NORTH ISLAND UNION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19571, 18 August 1933, Page 6

NORTH ISLAND UNION

ANNUAL MEETING. By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, June 17. The annual Conference of the North Island Motor Union opened this forenoon. Owing to the late arrival of the Limited express, some southern delegates could not attend the opening. Mr W. A. O’Callaghan presided. Welcoming speeches were given by the Deputy-Mayor, Mr Entrcan, and Mr A. Grayson, president of the Automobile A ociation, who said he thought the Conference should make some desperate effort to get some reduction in taxation. At present all kinds of organisations were trying to push taxation on to motorists. The annual report stated that from the point of view of the Automobile Associations the year ended June 30, 1933, had been a trying one. Conditions throughout the Dominion had been depressed to such an extent that a great many members had been forced to relinquish their membership. Further than this tl.e Government had found it necessary to impose further taxation and the motorist had not esca d the net of the tax-gatherer. In spite of difficulties, however, it was pleasing to know that all the Automobile Associations in New Zealand had continued steadfastly to maintain full service to members, and every ear it became more worth while to belong to an Automobile Association. Membership. The total membership of Automobile Associations in the North Island showed a drop con.pared with 1932. At June 30, -932, there wvsre 29,628 persons members of Associations affiliated to this Union. At June 30, 1933, this number had dropped to 27,869. Motor taxation was so punishing in its nature and extent that it was difficult to speak with restraint on the subject. Every time the gentlemen sent to Parliament found the reve- :es insufficient td meet commitments made they made Irish onslau. its on the motorist. The ad valorem tax on petrol, to give one example of the way ii which the mote- it was singled out for taxation, was now nearly 400 oer cent, or more than double the ad valorem tax or any othi ■ commodity, essential or otherwise. Motor taxation had progressively increased since 1924 to such an extent that to-da. they were paying 7CO per cent more tax than in 1924. Nor was the tax-gatherer content with heavy levies upon motorists by way of registration fees, inn- al license fees, heavy traffic fees, petrol tax, etc., but the Customs Department ir. the last ten years collected on motor vehicles, tyres, parts and acccisc des, no less a sum than £9,363,843. Some tim .go the Union decided to adopt as the rer jnised signal that a person as blind by the holding up of the right hand when crossing a street. The Jubilee Institute for the Blind had r.ow advised that white walking-sticks vvure to be carried by a blind person in futur. and at this meeting they would have to adopt the suggestion and thereafter continue to give publicity to this new indication of blindness. Theft of Motor Cars. The theft of motor cars went merrily on. Since the last annual meeting many cars had been stolen, many motorists had been put to considerable expi-nsj to reco-er them, frequently only to find on recovery their car badly dameted. It had been pointed out to successive Ministers of Justice for many years that the reason that this o' ss c. oflence was s<_ common was tha the cgislature refused to regard as serious; in fact, the theft of a uotor car sturned to be regarded in certain official qua ters as merely an escapade to be deprecated, of course, but not as anything more than ebullition of youth. The Govcrnent had been asL .1 to have he penalty inerc sed. but thest reques-v .ad been met with hackneyed objections. Just how youths would be treated if they stole a few sheep worth

10/- each they could well imagine. "That would not be an escapade in the eyes of the law, the maximum penalty for this being many years' imprisonment, but if the same youth converts a motor car to his own use, abandons i badly damaged in : me remote lr.ee, puts its owner to c.nsiderable expense to recover it, then in the eyes of the law this is nurchan escapade.” “Early in February of 1933 the Government launched its annual attack on the petrol user and increased the petrol tax from 8.48 dto 1' .55d ( incluuing primage) per gallon, and thereby elevated New Zealand to the doubtful eminence of levying the ..ighest petrol tax in the world. In association with our friends of the South Island Motor Union, we made strenuous efforts to have this additional tax reduced, and as you know we were successful in persuading the Government to reduce the tax by Id per gallon. 1 cannot lecall any othei instance of a tax already imposed being so promptly reduced, and that It was through the instrumentality of tl.e Automo- e Associations that the reduction cam; about *• surely still another -eason why every motorist in thi country should belong to an Automobro Association." Heavier penalties for persons unlawfullvfully converting motor cars were urged. One delegate suggested that a severe birching should be included A protest was made against Main Highways Board’s refusal, to grant any exemption from 40 miles an hour speed limit on gravel roads. The Union reaffirmed Its adherence to the principle that driving to the common danger should be the only offence of the sort under the law.