MOTOR SPEED HOGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 279, 23 November 1921, Page 8

MOTOR SPEED HOGS.

MORE DRASTIC PENALTY

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington", Tuesday.

"I agree that this thing has to be put down with a firm hand," said the Prime Minister, when his attention was again drawn to the frequent accidents that are happening as a result of reckless motor driving. Mr. Poland had referred to the almost daily loos of life as a result of motor accidents, and mentioned that he had brought it up for the past two years. There appeared at the present time, he said, to be an epidemic of fatalities, and in a recent case a motorist had run down a child and continued on without waiting to see what injuries he had caused. H e also drew attention to the criticism of Mr. Day, S.M., at Christchurch, urging more rigid control of certificates. Mr. Massey said that he had noticed with regret a great deal of carelessness on the part of many drivers of motorcars. What had taken place was not only a breach of the law, but also a breach of local bodies' by-laws. A Member: Local bodies' by-laws are not sufficient. The Premier added that apparently that was not enough. It seemed to him that the only remedy was to make the penalty more drastic." He had consulted with his colleague the Minister of Justice to that end. He had noticed the case recently when a child was run over and the driver went on, and he understood a reward was offered for his apprehension. Mr. Leo: A.reward was unnecessary; the police caught him. Another aspect of motoring was raised 'by Dr. Thaeker, who called ..the "attention of the Minister of Justice to the large number of girls and boys permitted to drive motors around Wellington. He spoke from painful experience of an adventure with one of these motor juniors. who had, he said, met his car in a narrow roadway and forced into a ditch to avoid accident. Something should be done by the police to arrest these drivers —not to take them into custody, hut to find out the owners responsible fof permitting cars to be driven by juniors. Mr. Lee replied he would direct the attention of the police to the matter.