CLASS LEGISLATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 51, 18 July 1912, Page 3

CLASS LEGISLATION.

j PROPOSAL TO TAX MOTORCARS. "Wealth should be taxed," said the chairman of the Stratford County Council very emphatically yesterday. He was reading some statistics which showed that in Taranaki there were 244 motorcars and 87 motor-cycles. The United Kingdom, remarked the chairman, taxed motor-cycles £l, and motor-cars from £2 2s up to 40 guineas per annum. Here they merely paid an annual registration fee. People who could afford luxuries, it appeared to Mm, were free from taxation, whilst the producer, who was the back-bone of the country, had to pay. Another feature worthy of consideration was the fact that anyone was allowed to drive a motoi-car. "A man might," he 1 said, "come out of a lunatic asylum, and within twenty-four hours, if he had sufficient money, could purchase and drive a car." • Drivers should certainly, he added, possess some certificate to show their capability.- Reverting to the tax, he certainly thought they should move in the matter. The Taranaki County Council, he thought, would assist them in this direction. The chairman also referred to the.damage motor-cars did to the roads, and not only that, they kept in the middle of the road and, with their "too! toot! too!" drove all traffic in front of them to the mud roads at the side. The- new Government might -be presumed to be progressive, and -might -be expected to-act fairly between-man and man, he replied, in answer to a query whether such taxation would be allowed. [ €r. Walter considered that many used motor-cars oil the road in preference to I a buggy and pair. If one was taxed, why not tar fliv. ntlim"? Tt - '

i not tax tii'c other? It was introducing ; class legislation, to which he objected. [I J'Wealth should be taxed," again emphatically declared the chairman; and ] he then moved that the Taratiaki; Clif- I ;} ton, Egmont, Eltl.uim,Hawera, 'Whanga- ' momona, ' Waiitiate West and Patea Councils should be approached on the question of imposing an annual tax on This by Cr. Christoffel. ■ Cr. Ycmng" questioned if ■ some "of the Councils mentioned would move in the matter. : They had' erected toll-gates, which was tax enough. < • Cr. Marfell tliought the question of taxation would bring a hornet's nest about their ears. They should be very i . wary. He. certainly favored that every driver shouM"liave"a certificate of com- t ■ petency.. •_. . Cr. Walter would not favor taxation unless it could be'shown that motors did more damage to the" road than did. - horse traffic.: 'He pointed out that in England'"m carriage -and pair also was taxed £2 2s?; .. I The engineer, in reply to a query, pointed out that it had been proved by) a Royal Commission in England that' a I j | motor-ear .travelling at a high rate of

speed did damage- the roads. The draught created raised the finer material, which the'wind, swept away, and other traffic was thus'enabled to work up the loose material. On roads in the state of the Stratford roads he did not think a motor-car wpulkl d 0 anything like the damage done l*y ordinary heavy traffic, but it would do so when the roads were put in good order. After some further discission, the matter was deferred till next meeting, and meantime councillors Mil digest it thoroughly. ' ". ' ' ■ ■ "