HEAVY TRAFFIC.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4575, 15 June 1923, Page 3

HEAVY TRAFFIC.

DISCUSSED BY COUNTY COUNCIL. BY-LAW TO ENFORCED. At the meeting of the Ohinemuii County Council yesterday Cr. Corbett said that at the last meeting of the old council he had moved that no further licenses be issued until the new council had had an opportunity of considering the matter. At the present time the cartage on the Pae-roa-Waihi road was becoming very heavy, as the motor lorries were in opposition to the railway. He said that the shopkeepers were getting the benefit of direct transit and were not passing it on to the public,, and the ratepayers were deriving no benefit. The railway traffic had been so affected that the Department had threatened to reduce the timetable and move the station. There was only one way in which the Council could help. They could not raise the amount of the fees, but they, cou.d enforce the by-laws. It could not be argued that the by-laws were out of date or oppressive. The matter should be looked on from the ratepayers’ point of view. He moved the following resolution••That, the holders of. heavy motor licenses trading on the Paeroa-Waib. road shoudl be notified that at the expiry of their present licenses the -by-laws would be enforced as far as that particular road was concerned. The chairman said he was of the opinion that a conference between the local bodies should be called vO go into the matter of heavy motor licenses at an early date. Cr h Corbett said that his reason for -withholding the issue of licenses was because he wanted people to realise what was required of them. He was .out to Place-the-Paeroa-Waihi road bn the same footing as other roads that, the ratepayers were called on co pay for. Cr. Hubbard said that if the goods for Waihi were diverted to the railway the aspect had to be considered that the carting on the road would be lessened until there would not be sufficient revenue to maintain th® road. ■ , , • Cr. P. Corbett, in seconding the resolution, said that a big question had been raised. There was no doubr that the motor lorries were tearing up the roads to the detriment of the ratepayers; The . only people .who were reaping' any benefit from the direct delivery'were the Waihi shopkeepers. He was of the opinion that the Paeroa-Waihi main road should be closed to-heavy traffic during the winter months. , Cr. H. M. Corbett said that he did not want to see. the traffic between Puke wharf and the Paeroa railway station restricted in any way. CONFERENCE SUGGESTED. On the motion of Cr. Johnstone, seconded by the chairman, it was decided that a conference representing the 'various local- bodies should be held to try and arrive at some um- / formity of regulations regarding the weight of traffic to be permitted bn T the roads, and at a uniform scale of fees to be charged such traffic.