MOTOR REGISTRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18332, 23 February 1923, Page 8

MOTOR REGISTRATION.

NEW SYSTEM SUGGESTED. ANNUAL LICENSE FEES. PRIVATE CARS AFFECTED. The existing system of registering motor-cars under the Motor Registration Act, 1908, was reported adversely upon to the City Council last evening by the Finance and Legal Committee. The report stated that the system was inadequate for present-day conditions, and .that the popular use of motor vehicles for all purposes called for a more effective form of registration. -^ The present system requires that a car need be registered only once, provided the original owner retained ownership. A transfer of ownership constituted a new registration for which a fee of 10s is paid. This, with the cost of a certificate of competency to drive, constituted the only source of revenue the local authority derived from private motor-cars. The committee pointed out that many cars changed ownership without notification, consequently it was an impossibility to keep the register up-to-date. In some instances the only means of ascertaining the name and address of the owner was by numerous Court prosecutions. ■.'■■ . '~' . The most effective method would be, that of annual registration, a fee should be charged and a distinctive mark issued and attached to the car so that it could be seen at a glance that the car was correctly registered. Ihe annual tax on private motor-cars should be: fixed on the horse-power of the engine at the rate of 2s per horse-power. Another matter requiring attention is the annual licensing of private drivers. These licenses should be issued by the local authority at a nominal fee, as, apart from proving the efficiency of drivers, this would facilitate the authorities in locating offenders against the traffic laws. An endorsement on the license for each offence committed and suspension or cancellation of a license for the year would act as a deterrent to reckless drivers. The report was adopted. It was decided to forward the following remit to the next municipal conference:— That the Motor Registration Act, 1908, be so amended as to compel an annual registration and the payment of ah cense fee for private motor vehicles, and that such annual license be fixed on the weight, horse-power, and carrying capacity of the vehicle." __________«««»«—».