FIRST LEGISLATION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19971, 4 July 1930, Page 22

FIRST LEGISLATION.

CARS IN 1898. RIGHT TO USE ROADS. To-day teii or twelve thousand ■ cars, buses, lorries, and motor-cycles in Wellington' are taken as part of the day's driving, riding, or. dodging (according to the point"cf'view), and it comes as a surprisethen to open an. old volume of Statutes and find, thirty-two year a ago, the first legislative mention of; a motor-car, says the "Evening.. Post." lit October of thafc'year Parliament did - handsome thing by- William McLean, commission agent, of Wellington, who, acting-for himself and.

'•ftel, Bad arranged for the introduce lion into the colony of motor-cars, for, as the preamble says, "Whereas it is doubtful whether In the. existing Btate of the lav motor-cars can- be lawfully used on the public roads and. ttzwto*'. and it is expedient that the . power should.he given to use motored?* ion tpofa roftda and streets." Other cajca'there wpre, tut the law had no I pfeoefqr-them, but the introduction a few by Mr William McLean ' calfikl action. v ;.^h*>ffWMitaients-which were "there-. " foflr were beautifully short ' «nd uridarstandiiigjy simple. A motorcar must not exceed three tonß in -1 wwght, not. including; any water, fuel, •• or fccomnlators; they were to b© so «q(UAnxcted that no'smoke or visible ' vapour was. emitted except from some .ttgiporaryar accidental cause; all;of - th#sn -.were to carry bellß - or other •instruments; and, particular*jy. no motor-car should travel at more . .tQBD 'l3 'miles ; an hour, or less, if the local jjrttthority said so. There were rio provisions. as to license fees—for those •were' happy days—except- when the cags- were plying: for hire. (No prow ' was made :as .to keeping the peace between' drivers of cars' plying for. hire, and horse cab drivers, though .been need of iti) tegmAtimiS Tfere seven. The . first" insisted that a car should

be*-,oapabje of being. guided by a per#on' nttinz thereon. The second said ithat shouM be at least two and «a-half inches in width, and the next- >■' iihat ev«ry motor-car should have, for 'air err two wheels, one brake, so " arranged to be under the control of '-Sam* competent person not neoewarily the driver.) Tie fourth ITmited the width to six feet six inches, ' Which Was generous. Regulation five , said that ca£a; should have numbers rnarks painted conspieuously up6n . ih«tD, ana six' rubbed in the twejy® ■ tnilea «n hour., - The seventh put th«t ;JHwtQpiab where he belonged: ho was 'to'ilST* his name and address to any ■ constable requiring it," "op t<i. my v bth»r pcorson upon any reasonable re- , inrnt Doing made." • •», The great advantage which those ~- regulations had ovpr to-dav's lone ■ lisjt was';tbat they could- be enforced, flven twelve miles an hour re-. ,„«r!ction, for it wn*-j» aood car thftt • would <3o that much, for a full hour", ' V: -■ ' -!'■ ■' !!. I^