Rating Measurements for Carriage Taxes.
Page 15
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Statutory Rules and Orders, 1912, No. 1700. Regulations made by the Treasury for the purpose of Section 86 :2) of the Finance (1909-10) Act, 1910 (10 Edw. 7, c. 8,, in regard to motorcars and their horse powers.
The following important. regulations concern motorcars which are liable to carriage tax, and have no application to commercial motors of ordinary types. We reprodnce this Government document on account of its general interest to members of the industry, and to those of our readers who are owners of private motorcars.
It is satisfactory to find that steam cars will now be rated on the effective heating surface of the boiler, and not in relation to cylinder dimensions. Calculations which included the diameter of any lowpressure cylinder as one factor have, hitherto, inflicted hardship upon many owners of steam cars.
Regulation No. 6 of this new Order is one which may prove of far-reaching effect in practice. It is evidently directed against internal-combustion engines of exceptionally-long stroke.
The Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, in Pursuance of the powers conferred by Section 86 (2) of the Finance (1909-10) Act, 1910 (10 Edw. VII., e. 8), and of every other power enabling them in this behalf, hereby. without prejudice to any further exercise of the said powers, make the following regulations For the purposes of these regulations the horse-power of any motorcar deriving its motive power wholly from an internal-combustion engine worked by a cylinder or cylinders shall be taken to be
(a) in the case of a single-cylinder engine, the horse-power attributable to the cylinder of the engine ;
(h) in the case of an engine having two or more cylinders, the sum of the horse-powers attributable to the separate cylinders. 2. The horse-power attributable to any cylinder of an in ternal combustion engim shall be deemed to be equal to the square of the internal diameter of such cylinder measured in inches divided by a numeral :—
((o) In the case of a cylinder having a single piston, the numeral used as divisor shall be 2.5.
0) In the case of a cylinder having two pistons, the numeral used as divisor shall be 1.6.
3. The horse-power of any motorcar deriving its power wholly from a steam engine shall be taken to be proportional to the effective heating surface of the boiler supplying steam to such engine, at the rate of 1 h.p. for every 3 sq. ft. in such effective heating surface, and the effective heating surface shall be taken to be :— (a) in the case of a boiler having horizontal or approximately horizontal tubes, the whole of that surface of the tubes which is exposed to the flame or hot gases; (1,) in the case of a boiler having vertical or approxi• mately vertical tubes, half of that surface of thu tubes which is exposed to the flame or hot gases. 4. Any motorcar deriving its motive power from an electric motor or motors shall be deemed to be of a horse-power exceeding 6,1 but not exceeding 12. 5. In measuring cylinders and boilers, and in calculating horse-power, fractions of inches and feet and fractions of a unit of horse-power are to be taken into account.
6. Where it appears that, in consequence of the exceptional design or construction of the engine of any motorcar, the horse-power as calculated under the preceding rules is sub stantially less than the average power which the engine would develop in continuous use on the road if there were no restrictions on speed other than those imposed by the car itself, then such average power shall be taken as the power of the car.
7. These regulations shall come into force on let January,
1913. WILLIAM Jorres.
22nd November, 1912. WEDGWOOD BENN.
SiOt"