HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 July 1939, Page 7

HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES

ABOLITION ADVOCATED. MASTERTON COUNTY COUNCIL VIEWS. "Why should some sections of the community be given the benefit and not others? If anything is to be done in this connection, then all heavy traffic fees should be abolished,” said Mr R. E. Gordon Lee, chairman of the Masterton County Council, at yesterday’s meeting, when heavy traffic fees is respect l of farmer’s motor lorries carting milk to factories were under discussion. The Wairarapa South County Council advised that the Wairarapa branch of the National Dairy Federation had written requesting the Wairarapa South County Council, the Featherston County Council and the Carterton Borough Council to waive the enforcement of heavy traffic fees in respect to farmers’ lorries conveying milk to factories. The Wairarapa South County Council was favourably disposed towards granting the request, and to extending the same privilege to farmers’ lorries generally, realising however, that action along these lines could not legally be taken without amendment to the Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations. Meantime the County was endeavouring to ascertain whether or not other county councils in the Wairarapa favoured or opposed the request for exemption of farmers’ lorries conveying milk to factories, of exempting farmers’ lorries generally.

Councillor H. H. Mawley: “This tax is an injustice, and I agree with the chairman that it should be abolished altogether.” Councillor G. Moore: “I am in agreement with the previous speakers, and if we support the South Wairarapa County it will be a move in the right direction. This tax is now sadly out of date. It was instituted in the olden days when motor lorries were shod with hard tyres, that is not the position now. Personally, I consider that fast-moving motor cars do considerable more damage to the highways than do the slower moving and heavy lorries. The exchange and moving of goods is a very important aspect in a district’s activities. Taxes of this nature restrict progress, and we should endeavour to have it done away with.” Councillor J. W. Colquhoun: “I consider we should do our utmost to help the farmer in this matter, but if we support the proposal as it stands we will have to .take the risk of making up the difference in the fees to other local bodies concerned.

It was decided to support the Wairarapa South County Council’s proposal, provided the necessary legislation is passed to make such a move on the part of county councils legal. A further resolution was moved: “That this council is in favour of all heavy traffic fees being materially reduced, as lorries no longer do the damage to the roads they did in the past.”