CAR RELICENSING NEXT WEEK

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 184, 1 May 1940, Page 8

CAR RELICENSING NEXT WEEK

Later Than Usual

DISTRIBUTION OF NEW PETROL COUPONS

Relicensing of motor-vehicles, which usually takes place from May 1 to May 31, will not commence this year till May 6, next Monday. With their new number plates, which will bear white numbers on a Venetian red background, motorists obtain new petrol coupons for use commencing on June 1. The petrol coupons now held by motorists wil become obsolete after May 31, and no more will be issued to the owners of private cars till they have paid their licence fees for the 1940-41 year. When an owner has paid his fee and is receiving the new number plates be will be given coupons appropriate to the horse-power class to which his car belongs. The colours and quantities for which they are good are as follows: —One-gallon coupons, with violet background, for motor-cycles; two-gallon coupons, with red background, for cars under 9.5 h.p.; threegallon coupons, with yellow background, for cars between 9.5 h.p. and 14.5 h.p.; four-gallon coupons with green background, for cars over 14.5 h.p. The coupons will be in perforated sheets, as are the coupons now in use, and 36. sufficient for a year if the ration is not altered, will be handed to each car owner. The sheets are being numbered, so that none may go astray and so that a system of auditing may be maintained. The coupons have been designed so as to make forgery difficult, being overprinted on a coloured background that is hard to copy. Only one case of forgery of the current coupons has been discovered, but the'authorities realize that coupons should not be easy to make. Owners of large cars, who use the four-gallon coupons, will not be compelled to.buy petrol in four-gallon lots, for it has been announced officially that service station attendants will be allowed to accept a four-gallon coupon for a smaller quantity of spirit and give "change” in smaller coupons if they have them.

Some alterations have been made in the form of application for relicensing. An owner will now be asked the horsepower of his car, so that he may be provided with the proper coupons, and will have to state the ’’’nd of fuel the car uses. The kind of fuel has become of importance since there has been a tendency to use substitutes for petrol. Cars which do not use petrol, and whose owners thus do not contribute petrol tax, are liable to pay mileage tax.

Steel Taken for A.R.P.

Several factors have contributed to the delay in the commencement of relicensing. One is the shortage of steel for number plates. When the war broke out some of the English steel destined for New Zealand motor vehicle number plates went into air raid shelters, and the manufacture of plates could not commence as early as it should have. Motor vehicle number plates were to have been manufactured at the Exhibition by the contractors, and the plant for the work had been placed in the buildings, but the delay, in (lie delivery of the material prevented the display being given. Shortage of paper for the forms has been another cause of delay. Private cars .. this year will bear plates with numbers from 2001 onward. They have been allotted to districts as follows: —

Christchurch 2001 to 29000 Grey mou th ....... 29001 to 3-1700 Westport ........ 31701 to 32600 Nelson .......... 32001 to 37000 Blenheim ... 3700.1 to 39500 Invercargill 30501 to 49500 X>uii*e<l , iii < , 49501 to 6350(1 Oamaru .......... to 66100 Timarn .......... 00101 to 73100 Wellington ...... 73101 to 97100 Palmerston North . 97101 to 110.100 Wanganui 11010-1 to .118100 New Plymouth .... 11S1OI to 129600 Napier •. .129601 to 139600 Gisborne . 139601 to 145 UM) Thames .145101. to 153600 Hamilton 15300-1 to 172100 Auckland 172101 to 214100