COURTESY OF PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14823, 10 November 1948, Page 6

COURTESY OF PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA

PRAISE FROM N.Z. MAGISTRATE Angle On Welcoming Visitors Traffic Offences Very Prevalent (P.A.) Wellington, Today. According to Mr A. M. Goulding, S.M., Australians tell this story of how visitors are welcomed in .the various cities. At Perth everyone says, “Come and see us in our home”; in Adelaide, “Have you seen our churches?” , In Melbourne, they say: “We would like to show you our schools”; in Sydney; “How much money have you?”; in Brisbane; “Come and have a drink.” Mr Goulding, who recently returned to Wellington after spending six months travelling extensively by motor-car in Australia, speaks highly of the courtesy and kindness of Australians. Giving his impressions of motoring in Australia, he said he had noted the serious death-rate on the roads. This he attributed to a large" extent to the high speeds induced by the excellent roads. Goods transport by road was enormous. He had seen a truck carrying from 10 to 12 motor-cars between Sydney and Melbourne. These heavy trucks, travelling at high speeds, were a. source of danger, and a move in Victoria to still further raise the speed limit was, he considered, a retrograde step. He suggested that all vehicles should have governors limiting their speed to 50 miles an hour. Traffic offences in Sydney were very prevalent, the average being 1500 a week. Three Magistrates were engaged for three days a week in hearing traffic cases. The Traffic Court was held in an informal manner. The work of the Magistrate was monotonous and really could be performed by a competent clerk. Driving a car in Sydney was a nightmare, said Mr Goulding, owing to the narrow streets. Few business men living out of Sydney took their cars into the city, but left them on the outskirts and used a tram. Different methods of handling traffic in Melbourne and Sydney were somewhat confusing, but this was probably inevitable owing to the wide streets in Melbourne as against Sydney's narrow Thoroughfares.