MOTOR VEHICLES

Evening Star, Issue 19712, 12 November 1927, Page 2

MOTOR VEHICLES

THE AMENDING BILL PASSES HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES REDUCED [Per Chited Press Associatiok.) WELLINGTON, November 11. Tho House of Representatives wi .. into committee on tiie Motor Veliim ■ Amendment Bill. Replying to criticism, the Minis, said ho proposed to have an amen meat effected in the Legislative Cun oil. tho effect of which would be i. give some relief to the users of trm. lorries by reducing the license fees In £5 to £3 and £3 to £2. When clause 13, covering these la was reached, Mr P. Fraser (Welln. ton Central) moved an amendment sub-clause 1, tho effect of which was eliminate altogether the flat in annual license fees on trade nun vehicles. Ho thought a motor spu tax was the fairest, and with it 1 operation it should bo possible to di pense with .the Hat rate license fee. Tho Minisler of Lauds (Mr A. 1 APLeod) said that Mr Fraser's ament ment, ii carried, would necessitate • review of the Government’s policy, on the loss af revenue would involve a dt eision regarding what portion ot thread improvement scheme should b. abandoned. Was it to be the roads in the vicinity ot the cities? The Minister ot Public Works (Ah K. S. Williams) said he could not a< cept Mr Eraser’s amendment, as i would entail too drastic an interference with the programme of relief 1.motor owners proposed under his owi, amendment. The Minister of Agriculture (Air 0 J. IJawken) said there was much talk about who should pay for these roads, but it was undoubted that the Govern ment roads paid thq motorists through the saving in car upkeep. Secondary roads now needed improvement as well as tho main highways.. Air V. H. Potter (Roskill) said he would support Air Fraser’s amendment as furnishing tho only real relief possible to those who used motor vehicles to earn a livelihood. Air J. R. Hamilton (Awarual said the country people had paid for the provision of roads until tnc advent ot the motor. The speeches of tho town members suggested that, tho town owners of motors should go scot free They were the most parochial appeals he had ever heard. Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutt) said that Air Fraser’s amendment would mean a reduction of £250.000 in the Government’s income, and they must see what effect this would have on the Government’s proposed operations. The in come from all sources under the Government's proposed legislation would amount to £2,340,000 Tho country people must reap benefit from the improvement of country through the increase in the value m their lands. In view of the large amount of income (mentioned above) that should accrue, the Minister would still have enough for his purposes if the £250.000 involved in Air Fraser’s amendment were sacrificed, Mr Wilford hoped that the amendment would commend itsvf (o members.

Mr W. Lee Martin (Raglan), sunporting the amendment, said lie considered a petrol tax was the only equitable method of raising the lecessan funds.

The amendment was defeated bv 41-22

The exemptions from the annual license fee proposed by the Minister under part 11 of the Bill were agreed to. These applied to (1) motor vehicles owned by local authorities and used exclusively in connection with the con stniction or maintenance of roads or streets; (2) motor vehicles, the property of any person (other than ;; local authority) which are designed arm used exclusively for the aforesaid purposes, and which cannot be used nr readily adapted for use for any otic purpose. A new clause was added exempting from license fees harbor board trailers or locomotives used ex clusively for drawing trailers. A fur thcr new clause was introduced reduc ing heavy traffic fees ns follows:Lorries which formerly paid a fee o : £5 are to pay £3; smaller lorries which paid 3 are to pay £2; and nro to he reduced from £5 to £3 These reductions, _ the Minister estimated, would remit taxation to the ex tent of £IO,OOO per annum. The clause was agreed to, and tin 1 Bill was reported with amendments, read a third time, and passed.