POINT IN MOTOR BILL

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 45, 21 August 1924, Page 15

POINT IN MOTOR BILL

T ,Tl le, rain Points In. the new Motor Vehicles Bill are. well summarised 'by the New Zealand Herald" as follow— If the new Bill is passed this session it will'be compulsory to register motor vehicles before the first • day of February, 1925, and pending their registration it shall be lawful; to use such motor vehicles after the commencement of the Act and before the first day of Febru •ary, 1925, if they have the identifying marks and numbers appropriate' to their: registration under the Mofor Regulation I Act, 1908. Clause .5 (2). -. : The foe payable for the registration °- ny moix* vehicle is £1. This is in addition to the annual license fee, which is £2, for eveVy private motor-car, £5' for every motor-coach or motor-omni-bus, etc. 9 (b). The first application for license in respect to any motor-vehicle-must be made within one month after the r^ristralioti of. tlmt vehicle. 11 (1). If :i. liocMfp is applied, for ..and granted for a pprioif !<!,«(? Ui;iu Vycai:. tlic""'lir-eii>=c !>•■?'• prescribpcl ■ l.\v tire Arl, r-|iflll hr re-, duustl by. uUf-lWfilElh. gfti'l ikwsfli few

every complete.month'between the date of the grant of the license and the 31st day ofvMarch last preceding such' date. 11 (2). . _.

Within"seven days' after the sale or other disposal of any registered motorvehicle the person selling or -otherwise disposing shall notify the Deputy Registrar, at whose office the' motor-vehicle is then registered, of the fact of such disposal . .-'.--. and'shall transmit the certificate of registration of the motor-vehicle,- and the -then current annual license in respect thereof.. 17 (1). Sub-seoMon 3 of section 17 provides for tho issue, on payment of a fee of -five shillings, of the endorsed certificate and license'to th» new owner of Stiy car sold or -disposed of in accordance "with section 17 (1). Under section 20 and 21, provision is made for local authority to issue, at a fee of five shillings, a motor-driver's licer.sej which shall be operative throughout New Zealand, and which shall remain in force until the 31st day of March next, after the date on which it us issued, arid shall then expire ■

During his recent lecture on traffio problems, at the Royal Colonial Institute, Superintendent Brack, chief of the Sydney Traffic Department, claimed that tltf enforcement of the "Keep to the lei had met with the most Rratifyrng success, and that this success had been achieved largely by the com-mon-sense of the pedestrians themselves who realised that by keeping to the left they were brought face to face with moving traffic on the roadway, and that this was.a big advantage when the former, dfsired to cross the road. "There are niore people walking on the left to-day m than ever walked on the .right, because they realise the reasonableness of this regulation,", was Mr. Brack s contention. ■■

The. dashboard electrioal 'fittings of most modern cars have been'greatly improved in appearance during tho last few years. This meant active competition between makers for reduction in size and external smartness, and has not always resulted in efficiency It ig sometimes^ delicate, and in many cases probably inaccessible, iob for the' average owner to tackle his . switchboard, should he have any trouble with his lighting, ignition, or starting" cirouit A lighting failure is rather a nasty experience at night and, on a strange road may result m a wrecked oar. The -wise motorist will find an inspection lamp with a few yards of loose wire invaluable m a case of night trouble. The wiring should be connected up direct with accumulators, which, as a rule, will contain 'at least sufficient "juice"' to light a lamp. Every motorist should carry on his car a clear chart of the wiring, switches, etc., which thoroughly explains the functions of, the complete elecjwical. equipment. This chart, and a book of the words," is usually supplied free of charge by the manufacturer.

A concrete floor is the best for a garage, but, of course, a wooden floo* would be the cheapest. Asphalt would be better than, wood, but. not so durable or easy to .clean as concrete.' ' If you decide upon conorete, a. thickness of 4in should be quite adequate, this being composed mainly of aggregate with just a thin surface of cement.-.

Although so much has been written and.spoken about the supposed complete displacement of the horse by- the motor vehicle in America, some figures recently published, by the Saers-Roebuck Agricultural Foundation show' that "Dobbin" has not been completely supplanted-, there being still some 2,300,000 in the American cities alone,' while farm horses have, only dropped 10 per cent.

Many of the traffio: accidents in Paris are alleged to be due. to inefficiency on the part of drivers of horse-drawn vehicle's. It is, th")Brefore, proposed by a' member of the municipal council that horse drivers should be licensed in the same way as the drivers of automobiles, and that before being granted a license they should be; submitted to an examination iii' driving and traffic regulations, and in the care of. horses... . ■■.- '