SERVICE CAR CONTROL

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 126, 24 November 1932, Page 22

SERVICE CAR CONTROL

QUESTION OF SUPERVISION

Tho following statement was made by Mr. R. McKecn, M.P. for Wellington South, in reply to * a statement made by service car proprietors in Tuesday's "Post" on the question of service car supervision:— "In a statement by the owners of service cars which appeared in yesterday's issue, replying to remarks made by me in Parliament last week during the discussion on the Transport Department's Estimates, they said that they desii'ed to correct any erroneous impression that there is" not sufficient supervision of the fitness of service cars. "It was not my intention, to convey that impression, although it is my firm conviction that in view of the fact that motor transport is now an established part of our national transport services, in the interests of public safety, a more thorough and frequent examination of all service cars should be made. At present many service cars are only examined once in twelve months, and to retain confidence among the travelling public it would be in the interests of owners to support a iuore frequent inspection. "My reference to the large number of accidents arising out of motor transport '.was intended to have a general application, aud levelled at no type, of vehicle in particular. When the proprietors say that the percentage of accidents attributable . to service cars was nil, they ignore the. data contained in the Transport Department's report of last year. This report showed an increase in accidents arising from motor vehicles, as compared with the previous year. The report also shows the type of vehicle involved in such accidents, and it is stated that service cars were involved in five for the year under review and five for the previous year. Then we have to remember that service cars, which carry nine or more passengers, are classified as motor omnibuses. Under this category the number of accidents were five for the year under review and three for the previous year.

"My main concern is that in tho interests of public safety there should be a niore_ frequent inspection of service cars, and I am somewhat surprised to learn that service car proprietors are opposed to what undoubtedly would create confidence in the minds of those who daily use that form of transport."