DERATING OF COUNTRY LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20555, 5 May 1930, Page 12

DERATING OF COUNTRY LANDS.

Sir.—l notico that Mr. W. J. Poison, Dominion president of the Farmers' Lnion, is reported, from Invcrcargill, to have advocated ;i policy of derating farm lands and substituting an increased petrol tax. It certainly seems to me that this is only a reasonable course to tako, as nowadays practically tho only traffic on the roads is motor traffic, from which it is (unliko the old horse, waggon and gig days) possible to select directly the revenue required for tho upkeep of the roads by means of petrol tax. In other words tho user of tho road would pay in exact proportion to tho amount ho used it. This would undoubtedly solvo tho problem of motors competing with tho railways, as it is only when the motors can get their track for next to nothing that they can compete with the railway, which has to make and maintain its own track at very considerable cost. It would also ease tiie roads of the burden imposed on them at certain times of tlie year of shipping lambs and sheep hy lorry instead of driving them <o the railIn my own case, I use the seven mile' of road into my properly to carry i'J annually about 20 tons of manuro and lo tako out 30 bales of wool for which I have the pleasure of paying about £25 a year in rates. This carting is all done in the fine weather, and so, as far as I am concerned, a clay road would me just as well. Yet* my actual cartage costs are another £1 a ton for the sev«' 1 . miles, over and above petrol, tyro and. other taxes and charges; but in the for® of rates, and I think there are a good many others in tho same position. With all WIS unemployment in the country has not any member of Parliament got (he courage o his convictions to try to give the farmer as fair a spin as possible, so that his costs are put down and lie can then pjj men on economically to do the huudifl . of jobs every farm wants done? luck to Mr. Poison and his policy; it 1 a step in the right direction. >"■ Dry Siocfc