TRANSPORT MONOPOLY.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 2 July 1937, Page 4

TRANSPORT MONOPOLY.

Wheii Avriting yesterday on the subjeot of the Napier- * Gisborne railway ineidental reference was made to the present Government's policy of driving motor-transport competition off the roads and so forcing business onto the State railways. There are very few, however, who realise how far the Government has already gone in the way of bringing this policy into active operation, and probably still fewer who realise the virtual monopoly of distance-transport which it is the Governmen's obvious purpose to eventually establish for its railways. Already quite a number of motor-transport concerns that have for many years rendered to the public thoroughly well organised service which in cheapness, efficiency and eonvenience compares more than favourably with that of the .railways, have been compelled to surrender to the pressure the Government has brought to hear and to ahandon the entirely satsifactory and widespread business connections they have over long years created. This, however, is only the beginning of a process of absorption that is manifestly intended to be thoroughly ex* hanstive. The Government has itself provided quite sufficient evidence of this purpose inasniuch as the intention has been announced of the compulsory acquisition of no less than fifty more specified road services that are held to be operating in partial competition with the railways. As with the "B ' broadcasting stations, there is some pretence made of giving fche sale of these services to the Government something of a voluntary aspect. But always behind this there is the scarcely veiled threat of cancellation of the necessary licences unless owners fall in with the Government plans. Under the present Government's new laws the granting or withholding of these licences lies in the first instance entirely in the hands of ministerial nominees, and from their decisions, no matter how arbitrarv or unjust, there is no appeal except to the Minister himself — a modern instance of appeal "from Caesar s minions to Caesar." It is thus easy to be seen how empty is any suggestion of voluntary sale. The whole scheme is one of only very scantily concealed confiscation which will doubtless be extended into many other walks of business and life in carrying out the declared purpose of the Labour Party to socialise, that, is to reduce into State ownership, "all means of production, distribntion and exchange." It is to this that the public have to wake up and, if they will only do so and open their syes to what is daily going on around them, they can scarcely fail to see that every new movement on the part of the Government has this ultimate object in view. So far as road transport is concerned the Government is for the moment dealing mainly, though not exclusively, with freight services, the carriage of goods and the like. There is, however, no reason to think that it will stop short at this. In fact there are already indications that passenger services will be brought within the scope of the governmental mopping-up process, and it will perhaps only be then, when deprived of the so convenient service-cars that the public will fully realise the move towards creating a transport monopoly under exclusively political control that is now afoot.. Nor need there be any doubt that, once this monopoly Is established, there will not follow, as with other privileged monopoliea, a rise in freight rates and passenger fares. The State railways are already a losing venture and the Government is now busy spending further millions on the construction of lines which can only increase the losses. But the Government's prestige will demand that some better showing than this should be made,- and the only way to do this will be to increase takings and, as always, in the end it will be ihe public that have to pay. The position is therefore not one in which the operators of the road-transport services are alone interested. It is one in which the public as a whole are also vitally concerned, if they do not wish to find themselves completely under the thumbs of the Minister and those set and well paid to do his bidding.