“IT IS ABSURD”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 53, 25 May 1927, Page 9

“IT IS ABSURD”

UNLICENSED BUSES AN ANOMALOUS POSITION REGULATIONS AND DELAYS A POSITION which Miss Ellen Melville, at this morning’s meeting of the No. 1 Licensing Authority, described as absurd, has arisen in Auckland over the licensing of motoromnibuses, including the City Council’s buses. A great number of the buses running in Auckland are without licences, and licences cannot be granted until the Public Works Department gives certificates of fitness of the buses. The Department appears to have been unable to inspect the number of buses, and on top of it there has been an amount of revision of the regulations that has left everyone in the air. The matter came before the Licensing Authority by letter from the Under-Secretary of the Public Works Department, who stated that he was informed that there were many buses in Auckland not licensed, though he had not yet heard of any prosecutions. He suggested that a warning should be given to the proprietors that prosecutions would take place if the licences were not obtained by May 31. DELAY IN INSPECTION One of the company representatives said they had submitted their buses for inspection. Certain work had been necessary and had been done. Then another engineer had come along and wanted more and now that this work had been done they could not get the buses inspected.

Miss Melville: We will have to prosecute everyone, including the City Council.

A Company Representative: I suggest the City Council should make theirs a test case. (Laughter.) Miss Melville: It is absurd that the Department should ask for prosecutions when it is itself at fault. Mr. M. J. Coyle: It seems to me unfair and unreasonable. Mr. J. A. C. Allum: I see he expects our officers to carry out supervision. The authority has no officers, and we certainly can’t cover the whole of our area with council officers. DELAY DUE TO REGULATIONS Mr. Ford, tramways manager, explained that the position had really been brought about by trouble in interpretation of the regulations. There were many classes of buses—3o at least —and the greatest difficulty had been experienced at what hat| to be done, and a great deal of time, and in the case of the City Council a great deal of money had been spent on bringing the buses up to requirements. A conference of all the parties had been called eventually and some agreement reached. Neither the Department nor bus proprietc-s were to blame. The thing had been held up by those who considered many of the requirements were irksome and unnecessary.

One of F■' Proprietors: Although we have gone 1,500,000 miles without any trouble due to brakes, we have now to spend about £6O each on new brakes, and we can’t get them here in time to save prosecution. The authority decided that it must issue notice of intention to prosecute if licences are not secured, the chairman, Mr. G. Baildon, stating that they could only leave it to the magistrate.