VEHICLES TAX.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1919, Page 7

VEHICLES TAX.

(Continued from page 6.) ' Wera Borough Council had protested against the establishment of a toll-gate, but the residents were glad to pay a tax to get a good road. The toll-gate was better than the outrageous system proposed by the council. It would be particularly hard on the people who now jmotored to New Plymouth about once or twice a year—mostly for holidays—if they had to pay £5 before they could travel through the county. He urged council to refrain from passing the bylaw, and to join with the other bodies and come to .some conclusion that would be of a more just and reasonable nature. He would like to know if the council really intended collecting the tax from those who came on to the county road about once a year. Cr. Connett: Everyone seems to have assumed that we do.

Continuing, Mr. Dixon said if the bylaw did not mean that the council intended that, he would like to know what it did mean. He did not see how the council could discriminate in the matter.

Mr. Walter said that while appreciating the difficulty of the council in financing the necessary revenue for the upkeep of its roads, the class of by-law proposed was not in the interests of the local bodies. The feeling of the conference was entirely in sympathy with the council. He recognised that the pleasure cars from outside districts, whose drivers looked for good roads, should have to . contribute something towards the upkeep of the roads, and at present the whole of the expense fell on the local bodies.

Messrs. Linn and Pigott also spoke in support of the conference's view of the matter, and said they- would be prepared to support a national tax on vehicles, and a better subsidy on rates.

CHAIRMAN IN REPLY. Mr. Connett said he appreciated the sympathy of the delegates with the council's position, and was glad of the prospect of Borne united steps being taken. What, therefore, had been done by ,the council had served a good purpose. The object was that something more equitable and fairer than the present method should be adopted. He pointed out that general tax would not be available for some time, and the position of the county was urgent and more serious than many of ,th& deputation were aware of. He was glad, however, that those present had ' evidently given a good deal of thought to the matter. It must be recognised that the county which carried the greater traffic must have the greater share of any tax imposed. As far as New Plymouth was concerned, they appeared to object to everything. The council would have been glad ,to erect a toll-gate, but New Plymouth had opposed it, and the council had practically been compelled to adopt its present proposal. Mr. Connett pointed ou,t, also, that the reduced railway service had intensified the difficulty, as it would throw more traffic on the roads. He accepted the sympathy of other bodies, bu,t that would not provide metal for their roads. He was glad there was a feeling of a Dominion scheme of vehicle taxation. H the action of the Taranaki County Council resulted in such a scheme being involved then .their taking the initiative in the matter and bearing all the odium would have been worth while. He hoped the Elth'am Council, which always took the lead in county matters, would act at once irrespective of whether the bylaw was confirmed or not, and get a conference and go into the matter. Cr. 0. Anderson asked if the New Plymouth Borough would be prepared to allow the county to erect a toll-gate as a means of temporary relief to the I comity.

Mr. Burgesa said he could not reply to that without conferring with his council. He referred to what the council had had to do in order to put its own streets in order, and said the rates had gone up, and would have .to stay up, he thought, for sonie time to come. He hoped the Oounty Council would enforce the whole by-law if it was confirmed, as if it was left to inspectors to discriminate they might do so with favor. Mr. Burgess then expressed the thanks of the deputation to the council for receiving them, and hoped a Solution of the problem would be found.

Mr. Connett .thanked the deputation for the friendly spirit in which they had met the council, and said they would consider the representations made. The deputation then withdrew. DISCUSSION* BY COUNCIL.

After the deputation had retired the Council discussed the position. Cr. J. Andrews favored holding a special meeting, the matter being too important for justice to be done in the short time available that afternoon. Cr, MeAllum said that the question at issue was whether they were going to go on with the by-law at once or postpone the information for a month to enable the conference to arrive at some solution.

Cr. C. Andrews held that if the Council did not go on with the matter, all "the twaddle they had heard that day Would die a natural death. He was drilling to postpone consideration for a month if the New Plymouth Borough Council would favor the erection of toll gates.

The chairman said that there wonld fbe the same opposition to toll gates as (to t.he by-law.

, Cr. Andrews pointed out that the New Ivmoutli Horou?h Council had never L. «i asked, and it was only fair to give them a chance to choose between the by-law or toll gates. The chairman said that the by-law Bhould be confirmed, but they could withhold putting it in operation until after the county conference. Mr. J. H. Quilliam, county solicitor, said that the date of bringing into operation must form part of the resolution.

Tn reply to Cr. Simpson, Mr. Quilliam stated that once the by-law was operative, any member of the public could lay an information for non-observance.

Cr. J. Andrews objected to the by-law in its present form. He had understood that it would not affect horse vehicles. They should consider the bylaw carefully, and only pick out what it was intended to make the by-law operative against. Cr. 0. Andrews understood this had been settled at last meeting. Or. Morton said that there appeared to he some misapprehension regarding the term "operative." They must fix a time when the by-law became legally operative, but the question of making it actually operative rested with the Council, who would have to appoint an inspector or some one to collect the tax. Mr. Quilliam bad told them that any private person might lay an information, bnt he did not think any private person would. The council need not appoint-an-inspector that day, and until tbey appointed oae or two insskowculd ib»KOUind^MlßlF

to see that the law was enforced, it could not be said to be actually inoperation. If the conference can succeed in getting the Government to introduce legislation on similar lines then they would have done all that the Council wished by introducing the by-law. Cr. McAUum considered that the passing of the by-law would be a big lever in forcing the hands of the Government. Two or three of the speakers said that it would cost £5 to bring a car to New Plymouth once, but the speaker held that it would only cost £2 10s. The chairman said that it would cost only a quarter of £5. Speakers always put the extreme case in every instance.

Mr. Quilliam pointed out that the charge could be made half-yearly.

Cr. J. Andrews opposed the tax being put on vehicular traffic. The Chairman said that they must have discretionary power to tax vehicular traffic if necessary and he instanced the fact that wagons were carting firewood off the Puniho Road at all seasons of the year. Cr. J. B, Simpson put in a strong plea for the small settler, and he instanced the case of settlers in the Moa Road district, many of whom in the Lincoln, Road district never" used the County road, whilst those on the Bristol and Dudley Roads used very little of the County roads, and yet tlioy had to pay heavy rates to the upkeep of those roads—a rate that was to be increased by 3-8 d this year. This road from VVaipuku to Inglewood carried the whole traffic from South Taranaki, and it was not fair that the by-road settler who possibly had no metal on his own road should have to bear the whole coat of maintenance. Inglewood borough also had to bear all the traffic on these roads at race time, and got no revenue therefrom.' Speakers had. remarked on the question of self interest. Well, he considered the small farmer waa entitled to the same self interest. He pointed out that !n addition to the 3-8 d rate they were going to he rated lor a special loan for tax, really to carry outside traffic, which was causing the settlers increased rates. The Taratoaki County Council had take|n the right steps. They had the club lifted and should keep it, and pass the by-law, even if they did not put it in operation. Mr. Quilliam suggested that they should make the by-law legally operative in October, and if any better course was meanwhile suggested it could he repealed. Cr. Wooldridge asked -what hope was there of any 'better course, save through Parliament?

The Chairman pointed out that if any scheme was introduced they would get no revenue for twelve months. If a tax was placed on motor tyres it could not be placed on those imported, and the distribution would not take place for some time. He favored holding over the operation of the by-law till October to give He conference an opportunity of arriving at a solution when the by-law could be repealed. Cr. Woolrtridg* pointed out that the feeling of the, meeting appeared to favor toll gates, j The Chairman then moved that the hv-law he confirmed to come into operation in October.

Cr. Laurence seconded, and the motion wg.s carried.

A FURTHER CONFERENCE. On the council's decision being communicated to the conference, it was resolved that the chairman of the associated local bodies of Taranaki (.the chairman of the Eltham County Council) should call a conference of those local bodies at Eltham at an early date, to which would be invited representatives of the other bodies which had participated in this conference. t An expression of thanks to the Mayor of New Plymouth for convening the conference concluded the proceedings.