MOTOR LORRY TRAFFIC

Hokitika Guardian, 2 June 1930, Page 2

MOTOR LORRY TRAFFIC

NEW REGULATIONS

ORDER-IN-COUNCIL ISSUED

WELLINGTON, May 30

An Order-in-Council was today signed by his Excellency the Govern-or-General, effecting the following amendments to the motor lorry regulations, which deal with the protection of roads from heavy traffic and the taxation of such traffic. The licenses issued on payment of the taxes are at present annual, and the applicant is entitled to pay his fees in four quarterly instalments, Thus lie is able to obtain a license for a full year on payment of one quarter's fee, Boca} authorities have objected to this as increase ing their difficulties of administration and therefore provision is made that in future a quarter’s license fee will entitle the owner only to a quarter-yea? license.

As owing to the recent political happenings delay has occurred i?i the issue of the Order-in-Council, a clause is included so that, where licenses have already been issued, no change thereto will be necessary if the applicant has paid his fees for the full term of the license,

It Is already the law that the m°tnr vehicle known as fihe “six-wheeler” may be used on fist-class roads, although weighing up to fifteen tons gross, and the Order-in-Council is intended to make clear that the modern type of six-weller (what is known as the rigid type) may, if of a class proved by tbe Minister, be included in the some law similarly on roads plas= sifted lower than the first class. The multi-axled motor lorry, as these types are called, will be entitled to a corressponding increase over that limit to which the two-axle machine is bound. The gross weight limits for third and fourth class roads are altered from six tons and four tons to six and a half tons and four and a half tons respectively, these being tbe limits for twoaxled machines on those classes of roads. Tbe present classifications impose a handicap on vehicles manufactured in England, ancl tbe alteration is designed to remove that anomaly. It is provided that tbe total weight rtf tbe vehicle and its load which la borne by any one axle shall not exceed six tons in tbe case of a multinxle’d machine and eight tons in any other case, and the steering axle must nnrrv at least 18 per cent o'f tbe total weight of tbe vehicle and its loqd. Tips amendment is partly a precautionary i one resulting from the foregoing provisions relating to multi-axled machines. It is understood that tbe foregoing amendments are regarded by tbe Government as being urgently required nnd that they have either been advocated or agreed to by the majority of local bodies. Tf is learnt that a complete review of tbe regulations is now well under wav. and that thev will shortly be issued in draft form for consideration by local bodies and others concerned.