CAR OWNERS MUST RENEW LICENSES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3012, 18 March 1926, Page 4

CAR OWNERS MUST RENEW LICENSES.

NEW| NUMBER PLATES, BLACK

AND WHITE.

TO BE PITTED BY APRIL 1,

The issue of new number plates for motor vehicles will he commenced within a few clays. The onus is on the motorist to pay the license fee of £2 before April 1, and attach the new plates. Detection of delinquents will be immediate, as the plates for the year 1920-27 are black and white, in contrast to the current green and white plates.

Under the Motor Vehicles Act, which became operative last year, every private car, commercial motor or motor cycle must be both registered and licensed. The registration remains in force for the life of the car. It is secured for a fee of £l. The licensing is an annual matter, and all licenses expire on March 31, irrespective of when they were taken out. For the license, a fece of £2 is paid, together with 2/6 for a pair of number plates. Motorists who acquired cars during the last twelve months. have not been required to pay full license fee. The charge is proportionate to the number of months for which the license will operate before the national licensing date on April 1. Last yar motorists enjoyed considerable latitude before the regulations were enforced. A week <afler April 1 there were scores of cars in use which had not been registered. In many cases this was due to ignorance. To many private car owners the regulations seemed complicated, and they took the risk ignoring their responsibilities in the meantime. After some weeks had elapsed, the police took action against drivers of cars which bore | he obsolete black and white number plates. This year the position is dear, and undoubtedly the authorities will be less tolerant of any oversight.

The main registration and licensing depot for Foxton will be the Post Office, but any post office will register. In the course of a few days the plates will arrive, and then circulars will be displayed in the local Post Office.

There are nearly 125,000 motor vehicles in the Dominion, of which over 82,000 are motor cars. The allocation of the funds of ,he Main Highways Board between the North and South Islands is based on the distribution of. the motor registrations. At present about three-fifths of the money is expended in the North Island. The contract for the number plates, let to a Wellington firm, provides for the supply of 150,000 pairs of plates at a cost of £18,750. They will cost the motorist 2s 6d a pair, as against 2s last year. This is said to be due to the rejection of overesas tenders. The letters “N.Z.” have been eliminated from ihe plates. In many quarters, regret has been expressed that letters indicating the postal district have not been substituted. The police, traffic departments and post office officials have frequently complained i hat the tracing of a car is unnecessarily protracted because inquiries have often to be referred to several postal districts before a driver can be identified.

Under the new system of manufacturing the plates of pressed metal, it is impossible to obtain a duplicate in event of loss. The regulations stipulate that a new pair of plates shall be issued.