Regulated Road Transport

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 54, 26 November 1937, Page 7

Regulated Road Transport

— FreM AsSociatiw v

— - t —t i — WHAT ARE THE AIMS? "Government Must Protect Railways" MINISTER & DEPUTATION

(By TVtaffraph

WELLINGTON, Last Night. Asking for a clearer statement than has so far been given of the con3cious policy the Government intends to pursue in the matter of aequirement and xegulation by the Government of road transport, a deputation representing the New Zealand Road Transport Alliance, New Zealand Passenger Serviees Fedration, Nexv Zealand Motor Trade FederatiOn, New Zealand Motor-Body Builders' Union of Employers, New ■ Zealand Timber Mereliants'" Federation, New Zealand Parmers' Union, New Zealand Counties' Assoeiation, New Zealand Manufacturers' Pederation and Assoeiated Ohambers of Commerce waited on the Prime Minister, the" Rt. H'On. M. J. Savage, and the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, today. These bodies submitted a resolution unanimously carried at a conference and expressing concern at the Government's increasing acquirement of private land transport nndertakings in New Zealand. A similar resolution carried at the annual conference of the Assoeiated Ohambers of Commerce atso was submitted. Mr. M. G. McCaul, on behalf of the Chambers of ■ Commerce, said that commercial ' lif e hinged on transport, but they appreciated the fact that some regulation of transport was necessary and ineyitable. What concerned those represented by the deputation was the nature, extent, ob jeetive8 and effectivenesa of the regulations imposed. They Tealised that the country had an asset in its railway systeol, but from the flnancial point of view. the railways wero also a serious liability. Por that position the competition of Toad transport was only parfly to blame. TH'era was more to be laid at the do7r of un .economic railway construction. Eights of the Railways. The tfansport-regulation policy, said Mr. McCaul, had appeared to be one tending towards protection of the railways against the competition of road transport to an extent which to-day was causing coiieern. They admitted the rights of the railway as the central fransport: service; Mr. H. J. Knight, representing the New Zealand Eoad Transport Allianee and New Zealand Passenger Service Pederation, said that they agreed that the reasonable control of the past was quite all right, as was proved by the fact that the passenger serviees we're now largely complementary to the railways. They felt that goods serviees wouldy if there had been ,no change, have reaelied a similar position. On behalf of the New Zealand Parmers' TJnion, Mr. E. W. Bothamley said that the union was opposed to single ownership of transport, and viewed with great regret the elimination o£ small operating units of the industrv, for these units gave the opportunity for great flexibility and mobility in rural areas. Govenuneht's Reply. " - y Mr. Semple said it had never been the Government's intention to nationalise the transport system. The Government's thoughts wero engaged with those serviees 'in direct competition with the railways. Having spent £73 millions of public money on the railways, it Tsras not to be expected that the Government would allow private individuals to use roads built and maintained by the taxpayer to drive the railways out of bnsiness. The Government had'to proteet the railways, anu that was all there. was to it. The Government was dealing as fairly as it could with'the people concerned, and no Government in the world had been as fair in dealing with the road transport serviees. ' " We want the motor transport where it is needed," said Mr. Savage. "We want the best form of transport. Then there is air transpOTt. We have to tabe all forms of transport into consideration. We" shall nover get perfeetion, but we will get as far as possible if we can work together. We want to ses the motor serving the railways rather than running the railways to death and itself at the same time." The Government did hot want anyone's serviee for nothing, but it did not want to pay a first-elass price for second-class material. So far as was humanly possible, the ' existing serviees would be allowed. to remain.