WARRANTS OF FITNESS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 3, 14 October 1942, Page 6

WARRANTS OF FITNESS

HALF-YEARLY INSPECTIONS. CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. His reasons for considering it necessary to continue six-monthly periods of inspection of private motor vehicles (for the issue of warrants of fitness) were' stated by the Commisioner of Transport (Mr G. L. Laurenson) in a letter received by the executive of the South Island Motor Union last, evening. The Commissioner’s statement was in reply to a request from the North Island Union (for both unions) that private car warrants ol fitness should be renewed “in respect of 5000 miles of' travel or once a year.” because of. the restricted' use of vehicles.

“This matter lias now boon under consideration for some time,” the Commissioner stated, “but the returns received from the various testing stations throughout the Dominica indicate that the number of vehicles with faulty brakes and steering has considerably increased. The percentage with these faults during the last year has increased from about 25. per cent, to 60 and 70 per cent. It has also been found that the; electric equipment and vacuum-operated windscreen wipers deteriorate to a. greater extent when the vehicle is not in regular use.”

It was stated by members cf the executive that conditions would vary considerably in hilly towns like Wellington, and it was decided to request the secretary of the Canterbury Automobile Association to obtain local figures to make a check.