"Anti-liter campaign being hampered”

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32589, 24 April 1971, Page 18

"Anti-liter campaign being hampered”

The national anti-litter campaign was being hampered because “vested interests’’ were opposed to an increase in the refunds on bottles, the New Zealand School Committees conference was told in Christchurch yesterday. Mrs E. O’Cain, said that as secretary of the Wellington Anti-Litter Council she was of the opinion that meetings of the National Anti-Litter Council were a waste of time while vested interests continued to oppose increases in bottle refunds. “It will take a long time to solve the anti-litter problem. Most of this must come through education of our

children such as school antilitter wardens,” she said. Mrs O'Cain said it had been suggested to her that children contribute directly in finance to the anti-litter campaign through badge sales. “I didn’t think we had sunk so low as to ask this,” she said. The shortage of finance to fight anti-litter campaigns was a continuing problem. ROAD DEATHS Concern of the conference was expressed at the increasing number of child road deaths, particularly in rural areas. Many country children were unaware of traffic hazards that urban children took in their stride. The conference decided that the federation should take steps to have the drivers of Department of Education school buses, and private operators with such buses, report the licence numbers of private drivers overtaking stationary school buses at an excessive speed.”