F E liRUARY 29TH , 190 .

THEAUTOCAR B Journal publisbd, in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcallr propelle~ roa~ carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29TH, rgo8. [PRICE 3D.

THE AXA TION OF MOTOR CARS. £

A ~ istaken P olic!·.

. to an increase, and therefore entirely 11-rong. \ \·e belie1·e

La.st 11· l"e cl~ rC?mcled the 1ra1t rng of a deputation in faci 1~g things outrigh t, and not in opening negotiaf:om the - Iotor Cmon upon the Chancellor of . the t10ns ,nth compromises. We repeat the Cnion depu• Exchequer !or the purpose of makmg representations tation is not to be blamed because the Union members to the Minister on the subject of taxation. :'.\ow we decided upon this backb;neless course some months do not_ blame the Union for taking this step, quite ago. But it is wrong ; morem·er, it is in consistent . On 0the1_w1se, beca_use. it 1rns but a demonstr~t1on one sic.le we find most motorists trying to red uce the cost of it determmatJon to carry ou~ the . wishes of motoring in eve ry reasonable, and sometimes unreaof i~s membe~·s, ~ut the manner 111 11:h1ch the sonab le, way, and yet when it is proposeu lo increase taxation que t1011 JS berng handled 1s abso- their load of taxation beca use ther a re moto rists theY lutel_r 11-ro~1 g, a_ncl, as ire pointed ? u_t many months a~o, do not combat the proposed in crease in a 1rhole-hea rted the issue 1s bemg confused by m1xmg up the quest10n manner. One instance a lone will suffi e. The Union of taxation of motors 11"ith the maintenance of highways. members decided on their exce ll ent and successtul To_ deal first with. the question of ~axation, th_e right insurance scheme so that the cost of insurance might be attitu de_ lo assume JS to oppose any mcrease of 1t tooth reduced, a~d ,et they make no struggle against in and nai l, because moton . ts are air ady 01·er_taxed . creased taxa ·on. What th ey have a1·ed on insurance ~robab ly no other people m the world who are_ follo11"- they 1rould give to the Exchequer. mg any other purs11:t---€xcept, perhaps, yachtrng and . ~he turf-are spending so n,uch money per head upon Taxati~n a~d Road Impro~ement. _ 1t. We will lea ,·e the turf out of the question, but th e Inste_ad of fightrng 111c re1:1-se d taxation tooth and nail , yachtsman and the motori. t are ven · much on a par. the attitude 1s to accept 1t almost gratefully so long They both C:mploy ski! leJ labour to build their boats as it be moderate, and if the funds raised by it be or ca rs. and t hey both employ men to run or devoted to road improvement. It is true that the maintain them. It does not matter 1Yhether the motorist roads are open to improvement, and we believe that keeps a mechanic o r not. H e still spends a very the present cumbersome system of administration could la:·g-:! sum upon motoring, and practically every half- be greatly bettered, but, a fter all, what is there pC:nny he sp nds is of benefit to hi s country if the car seriously wrong with the roads. On the whole the)· is home made, and if it is not, we still find that in it are good; often they a re magnificent. We shoul,I maintenance he is spending money, and in many cases like fewer needless corners and blind crossings, but a lot of money. To take the case of a foreign car, the should we enjoy our motoring much more without these British merchant or ag nts who sel I it to him make things? The great improvement that is desired by a profit . Then as soon as he has bought it there are motorists is dustlessness, and that mainly for the benefit tyres, lamps, spares of all orts, petrol, lubricating oil of all who use or live near the roads . Except on and grease to be purchased, and as time goes on there much frequented roads radiating from the great centre. 1s the question of repair and renewa ls. Then there of population, motorists themselves do not suffer much i; the money spent on hotels when away from home. In direct inconvenience from the dust, but they would fact, one way or another motoring is, to say the least like it abolished, because of the inconvenience it of it. far from a cheap recreation, and th e motorist is causes to others and the prejudice which it engenders constantly spending money, and by so doing providing against motorists in the minds of all people who have 1rnrk for his fellow countrymen. No recreation we not the sense to realise that it is the dust and not the kno11· of that is really interesting is cheap, but we can- cars which should be attacked. It seems to us an not, and ne,·er ha1·e been able to see why people who active anti-dust propaganda. and trials like those conspend their money so fr eely in giving work to other:, ducted by the Roads Improvement A . ociation in coshould be taxed for so doing. Whether the motor car operation with the Royal Automobile Club and th e is a luxurr or not has .nothing whatever to do with the Motor 1Jnion last yea r of tar-spreading machines a nd case. unless, indeed, it a ffords an argument that because dust-laying compounds are vastly more likely to lea. cl it is a luxury its pursuit should not be di couraged by to reform than a pious plea to the Chancellor of th e being made more expensive by additional taxation. Exchequer that the money deri1·ecl from increased From the first moment of the interview it would appear taxation should be devoted to road improvement the wrong note was struck. As soon as the clepu - generall y, with no direct a surance th at a. halfpenny of tation was introduced to Mr. Asquith he was told th at the sum will be used for water-proofing a single mile of it had not come to oppose further taxation , but merely road . Quite wrongh· the question o f road impro,·eto pray that its increase might be moderate, and that ment generally has been raised in connection w_ith it ·might be ear-marked for road improvement. It is in crea.se cl taxation , and that at a time when everythrng t rue that later in the proceedings one or two members should be done to keep the two subjects as far apart of the deputation did attempt to combat further taxn.- as possible. An entirely wrongful impression has tion, but the attitude as a whole was one of resign :1l ion already gained currency that motorists want special