NEW TRAFFIC BILL

Evening Post, Volume CXXII, Issue 74, 24 September 1936, Page 15

NEW TRAFFIC BILL

UNIFIED CONTROL

POLICING THE ROADS

EXIT "PIMPING" INSPECTORS

The country traffic inspector, who, to use the words of the Minister of Transport (the Hon. R. Semple), hides behind a tree on his occasional inspection of the road and "pimps" to catch a visiting motorist, has his days of service numbered. Speaking to members of the New Zealand Motor Trade Federation at a social gathering last evening, the Minister gave details of a Bill that has been drafted to place boroughs and counties with a population of under 6000 under a system of competent traffic policing. Mr. Semple prefaced his remarks with a further onslaught against the hit-and-run motorist, whom he characterised as a potential murderer.

"For the hit-and-run driver we have lifted the maximum penalty from £20 and three months to £500 and five years," said the Minister. "A man who will knock fellow-citizens down and leave them to die from exposure or bleed to death on the highways and byways is not only a coward but a potential murderer. We have no quarter for.that sort of gentleman, and I am after him helter-skelter. He is not fit to be on the road."

There were others who ignored the rules of the road, and it was necessary to have a proper system of policing the roads. In some country districts the inspector was often the sanitary inspector too. He went out on to the roads sometimes and usually "pimped" behind a tree to catch some motorist who was not resident in the district. The motorist, perhaps, could not afford to travel to defend himself, and a substantial fine was imposed. "We don't want that kind of thing," declared the Minister. "We want as a traffic inspector a trained man who understands his job; a man that will act as a teacher and a friend to the travelling motorist of this country. We are going to have them —that's all about it. INCREASING STAFF. "We are strengthening our own highways traffic staff by the addition of twenty inspectors shortly. I have a Bill now drafted, I don't know whether I can get it through this session or not. That Bill aims at taking over the control of all counties and boroughs with a population of under 6000. We will take control of these counties and boroughs ourselves, and police the roads ourselves. The fines that will be collected in those areas will be pooled.for the purpose of paying inspectors to police the road, instead of going towards balancing the budgets of the counties. The, sale of licence tickets will also be used in those areas. "After all, you can write as many laws as you like, you can fill the Statute Book of this country with laws; but unless you have some guiding force, unless you have some organisation to enforce the laws, you might as well leave it alone. Safety on the roads depends on proper organisation that will help to educate pedestrians and motorists alike. In order to create that organisation we have to find the wherewithal to pay these _ competent inspectors we hope to appoint. "This year I have over £3,000.000 that will be spent on highways; that is for the purpose of improving highways generally. I have £800,000 for other roads, so that we can metal and seal subsidiary roads and back-coun-try roads, improve visibility, widen where necessary, and make our highways as safe as it is humanly possible to make them.""TERRIBLE DEATH-ROLL." "We are trying to do our best to bring about regulations that- will immediately wipe out this terrible death-roll," said Mr, Semple after touching on aangerous level crossings. "In my opinion, unforeseen accidents will take place, but it has got beyond the point of accidents in this country and reached the stage of wholesale slaughter.

"Fifty-three people were killed in about four weeks, ,and we were going up. There were more casualties in New Zealand in thirteen years on the highways arid byways than befell the New Zealand forces in four years in the Great War. In my opinion there is no need for it; it is needless slaughter that can be stopped."