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42
Applicants for licences have availed themselves to a considerable extent of their right of appeal to the Minister. During the 7 years ending 31st March, 1928, the Minister has received 701 appeals. Of these 145 were either withdrawn or not pro- ceeded with, 258 were disallowed and 298 were allowed or settled by agreement.
43. Your Petitioners respectfully submit that in subjecting them to the com- petition above referred to Government have followed a policy which in other parts of the world has long been found wasteful and unsatisfactory not only to the transporta- tion concerns involved but also to the public authorities and to the travelling public. Practically all over the world it has been found, by bitter experience, that, not only for the benefit of the concerns themselves but also for that of the general public the only practical method of combining motor bus and tram traffic is by unity of control provided, of course, that the travelling public are granted adequate safeguards from exploitation.
44. In Berlin the four forms of passenger transport, the tramways, the elevat- ed railway, the underground railway and the Berlin General Omnibus Company are amalgamated. In Paris, Boston and Philadelphia the position is the same. Turn- ing to Great Britain the Oxford Bus Company have a monopoly while in Belfast such a far reaching and exceedingly important report on the inquiry into the Belfast bye-laws with respect to omnibuses was recently drawn up and presented to Parliament by com- mand of His Grace the Governor of Northern Ireland. A large portion of that report is attached hereto.
It was upon the recommendations contained in this report that the Belfast motor bus licensing bye-laws were based and in the second Interim Report of the Royal Commission on Transport (issued by H. M. Stationery Office on October 29th 1929) the Commissioners say, inter alia, "We would point out that the principle of the plan pro- posed by us is neither unknown or untried. It is virtually that which is in operation in Northern Ireland, an area not dissimilar in size to most of the areas proposed in Great Britain. There the Minister of Home Affairs is the sole licensing authority, but local authorities can make bye-laws subject to his approval."
45. In connection with the problem of conflicting transportation interests your Petitioners quote below extracts from speeches made by the Minister of Transport of the late Government, and of the Minister of Transport of the present Government at Home.
Col. Ashley, M. P., quoted from Hansard July 3rd 1928 :-
"One of the duties which I have to perform is to look after the interests of "Municipalities in their own area when they are challenged as to their road transport "system by outside private companies. If they refuse to allow private competition "with their own Municipal Tramways it is my duty if there is an appeal made to me "to decide whether they are justified in refusing. I personally always take into "consideration whether the Municipal Tramway is giving an adequate service, and, "if it is giving an adequate service, it weighs very much with me in favour of my "coming down on the side of protecting the Municipal Tramways......... Wasteful "competition surely I should think all Honourable Members would desire to see "'eliminated. We should keep private enterprise and Municipal enterprise out of our "minds and decide what is best in the interest of the Community. If we do that then "surely Clause 37 although I am not saying it is a perfect clause might be accepted. "It says
that if this Company gives an efficient service on certain routes and if the "Minister in the exercise of his discretion and doing his best to come to a right deci- "sion says that they are giving an efficient service other people should be debarred "from running services in competition just as has been done in the case of municipal "'services."
43
Mr. Herbert Morrison, Minister of Transport, at the 25th Anniversary of the Commercial Motor Users Association at the Savoy Hotel, London, October 1929 :-
—
"The fact was that where capital was owned by the State, by the Municipalities "or by private companies it was in the interests of the Nation that that capital should "be used to the fullest economic extent. The thing to aim at was the utilisation of the "Capital involved in these various enterprises to the fullest extent and any policy "which means half empty trains on the rails or half empty goods vehicles on the road 'was to be condemned because not only capital but maintenance and running charges "was thereby wasted. The function of transport was to carry goods and to carry "persons. It must be adequate and efficient for the purpose but if transport devel- "oped beyond the economic needs of productive industry and the travelling public "then productive industry and the travelling public would sooner or later have to pay "for the excess accommodation which was wasted. Therefore, whether on the vexed "question of London traffic, the relation between road transport and rail transport or "otherwise, his policy as Minister of Transport was co-ordination but always co- "'ordination consistent with the public interest.'
"
46. Again, as recently as December 2nd, 1929, the Minister of Transport in a statement in the House of Commons, said that the Government agreed with the conclusions reached by the Traffic Advisory Committee that uneconomic and unneces- sary competition should be eliminated and that (so far as London was concerned) a far-reaching measure of unification under public control was essential to progress.
47. The second interim report just issued by the Royal Commission on Trans- port is an extremely practical document and concerns deeply all those engaged in the industry of passenger transportation by road.
It recommends a drastic reduction in the number of licensing authorities in Great Britain from over 1,300 to only 14. To each of these 14 areas would be ap- pointed three Commissioners who would have power to grant or refuse any licence.
The report points out that in coming to a decision upon any application, the Commissioners shall act judicially and shall have regard to the following considera- tions
(a) The traffic needs of the whole area.
(b) The provision of adequate and efficient services throughout the area. (c) The elimination of unnecessary services.
(d) The provision, where possible, of services which in themselves are
unremunerative and
(e) The co-ordination of all forms of passenger transport in the Area, e.g. the provision of motor omnibus services to extend and feed tramway and trackless trolley systems rather than compete with them, and the co-ordination of road and rail services.
48. Your Petitioners further submit that it was never contemplated when the Tramways Ordinance, No. 10 of 1902, was suggested and subsequently made law that your Petitioners would be subject to the direct competition of other transport con- cerns who are under no obligations similar to those of your Petitioners with respect to the upkeep of roads, and the consequent alleviation of the Government's commit- ments thereon and the payment of royalties and who while not contributing to the re- venues of the Colony except to the extent of $240 per year per motor bus, are one of the principal causes of road deterioration.
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