THE WHEEL TAX.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1919, Page 5

THE WHEEL TAX.

PROTEST ACAIXST TOLL-GATE#; >'; TARA.V.vm, MEMBERS' VIEWS.' 1 ''}■ (l\v Wire—Own Correspondent.) ■ *' ; Wellington, Last Xigfct. '■'{ In the Douse to-night the Hon. J. B. . ', Bine moved the second reading of the.!.*' 1 ' Counties Bill, empowering the. Govern l -'"* ment to issue regulations gofernin* the,- ' wheel tax. . ' Mr C. A. Wilkinson (EgmontJ-'urgiei. , that counties .should not be allowed to .tax people living outside their district. ' He hoped the Government next session '. would deal with the abuse of toll-gates. "■ Any application for the erection of additional toll-gates should be resisted. Mr IJ. V. Pearce (Patea) said the whole question of road control required ' , readjustment. The matter would have -' to he considered next session and in the * meantime no moro toll-gates should be permitted.' If the Government .paid a subsidy for arterial roads it should'.lnsist that the money should be spent on the main roads-and that no mora tellgates were erected. The local authorities were willing to do without tollgates and the wheel tax if their finances were put on a secure footing. The Hon. J. B. Hine, in reply, said he * sympathised with his brother members* to some extent in regard to toll-gates but he would not proceed to abolish, tollgates until he could put something in'' their place. Too gates provfdrtjßv- . enue which was often needed very bad, ■''' ly. The Bill -would be used to' jmvest any County Council (rok hnposing an unreasonablo wheel tax on tttf.' ,'i fie from outside th« county - She | aajpnd, ijm. .-.'■> '. ■_.'•*■ «!•,-'•* - -