MOTOR-LORRIES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 17995, 12 February 1924, Page 9

MOTOR-LORRIES.

OBJECTIONS TO NEW BY-LAWS. A meeting of tlie Motor-lorry Owners' Association was held last evening; when Mr S. F. Pawson presided over a gcod attendance. ■ The chairman said that they had met to consider two clauses of the new bylaws to which they objected. These were:— "The clerk of the local body may in any case as a condition precedent to the issue of a license require the peison to whom the same is to be issued to deposit such a sum of money, or enter into a bond, with or without an approved surety or approved sureties, in such a sum as in either case the clerk, on the report of the engineer, reasonably requires, such sum or bond to be, held, by the local body as security that such person shall pay to the local body reasonable compensation for any special damage which shall accrue to any road by reason of any heavy traffic thereon by the vehicle, engine or machine in respect to which such license may be issued. "The holder of any license under this by-law shall, seven days before commencing to perform any specific contract which will entail heavy traffic on and the carrying over any specific load or loads on any portion or portions thereof of more 'than 100 tons ot material of any kind, or whatever, notily tlie clerk ot the local body in writing ot such contiact and supply him with such particulars o such'contract as may enable him to obtain from the engineer an estimate of the probable damage that may accrue to such road or roads or any portion or portions thereot by reason oi such heavy traffic, and the cJerk oi the local body may require the lioldei ol a license forthwith to deposit such sum as may, in the opinion ot such clerk be sufficient to cover the cost of repairing such probaoto Jmagp. Mr 11. Twyneham said that the oy law had been considered by joint committees, and were to be confirmed on February 28th. Two clauses were y>ij strong The first meant that before the issue of a license an owner coUid be asked for any sum as a deposit. It seemed to be going further than the councils intended, there was nothing in the by-law making provision tor a refund. It seemed that a very radical alteration should be made before the by-law came into force. The second clause also provided for a deposit being taken. There was a possibility -that the clauses Would make it very hard for some owners to carry on. He thought that a bond should be asked instead of a cash deposit. Of course, no one knew how far the by-laws were to be enforced. It all depended what kind of a clerk the various local bodies had as to whether the clauses would be strictly enforced or not. He suggested that the by-laws should be amended so that the bonds could be fixed by a qualified official. Mr T. S. Young moved that the chairman, the secretary, and Mr Twyneham should wait on tlie city solicitor and put their views before him. This was seconded and carried.

Mr Archer said that the whole of the by-laws were wide open and the Council could take almost any defence iri a Court action. The prospects were that once the heavy traffic was "roped in" the light traffic would be caught. The meeting then considered the clauses in detail and the case to be raised by the Association was prepared.