GOODS SERVICES

Hokitika Guardian, 19 November 1932, Page 6

GOODS SERVICES

THE NEW REGULATIONS. WELLINGTON, "November 15. A promise l that the Government would give careful consideration to all representations before it drafted regulations for the licensing of goods serin their fipa-1 form was given in the Houser to-night by the Minister for Transport (the R.t. Hon. J., G.

Coates). Mr Gbaters agreed that it was a question of the greatest difficulty to decide how far the different transport services should be regulated. A REQUEST 1 FOR INFORMATION. The matter wa.s brought forward during consideration of the transport Department’.s estimates by Mr O- A. Wilkinson* (link, Egmout), who called upon the Government to state how far the Department was going in its attempts to enforce restrictive regulations. The Transport Department, he declared, bad taken all [lowers to itself ail id bad issued regulations that .would before, long bring the transport bu'-ities-s of the country to a standstill. An .absurd limit of 40 miles an hour was to be imposed on the speed of motor vehicles.

“There is a widespread feeling,’ continued Mr Wilkinson, “that the Transport Department is going to force, motor transport off the road's in the interests of' the railways. Rood transport figs done a great deal for tlio .country, in.nd to put a. stop to its activity is to do a very wrong thing. Parliament itself .should express its opinion on a question of this kind. Restrictive regulations have been imposed. not by Parliament, but by the head of the Department, a paid official. Probably the Minister has been consulted, but the Transport Commissioner seams to. be a .law unto himself. I must urge /that Parliament should put pressure on the Minister to .prevent- restriction of what is one of the most important businesses in the country." AN INVOLVED' POSITION.

Mr Coates pointed' out that the legislation under which the regulations were now being issued .was passed some two years 'ago. The regulations represnted merely the application of the powers granted in the Transport Licensing Act. On account of the interests involved, the difficulties which had to> be oveercoine were enormous. In tke licensing of services they had to consider the security of a licensee’s tenunei as well .as the. position of his competitors.

“By the end of this month all those who are running the country’s transport services will have lodged their objections to the proposed regulations,” continued Mr Coates. “They will be carefully investigated, and not until I have.had .an opportunity of summarising the whole position will it he possible for me to give any indication how far the regulations for the licensing of goods traffic will go. It is a matter of great difficulty to decide how far the different services should be regulated.” Jn renly-to Mr W. E. Barnard (Lab., Napier), who protested against the chaotic' position of the taxi business, Mr Coates said that’at present it was not proposed to extend the powers of the Act to regulate this traffic.