Traffic Fees For Farmers’ Lorries

Northern Advocate, 10 November 1939, Page 4

Traffic Fees For Farmers’ Lorries

Although the Transport Department has instructed its inspectors not to enforce the payment of heavy traffic fees in respect of farmers’ lorries, local authorities ai’e under a legal obligation to do so. Legal opinion to this effect was expressed in a letter received by the Whangarei County Council at its monthly meeting today from the counsel to the New Zealand Counties’ Association (Mr F. M. Martin). “Whatever may be the attitude of the department on this matter, the council, in my opinion, is under a legal liability to carry out the regulations lln. respect of heavy traffic licenses and has no power thereunder to exempt any vehicle,” stated Mr Martin. “Whatever attitude the department's inspectors may take is no concern of the council, but if the latter desists from collecting fees on direct instructions from the department then, of course, the department could not proceed against the council.” Proper Course.

The proper course to pursue, continued Mr Martin, if it were desired to exempt farmers’ lorries, would be for the department to have the Act and the regulations amended.

Earlier the Commissioner of Transport had advised the Counties’ Association that when farmers were found carting their own goods without the authority of a heavy traffic license, the respective local authorities were requested to state whether or not it desired the department to prosecute, and no such prosecution was taken without the consent of the local authorities.

The question was discussed at the recent Counties’ Association conference, but no change as far as the association was concerned was made. • As the council had already adopted a resoluton deciding that the regulations be enforced, no further action was taken.