DISSATISFACTION

Southland Times, Issue 19459, 26 January 1925, Page 6

DISSATISFACTION

MOTOR VEHICLES BILL FARMERS’ UNION UP IN ARMS. At a meeting of the Invercargill branch of the Farmers’ Union, held on Saturday, the Motor Vehicles Bill was again the subject of a spirited discussion, and a resolution protesting against the system of taxation to be adopted was passed. The Chairman (Mr W. Ford) stated that there was a great deal of discontent over the Motor Vehicles Act. The payment of £3 2/- at the outset, plus 5/- for a driver’s license, and £2 per year, also plus the driver’s license, was an unfair burden on the farmers. Many farmers were willing to pay a tax if they could get good roads, but the money was to be centralised in Wellington, and the County Council had to spend £2 to get £1 back. He could not understand how the Bill had come to be passed at all. Mr F. Price: But if this £2 is spent we will therefore get £3 back? The Chairman: No, we will only get £1 out of it. Mr Price said there was also the question of number plates. There appeared to be no reason at all why the number plates should be renewed every year. It seemed to him that the scheme was simply a waste of money, as the same plates could do year after year. Mr J. Milne: I don’t suppose there are many of us in the room who know the present numbers of their cars, and if the numbers are to be continually changed we will not be able to recognise our own cars. The regulation is ridiculous. Mr T. Giller announced that a short time ago he had set off from Wallacetown in another man’s car, and had gone five miles before he discovered anything was wrong. (Laughter.) After some discussion the Chairman put as a motion that-: ‘Tn view of the heavy additional taxation which will shortly be enforced on all farmers within the Southland Power Board area, as a result of a deficit in finance in connection with the Power Board rates, we view with grave concern recent legislation in connection with what apparently is another inequitable system of taxation on farmers’ motor cars.” It was also decided to object to being forced to purchase each year a new number plate, such a purchase being considered unnecessary.