FARMERS’ LORRIES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4235, 24 January 1940, Page 7

FARMERS’ LORRIES

license! fees should be collected. OPINION OF WAIPA COUNTY COUNCIL. The Hamilton Borough Council’s clerk forwarded to Monday’s meeting of the Waipa County Council a copy of comments made by the Matamata County Council in rejpect of the allocation of heavy traffic fees from the pool, and requested that the Council give the same consideration. To Cr Onion, the chairman (Cr S. C. B. Macky) , remarked that the pool had worked very satisfactorily in the past, but certain local bodies now did not collect heavy traffic? license fees for farmers’ lorries.

Cr Livingstone thought all fees should be collected by the local bodies affected by the pool. The chairman said if the regulations were amended to extend the weight limit for farmers’ lorries the position would be altered. Cr Church said most farmers would not be affected, as with a one-ton truck a farmer could convey his pigs to the railway, making two trips if necessary.

( Cr Johnson said it was desirable to have united action among members of the pool. Cr Onion agreed, and said there would be trouble otherwise.

Cr Church recalled ago drays had to be licensed in each county in which they operated. It was agreed to urge that all license fees be collected, under, the regulations.

One councillor commented that the Minister of Transport was largely to blame for not insisting that the regulations be enforced. If the regulations were altered to extend the weight-limjit exemptions for farmers’ lorries no doubt there would be accord, but at present the regulations required that fees be collected. The Council agreed also that’ farmers’ lorries up to class D (34 to 4 tons gross weight,) should, by alteration of the regulations, be charged only half fees. This was regarded as a step in the right direction, in the interests of primary production. HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES. Reference was also made to the incidence of heavy traffic fees and collection by local bodies of royalties for extraordinary traffic—for instance where fees were paid in one county dnd much of the traffic was over the roads of another county. During the discussion the engineer (Mr W|. G. Macky) expressed the view that if the penal fees for extraordinary traffic were pooled that would not be as equitable as the present practice of each local body receiving fees for extraordinary traffic. It was explained that at present restriction of heavy motor vehicles on certain roads was in the hands of local bodies, except that there was the 'right of appeal to the Minister of Transport, an interested party. It was claimed that dhe local bodies knew best whether <Anage would be caused to certain rojras by, say, carting timber over inferior road surfaces during the winter months. If the Minister acted only on the recommendation of his Public Works district engineers the position would be acceptable, but it was felt that it would be unfair if such a recommendation was not acted upon. The position is to be investigated by a committee consisting of the chairman, the clerk, and the engineer.