MOTOR VEHICLES ACT

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1925, Page 4

MOTOR VEHICLES ACT

Wll AT K KGISTH ATIOX H F.Y FALL I) WELLINGTON. July LI. Kvcry year sees the horse-tlruwn vehicle, placed still further on the "scrap-heap of time.” and in a Ipw more years horse transport of all kind's will he a rarity in very many parts of Yew Zealand. The coming into operation at the beginning of the year of the Motor Vehicles Act. passed las! session, provided the first lag step taken lor the control of the ov: r-incrcnsiiig motor vehicle. The legislation, besides prescribing the foes which owners of cals have, to pay for registration and lieon-mg. contained the billowing penally provision whic.i motorists have been vise tu heed:- "Every person commits a crime and i.s liable on indictment to imprisonment, fur a term tint exceeding live years, or to a tine not exceeding live hundred pounds, who recklessly or negligently drives any motor vehicle, and thereby causes bodily injury to. nr t.he death of .any person: or who. while in a state of intoxication, is in charge of a m >tor vehicle and by an ait nr omission in relation thereto, causes bodily injury to or the death el any person. It shall he no dclenec to an indictment for the crime ol manslaughter llmt. the guilty act. or omission proved against the person charged ii|m siudi an indictment is an act or

omission constituting a crime under this section.” The police report that, the severity of the penally under the new Act has caused the molin' speed kings to think very carefully helore opening out into pace with their ears, and as a cnusecpienc c traffic is very much heller controlled than in the past.

"Before ilif .Motor V(illicit' Act ivus passed," It 111:1 ll<:•! 1 till' Minister til llllermd Ali’iiirs. tiit* lion I!. K. I»t> 1!;11; 1 to-diiv, “it was not ptissil»le to say lo w many motor vehicles ihciv wore in use in New Zealand. I!y reason of the excellent system of resist rat inn- now imposed, we art' able to give the ligures and they »n very inueli above the estinialetl numher oi' cars previously t?i. n. The Registrar of .Motor Vehicles in all interesting detailed return ice has just submitted to me shows that between January Ist. and June 22nd. there were registered in the eighteen highway districts of llie I).minion 101.S’J motor vehicles et all (-lasses. that number is made up as billows: I here are 70.2b!i ears. 771 J one-ton trucks. I (;7<) t tin-ton trucks. 7.-, | three-ton trucks, (i'lfi I'otir-ton trucks, i’ll liveton trucks, 12 six-ton trucks, 10 over six-ton trucks. l!!1n motor-bust's, St)s traction-engines. Id-1 three-wheeled trailers, 218 two-wheel, 128 tractors, r>() ainhulaiices, 111 other vehicles, and 21.1112 cycles. Mr Bollard said that he did not .stijw pose that motor dealers or the automobile associations had any idea that the figures would reach such a lolly height, lie quoted from a further return of th" registrar showing the number of motor vehicles of all classes registered in the dill’crent highway districts. In No 1 district (Bay of Islands, Kdcn, Creal Barrier, llohsmi, I lok'iangn, .Maugouui, Otamalea. Kod- ' liey, Wailematn, Wliangarci, Wliaiigal roa) there were registered 12.50 l vehicles; No 2 district (Coromandel, Franklin, ilauraki 1 ’la ins, Mainikau. Matamnta. Ohiuemuri, Pinko, Raglan. Thames, Waikato, Waipn), ; No I! district (Opnliki, Rotorua, Tanpo, Taiirauga Wliakatane), 2RI-1 ; No I district (Cook. Matakaoa, Cawa, Waiapu, Waikohu). 11)40; No .1 district (l)aniie- - virke, Hawke’s Bay, I’atangata, Wnitiawa. Waipukurau, Wairoa, Wehor, Woodvillc) 7070 ; No 0 district (Kai- , tieke. Kawliia, Ohara Otorolianga, Tau- ' marimtii. Waitomo), 12H0; No 7 district (Cliftuu, Kgmont, Till ham. Tlawera, Inglewood, Stratford. Taranaki. Waimate West, Whnugainamnna) (>2118; No ; 8 district (Batea. Itangitikei, Waimn- , rino, Wuilolara, Wanganui) T2iil; No !) district (I lorowliemia. Ilutt, ivairanga. Kiwitea, Makarn. Manawatu, Oroua, Rolmngin) KLUtki ; No 10 district (Akito. Castlepoinl, Kketahuim, Fell t hers tin I. .M as ter ton, Man rim. l villi*, Rahiatua, Wairarapa South), -11117; No II district (Colliiigwood, Marllioroiigh. .Murchison, Sounds, Takaka. Waimea), 3071; No 12 district (Boiler, (troy. Inangahua, Weslaud) 121-1; No l.'i district (Ainuri, Awatere, Cheviot. Kaikoiira. Wnipara) 1 100; No 11 district (Akarua. Ashley. Kllesmere, Kyro. Halswell. Heatlicote. knuni, Malvern .Muiiih Herherl. Oxford, Baparoa. Ran giora. Sclivyn. Springs. Tawera. Waimairi. Wairewa) 12,01)2; No 10 distriet (Ashbiirton. (leraldiuc. Levels Mackenzie, Waimate. Waitaki) Sfioll No Hi district (Lake. Maniololo, Yincent, Waihellio, Waikimait i) 101.3; No 17 district (Bruce. C’lutha, l’eiiinsida, Taieri, Tuapeka) (>121: No 18 di-ii'iet < F'iord. Southland. Stewart Island, Wallace) 0002. "I p to June trill, la.-I,” said Mr Bollard. "tin' total amount received from llie registral ion and licensing lees is £21)3.1!'-’i. I am conviin ed that the legislation pa---ed by I’arliaineiil has achieved the aim in view. The Act lias plated all motorists on an equal I'oniiug in the taxation imp i-cd ; the inntorisst everywhere knows now what he Inis to pay; the revenue for the upkeep of our highways is'certain, and the administration of the Act by capable niiicer- lias caused few complaints. The I new svstem has i'ullv iustitied itself "