TRANSPORT BOARD

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 203, 20 April 1932, Page 6

TRANSPORT BOARD

s- , licensing act NO. 3 DISTRICT AUTHGRITY HOLDS FIRST MEETING IN ROTORUA LOCAL APPLIC ATI 0 NS The newly appointed No. 3 District Transport Lieensing Board held its first meeting in Rotorua yesterday, when a large riumber of district applications under the Transport Lieensing Act were mentioned or came up • for consideration. The chairman of the Board, Mr. E. L. Walton, presid- ' ed and there were also present Messrs J. ClifF-McCulloch, F. J. Farrell, and H. R. Neas (secretary). • Before eommencing the official business, the chairman Mr. Walton, outlined the scope and purpose of the Board and set out the procedure which would be adopted. Mr. Walton's outline was along the lines of the statement already reported in the "Post," when. publ:shing the account of the first meeting of the Board in Hamilton. Counsel for the Railway Board, Mr. H. Gillies (Hamilton) then made a lengthy statement regarding the attitude of the Railway Board i toward. the question of motor traffic licensing, and mentioned that a number of applications which would come before the Transport Board in Rotorua would affect existing railway services. Purpose of Act Counsel stated that there was no doubt that the purpose of the Act was to achieve the following results: (1) The securing of a considerable reduction in road costs; (2) the wiping out of the annual railway deficit due to the wasteful competition of road services; (3) the reduction of production costs as affected by transport. A reduction in the cost of production would be affected automatically by the achievement of the first and second objects. The first application heard during the morning was lodged by the Rotorua Motor Transport Co. (Mr. E. Roe), who appl'ed for a yearly license in respect to the company's RotoruaWhakatane run. The manager of the company, (Mr. L. C. Ryan) and the secretary (Mr. A. Brown) were ealled and stated in evidenee that all the necessary license requirements had been fulfilled. The borough traffic inspector, Mr. D. M. Ford, was also called, and stated that the service operated by the applicants had been quite satisfactory and no complaints had been received. It was finally decided to defer the matter until the afternoon, when details of time-tables and evidenee of terminal licenses could be produced. Matter Adjourned When argument was resumed aftir lunch, Mr. Roe stated that he had discovered that the actual licenses were held in Whakatane and wou'.d have to be obtained from there. He was, however, able to produce a telegram from the Town Clerk stating that terminal licenses for the eurrent year had been taken out by the appiicant company. Subject to the production of these, he suggested that the license might be issued. The chairman stated that the central authority had adopted the procedure of grarting licenses subject to the production of terminal licenses, but it had beon found that in some cases , although four weeks had eiapsed, the necessa *v licenses had not been produced. His board, therefore, proposed to insist on the production of the actual receip ;s before the license would be issued Mr. Roe accordingly stated that he would defer the matter until the receipts were available. y* A similar applicat'on in respect of -■ the same run was made by K. Motors • " Ltd. (Mr. M. H. Hampson). In this case. however, it was admitted by the applicants that they had not obtain- ► ed some of the necessary terminal " licenses from the Whakatane Borough Council. Mr. Hampson * . addressed the board on the matter and advanced legal argument to support l, his contention that the application :: should be taken under Sect'on 28 of the Act, which empowered the board I. 'to deal with any application whero the company had been in operation •" 12 months. After hearing argument, however, the chairman stated that • since a breach had been admitted, the ■ • application could not be dealt with •- under Section 28, but would have lo come under Section 26. The board ■ intended, however, to reserve its uecision as to the facts. • o Sight-seeing Trips »* Application for a continuous licens-e f in respect of its Rotorua-Tikitere ~ sight-seeing run was made by the T Rotorua Bus Company (Mr. J. D. ** Davvs).

;* Counsel, in supporting the application, stated that the trip was purely of a sight-seeing nature. No passengers were picked up en route and ,U'the buses merely proceeded to Tikitere and returned. There was cons'equently no question of terminal licenses in this case. A service of this nature was very necessary in Rotorua, and every effort should be mad> to prov'de sight-seeing facilities for tourists in the town. His clients, however, suggested that in their particular case it should be made a condition of the licns? that they should not be compelled to run a bus when less than two passengers were offering. He submitted that in the case of sight-see'ng trips it was unreasonable to insist upon the buses adhering to time-table if sufficient passengers were not offering. His clients had no opportun'ty of picking un passengers en route. The cha'rman agreed with Mr Davys that the suggested conditio" was reasonable, but expi-essed doubt as to whether the board had the necessary power under the Act to moV such a provision. He suggested tha+ the matter might be adjourned until to-day to enable the authority to examine the position. This course waadopted and the board rose until thi " morning.