SAFETY PATROLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 113, 16 May 1938, Page 13

SAFETY PATROLS.

MANY LIVES SAVED.

WORK IN AUSTRALIA.

STOUT DEFENCE OF SYSTEM.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, May 8. La»t week Alderman Robinson, of Woollahra, unwittingly performed a valuable public (service by drawing attention to the good work now carried on by the safety patrols (wganised at many of our primary schools. The curious feature of this incident is that the worthy alderman had not the least intention of paying any sort of compliment to the school children or to their teachers and directors. On the contrary, he was protesting to the Woollahra Council against the patrol system, and he teok the remarkable ground that "motorists should not be subjected to the control of small boys." Apparently Alderman Robinson holds that if at any crossing no police are available to act as traffic officers, then adults should be appointed to that duty, but it should not be left to children.

Champion of System. However, the alderman's, attack upon the school patrol system had the effect of bringing a powerful champion into the field in their defence. Mr. J. C. Watson is now president of the N.R.M.A., and among our motorists he exercises quite as much influence and authority as once he exercised over our politicians when he was Prime Minister of Australia. It happens that he is an enthusiastic admirer of the school patrol eystem, and he promptly assured the "Sun" that Alderman Robinson knew very little of what he was talking about. "Under this system," said Mr. Watson, "children do not control traffic. They have no power to do so and it was never intended that they should." Their duty is simply to stand at the side of the road with flags and to warn traffic that children are crossing. In addition to this, the patrols muster children and take them across the roads in batches, and thus prevent the dangers arising from jay-walking or straggling aimlessly about the streets. But in all cases the work of the school patrols is directed and supervised by teachers, so that the idea that "traffic control" is in the hands of "small boys," is doubly erroneous. Attitude of Motorists.

As to the value of the system Mr. Watson tells us that the patrols have been responsible for saving many children's lives. There are GO,OOO motorist members of the N.K.M.A. and their president assures us that "they have no complaint to make against the system." On the contrary, the parents, the teachers, the police, the Education Department and the Transport Department are so enthusiastic over the system that they have co-operated heartily to foster the growth of these organisations. There are now in and about Sydney more than 220 patrols being operated by nearly 2000 school' pupils, and so effective is their work that the police report that "accidents outside schools have been reduced practically to nil since the scheme was introduced." The police go out of their way to instruct and help the boys, and visit the schools at regular intervals to see how the patrols are getting on. The secretary of the Royal Automobile Association and the Minister for Transport (Mr. Bruxner) are equally convinced that the school safety patrols are doing very valuable work in protecting children from danger and in helping to solve our traffic problems effectively; and with this "crowd of witnesses" to speak for them, our small boys cau j well afford to ignore Alderman I Kobinsou.