NOT GRANTED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 586, 18 July 1933, Page 6

NOT GRANTED

sightseeing trips TAXI PROPRIETORS APPLY FOR LICENSE TO ARAPUNI CENTRAL AUTHORITY i At the sitting of the Central (Transport) Licensing Authority, consisting of Sir Stephen Allen (chairman) and Mr. H. B. S. Johnstone, held at the Rotorua Magistrate's Court yesiterday morning, a group of applications from Messrs. H. H. Davis, G. Robinson, W. J. Cormay and D. M. Chase, taxi proprietors of Rotorua, asking for licenses on the RotoruaArapuni route were applied for and refused by the authority. Mr. W. A. Carter, who appeared for the applicants, said that in considering the applications, it seemed /that other applications for the general sightseeing routes should be taken into consideration. The needs of sightseeing trips, including Arapuni, were very apparent and the trip was a favourite one in the summer months. Probably 80,000 people visited Rotorua eaeh year, but the number of "trippers" probably did not reach 5000. He contended that this showed the apparent need for more satisfactory provision for sightseeing trips to be licensed. Mr. G. Robinson said that it was intended that auithority should be given in order that they could advertise trips and undertake individual journeys. Arapuni was merely one of many places which the application covered. The main idea was to secure the possibility of advertisement of trips and fares. Inability to do this had materially affected his business in the past. He would build up business for his other routes if opportunity offered. Mr. H. Chase gave similar evidence to that of Mr. Robinson. If he had been able t° push the trip he could have secured quite a number of passengers. , Mr. S. Smith, representing the Rotorua Bus Company, said that Mr. Chase already advertised Arapuni on the window of his booking office, to which Mr. Carter replied that this was but a relic of the days when Chase controlled a larger service. No Use Alone Mr. W. J. Cormay stated .that the object of his application was not to leave any sightseeing trip out of his routes and in reply to Mr. S. Smith as to whether the service would be maintained if granted he said that a service to Arapuni alone would be useless. Mr. Davis gave similar evidence to tho other applicants. Addressing the authority as man-aging-director of "K" Motors, Ltd., Mr. P. A. Kusabs, said that the admission of Mr. Robinson that he could probably build up his passengers from his Arapuni trips for that of other places showed that the granting of the application would be detrimental to licenses held by other companies. Furthermore it had been said that this trip was dead and would not be of any use. The number of passengers carried on the three district trips combined was j under 1000 for the year ending 1932 . despite extensive Government and ; private advertising. It would not be in the interests of (the district to + persuade the tourist in Rotorua into j this trip, knowing that the other | trips were of more interest. Those j ke-en on the Arapuni trip could make j . up their own party and hire a spec- i ial car. The Rotorua Bus Company which had held a license found it un- j profitable, although a fare of only , 10s was charged He thought that J if the applications were granted the licenses held for the other trips would be made less payable and unnecessary mileage incurred. During this year J only four passengers had been carried to Arapuni by his firm. As his company also held a license. to Hamilton he asked that, if granted, a . clause be inserted that no passeng- j ers be set down or picked up on this route. Mr. S. Smith, Rotorua Bus Company, said that the license to Arapuni had been dropped this year as only five passengers had been carried last year. .His idea in opposing the. application was merely that he was concerned about the other routes which were included in the application. His company paid about £100 in licenses and if granted the taxi proprietors would pay only 30s license fee. • Mr. Carter contended that the applicants wanted to popularise the route and not compete against other services. The applications were refused by the authority.