TAX ON TRACTION ENGINES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10532, 23 October 1925, Page 2

TAX ON TRACTION ENGINES.

SOME CAUSTIC CRITICISM. THE GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE. Some very caustic remarks were applied to the Hon. R. F. Bollard, Minister of Internal Affairs, by Mr T. B. Jones (Hororata) at the annual meeting of tho North Canterbury Threshing Mill Owners’ Association. The subject under discussion was the tax which had been imposed upon traction engines and trucks under the highways scheme. , . _ . “The Minister of Internal Affairs is in the bush and doesn’t know how to got out of it” declared Mr Jones. “ He doesn’t know where he is, and I hope there will he a change in this office after the elections. We should go out on strike and refuse to go outside our gates and say: ‘ Let them thresh their grain with sticks.’ It is the only way to settle things.. They let the seamen hold up the ships and didn’t say ‘ boo ’ to them. Canterbury is not getting a fair deal from r the Government, compared with the North Island. We have not sufficient members in the Ministry. Mr Bollard doesn’t know a threshing engine from a motor-car.”

A voice: You’re making it pretty hot. , The chairman (Mr G. Sheat): I would like to point out to you, Mr Jones, that your remarks are being taken down by the reporters. Mr Jones: I don’t care. I would tell Mr Bgllard to his face. I’m not surprised they are giving him a rough time in the North Island. Mr Sheat: You must remember that this is an innovation, and the Government have not got a grip of the facts. Mr Jones: We are in as big a fog as ever.

Mr Sheat: No, we know that we are being taxed £6 2s for our engines. Mr Jones: We should make it a test case and give it a ding-dong go. A member: It is not law now; some pay and some don’t. The chairman said the thing wa6 in the melting pot. Mr Bruce. Canterbury’s representative on the Highways Board, was willing to assist in every way possible. Mr Bruce admitted that quite a number of them had to he educated. A number of the threshing machine owners had paid the tax to be sure, and others because they did not think they should he registered. Tho amount of tax varied in the different counties.

Mr G. Osborne (Doyleston) moved: “ This association recommends to the Minister of Agriculture and to the Minister of Internal Affairs that all steam traction engines be exempt from taxation under the Motor Vehicles Act while being used for agricultural work. Also, that where any hauling of agricultural produce is done, providing the hauling owner undertakes not to haul past the nearest railway station, the engine fees be left to the local counties to apply and collect.” In seconding the motion, Mr H. Tallott (Cust) said that their vehicles should only be taxed for through hauling in competition with the railways. Mr Oliver (Greenstreet) said he thought of advocating in Ashburton that the owners should not pay the tax.

Mr Sheat: We must do the thing in law and order. (Hear, hear.) Don’t blame the Government. The motion was carried unanimously. A suggestion by Mr H. E. Peryman (Tai Tapu) that the new executive take steps to arrange a conference with the two Ministers was adopted.