THE SPEED OF MOTOR CARS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12501, 24 May 1906, Page 2

THE SPEED OF MOTOR CARS.

A CASE BEFORE THE COURT.

Arthur Dunoan, chauffeur for Dr. ; Thacker, was cluarged at the Police ' ' Court yesterday with .propelling a motor oar at a greater speed, than six j miles an hour. i Mr Johnston appeared on behalf of tho accused, and • indirectly on behalf j :of the Canterbury Automobile AssociaI tion. **) Constable Martin stated that he saw the defendant driving a car along Man- j Chester street at a 6peed of about i fifteen . miles an hour. Ho had I cautioned, him on a previous .occasion ■ when ho was driving along tho Berry Road, and told him then tliat ;ho was exceeding the pace. Ho had no nie~---urenie.it to go by. John Edwards, a cabman, said he saw tho motor oar being driven along Manchester street on, tho day in question. It waa going in the opposite direction to him, and he estimated the .speed at about eight miles au hour. Frederick George Roid, another cabman, stated that lie met the motor, car about one,o'clock on the day named, and as far as judge the 6peed was about 10 miles an hour, and he thought tliat through tho town it was above a reasonable speed. He had had no experience with motor cars, but was a fair judge of speed. Ho did not know that tho minimum speed that a cab without a fare was allowed to travel at, was six miles an hour. The motor car was going in the same direction as he was. Mr Johnston raid that the Automobile. Association intended to support a motorist where a reasonable defence could be made by the person charged. Ho referred to tlio Motor Regulations Act, VJO2, and submitted that the City Council or any other local authority could not trespass on the preserves of , that Act. lk>side*, the Colonial Secretary had not approved of the. Council's by-law, and the information was not I prop6rly laid. S The Magistrate said ho would not agree that che C.ty Council had no j p.wer to regulate uio speed. Ti ey had power to limit the speed under tho Municipal Corporation Act. and they had fixed tho speed at six mil:---.an hour. Thoy had absolute power to make bylaws to limit-speed. ' Arthur" Duncan, the defendant, stated that ho waa using the. second gear at tlio time and the roads were, rather greasy, consequently ho had to go very carefully. They were • going at anything up to eight mi es an hour that day, and he varied the speed as he went along, but he wa.s not going more than eight miles an hour, judging by the levers: One oab that pa.sed him was going at that speed. He kept along with a cab for fully 200 .vat As, and it was not a good horse that tho cabman wan driving. Dr. Thacker, who was in the car at th© time, gave evidence thai the cir was only going about fix miles an _ hour. He knew no.uirig about a/previous caution that had Tieen' given to the* driver. J'he road was very slippery that morning, and » w_b raining hard. The Magistrate dismissed the case. ■ " '"