THE AUTOCAR El 3ournal publisbe~ in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcall\? propellet' > roat' > carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STAN-ER.

No . 712. VoL. XXII.J

SATURDAY, JUNE 12TH, 1909.

[PRICE 3D.

The Autocar.

(Published WeeJ,Jy .)

Registered as a Newspaper for tran : !'!lission in the Unite<l Ki:igdom. Entered as f:'!cond-class matter in th~ New York (N.Y.) Pvst 0ffice.

-----------Three Editions evn·y Friday.

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CONTENTS.

NOTES USEl,.UL HI NTS AND 'ftPS (lLLUSTRATED} . . R ESILIENT FILLINGS FOR TYRES S)tALL C AR TALK • . THE FI~ANCE BILL . M OTOR CAR TAXAT ION HISTOR I CAL CARS AT 51J EP HERD'5 J3U5H ( LLLUSTRAT E D) TRA NSMISSI ON BY FRI CT ION . • O:s T H E IRISH TRIAL R OUTE • . NEXT YEAR'S R 0LLS·ROYCE R EFI NEMENTS (ILL USTRATED) ON THE TRA CK . .

PAGE . . 8 19 • 820

821 822 • 82 4

825 826 . . 827-830

830 83 , ~32 833

AN INTERESTING R u:s ON A I 6·20 H.P. DECA UVILLE ( lLL t,;S·

TRATED)

l\'I OTOR UNION N OTES . .

834

835

:\. L ux uR1ous Co:"11B1N AT10:s or SPEED AND Cm,11- 0 RT ( ILLt:'STRATED ) b36 ON THE R OAD 83 7. 83~ THE lRJSH R E LIABILI T Y TRIAL . • 8.!) • 84 4 CORRESPONDENCE .. 3..i-5 ,8 4 8 CYLIND ER LuBR'CATJON BY 01L SrRAY b • oucT IO~.. 849 FLA'-HES . . 850.85 1 TH E S usSEX P OLICE HotsT WITII THFJR OWN PET ARO b52 C LUB D OINGS: 853. 85 4

Subscription Rates :

ISnllsh lslcs- Hnmc Edition , t6s. ; penn y (thin paper edi tio1 1), 6s. 6d.

Abroad (thin paper editioH), 22 s . 8d. per annnm. lnJax to Advartisamsnts appears on page 38 .

Notes. Motor Car axation and the Royal A.C. The statement by the Roya l Automobile Club on th e moto r car taxation proposals 1rhich we publi h-~ d on page 772 , 29th May, 1909, we re ve ry interesting, as it set forth some details concerning th e relationship of the Club with the Chance ll o r of th e Exchequer whi h had not hith erto been made public, but a great deal was necessarily le ft to the imagination. :\Iotorists cannot accept the re ults of th e negotiations as satisfactory . fo r the simple reason that they have fail ed to stave o ff increased tax atio n. Whil e this is the case it should be bo rne in mind th at the Chancel lor o f the Excheq uer stated de fin ite ly th a t he was determined to obtain more monev from motor car owners. and th e Club, as un offici~lly repre entecl by certain of its members who

\1·ere also members of P a rli ament , was approache d hy him, not be by them. They did not approach him to ask him not to in crease taxation, but he went to th em saying that he was determin ed to tax motor cars more highly, but , a t th e same time, he 1rns open to liste n to their representa ti ons. Thi is made clear in the Club 's s.ta teme nt, but it cert ainly dese rves repetition becau se it cle;1rs a way a good dea l of misunderstanding , and puts a different compl exio n upon the position of tho e rnemhers of the Club \1·ho ha ,·e been, as it 11·ere, drawn into the matte r , beca use th eY were a lso members of Parliament. ·

Tt 11·ill be see n that, as the result o f th e numerous meetings between them and the Chancellor of th e Exchequer, ce rt ai n conditio ns we re accepted by the Chance ll o r, but it can scarcely be said that these condi tions 1rith 11·hi ch he "appeared to be sat isfie d " have be .:!n fully accepted by him. T o take the first one, fo r in sta nce, th a t th e amount to be derived from the direc t taxatio n of motor ca rs could not exceed the maximum recommended by the Roya l Commission in r 906, but th at a power bas is ,ms pref ra ble to a we ight basis . .'\o w if this mean anything at a ll it mea ns that, 1rhi le the Chancellor ,rnu ld propo3e to tax by power instead of by weight, it \\·ould cost th e motorist no more than ,ms recommended by the R oyal Commission in 1906. That Commission r-~comme nded th a t cn r under 12 c 111:s. unlad en should pay t11·O guin ea s a year, unde r 15 c1rts. three gui neas , under 25 c11ts. fiv e guin eas, m·er 25 c1rts . eight guinea. , s::: > it will be seen there is a 1·e ry considerable dis crep ancy here, though ln ckily it cloe. no t have any great effec t up on cars of IG,r and , ·en · moderate D::: >1re r.

Xor are th other conditio n with whi ch the Cha ncellor appeared to be satisfied o f at a ll a satisfactory nature. To save reference ir e rep ea t th em a ll :

(a) Th a t the amount to be derived from the direct taxation of motor ca rs could not as a maximum exceed the amount recommended by the Royal Commission in 1906 , but that a powe r basis o f taxatio n ,ms preferable to a weight basis.

(b) \\'ith th e sum a,·ailabl e as the result of direc t taxation, it was not possible to do a ny thing e ff ctive in the 11·ay of c reating a Central Road Auth ority , and , the refore,

(c) In o rde r to 11·arrant the c reation of an pff ec ti,·e Centra l Road Autho rity , it 1ras necessa ry to d-~ 1·is a y t e rn of indireot taxatio n , and tha t

(cl) Though there were objections to any form of indirect t a x: on th e whole , the suggested tax: on pet rol 1m. the best system o f indirec t taxati on. Less Money Sufficient. Where 11·e think th e members of P arliament who are a lso member o f the Rova l A.C. haYe been mistaken is in t heir a ll too succe · sful attempt to prove to th e Chancellor o f the Excheriuer th at the increased ca r li cences he J) rODosed we re no t suffi cient for the forma tion o f a Ce:it;al Road Authority, and that the refore he must tax petrol as we ll as in crease the li cences. \Ve hope we are doing them no injustice, but from