TRANSPORT FOR DEFENCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19980, 4 July 1939, Page 16

TRANSPORT FOR DEFENCE

N.2. ROAD ALLIANCE CONFERENCE. INVITED PLANS FOR EMERGENCY (Pur Pro.ss Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. A letter conveying the desire of the licensed' commercial road transport operators of the Dominion to assist itlhe Government in defence operations in event of an emergency has been sent to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, by the council of the New Zealand Road Iran; port Alliance, which met recently in. Wellington. The meeting passed a motion assuring tore Prime Minister of the wholehearted support of the alliance in defence and offering to place the whole of its transport facilities and organisation . at. the. disposal of the Government. “The alliance realises the important part transport must play in defence,” said Mr. H. J. Knight, of Wellington, the secretary of the alliance, in an interview last night. “Officially,” he added, “we have no knowledge of the Government's plans, but we hope we may learn something more about them and that the Government will make them known to us and discuss its requirements with the transport industry.” The mere taking over of the trucks, said Mr. Knight, would be useless without the necessary organisation and the owners and operators of the vehicles 'were obviously best qualified to drive them. • “This is not merely a patriotic gesture,” he continued, “but a practical offer of help. We trust and believe the Government will -accept it in tha/t spirit and will confer with the industry. Then, in the event of an emergency, everyone will know exactly what has to 'be done.”