TRACTION ENGINE HAULAGE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10415, 5 June 1925, Page 8

TRACTION ENGINE HAULAGE

QUESTION OF LICENSE FEES. CHRISTCHUBCH, Tins Day. At the May meeting, of the EyreCounty Council information received from the Under-Secretary of , Public Works made it compulsory on all local bodies to consider a traction engine and a trailer as a motor lorry and each extra trailer as a motor lorry and to charge each motor lorry the fee specified in the motor lorry regulations, m addition to anv fee the local body might charge the traction engine under their own by-laws. This also applied to owners of chaffcutters and threshing plants when their engine drew a trailer loaded with coal for use with the plant. It was found that a traction engine drawing three trailers with iron shod tyres, each trailer weighing two tons and carrying a load of 6 tons of produce, would" be liable to a yearly license fee of about £2OO. This being looked upon as prohibitive, it was considered that the traction engine service would cease and the farmers be compelled to fall back upon horse carta £ e - i-i • i A resolution was accordingly carried asking the Minister of Public Works to get the matter altered so that local bodies might make their own arrangements regarding the licensing of traction engine trailers, as they do at present for traction engines. At the last meeting of the Council a reply was received from the UnderSecretary of Public Works, but it was considered of such an indefinite nature that it was decided to circularise all the counties in Canterbury and endeavour to get their support to an attempt have the regulations altered.