MOTOR UNION.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16883, 10 July 1920, Page 6

MOTOR UNION.

SOUTH ISLAND EXECUTIVE. T!y> executive committee of the Scnth Isiar.d Motor Union mot on Thursday night. Mr F. W. Johnston presiding. Ihero- v.ere also prcfcnt—Messrs J. S. Haivkos, }T. M. Orboll and F. V. Tfcoma?. The Canterbury Automobile Association advised that the Council had already approved of the proposed tax on tyres, provided tbe tax '.vas coi!ec*e.:l by tho Customs Department -jr\d used for thie upkeep of reads. The So'ita Ciir.terbury Motor Club tvrjie Matin? that the committee rocsidereti a tax ■vs!s reeded. Inrt the matter would be concidercl at a future meeting. The Tourist Department wrote statins: that the jruirjrastion to improve the grand motor route f'-orn Tiniarrs to tho Southern Lakes should be addressed to tbe local authorities. as- tho matter wuls not one for the Department. The chairman: It's a, rott«n reply from •J\l: Tourist Department. They should be boosting the tourist routes <if the Dominion instead oi standing aloof from any proposal to improve- them. The Minister of Mines, replying to an enquiry regarding the local production of motor spirit, advised that power txi3ted for the granting of leans for the production of oil derive! from swamp or other lands. The rhairmnn said a r?ply should bo sent jhat the granting of a !oan was not the sort cf a-sf-is'iance required, and that provision should be made for tihe jrrantinir of bonuses. It was decided to formulate a request for a Government crratnt. The Minister of Internal Affsirs wrote stating that the representations relating to the iraiie of annual licenses to drivers would re coive consideration. Mr Ha'.vkes said i 1 should be decided who should issue the licenses, the police or the local bodies. Hi considered the licenses should he> issued by the police, seeing the matter was a Government rffair. It would lead to a lot of complications if the local boc'ie3 were to issue the licenses. On the motion of Mr Hawkes, it was decided to recommend that tho issue of licenses should be carried out by the Police Department. Regarding the dazzling headlight question, the Minister of Internal ASaira said the representations mads would be given consideration when the legislative programme was tindpr review. The chairman said there was ample power conferred at present by the Lights on Vehicles Act without th© necessity o-f any further legislation. The .secietary stated fha.t a member who had received a summons for motoring over White's bridge, Kaiapoi. at a speed greater that allowed by regulation, hod complained that the ra.te permitted, six miles an hour, was unreasonable. The chairman said it would be reasonable if the fate allowed were fifteen miles an hour, with a reduction of ten miles on passing another vehicle. XEIV ZEALAND UNION. The annual report to be presented to the geucral meeting of the New Zealand Automobile Union at Wellington this month otates that the Union was -asked some time ago by the then Minister of Internal Affairs to furnish a eat of recommendations for a better system of motor registration. Amongst the provisions suggested was one designed to facilitate the tracing and detection of stolen ca.ra, but no steps had been taken to check the growing evil. • The punishment for conviction had been amended, but nothing was done to make th 3 crime more difficult of commitment jr more easily detected. The matter should be empha«isod in any representations, the forthcoming anmial meeting may make to the Government. The question of tlvo control and regulation of dazzling headlights had occupied the attention cf the executive during ths year, and the matter was finally left in the hands of the eecretary to deal with, in conjur.cLion with such other experts as lie might find, necessary to enable him to make adequate re<Sbmraendations. The position relating to petrol, benzine, and other motor fuel* was becoming', very acute, and must shortly engage the serious attention of the Associations and of the Union. There would seem to bo a real danger that imports from American sources would shortly be reduced, or discontinued altogether, and that would have a, disastrous effect upon the motor industry in the Dominion. It behoved Associations, therefore, to act in unison with n view to making fresh arrangements with American exporters or to eee what could be done to promote imports from other oilfields, or to develop such local industry as there might be in the hope of producing adequate fuel locally : oi their needs, and ft a reasonable price. The prospect of motor legislation this session had, already been announced quite definitely by'the Government, and it therefore behoved all classes cf motorists to band together in one strong organisation to protect their own interests. The action of the Countio-s' Conference in demanding from the Government the imposition of a 30 per cent, ad valorem duty on imported tyres, the proceeds of'which were to be handed to the'counties to ■spsnd as 'they please, should be sufficient indication to all motor•jom of the possibility of taxation, without adequate safeguards for the protection of 'raolnrin«T interests to which they would bo liable if they did not at onco join together to resist such a proposal-