HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18897, 20 December 1924, Page 13

HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES.

EFFECT OF NEW BY-LAW. LARGER PRIVATE CARS LIABLE. STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR. The fact that the heavier .the private motor-cars will corao under the new I scale of heavy traffic License fees adopted j by the City Council on Thursday evening l was emphasised yesterday by the Mayor, I Sir James Gunson. The statutory definition of heavy traffic upop which the by-law setting out the 'icense fee 3 was based, said the Mayor, embraced all motor vehicles, the weight of which with their maximum loads exceeded two tons. The council's by-law was framed on the unladen weight of vehicles, but unless the unladen weight, tcgethe; with the load, reached two tons the vchiclo did not come under heavy traffic and was not affected by the by law. On the other hand, where any vehicle with its maximum load reached two tons, the by-law applied to it in the gradation relating to its weight, the fees ranging from £12 to £75 in five gradations. It was now the duty of every owner of a vehicle coming within the description of heavy traffic to take out a license from January 1. "To make it quite clear." added the Mayor, "the larger of the private cars— and there is quite a number of them— which weigh, say, 40001bs, will with their load reach two tons. These private cars coming within the statutory definition will have to pay either £12 or £25, according to unladen weight, in additioi fc) the £2 annual license fee to the Government unde; (ho Motor Vehicles Act. "If a vehicle with its maximum load docs not weigh two tons it does not come within the scope«of this by-law. If its unladen weight is oOcwt and its weight with a maximum load exceeds two tons it comes within the scopo of the by-law and pays the minimum fee of £12.* If its unladen weight exceeds oOcwt and its v. eight with a maximum load exceeds two tons, it pays the fee of £25, the annual fee being determined by its unladen weight. There can be' no exemptions, the statute being perfectly clear and the council's by-law impartial and applicable to all." HIGHWAYS BOARD SYSTEM. POOLING IX GROUP DISTRICT. [by tei.kge.vph;-—own correspondent.] WHA2CGAREI. Friday. As a result of an interview with Mr. Wynyard, chairman of . the Main Highways Board, it was announced to tho' Whangarei County Council that when licenses are issued for heavy traffic and vehicles plying for hire, they will hold good from the Waitemata County to the worth Capo. The fees paid throughout i tho No. 1 group district will be pooled j and allocated upon a basis to bo evolved j between the the local bodies affected. ] Classification of vehicles and roads will be included in the regulations. j