MOTOR REGISTRATION

Evening Star, Issue 18851, 28 January 1925, Page 6

MOTOR REGISTRATION

OBJECTIONS RAISED BY MOTORISTS.

NUMBER PLATE PROCEDURE CRITICISED. The following is a copy of a. letter sent to the Hon. Mr Bollard (Minister of Internal Affairs) by the secretary of the Otago Motor Club—- “ I am directed by the executive of my j association to support the objections made j by the South Island (N.Z.) Motor Union to the regulations governing tho numberI ing and identification of motor vehicles 1 under the (Motor Vehicles Act. We consider that the proposal to issue new number plates each year is unnecessary, and will mean an absolute waste of thousands of pounds annually, a procedure we strongly object to. ‘ We fail to see why the English system of a license card displayed on a' conspicuous part of tho Vehicle cannot bo copied. “Tho statement attributed to Mr G. M'Nama.ra (Assistant Secretary, Host and Telegraph Department) that suitable holders for license cards would probably cost about 20s has evidently been made under a misapprehension; suitable and well-made holders can be landed in this country for a matter of 5s or 6s. It is quite correct that these arc not obtainable locally in sufficient quantities at present, but that difficulty might easily have been overcome bv the use of cablegrams: and at all events it would not have been a serious matter had it been found necessary to delay the display of license cards for" two or 'three months. _ Further, we make a most emphatic protest against, the department’s action in sending on to Motor Associations a copv of tho regulations proposed. these regulations being a copy of English procedure; and, after being approved of by motor organisations, the department. concerned apparently turns volte face and brings in another system of numbering and identification. Motor Associations have loyally assisted the Government to place taxation and traffic regulation measures on tho Statute Book, and we do not appreciate the> action of tho department in this matter. “ The primary object of the Motor Vehicles Act was the better regulation of motor traffic and to expedite tho punishment of offenders against public safety. This phase of the Act has apparently been overlooked by those responsible for framing regulations which make it necessary for thousands of cars to carry ou their identificaton plates the letters ‘N.Z.’ and five figures. This system of numbering will make identification much more difficult. Why not divide the dominion into police districts, and allot identification plates with a letter or letters denoting the district, and restrict the numbers to not more than four figures? There would bo no trouble in working this system, even where there are a large number of registrations to be made.

“Wo look upon the proposed system of issuing identification plates as being so objectionable that wo (strongly endorse the action of the South Island (N.Z.) Motor Union in asking that the issue of plates be suspended in the meantime. “It is better even now to waste the whole amount incurred by the importation of number plates than to perpetuate such a wasteful and inefficient system as has been prescribed by the department concerned.

“The number plates at present in use are in the majority of cases a standard size, and only require to be renumbered. It therefore seems to us that it. is unnecessary to substitute plates supplied by the department."