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Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 187, 23 July 1920, Page 4

The time has come when the question of motor traffic being called upo i to make a special contribution to th’ upkeep of the roads of the Dominioi mu#t be seriously discussed. We thin c it may be taken as a general proposition that motor-users of all classes ar.: prepared to accept the proposal, the only problem being as to how most equitably and effectively the suggested taxation should be imposed and it i proceeds applied. Motor traction is so manifestly an ever-increasing factor i’l our daily commercial,' industrial, and social life that its development alon; sane lines is a matter of vital inipoitance to the whole community, and must be accorded a thorough irtvestiga - tion before a final conclusion is reached. In our later issue yesterday ther • was published a special correspondent’s message giving briefly a preliminary recommendation from representatives of the New Zealand Automobile Association, who are now sitting'in conference at Wellington. This body, whos - various branches have had the subject under discussion for a long time, ha i suggested, almost with unanimity, thar. the levy should take the form of a tax upon tyres rather than upon either ths weight or the horse-power, or upcti both combined, of the vehicles themselves, The contention is that, broadly speaking, the taxation will thus bedistributed as justly as practicable, those paying most who wear out their tyres most quickly by making most use of the roads. Qualifications of this general contention will at once suggest thmselves. In the first place, it cannot be assumed that tyres will everywhere wear themselves out in relative times that bear any precise proportion to th” amount of use they are given. To say nothing of accidents and misfortunes, avoidable and inevitable, the quality of the tyres themselves and the skill and care exercised in their use must have a good deal to do with the length of their lives. Then, again, those that undertake to traverse the worst roads have probably the poorest chance oi lengthy survival, It is, however, very difficult to establish a rule which will wotk with absolute justice to all, and with the exception of the last feature mentioned, matters are very much in the hands of the motor-owners themselves, and of those whom they employ.

There is, of course, another feature of the case which will have to be given ilue weight, and that is the distinction to be made between vehicles that are being put to essential uses from which the general public derives a direct or

LUU IHUIU Ullim gant fancies for studying individual convenience and pleasure. That vehicles put to these latter purposes should bear a higher rate of taxation will be pretty generally conceded. There must, however, be a very considerable difficulty in drawing any hard and fast lino of demarkation between the irfility and the pleasure car. More especially is this the case, in a community consisting largely of country folk" whose business calls for speedy personal transport, and whose prosperity is yet such that they do not need to deny themselves the not infrequent use "of their cars for purposes of mere pleasure. Tho Minister who addressed the automobile iconferenee contented himself, for the time being, with an indication that the taxation fnust take some kind of differential shape on these lines. Whether he has in reserve some definite idea how this is to be formulated has yet to be disclosed. This aspect of tho case will undoubtedly provide one of the chief difficulties in the way of securing a. fair distribution of the tax, whether it be imposed upon the vehicles or the tyres. The third important question is as to how and by whom the resulting taxation is to be expended—whether the central Govrenment will take complete and final control of the fund, or ■whether it will attempt some scheme of equitable distribution among local authorities, leaving- them to decide upon the channels, of expenditure and to carry out the work itself. In this respect a good deal must depend upon the attitude which the Government may take up with regard to the proposal that it should assume the sole responsibility for the improvement and maintenance of arterial roads. This is a question that has so far had only very casual and .cursory discussion in this country, and be hoped that the present movement for motor taxation wull compel some much more serio’us consideration of it. If the country is to be developed to anything like its full productive capacity good roads must be recognised as an essential element in the case, and the main arterial highways must, of course, so far as motor traffic is concerned, demand priority of attention.