TOLL OF THE ROAD

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 128, 1 June 1936, Page 5

TOLL OF THE ROAD

MINISTER'S PROPOSAL

ONE SET OF BYLAWS An indication of the nature of a new Bill for the nationalisation of traffic bylaws which he proposes to bring before the House of Representatives was given by the Minister of Transport, the Hon. R. Semple, at a motor-car safety demonstration given at the Kilbirnie Stadium on Saturday afternoon. "I have no apology to make for associating myself with a demonstration of this nature," said Mr. Semple. "It. is my endeavour to modify the transj port laws so as to reduce New Zealand's appalling yearly list of motor fatalities. Approximately one person every day is being killed as a result of [motor accidents, which are maiming land crippling 5000 people a year." The demonstration, said Mr. Semple, showed how man could retain the masItery of his own invention. Many drivers did not know the least about their | cars except how to drive them. The I demonstration did something to teach the men and women of New Zealand more about the cars they drove. A GRAVE SITUATION. "I am afraid that the average New Zealander does not realise the gravity of the situation," said Mr. Semple. "If a mining disaster or an earthquake resulted in the loss of 300 lives, all New Zealand would be aroused and would pour out its sympathy for the sufferers. At the present no one knows and no one seems to care." A Bill had just passed through the House dealing with the transport problem, said Mr. Semple. Another he proposed to introduce would be aimed at proper national control of traffic. The Bill would outline a system of national control through a single codo of bylaws, instead of the present differing systems operating in different parts of the country. The aim of the Bill would be to control traffic in such a way as to bring to the highest degree the service, efficiency, and safety of modern road traf- j lie. I