GOODS TRANSPORT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 251, 14 June 1932, Page 5

GOODS TRANSPORT

motors and trains BUSINESSMEN DISCUSS A PROBABLE RAiLWAY MON.OPOLY FURTHER MEETING WANTED Thiere v;as a very good attendance of businessmen in the Citizeiis' Club rooms last pight *ht the meeting cohvened by' the Rotorua Retailers'' Association ^to disciiss transport questions. The motor s ervices ' ' hetween " Rototua and Tauranga and the possibiiity of a railway monopoly, were reviewed at cons'iderable length' anff at the conclusion of the meeting a resolution was carried a^king the Mayor to convehe a hihbting of citizens to deal* w'itK 'tlie question. ' 1 " The chair was occupied by Mr. W. R. Harris, chairman of the Rotorua Retailers' Association, who poiiited out that the meeting had simply'been called by the association to givd' all business people in the town an opportunity to be present and expres's* their views. The association had' iio other interest in the proceedin'gs. Mr. G. Dawson, of the carrying company of Dawson and Son, Rotorua, said they had been running their service to Tauranga three and a-half years when the railway departmenti made an arrangement with other ear- . riers for a through service ' to " Tauranga and stipulated that freight should he carried for 4/- a ton. If th'i§ were not done, the departmeiit tlireat- * ened to put on lorries of its own for the purpose. He refused to sign any such agreement, and the depaftmenfc oi'ied to block him in various ways and * refused to pay him for freight liftsdl All the co-ordination he could see offering was for him to get off tKe road. However, he refused ' to cea'se carting and he warned the meeting that if he were refused' a license for transport service the railway" would - have a monopoly of which it would make use. The Shipping Service Mr. W. G. Cartons, of the Northirn Shipping Co., said that five years . ago his company 'was approached b'y Auckland firms to see whether freights to Tauranga could he'feducad. This was not done until 1929, when an arrangement was made with Dawson and Co;, fof a through' rate. Prior to that service Rotorua "was dependent upon the railway." If Dawsons service was "knocked upon the head" the people would again be dependent upon the railways.'Mr. Dawson was not eompeting with any'line. He was carting direct from the ship to Rotorua. If Rotorua waiited "to keep freights down it would be wise to support Mr. Dawson's application. Mr. W. Wellsted, commercial manager of the railways, pointed out that the goods seetion of the Transp'offe Act was not yet in operatxon. The cepresentations should really be made oefore the proper licensing authority and not to the meeting that evening. Cheap Freight Wanted Mr. H. W. Beale expressed the opinion that Rotorua wanted a service from Tauranga as well as from Auckland. He appreciated the competition jetween Dawsons and tpe railways^ and declared he could remember the ald days before that competition. The puhlic could play between the ho'at

and railway to advantage. The main object of the people of- Rotorua -wars to obtain 'cheap goods. • '■ Support Railways Mr. W. L. Richards said he had always had decent commercial treat* ment from the railways, hut he did not approve of the department's attitude toward Mr. Dawson. However, it must be remembered that the people owned the railways and they were subject to a heavy interest burden. Support of the railways meant the possibiiity of reduction in that burden. The railways carried the heavy tuff and left the lighter and more payable stuff to the stea'mship company. He definitbly held that business men should suppdit their own railway. Mr. C. Tuck, while sympathising with Mr. Dawson, thought-th'e people should support their own railways." Mr. M. H. Hampson pointed' out that if a license was to be grante'd Dawson and Co., it would be ileeeSsary to show that the service "was in the interests of the puhlic. ' The regulations of the Transport Act would be gazetted shortly aiid'it was advisable for the people to 'express their desire to get their freight by the cheapest possible means of-trans-port. It was a matter which c'oncerned, not only the businessifien, but the ordinary citizen of the town. Our Own Capltal Mr. Wellsted said many talked about the railways as if they Were a foreign investment. As '& matter of faCt their forebears had put '60 millions sterling into the railwaysj and it was interest on. that am'otint at 41 per cent. they were asked to pay. ~ It was the duty of puhlicspirited men to support the railways. In the past, the department might not have lived up to all that -was required, hut it was now making an honest attempt to give adequate service. Rotorua had a lot to thanlc the railways for as they • carried thousands of people into the town each year. He recalled that it was only a year ago that he met the businessmen of Rotorua, who had paSsed a resolution endorsing support of the railways. It was only by loyal- support that they could carry on. The railways were their owit ahd not a foreign concern. ' ' - ' ' • ' Mr. Hampson then moved that as the matter was of such' importanee to the town, the Mayor he asked to "convene a puhlic meeting :to dqUl With it. * The motion was carried unanim- | ously.