Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE WHEEL TAX.

TARANAKI COUNTY'S ACTIOS DISCUSSED BY PARLIAMENT. MOVE TO MAKE BY-LAW ■ ! NUGATORY. (By Wire—Own Correspondent. Wellington, Last Night. Tn the House this evening Mr. C. A. Wilkinson (Egmont) moved to introduce the Counties Amendment Bill. Ho said a great stir had been made in Taranaki by a proposal of the Taranaki County Council to impose heavy taxation on motor vehicles, rising to £lO a year for a large car and £ls a year for a motor-bus. These high charges were being imposed under an Order-in-Council, which was used by only two out of tho ten counties in Taranaki. If all the counties imposed similar charges the province would be turned into a series of enclosures. The Taranaki County Council, which was making the charges, bad probably the worst roads in the district, and was maintaining a toll gate and borrowing money at low rates from the Government. The effect of th» cbargw, which were to come into operation nut month, would be to isolate the town of New Plymouth, since the charges made for the use of the county roads for motor traffic would be simply prohibitive. He urged the Government to adopt tho Bl'il, which would take away from the county the power to impose drastic charges. Only 16 counties in all New Zealand had been empowered under the Order-in. Council to make the charges. Mr. G. V. Pearce (Patea) said the position was extraordinary. Two counties in the Taranaki Province had been empowered to levy the wheel tax. If the tax was a fair thing all the counties should be able to levy it. The Taranaki County was the most backward in the district. Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki): No. ■ Mr. Pearce urged the Government to protect the people from excessive charges The Minister for Internal Affairs (Hon. J. B. Hine) said that no objection had reached his Department. He intended to visit New Plymouth at the week-end and ascertain for himself what the posltlott was. If he found that legislation was necessary he would advise the Government to take up the Bill or to introduce other legislation. The local government law undoubtedly required attention. Mr. Smith (Taranaki) said the other side of the case should be stated. Th« Taranaki County was not the Tfoflt county in the district, but it Was the most unfortunate. No other county council had had to carry so much foreign traffic as the Taranaki County Council. The cost of maintaining many of the through roads was as high as £BOO per annum. The county had been forced by heavy maintenance charges to impose the wheel tax. One of its objects had been to draw the attention of the Government to the unfair position. It would be willing to waive its rights if the Government would agree to impose a general wheel tax for the maintenance of through roads. Mr. Smith added that he would support the first reading of the Bill in order that the matter might be further considered. He would vote later if tic opportunity arose to repeal the wheel tax clause, but the county council should be given a fair chance to state its case. The suggestion ought not to be made that the council was doing Something that other counties could not do.

Mr. T. E. Y. Seddon (Westland) said that some West Coast counties would be affected by the Bill. They were levying the wheel tax, and objected to tfta power being taken from them.

Mr. J. A. Young (Waikato) suggested the matter should go before the Counties Conference to be held shortly in Wellington.

Mr. Wilkinson, in reply, agreed that the problem of through traffic required solution, but the proposal of the Tarnnaki County Council was far too draatic. That county had no more through traffic than other counties.

The Bill was introduced, and read a first time.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19190926.2.27

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1919, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
644

THE WHEEL TAX. Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1919, Page 4

THE WHEEL TAX. Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1919, Page 4

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert