers' Federation were considered, and it was decided to protest against the setting up of district associations on the grounds that such associations were superfluous and had the effect of addingunnecessary expense to the individual operator. It was considered that branches should continue to deal direct with the head office as in the past, and that matters affecting the whole district could be dealt with by a small advisory board as had Avorked out most satisfactorily in the Bay of Plentv District.