UNLICENSED VEHICLES

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 236, 10 February 1911, Page 4

UNLICENSED VEHICLES

COAST CARRIERS FINED. «P At the S.M. Court yesterd|ay before Mr. H. S. Fitzherbcrt, S.M., Ebenezer Woolridge was charged with keeping or using a motor waggon, plying for hire within the borough, without having a license for such vehicle in accordance with section 100 of the borough bylaws. Defendant was only the driver of the vehicle, which was owned by his father, J. H. Woolridge. Defendant did not appear, but his father was in attendance, with Mr. C. H. Weston as his solicitor. Mr. Weston stated that defendant pleaded guilty to the charge, and said that his client owned a motor-waggon and several horse-waggons. In common with other carriers on the coast, it seemed that Mr. Woolridge considered he was treated in a grossly unjust way, and, ill-advisedly, Sir. Woolridge had taken this way of making the troubles of these carriers known. They had 10 pay heavy tolls—Mr .Woolridge had to pay 30s a week in tolls alone—and they considered this was sufficient without the borough asking them to pay license fees. The traffic they did in the*borough was comparatively insignificant. Mr. Quilliam appeared for the Borough Council, and pointed out that defendant and other carriers from the coast used the streets of the borough just as much as did carriers plying only within the borough boundaries, and so it wag quite fair they shoitid pay the same fee. They came in heavily laden and went about the borough picking up good? and parcels. Defendant had paid the license fee in previous years, and was well aware of the by-law. Tho last fee he had paid was paid on February I, 1906. His Worship inflicted a fine of £1 10s and costs £1 10s, pointing out that the fine was made up of the £1 due on April Ist, 1910, and 10s penalty. Henry Fox plcatM guifty to a similar offence. The vehicle in question in this case was a five-liorse waggon also owned by J. H. Woolridge. A fine of £1 and costs £1 5s was inflicted.