TRANSPORT BILL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 16, 11 September 1931, Page 3

TRANSPORT BILL

("Post" Sphcial Commissioner) •

debate .commenced MINISTER'S. STRONG PLEA FOR ACCEPTANCE OF MEASUAE MEMBERS CRITICAL

WELLINGTON, Thursday. The main debate on the Transport Licensing Bill v^as commenced in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The Minister of Transport (the Hon. W. A. Veith) said the Bill was based on the English Act, although the Minister's powers were not as wide as those held by the Minister at Home. The special committee which had considered the Bill had made certain ajnendments which had improved it and he gladly . accepted them. There was a diflSculty in eonnection with local body administi;ation, the Minister continued but he thought the amendments which he would introduce in the committee stages would satisfy objections. Replying to a eriticism that the setting up of local licensing authorities would have the effect of developing a large and expensive departmental organisation, which would not justify its existence, Mr. Veiteh said that if the new administration cost the country a good deal of money, the economies which would be effeeted would balance the cost many times over. The cost of administration would be very low indeed. All the information necessary to the local licensing authorities would be provided from the head office of the Department, and the secretaries of the local licensing authorities would be officers temporarily drawn from Government officers in each district.

Little Extra Work Very much same conditions would apply in respect to the central licensing authority he said. Practically all the work would be done by the existing staff of the Department. There would be a little extra work »to be done at the beginning, but as soon as licences had been issued it would then only be a question of dealing with occasional applications. Mr Veitch said he hoped to obtain the services of the present president of the Arbitration Court as chairman of the appeal body for the reason that he was president of the appeal board «under* the Motor Omnibus Traffic Act. There had been some eriticism on the ground that local bodies would be deprived of traffic fees, Mr Veitch said, and he wished to dispel that idea. The Bill did not effect heavy traffic fees in any way whatever, nor did it deprive local bodies of any of the fees they now collected under the heavy traffic regulations. Another point of eriticism had been that the Bill meant the centralisacion of general authority in Wellington. That was not so. The Bill had been drafted with a view to setting up a number of licensing authorities and he thought there would be about 13 local authority districts throughout the Dominion. He hoped to get the services of either Magistrates or members of the legal profession as chairmen of the licensing authorities in each district and that the other members would be gentlemen of impartial and judicial mind.

Provisions Perfectly Fair In conclusion, Mr Veitch claimed that the Bill was perfectly. fair in its provisions. Because of the urgency of the legislation he appealed to the House to give the measure its most sympathetic and earnest consideration. It would reduce the national cost of transport very considerably. Reasonable amendments would be accepted. In the course of the ensuing discussion, the Hon. K. S. Williams (Ref orm, Bay of Plenty) , said he trusted the new amendments to be introduced would not be such as to give rise to objections which would cause delay. Mr D. G. Sullivan (Labour, Avon) , said the need for the Bill was generally recognised, but the Minister had shown an inclination to ride roug'h-shod over the people's interests. There would have been little opposition if the Minister had accepted the Municipal Association's proposals. Mr W. D. Lysnar (Independent, Gisborne) said that more consideration should have been given to the position of country ratepayers. Mr M. J. Savage (Labour, Auckland West) said the Bill was a close approaeh to centralisation and people in Wellington would seek to decide the form of transport suitable for Auckland. The Minister could not expect to get a Bill of that kind passed. Mr J. S. Fletcher (Independent. Grey Lynn) expressed the hope that the Bill would be committed and passed into oblivion as it completely missed its objective and avoided the root of the problem. Mr A. Hamilton (Reform, Wallac'e) said the measure was timely, but he did not think it definite enough, and the powers given to the Minister and the Department were too wide. Mr H. G. R. Mason (Labour, Auckland Suburbs), said the Bill would be very serviceable if the Municipal Association's objections were overcpme. The discussion was interrupted by the adjournment and the House adjourned until next Wednesday evening.