LICENSING OFFENCES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20272, 25 June 1931, Page 11

LICENSING OFFENCES.

tO THft CDITOB 0* TUB PRESS Sir.—The Chief Traffic Inspector for the City faile-d to affix new number plates to his car, and. was ordered to pay costs—three shillings. 1 He was liable to a fine ..of . £2O. The Chief Inspector is fully--conversant with all the motor regulations, lie could do no other than make a voluntary appearance, after his omission had been pointed out to him. What other Offender would have received- the same treatment? Compare the above with the following: ' A lad from the country (driving.- a Daimler car with four* wheel brakes) slightly exceeded .the speed limit over an intersection at Belfast, after being followed by the traffic inspector. He was fined £4 and costs. Jt appears that the Magistrate has no power to discriminate between various forms of danger. A modern car to-day can travel at 40 miles an hour and; not be as dangerous to the travelling public as one of the old rtiodel cars travelling'at 20 miles. It is .high time the .old regulations and by-laws wero ■ remodelled, and - a. special

motorists' Court instituted so as to give . the large body of. motorists a reasonable opportunity of receiving justice. Here are some further Christehurch cases: An ex-Mayor ran _ his car into a motor-truck. No action was taken by the police or traffic inspectors. At a later date Iris car collided with a tramcar. No action was taken again. A member of Parliament was speeding to catch the ferry steamer ana ran into another car. To the best of my knowledge no action was taken by 'nolicp or traffic inspectors. A Magistrate was caught by a train on a railway crossing. No prosecution took place. - • A system that exempts any section of the community from prosecution is a menace to the peace of the community.—Yours, etc., JUSTICE. "Waikari, June 16th, 1931. The .Town Clerk (Mr J. S. Neville) states that traffic inspectors who see an offence against the motor regulations or by-laws have instructions to report it. The matter is then considered by a committee of the City Council, and if they consider that negligence has been shown, a prosecution is made. If, however, they consider that the offence is a minor one, they issue a caution. Frequently people, ring up inspectors requesting their attendance at, the scene of an accident In such cases the persons concerned are advised to get in touch with the police, definite instructions having been issued to the inspectors that they are not to act as stated. . The police do not take action in such cases unless they are satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for assuming that negligence can:be proved against persons involved in an accident or; a ;bi-oach. of the regulations or by-laws. In the case of an offence committed at a railway crossing, the police do not act unless instructed by the Railway Department to do so. Scores of collisions that take place during the year.are never notified to the 'vtlice.' -. , . '