STEAM HAULERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3833, 30 August 1927, Page 13

STEAM HAULERS.

CANTERBURY FARMERS' COMPLAINT. CHRISTCHURCH, August 24. The excessive taxation on a class oi steam haulers, which acted as feeders to the railways, was the. subject of a complaint by Mr D. J. Hawke at to-day’s meeting of the North Canterbury Farmers’ Union. Mr Hawke said that in the particular case he had in view the lorry was acting as a feeder to the railway between Sheffield and Spring field. It was a different class of lorry from the ordinary motor lorry. It was steam driven and the wheels were a foot wide. It was working in with the rail way, not against it. The lorry had saved the farmers pounds in cartage, but the tax of £75 a vear was excessive. Moreover, it was a business which occupied only about six months in the year. There were not many of this class of lorry which used trailers in Canterbury, and the prohibitive tax on them was the cause of no more being imported. If the tax were reduced to £4O thev would be able to make it a workable proposition. Mr F. Pawson. railway district traffic manager, who attended, said the Question of taxation was one for the Public Works Department-, not the Railways Department. He explained that whatever lorry took goods to or from a railway station could obtain a concession, and the department could not see where the revenue was coming from. A case was quoted where a man could not take his steam lorry out of the shed to cart wheat because it cost him £6 10s in tax. Thus he had to use a small lorry, which cut up the road a great deal more. Mr Pawson said the Railway Board was n favour of the tax being reduced, and so was he personally, but the question rested with the Public Work. Department. He promised to take up the matter with the Railway Board and report back to the. union.