THE VEHICLE TAX.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13798, 10 July 1908, Page 3

THE VEHICLE TAX.

GRIEVANCES. OF CARTERS 4

A STRONG PROTEST. Of recent years; local general -' carriers ? aaill.. carters have suffered serious disabilities - on, account of the numerous-borough-councils, and road boardii adjacent to tie city of Auckland having exercised the powers vested in them under trie Public Works Act, where l by it is permissible for each council or roacl board to levy what is known as the "wheelE tax," which takes the form of either ailt' annual license for each. dray or waggons using the roads or a charge of so much pelf load for any heavy material, such as scoria,; bricks, lime, timber for building or other purposes, machiaery, etc., carted into pi' through each separate district. • The Auckland and Suburban General Car* riers and Carters' Association have had tail matter under consideration for some time past, and seeing that the Christchurch car* ters are similarly affected' and are moving jflji the direction of petitioning Parliament for : a central uniform tax, a special meeting of the Auckland Association was held, ■ when...:■,■ it was decided to join with Christchurch and * the other chief centres of the Dominion wife, the object of inducing the Government' to remedy the evils; complained of. The fol- : lowing communication was accordingly forwarded to the Prime Minister, and copies were also sent id the Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin Associations, together with a strong recommendation that concerted action should be taken in the direction indicated: ;.■ ■■■'■. ':-';

I. am directed to respectfully draw: your attention to a matter which is now becoming a serious burden upon !js coal merchants, and. all who are engagecTwi or connected with what is termed "heavy traffic" in and through the city of Auckland and the various boroughs and road districts adjacent thereto. I refer to the " wheel tax'.' which is now being imposed,' either by annual license or otherwise, by the ' City Council and the several borough councils and road boards in question. It not infrequently haptens that, under the powers vested in the several local bodies referred to, as; much as 7s is charged upon; a single load before it reaches its destination. It is also possible under existing laws for the proprietor to be compelled to pay iD the aggregate, by way of licenses and other fees, the.-.', exorbitant '' sum of £70 in the case of a vehicle having narrow-tired wheels, and £35 for a vehicle having broad-tired wheels, per annum, before such vehicle will be allowed to travel with heavy loads over - roads included in the boundaries of the city, boroughs, and roiid'districts alluded to.*'"'On:?one occasion three waggons loaded with iron'; pipes were sent to Lake Takapuna,'and the : ; owners had to pay the :i exorbitant sum of r s £3 for each waggon (£2' being charged by the Devonport Borough Council and £1 by ' the: Waitemata .County Council) to avert legal proceedings, The license fees demand- 'p; ed in this instanc3 amounted to considerably ;--. more than the price charged for . the de-" livery 'of • the pipes. It : ; is • contended - that ,■ this evil is being greatly aggravated by reason of the fact that local bodies within and adiacent to -populated districts are runhesitatingly talcing advantage of Acts or.; Parliament which were ■ only > intended to protect' the unmetalled roads * in districts v remote. from centres of -' population, ■ \ and. 1 were never meant to apply in the manner in,, which they are now being used, to the serious detriment of tradespeople and the ; public generally. .■■ It iis therefore« respectfully suggested; that, during 'the present session of: Parliament' some enactment! should -be ■;- passed ■; which; would empower the Council of each city to levy and collect a spec-hie'" tax" or "license" cbverinif the city- and also the adjacent boroughs :md road districts, the ; ag-!,:, gregate sum collected "to Ibe divided pro rata, between the several 4 local" bodies interested: §, failing which, it is urged that the powers at present vesteltiiiiilocai bodies; for levyinif a,, ; separate license or wheel tax for each separate district should he no restricted, as to remedy this manifest dn Justice. "

Speaking to a Hebald,representative yes- '■ terday, Mr. Grorirenor snid that Eden Ter- . race, a small district adjoining the city, with only half.a mile of main road leading to Mount Albert, Avon dale, and all the northern . districts,; formerly allowed loads of gravel, scoria, and building material to i j pass through at per load, and now it declined to contir.ie that 4 arrangement an** insisted on an annual license. Its scale of . taxation provided for' a 'wheel tabepf £10 per annum for vehicles having 2£in tires and £5 per annum for those having 4£inltires, or' „ (at the Board's option) Is per'load ■ for alB ■. scoria or building material, including tiitt- -. ber. And the s«t me scale had been adopted v by Mount Albert - ' (adjoining Eden .Terrace}; Mount 'Eden (adjoining Eden Terrace), - Ep*; I som (adjoining Mount Eden), One-tree Hoi (adjoining Epsom], Eemuera (adjoining. One- ~] tree Hill. and Ejpsom), Mount Roskill [ (ad- ] joining Epsom and Mount Eden districts),' | Waitemata County (embracing all the north f and west portions adjoining the city, Avondale, and Mount 'Albert),' and Avondale (adjoining Mount Allpert). All the city carriers paid £1 for the city license. ' e * To merely crosjt over any road in any of ' these • districts' or Ito ; enter, the district ;at "all;] I f with a load of 3Ccwfc/to the ; pair* of wheels ; ; (including weight of t vehicle) s. rendered I &*lf§| owner of ; such' vehicle liable to a breach of.. the traffic by-laws, the maximum' fine for which was £5. Carriers were - continually; i being fined for breaches" of these by-laws in, - the different districts.

'\ ; 'The payment oris per load to each road j? board was in itself a severe tax, but if,the boards Were allowed the option of imposing a license as an alternative it would be prohibitive for many of ; the carriers to pay such licenses in addition to the license they were now paying }» the eiity. '•"■ Eden Terr was within a mill > and a-half ;of; : the Auckland post office, and off Eden Terrace wove several roads where building extension was ' rapidly proceeding, causing a demand for. gravel, which was obtained from a pit at Mount Itoskill. lathe delivery of a load of scoria to Eden Torrace the cost was Is 6d value of the;scoria, Is wheel.tax'to Mount, Roskill Boad Board, Is to Epsom Road Board, Is to Mount Eden Council, and la to Eden Terrace Road Board, consequently . ;the purchaser hac" to; pay 4s wheel tax and Is 6d for the material plus the carting. .-*■■ None of the sccria' required for' the city, Mr. Grosvenor acded, could be brought ik" without ; crossing ~i two other road districts, and mot/tly three. In the: case of the Waitemata County Council, '■ not only did I it impose : a wheel tax;' but it adopted a by-law li whereby it was necessary ! before any work could be .done in L the district to obtain a permit to recoup!l the Council its estimate made beforehand for damage to i the roads. Th a recent instance it required a sum of £300 to be deposited before the aggregate ■ quantity of. 130, tons of pipes could be carted •. , over "the roads. When the work was'com-, pleted half of ths amount (£150) was returned; but, although,, the damage to the road would not exceed £2,0, the contractors had failed to recover-any iportion of the re*mainder of the deposit of £300.