Cars now cheaper to relicense than motor-cycles

Press, 31 May 1978, Page 3

Cars now cheaper to relicense than motor-cycles

A large proportion of the 108,000 road-going motorcycles in New Zealand will cost their owners more than a family car to relicense for the 1978-79 year. The total relicensing fee for a motor-cycle of 126 cu cm or more is $40.60, according to the schedule of fees printed on the 1978-79 relicensing forms now available from the Post Office. This includes the disputed $25 accident compensation levy and a $3.50 indemnity surcharge.

The actual licence fee is only $l2. In comparison, the ordinary private car will cost $39.30 to relicense. This includes a fee of $14.20 for the Accident Compensation Commission.

The relicensing fee for motor-cycles between 61 cu c i and 125 cu cm is $30.60, and for motor-cycles of 60 cu cni or less it is $13.70. Power-cycles with pedals also cost $13.70, a rise of more than $3 on the fee charged for the previous year. AU motor-cycles, except power-cycles, cost $25.50 to relicense last year. Although relicensing does not begin officially until tomorrow, the motor registration department of the Chief Post Office has been processing early applications for the last two days. How-

ever, there has been no rush by motorists. Only 20 vehicles had been relicensed by late yesterday afternoon, said the motor registration supervisor (Mr W Butterworth). Last year, the office had relicensed 3 ,009 of the 156,500 relicensed in the Christchurch metropolitan area, he said. A slight increase on these figures was expected this time.

There had been no reaction so far from motor-cycl-ists at the new range pf their fees, Mr Butterworth said.

One power-cycle rider yesterday told “The Press” that he had attempted to relicense his machine at last year’s rates — and failed. He asserted that the increases had not been gazetted.

This proved incorrect. The new scale of fees was gazetted on May 18 and took effect on May. 19. There has been talk of boycotting' relicensing by motor-cyclists but this is not being taken seriously by motor-cycle organisations. Nevertheless, motor-cyclists are continuing their protest at the rise in fees from $25.50 last year to $40.60. A major rally to protest against the new fees was to be held in Wellington during Queen’s Birthday week-end, said the organiser of the earlier Christchurch protest meeting (Mr T. R. McCleary,

sen.) yesterday. The rally was being organised by the Wellington Motor-cycle Action Group and riders from Christchurch, Nelson, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Napier, Hastings, and Rotorua had indicated that they would attend.

The Tauranga Motor-cycle Club has organised a protest ride from Tauranga to Wellington on Saturday, and will collect other riders along the way before joining the rally. The motor-cyclists will ride from Victoria University to Parliament on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, a meeting will be held to form a New Zealand Motor-cycle Action Group. The aim of this body will be to put pressure on the major political parties. The organisers hope to persuade the party in power after the General Election to levy all motor-vehicles at the same rate. - “Both the Accident Compensation Commission and the Government say motorcycles are dangerous. We say they are more vulnerable. There is a distinction,” said one of the organisers of th D rally, Mr G. Dobson. The New Zealand Auto Cycle Union is still attempting to arrange a meeting with the Minister in charge of accident compensation (Mr Gordon) to discuss the relicensing fees.