DRIED MILK LORRIES.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1339, 9 January 1923, Page 5

DRIED MILK LORRIES.

DA.MAGi; TO COUNTY ROAOS. A PPOKTIONM ENT OF COST. '■They are cutting up the roads terribly." said Cr Storey at yesterday's meeting of the Waipa County Council when the engineer reported the damage done to the roads by the dried milk lorries which are collecting milk in the Te Awamutu district. Other Councillors in the ridings concerned endorsed these views. Cr Livingstone asked whether it is merely a case of damage arising out of the collection of ratepayers "fat." The chairman said this was a difficult matter. If.every settler supplied dried milk it would be easy to either tax all equitably by means of butter fat charge through the Dairy Company, or by a higher rate on the county demands; hut a county rate worked out unfairly on those who carted cream only. Cr Ellicott thought the lorries mainly served those who were some distance from the factories. Those near at hand made their own arrangements. The long runs of the lorries were the cause of the trouble. The chairman said another difficulty was the cream and milk traffic as compared with the cartage of other heavy produce. It would be unfair to tax milk jr cream and allow heavy traffic in the form of chaff, etc., to continue exempt from special tax. Very certainly the Council had to obtain sufficient revenues to maintain the roads and the money had to come from the settlers some way or another. His greatest -concern, however, was to arrive at a system of taxation which would be fair and equitable, working out justly between all classes of traffic and equal in its operation against those who are, near or distant from the dried milk factories. It was not a matter for hasty action but for careful consideration. Several Councillors "'endorsed these views, and after a brief discussion Crs Crook, Storey, Coxhead and Macky were appointed a committee to act in conjunction with the chairman and engineer in the further consideration of the matter.