POLLUTION BY CARS

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 21

POLLUTION BY CARS

Statement By Mr Neary

. The clean air movement in New Zealand believed that

city centres such as Cathedral Square would ultimately be kept free of all cars, said Mr P. V. Neary, publicity officer for the Christchurch branch of the Clean Air Society, in a statement.

He was commenting on an article in “The Press” recently in which an engineer for the Chrysler Corporation in the United States (Mr C. Heinen) said that without evidence, and largely by ignoring scientific and engineering knowledge, the “air pollution scare specialists” were still trying to convince the public that automobile emissions were a serious menace to health and life.

Mr Neary said that until cars were kept out of city centres, the society would endeavour to make practical suggestions in relation to the position of vehicle exhausts.

“Large diesel trucks operated mainly on the highways should employ vertical exhaust discharge,” Mr Neary said. “All other vehicles should have exhaust pipes located on the side, and the pipes should be sloped and arranged so that the discharge will not go over people’s legs at crossing points.” Mr Neary said that the hard fact was that the conventional petrol engine would never be satisfactory for inner city running under “stop” and “start” conditions of driving. Exhaust systems and silencers of mass produced cars had a relatively short life and maintenance of catalytic, direct flame, or induction devices with exhaust pipes would be difficult and expensive.