CENTRALISATION OF CONTROL

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22003, 29 January 1937, Page 6

CENTRALISATION OF CONTROL

EXTENDING AREA OF CITY

INSPECTORS

INCLUSION OF NEIGHBOURING BOROUGHS SUGGESTED

Short statements made from time to time by the Minister for Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, indicate that the area over which city traffic inspectors at present range is likely to be increased to include small neighbouring boroughs and adjacent counties, and support is given to the belief by the Ministerial desire, of ten expressed, for <n-eater centralisation of control and uniformity of inspection. Mr Semple has said that traffic fees from boroughs with populations of less than 7000 will be paid into the fund lor the education of motorists and inspection of traffic on the highways, and he has also said that all the present local body inspectors will not be allowed to continue to act as traffic inspectors. He does not want inspectors who have to devote part of their time to sanitary, building, and other inspection work. Already new Main Highways Board inspectors have been appointed, but most of these range over areas not close to the main centres. About each of the cities are smaller areas, and it seems likely that before long the Minister will announce that the inspectors in those main centres will also be responsible for the behaviour of traffic in the wider areas. About Christchurch this will affect several local bodies, including the Sumner Borough Council, the Riccarton Borough Council, the New Brighton Borough Council, the Heathcote County Council, the Waimairi County Council, the Lyttelton Borough Council, and possibly Kaiapoi, Rangiora, and Paparoa. An occasional visit from members of the existing city traffic staff will

not be sufficient to patrol the traffic in those areas according to the requirements of the Minister, and several additions to the staff will be necessary. This, in turn, involves increased expenditure which the Minister will be required to meet from the fees which he proposes to take from the smaller bodies.

The confiscation of these traffic fees from the local bodies supports the suggestion recently made that the issuing of drivers' licenses would soon be another task set the Post Office officials.

On the patrolling of the wider area by the City Council's traffic staff, however, the chairman of the traffic committee, Mr T. Milliken, has nothing to say. He will give no indication of the attitude of himself or the committee to the proposal which seems likely to materialise in th# near future.

NEW AMERICAN ECONOMY CAR

For several years there has been only one four-cylinder motor-car manufactured in America. This car, which is fairly small, is the only real economy car as we understand the term coming from the United States, and the only representative in a class which many people believe has been rather unwisely neglected by American manufacturers.

News has been received, however, that a new motor-car manufacturing company has just been formed in America to manufacture a four-cylin-der car with a wheelbase of 102 inches, and designed to accomodate five passengers. The engine to be used is of a well-known proprietary make, and the car is intended mainly for export to countries such as Australia, where the comparatively high cost of operating motor vehicles gives some scope for the marketing of cars with low running costs.

Significant also of the new interest in economy of America's manufacturers is the recent decision of the maker of one of the world's most popular cars to offer as an alternative power unit a smaller engine than the one that hitherto has been standard.

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