MOTOR VEHICLES BILL.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19167, 25 November 1927, Page 8

MOTOR VEHICLES BILL.

AMENDMENT INSERTED. DISCUSSION IN UPPER HOUSE. [TltB PRESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, November 24. An amendment was inserted in tho Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill in the Legislative Council to-day, providing that a motor vehicle plying for hire regularly between two terminal points situated within districts of different local authorities, shall be subject to charges made by each of tho two local authorities. The Leader of the Council, bir 1 rancis Bell said the clause was intended to amend the law and prevent tho position whereby it was recently decided in Court that a motor vehicle plying recularlv for llire was lwble -° pa , y - ? license fee in every district in which it travelled. It had been always understood that a vehicle plyinefor hire, say from Wellington to Masterton, should pnv a license fee both m Wellington and in Masterton. That was reasonable. The alteration provided that while a motor-car should only pay one charge to a local authority in the district of its parage, in addition, where a vehicle plied regularly between two terminal points, it must pay two charges, one each to the local authorities at the terminal points, but not in intermediate districts. Sir Francis admitted that the clause still would not be strictly satisfactory, for local authorities found that their roads were used bv vehicles in competition with their own vehicles. On race days cars came in from outlying districts, conveying people to the races, and plied for hire. # "I am afraid it is not within the wit of man at present," he said, "to devise a law which shall meet that class of case, and at the same time exempt motor-cars that oueht to be exempted from paying the fee. We have tried the idea of providing for exceptional davs, but that won't work." The Hon. Mr Snoderass pointed out that the clause would unfortunately, on companies which interchanged cars from day to day from one service to another. The Hon. Mr Gow thought it would be sufficient to provide for registration at one terminal, and for distribution of revenue amongst local bodies along the line of route. Sir Francis Bell said the local authorities had expressed satisfaction that, if, where there was a garage at each terminus, both garages should pay. Mr Snodgrass: The difficulty couJ4 be overcome if cars were assigned tospecific routes. Casual cars would not come under the clause, because they were not in the regular service.