Old news from Armidale and New England

Saturday 13 June 1953, The Sydney Morning Herald

The annual conference of the N.S.W. section of the Australian Country Party yesterday resolved that the party should seek a Royal Commission on State transport services.

Mr. C. G. W. Anderson (Young), who moved the resolution, said there was too much control by militant trade-unions and too much political control in the State transport services.

Mr. Anderson said: “When you have a Government monopoly with such a tragic history only a probe will bring out the facts.

“The new Minister for Transport, Mr. Martin, has reduced the deficit a great deal. But how is it that it has been allowed to rise so high?”

PAYROLL-TAX

Mr. David Hughes (Armidale), said transport deficits, amounting to £20 million over the last three years were bringing State finances into chaos.

Mr. Heffron had claimed that since his Government had been returned with an increased majority, it had a mandate to run transport at a loss.

A resolution put to the conference that “The payroll-tax should be abolished” was adopted in the amended form: “That the payroll-tax is a bad form of taxation, and therefore it should be the policy of the Country Party to abolish this tax when the opportunity occurs.”

The conference also adopted a resolution that “the party is opposed to Government undertaking television in Australia until the requirements of the rural population with regard to telephone, mail and radio services are more fully met.”