TIME EXTENSION NECESSARY FOR THOSE WARRANTS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 130, 26 February 1937, Page 15

TIME EXTENSION NECESSARY FOR THOSE WARRANTS

Department of Transport Must Give

Latitude

With less than live weeks to elapse before March 31 it is obvious the work of issuing warrants of fitness for the 240,500 motor vehic e.Dominion cannot be completed by that date. It is equally obvious that ne request to be made by Automobile Associations for an extension or inc date to, say, June 30 is fully justified.

The approved garages and the municipalities are unable to cope with the rush which is inevitable if motorvehicle owners cared to obtain,, or try to obtain, their warrants by March 31.

If testing is done propertly, and that is testing and not repairing or replacing parts, the time occupied over a vehicle will be nearer a half than a quarter of an hour. Judging by the accommodation available in some garages, apart altogether from the tasks of the average workshop and the space so occupied, the testing of vehicles is going to be a huge bother in lots of places. The smooth working of the arrangement will not be made manifest for a long time. Possibly, at the end of the two-years period, when the system of testing is to be reviewed, the testing and well-tested garage peoples will have a smooth working plan. There is going to be a lot of irritating business in the experimental period. Before very long there will be 1000 approved garages on the job, and it will be interesting to note what effort is to be made two years hence, if necessary, of course, to displace them by central depots. If central depots are ever adapted a neat problem in regimentation will have to be tackled, but that job is one for solution by the Minister of Transport if he decides that something better than the present plan can be evolved.

To save delay, expense and inconvenience it seems that the more competenl ly-staffed testing places or stations the better. There will be a greater spread of the work, and probably greater efficiency. A move is being made by Automobile Associations to obtain authority to carry out the testing of mot or-vehicles and issue warrants of fitness. It is I not contemplated, of course, that repairs or replacements should be done. It will be purely testing work, the garages being left to carry out any necessary replacements. The associations, some of which in the past have actually issued driving tests, have the staff and facilities to do testing work, and if they obtain the necessary authority they will be in a position to give good service to motorists and relieve the pressure of the inevitable rush. Many of the associations have been carrying out headlight and brake testing for their members for a considerable time past. The more places the motorist can go for his warrant of vehicle fitness the better for all concerned at any time. At all events the Transport Department cannot get 100 per cent, compliance with the regulations by anything like March 31, and if the department cannot see its way to grant an extension of time then it will have to •face the position with a very large helping of tolerance.