All Parties Agree on Transport Bill

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 477, 5 October 1928, Page 1

All Parties Agree on Transport Bill

SUBURBS HAVE VOTE CONFERENCE AT WELLINGTON “We sank all our differences and got down to real work to see what we could do,” said Cr. E. J. Phelan, who returned from Wellington this morning, after helping to arrange the provisions of the Transport Bill. Cr. J. A. C. Allum. chairman of the Tramways Committee, Mr. E. H. Potter, Mayor of Mount Eden, and Mr. A, E. Ford, tramways manager, also returned. “We were rather surprised to seo that there had been straight talking between ourselves and the members of Parliament,” said Mr. A llum. “There were some questions asked as to why the members had not received copies of the Bill, but that was easily answered. “We have done the best we can, and the City Council and the ratepayers will have the final say.” The basis of agreement on the contentious clauses was as follows: (1) A clause to protect present bus services. (2) Board to take over costs of qutside local bodies in connection, with Transport Commission. (3 The first board to be nominated and hold office until .he municipal elections in 1931, but the l'jcal bodies to have power to alter their representatives, if desired, after the elections next May. (4) The suburban ratepayers to take a poll agreeing to a Transport Board at the same time as the city ratepayers are voting on the question of handing the tianiway system over to the board. FOR JOINING AREAS Mr. Allum. in further explanation, said “The boundaries in the Bill .are as set out in the report of the Transport Commission, with this alteration: the original Bill provided that a local body subsequently desiring to come in should be added by requisition from the local body affected and, on the consent of the board being obtained, an Order-in-Council should be issued. “We altered this, as certain adjoining areas are already anxious to come in right away. It has beeri arranged that the required requisition from the area will go to the Minister and that when his consent has been obtained the area will automatically join up.” “It was decided that the Minister might vary the representation, but that the electors in the city would always elect more than one-half of the members of the board.”