MUST BE RENEWED

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 121, 24 May 1928, Page 9

MUST BE RENEWED

MOTORISTS' LICENSES (By -.legraph.—Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, 23rd May. Mr. G. Cruickshank, "S.M., in a reserved decision to ; day, upheld the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act where they applied to the renewal of licenses, and entered a conviction against an offending moforist. The defence raised was that a license lasted indefinitely, and did not require renewal. The Magistrate said that up till December, 1927, the law was definite that all licenses expired on 31st March each year. To make a change over to 31st May the words about ending in March were repealed. The whole scheme of the Act and the regulations in many places showed that an annual renewal was required. If rested with the defendant to show that by amending the Act the period of the license which he held had been extended until now. In support of this the defendant said that the words "shall remain in force till March next" were repealed. To'say that a license which was lawfully issued for tho year ending on 31st March was now indefinitely' extended because words saying that all licenses shall end in March wero now struck out of the Act, was, to the Magistrate's mind, an unsound proposition. To so extend such a license required very definite words in the statute.