WHO SHALL PAY?

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 82, 7 April 1938, Page 20

WHO SHALL PAY?

ROAD SAFETY

PROPAGANDA COSTS

: "Whether road safety propaganda should be a matter of individual effort by' automobile associations, subsidised by the Government, or whether all safety propaganda should be conducted 'and | paid for by the Government was a:'matter"which was discussed by the Autombbile Association, Wellington, last night. It iwas the opinion of the chairman (Mr. E. A. Batt) that the whole of this work should: be undertaken by the State, in view of the extent to which mototrists were already .taxed.. - ■ ' ... ,■■'.',.' .;■

''The secretary: of the North Island, j Motor Union (Mr. Geo. Laurence): said that'fthe Minister suggested .an additional: amount, of1' road' safety ■ pro-j pa'ganda by each automobile; associa-j tibnt 'Each, association ,was : to submit proposal's 'to' cover the year's ..work, with ;estimated] expenditure, and the proposals were .to be considered by the department and submitted to the' Minister. All proposals would receive' a subsidy of £2 for £1. The associations were not to be coerced, and all proposals as to work were to emanate from the associations. The Department would assist in any way. LOCAL EFFORT INEFFECTIVE. Mr. Batt thought that while the idea of subsidy might appeah to some people, the. association had tried the effect of local effort but had got nowhere, and the City Council had had the same experience. He was against spending money on the way suggested and submitting the proposals to the Transport Department. "If the Government want to do this work," he said, "why not set up funds to do it properly?" If they want propaganda for safety let .them do it in their "own way. It is my idea that the Government 'should spend money in this way." '.';, The association might claim a, national subsidy for any such work it might do, said Mr. E. Palliser. '. "-:; That was the function of, the. Trans^ port Department, said Mr. Batt. "We: pay dearly for our roads," he con-" tinued, "and I think.it should all come out of the petrol, tax. . There should be a five-year plan,' and an expenditure of £10,000. Local effort is not effective." ■ . Mr. J. D. Hamilton, agreed with- the chairman. . Mr. Batt: The work 'we are doing by slogans' on envelopes, is being well done, but anything'we do .is ■.done put of our own funds and; on our own initiative. . V ." ',■ . ■ ■ Mr. E. P. Hay, recalling discussions at the Wanganui conference, said that the representative of the Minister there did not wish to exclude associations from work; of .that sort.. The idea, then, was for donations, to individual associations and societies to do the work as they desired. If the body were to be national, it could best be tackled as a national effort. USE OF PETROL TAX. Mr. Batt: I believe it is as important a function of the Transport Department as making roads, to spend the petrol tax in making roads safe. I feel that motorists are paying such a I large amount of money now that there is an abundance to make the roads safe to travel on and also for propaganda to. make the roads safe. In my experience abroad the widest roads were where the most accidents happended. Mr. E. H: Clere thought it should, be I left to the local authorities to do this work. He spoke of the multiplicity of "dangerous corner" signs he had seen on the West Coast where there would have been no risks if white lines were followed.

The, association decided; to take no action in the matter. .