CURTAIN RUNG DOWN

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 376, 9 June 1928, Page 11

CURTAIN RUNG DOWN

Transport Commission Ends

ADDRESSES FROM CITY AND SUBURBS AFTER a full six weeks of deliberation the curtain was rung down on the Transport Commission this morning. Continuing his address for the City Council, Mr. A. H. Johnstone urged the Commission’s consideration of the Greater Auckland project. An adjournment was taken until Tuesday afternoon, the chairman, Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., considering that the commission might encounter some point requiring explanation that could only be afforded by a short resumption of the hearing.

Addressing the commission on behalf of the suburbs, Mr. V. R. Meredith considered that it would be unfair and improper to leave transport control in the hands of the City Council. “If, as it seems probable,” said Mr. Meredith, “motor transport will oust electric tram services, it is unfair, to leave development in the hands of a body saddled with an expensive tramway plant. “It is unfair to expect a body such as the City Council to treat a growing rival to. the tramways with the fairness it deserves.” Mr. Meredith strongly advocated the establishment of a transport board, suggesting that it should control all commercial traffic. It should make arrangements for the standardisation of by-laws of the various local bodies and the unification of all motor regulations. '‘Costs,” continued Mr. Meredith, “should be made against the transport undertaking for the benefit of which the commission has been set up.” CASE FOR CITY For the city, Mr. A. H. Johnstone urged that the City Council had, even in the face of the bitterest opposition, done its best for the benefit of its ratepayers and even for those who had no claim on it save the moral claim rising from the passing of the Motor Omnibus Act. He then traced the history of the council’s transport activities, submitting that all economy and prudence had been exercised both in the original purchase and the subsequent administration. Although they had been conferring among themselves for months past, said counsel, the local bodies had, neither singly nor jointly, ever approached the City Council to discuss transport questions. TRAMWAYS PROGRESS Great progress in the laying of new lines had been made since 1919 and almost the whole service was now duplicated. The council had built new tram-cars at an average of six a year and similar progress had been made in other directions. Mr. Johnstone considered the council possessed a record in tramway progress of which it might well be proud. Chief among the difficulties which the council had to meet: was the price charged for power: 1.22 d compared with

.88d in Christchurch, .89 in Wellington and .7Sd in Dunedin.

Bus competition had also been a, factor against which the council had been forced to fight, until protection had been granted in 1926. Counsel referred to the publishing of an article by prominent business men in the Auckland Chamber of Commerce Journal.

“The writer of the article was illinformed,” said Mr. Johnstone, “and the whole tenor of it is an attempt to cast reflection on the council.” Mr. Goodman (member of the commission) : They ought to blush for shame. Mr. Johnstone: If that is the opinion of the commission, I must heartily concur. Not at any time during the sitting of the commission had counsel for the suburbs made any useful suggestions, continued Mr. Johnstone. Their whole attitude had been one of vitriolic abuse which they had poured on the heads of the disinterested citizens who happened to occupy seats on the council. “My friend Mr. Meredith,” said Mr. Johnstone, “usually the most genial of men, has poured vituperation upon us and cannot be excused on the score of humour or of passion. Mr. Northcroft also found it within his province to refer to the evidence in regard to bus costs of such a reliable councillor as Mr. Allum as fatuous nonsense.” Mr. Johnstone considered that the monopoly of transport should belong to the City Council as owners of the tramways service. In England it had never been necessary to create one transport board, municipal control having been entirely successful. Before bus competition the tramway service of Auckland had been a profitable undertaking and, given a fair deal, it could become so again. SHARING ADVANTAGES—AND LOSSES It had been sai<i that the suburban bodies had no representation and no share of the control, but there was no reason why that should be so. The Municipal Corporations Act allowed for the establishment of a joint committee to give representation to bodies that owned no share of the service. In any case the City Council had never acted as a dog in the manger- being always

prepared to share its advantages with the suburbs, providing that the possible losses were also shared. Mr. Rogerson had said, continued counsel, that amalgamation was impossible as long as the great boroughs of Mount Eden and Mount Albert stood aloof. That might be so, but surely it was no reason why the City Council should be fleeced of its utilities. So long as a municipal transport board existed with representatives of many local bodies within it, the seeds of dissension were there. No reasonable person would ever oppose the principle of a Greater Auckland. “Let us do as Mr. Meredith says,” suggested Mr. Johnston, “Pull down all the fences, though unlike him I see more than one fence.” Buses were originally purchased merely for feeder services, and they had been compelled to combat the enterprise of private individuals. Starting with 30 buses the council had been compelled to buy a further 106. “It would have done the heart of any bus proprietor good,” said counsel, “to have seen the state of some of the buses the City Council had had to take over. They had been in the openair for months, their garage was under the open canopy of heaven. They were freshened with daubs of paint.” Mr. Meredith: You are merely being humorous. You have no evidence of that.

Mr. Johnstone: Surely my friend will not deny it. Mr. Meredith: Certainly I. do. Mr. Johnstone said that the only buses in good repair were those owned by the Royal Bus Company. Mr. Northcroft: We can agree with you there. Mr. Potter, though he had denied it before the commission, was really in favour of a board that should not own transport services, but merely control them. “This comes very near to the ancient game of ringing the changes,” said Mr. Johnstone, amid laughter. “No greater calamity could befall the city than that the control of transport should be handed over to those who have done their best to destroy it, for to quote Edmund Burke, ‘Great enterprises and little minds go together.’” In conclusion, Mr. Johnstone reminded the commission that they were above the opiniojis of politicians such as Mr. Potter and Mr. Coates. “I appeal to you,” he said, “that you will do nothing to delay the establishment of Sir George Grey’s ideal of a Greater Auckland. “My suggestion in regard to costs is that they should be shared by the local bodies in proportion to their population. An amount ought to be voted by the general government, as it will derive considerable benefit from the findings of the commission,” said Mr. Johnstone. ADJOURNMENT TAKEN The chairman asked for enlightenment on one point. The commission had to consider trains, trams and railways, but would like to be assured that there was no possibility of ferry services ever being used on the Auckland side of the harbour. On being assured that such a service was out of the question, Mr. Barton announced that he would not definitely close th© commission, as such a course was unwise. The occasion might arise when the commission might require enlightenment on some point and it was advisable that the

hearing might be continued so that explanations could be made. He would therefore order the adjournment until Tuesday afternoon, though counsel need not attend unless notified.

Mr. Barton expressed appreciation of the able manner in which counsel had handled their cases and also returned thanks to the City Council for the courteous treatment accorded the members of the commission during the sittings ■