Transport Officer Meets Farmers and Carriers WAIPUKUR AU VISIT

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 26, 1 February 1937, Page 2

Transport Officer Meets Farmers and Carriers WAIPUKUR AU VISIT

(Special to *‘Times”) WAIPUKURAU, Jan. 30. J*ir a. &kogluna, representing tho Transport Board, visited Waipukurau and Porangahau, and in company with Messrs C. Casidy, H. GuiUard and C. It. Watson, he attended the Porrangahau sports to discuss transport Jirblcms with the fanners of the district. On Wednesday evening he attended a meeting of ' Carriers at which the following firms were represented:— Messrs Powdrill, Wilkie, Gueran and Sherwood (Hatsings), W. Oliver (Waipawa) Malkin, Green, Winlove and Sons, Guillard and Co., Cassidy and Co., Porangahau Transport Co., G Watson and Turnbull. Mr Skoglund explained that the purpose of his visit was to gather firsthand knowledge of the district which he had been asked to supervise and to meet carriers and their clients to ascertain their problems at first hand. Ho had found clients in Hawke’s Bay fairly well satisfied, and would assure carriers that in defining the policy, service to the public was of paramount, importance.

It was imperative that carriers should co-operate closely to maintain the highest standards of service. Where carriers hold licenses in competition with the Railway Department, their licenses had been extended to March 31, 1937, to enable cadriers to dispose of vehicles and licenses, if they wished to do so. The policy of tho Transport Board would be to place as much traffic on tho railways possible, but it did not necessarily follow thath the carrier would have to get off the road. It was really a matter for the carrier and the Railway Department to get together about. In reply to a question by Mr Wilkie regarding the limitation of carriers to certain areas. Mr Skoglund said he considered a licence should permit a carried to operate from any point to any point, 60 long as this did i»ot conflict with the 3U-mil© clause in regard to tho railway. Questions regarding ancillary carriers were also discussed and the question of tariff rates for cartago gavo rise to considerable discussion. Mr C. R. Watson considered, that as carriers realised the value-of proper accounting methods the practice of price cutting would be largely eliminated. It only in the last two years that carriers had taken any real interest in keeping their accounts in a proper manner. It was only right that carriers should operate at the lowest possible economical cost. Mr Skoglund will be visiting tho district in May next when he will meet representatives of stock firms, farmer* and an.v others interested for the purpose of discussing rates.