RAILWAYS V. MOTORS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 9 March 1925, Page 4

RAILWAYS V. MOTORS.

HEAVY TRAFFIC. DISCUSSED BY COUNTY COUNCIL. At the meeting of the Hawera County Council on Saturday a circular was received from the \V aipawa County Council urging that as far as possible traffic shouLd be put on the rails in counties through which lines ran, so as to support tne railways*'and to help reduce the cost of upkeep of toads. The chairman said the question was important, and in his opening remarks referred to new regulations for heavy traffic. In those there were nine classes: width of tyres, Sin to 12in; speed, 20 miles down to 12 miles; licenses, lorries £6 to £75, passenger ’buses £l2 up to £75. He noticed that in these regulations there was no exemption for local authorities from paying license fees. The local authorities were entitled to charge 5 per cent, for collecting fees, aril the rest went to the body through whose territory the traffic ran. They had to depend on lorry drivers to keep a tally of his mileage. Cr. Washer considered that where lorries went the areas were entitled to something. ' The chairman said that the licenses of their own lorries would go to each local body owning them. When a license was once issued a lorry was entitled to go anywhere in the Dominion without paying any more fees. He was convinced that all local authorities should he exempt —fire, hospital, harbour boards and county and borough councils. This, as h.e had said, was not mentioned in the regulations.. He considered the council could do no harm by supporting the .resolutions. To meet the heavy fees charged for lorries and ’buses; ail owners and passengers would have to pay a portion. It did not matter how the amounts required to keep up roads were raised. He said they must again strongly urge the exemption of local body vehicles. If lorries worked all in one area that local body took all the fees. Comments were asked for before March 19. He considered a motor-bus could afford to pay better than a goods lorry, and instanced the case of the service ’buses in the district'. * , The. resolution to support the Waipawa suggestion was carried, and the matter then dropped. AT EfLTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL. A similar cornmunioation was read a.t the meeting of the Eltham County Council on Saturday. • Cr. McWilliam remarked that whilst the council was in sympathy with the railways they could not* force traffic on to the rails .artificially. The communication wa.s received,