HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18422, 1 July 1925, Page 8

HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES.

MR JUSTICE REED'S JUDGMENT. (PHESS ASSOCIATION TELECEAM.) . * AUCKLAND, June 30. Mr Justico Kecd dismissed an appeal by the Auckland Motor Traffic Association against the City Council's heavy traffic fees—namely, £l2 for an unladen weight not exceeding 30cwt, to £75 for an unladen weight exceeding four tons on traffic to Hclensvillc in the north to Mercer in the south, holding that it could not be said to bo unreasonable. Mr Justice Keed said there was no statutory restriction upon the amount of heavy traffic license fees that municipal corporations may demand. It was a question of reasonableness. Tho amount must not be greater than sufficient to produce revenue enough to relieve the ratepayers of the burden cast upon them by the increased cost oi. heavy traffic and keeping the roads in a. state of efficiency which, in addition to maintenance, included improvement to the structure of the road sufficient to bear such traffic. lie was satisfied that the Council exercised honest judgment, and that, on the whole, it had not been proved that the total taxation required or tho incidence of taxation by which that amount was to be collected,could be said to be excessive. The motion to quash the by-law was dismissed with £O3tS.