History
The History of the West Australian Road Transport Industry
By Russell McKinnon
1965
Horseshoe Bridge Perth, 1966
T
he Government staged a major WA transport review, but WARTA could not gain representation on the committee or send a representative overseas with Railways Commissioner Wayne. WARTA’s concerns on future transport activities were accepted by the Minister for Transport but the final presentation would not be made until after the Commissioner’s return.
1966
A Hauliers and Sub-Contractors’ Sub Section was established on January 5 following an exploratory meeting on November 10, 1965. Sixteen people attended the first meeting and 21 members and non-members on January 5 at which P Pusey, P Magini, H Oorsprong, C Rodham, F Stampalia and M Tanner were elected to the Committee. Mr Pusey chaired the meeting. Discussions centred on standard conditions of cartage, increases in sub-contractors’ rates, inclusion of local sub-contractors with the Inter-State sub-contractors and membership. At the next meeting — April 27, 1967 — Mr H 24
WATM • September 2020
Bowler was elected Acting Chairman as only six members attended. A new meeting date was set for May 24, 1967 and only two members fronted, sounding the death knell of the sub-committee. A Road Maintenance Tax was introduced on April 1 on the movement of inter-State vehicles and this sent shockwaves through the industry, leading to many meetings of the General Committee, one of the combined sections and another of steel carriers before settling on a boost in cartage rates. There were problems on agreeing what schedules should be increased and which should not. On March 24 the General Committee agreed to increase some rates by 4 percent. There were variations to the 27 schedules with the likes of package delivery, warehouse and storage, agency and attendance charges exempt. It was pointed out that Road Maintenance Tax should be segregated from normal rates to ensure that they did not proportionally increase. The General Cartage Section noted that the tax caused few objections, with the exception of the Associated Steamships Pty Ltd, with whom the Shipping and Forwarding Agents’ Section had a running dispute. Shire
councils were being given an exemption who were tendering for sub-division road construction in competition with private operators and clarification was sought from the Minister for Transport. The charges exempted cars, but applied to all goods vehicles of more than 8.13 tonnes and were multiplied by the distance travelled. As revenue raisers, they were an undoubted success, collections for a Road Maintenance trust Fund rising from $392,500 in 1966 to $4,178,000 in 1975. All transport operators were faced with keeping detailed records of trips and distances and the filling-in of monthly returns. The Association has become involved in an appeal to the Privy Council by the Australian Road Transport Federation, which could prove costly at about $45,000 (now that decimal currency had recently been introduced). WA’s share is expected to be $1250 on top of the $122 already dispatched. WARTA sent $1000 and it is thought that it should have sent $1500, as requested, but that WARTA has only authorised the spending of $1000. A Meekatharra member, W H Brown & Sons, has applied for support of a new unit that does not comply with current size regulations. The Association has gone in to bat for him with several approaches to Government departments to no avail. The long-awaited Transport Review appeared in July and the Association asked for and got an interview with the Commissioner involved, Mr C Wayne, who had earlier shrugged off the Association’s advances. He appeared “non-committal” at the meeting. The Association felt it naturally had plenty to offer and was unhappy that the review did not recommend any changes in present transport regulations. The Association will send a letter to the Minister for Transport pointing out that the review failed to address private enterprise road transport.
