MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 35, 5 November 1920, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Olutch.")

The Tyre Tax. > A reply to certnin statements which' were ramie at Wednesday's conference of the. New- Zealand Taxi Owners' Association, regarding the. proposal of the Now Zealand Automobile Union that a tyra fax should 1» levied for the purpose of raising funds for the proper construction and maintenance of main arterial rond», was made yesterday by Mr. W. Beauchnmp-Platts, secretary'of tho Auto- ' mobile Union. "In the first place,," snid Mr. Beauehnmp'-Platts,; "tKe suggestion that the motor revenue is not to Ims used for 'improvement' is not quite correct, unless one interprets tho word 'improvement' as a mere ropair or patching of existing defective roads. Improvement' of the naturo which implies some degree of .permanence is decidedly the sort the union requires. The argument that taxi'owners only use the city streets is only one of those half-truths that are more misleading than an intentional 'misstatement.' and no one, I am sure, would accuse the Taxi .Owners' As-' sociation of "any intention to mislead. It is doubtless true that an appreciable percentage of tnxis In the four principal centres are mainly used in the city streets, but thero is a good deal of traffic, 'on suburban and country roads, while there is a very large volume of .country -.traffic ■ issuing from country towns all over New Zealand, and this should contribute according to-its usace. The statement that 'the rich men of'ma countrv l>elong to this automobile union, is nuitp unworthy of the association which voiced it. Very little reflection or inquiry would have shown that the percentage ' of 'rich ' nun 1 is in* finitesimal. the greatest percentage "being ' persons of very moderate incomes who use their cars primarily for their business. The proposal to rebate a percentage jn the case of cars used' for business is quite unsound.Apart from the fact; tliat as so'very many ufe them for; this purpose the amount of the rebates would materially reduce thi> expected income from this taxation, there Tcmains the fact that If a vehicle is used .for proflt-earnlne ,It should pay tax on those profits. Prior to. the advent of motor vehicles no onu ever heard of any proposals to rebate payments for oats, harness, or any other accessories for horse-drawn vehicles, and to seek to apply this theory to a new class of vehicle is ridiculous. As r&> sards the irregularity in the life of tyres, this is well known, but it would average itself out in tho long run. Moreover. the imposition of ft tax would call for more careful selection in makes, and create a demand for a better class of tvre. a demand that manufacturers would not fail to respond to. Surely tho Taxi Owners' Association will not deny the soundness of tlie doclrino that the greafcer the use of anything the greater the payment therefor, and if they think, that the 'tvre tax will not meet this principle, what, will? A tax'on weight is a tax 011 mere'possession, and therefore Is inequitable." Taxi-Owners' Conference. . .. Tho first animal conference of. the Dominion Taxi Owners'-Federation was resumed at the Town Hall yesterday morning -Mr. G. A.. Waddle presided. " Officers for tho ensuing year were elect, ed as follow—President, 'Mr. G. A. Waddle (Wellington)vice-presidents, Me-si's. A. 15. Fitzgerald (Wellington) and A. Jones, .junr.. (W r elliu'g,(»n);. treasurer. Mr. Leo De,Ernesto; auditor, Mr. Ivoryj secretary, Mr. F. J. M'Comisky; ■delegates to the executive, Messrs. G. Wuod (Cliristchurcb), E. Gibson (Otago), S. ,T. Williams (Napier), R. S. Andrews (Marlborough), F. Mumford (Southland), and G. A. Waddle' (Wellington). Executive business is to be carried out by the president, vice-presidents, treasurer, and Consideration was given-to the use of ■ -mirrors -on. motor-lorries, and. a recommendation was adopted that tho.width of a load on lorries be limited to:'ten feet, and that a deflecting mirror extend beyond the load to show the lorry driver ■any traffic desirous of passing (overtak- ' "Much discussion took 'place o* the- qnesi tion of lights on'.vehicles'.-.•"It-was pointed out that, a "tail-light'on tfr.Tehiclw was essential to the safety of traffic, oven on bicycles it'was necessary. Men-tipn-was <£vlso mada of tho fact that 1 M- motor-wagons often obscured tlio side, lights,'.-' The follo.wiiiK motion "W carried: "That it be a recommendation to the Government that all classes of vehicular traffic, including bicycle, be-com-pelled to carry a visible tail-light. Furthermore. this conference considers tliat the Government should bring down legislation to protect traffic against the driving of stock and other animals after sun'loThe matter of lightiilg care on stands was also discussed* and' a decision orrived'"at on the:, following lines: That taxis' standing- awaiting, .engagement on a ' taxi-stand- shall be' exempt from, being lighted, "owing to the, great, strain on their storage batteries,--and consequent loss of'time' and' 1 expense; this; to be contingent on such-tax-stands boing piopei> federation should devise soma schemo for the purcliaso of benzine and 't-vres; '\ras' : a' suggestion by Mr. 1. \< Stevens (Otago). The matter was discussed at some length, and it was,deoided- "That a committee -be 6et up to. consider ways and'means for .purchase of ' and accessones, Tutli full J° Williams (Invercargill) suggested that a badgo be issued to all members of the federation. The . chairman ipoint,e'd out that this matter would be considered by the executive.. The delegates were' instructed to get into touch with their committees, requesting them to inquire from the Auckland 'particulars 'relative to - their distinctive taxi "star" badge.- • ■ " The" q flection of insurance of cars w«S held over until tho. next conference. National HlflH'ways Board. In • the course of , his fetter Prime-Minister,..' urging that the Government, should mako some effort to deal with . matters affecting . tho .interests of motorists, tho secretary of the New Zealand Automobile Union (Mr. W. Beau-clmmp-Hatfs) writes:- My union l 1 0? frequently urged tho establishment of a national - highways board on somowhai similar lines to.that at present wovbng so successfully in the Stalo of Victor > Australia. It is not expected that this system-will bo : taken en bloc,- as-the geographical and other; conditions prevailing in the Dominion' vary somewhat from those in Victoria,- but the gMoral principle -involved is equally applicable here, and tho system of raising the revenuo for. road purposes can readily M adapted to the;needs of this community. In fcon'sidering tho amount of money to b e 'raised for road, construction unl maintenance my union desires it jo do mndo, clear that it will, resist to tho litmost any attempt by any Government to I follow a suggestion at present under discussion in England,' namely, that the whole of the road costs are to be borna bv motor users only, regardless of the obligations of other- classes of users, and bv tho owners of property eontignousto those roads. The files of -recent English papers show that it is actually -proposed • to relieve lAnd'owners of their ordinary taxation to tho tune ofsomo seventy-two millions"of money by taking it oft the land and imposing it upon tho motor vc■Mrl6:' Such a- proposal -is almost-euro to"be defeAted, mainly on the gTonnd of its gross inequity, and' also because, of its destructive effect upon a very important and over-increasing lndustir. With regard to the formation of the proposed highways board, my -union., w of opinion that so far-as may-be consistent with tho proper control of the board it should-be as free as possible from'all political influences, and should consist of very' highly qualified persons,- having technical knowledge of tho contributory interests involved. My union further submits that upon the establishment of tho board and tho fixing o£ the taxation necessary' to'produce its revenue, all other forms of motor taxation should bo abolished and 110 local authority shall have any right to impose any local tax additional to that imposed by Parliamentary authority. The only reservetion- in tins is the special annual tax 011 heavy vehicles already referred, to and the nominal fees payable under t-lie heading of annual license and motor registration. Tho prohibition of additional taxation should also )>e extended to cover the erection of toll bars, a system to .which my union is very definitely opposed." l"". ;

I/ißhtintMip time;— To-day, 6.SS {Mh Next Friday, 6.45 p.m.