WARRANT OF FITNESS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28447, 29 November 1957, Page 12

WARRANT OF FITNESS

Submission With Papers Proposed

A recommendation that when a motor-vehicle is sold a current warrant of fitness as well as change of ownership papers should be submitted to the motor registration branch of the Post and Telegraph Department was approved at a meeting of the Christchurch Metropolitan Road Safety Committee. It will now be considered by the New Zealand Road Safety Council.

The matter arose when the committee received a letter from the Marton Road Safety Committee which commended the suggestion that a current warrant of fitness should be produced when a vehicle was relicensed in June of each year. This recommendation was rejected by the authorities mainly on the ground that its operation was beyond the capacity of the staff.

Mr N. J. G. Speary said he wa« still convinced the proposal wa? an excellent one, “and if only we could get the official nod i would be very easy to implement.’’ He felt that the officia objection was not very convinc ing, and suggested the recommendation should be renewed. “Another Angle”

“I feel the problem should be tackled from another angle,’’ said Mi B. Paton, who moved that both a current warrant of fitness and ownership papers should be produced when a motor-vehicle was sold. “I fail to see any difficulty of administration, and the regulation that a motor-vehicle must have a warrant at the time of its sale should be followed up by a system of enforcement,’’ he said.

To a question put by the chairman (Mr J. J. B. Connor), the superintendent of the City Council traffic department (Mr G. P. Kellar) agreed that although the law required all motor-vehicles should have a warrant at the time of purchase unless it was declared in writing that the vehicle would not be used on the roads, there was no systematic method of check.

In reply to a suggestion by Mr E. B. Curtis that the committee should push ahead with its original intention which recommended the production of a warrant when the vehicle was relicensed. Mr D. C. Hogan, of the Transport Department, said there would be a tendency to leave all necessary repairs until June, and motor garages would not be able to meet the situation.