Protest At Proposal To Charge On Closed Roads

Press, Volume C, Issue 29479, 4 April 1961, Page 12

Protest At Proposal To Charge On Closed Roads

A Wairoa citizen, Mr H. Trewby, has protested to the Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Gotz) about the suggestion that the Municipal Corporations Act be amended to give local bodies the right to charge citizens to enter public roads. Mr Trewby has sent copies of his 11-page letter of protest to all members of Parliament, all branches of the Constitutional Society, a large number of county councils and councillors, and to several others. He has also taken preliminary steps to have the matter discussed and opposed at the Counties’ Association meeting in June. He suggests an amepdment to the act preventing any corporation from making “a charge against any person or vehicle for entering or proceeding upon any street.” Mr Trewby is protesting against a remit adopted by the association’s conference suggesting that local bodies should have the power to close at their discretion “any street or part thereof, not exceeding in the aggregate seven days in any year, to all traffic, and to permit the council or any person or body of persons, whether incorporated or not. to make a charge for admission to such closed street or part thereof." “Corporate Action” Sought “I have asked county councillors to take corporate action and also as leading citizens, to put the implications of this suggested amendment before meetings of the various social, sporting, cultural, political, or other organisations of which they may be members, and have them send protests to the Minister of Internal Affairs” he says. Mr Trewby says that If the amendment suggested by the association is not prevented freedom of movement will be restricted, lawsuits may result from the road closures, and delays to travellers may occur. “Freedom of movement is the most precious of all our British freedoms,” says Mr Trewby. “I believe there is not part of the British Commonwealth where a citizen cannot go about his affairs, without interfering with anybody and without being interfered with. The amendment would legalise a blockage on any street, in any town, and for any purpose.” Local bodies could dictate to citizens what clubs must be supported. “If they did not favour the cause they would have the option of paying against their will, or else reaching their destination by making a detour through the back streets—if this was possible.” be says. "Injustices can occur when one type of club is allowed to levy a toll on the citizens

when another type of club, which considers its claims to be equally just, is refused.

“The amendment would enable local bodies to augment their rates at will by staging some trifling (or even good) entertainment on the road and then charging admission to all and sundry,” says Mr Trewby.

Street closures could cause damages claims. The legal liability for damages would remain with the local body for the amendment would give the right of closing the road to the local body and not to any one or all of the hundreds of different types of clubs in New Zealand. “The club would merely be acting as the agent of the local body.” he says.

Because every independent town board, borough council, and city council in the country would have the right to close roads under their control seven times - year a traveller could be held up many times in a journey if several local bodies chose to close a road on that day.