THE COMING OF THE MOTOR CAR.

Golden Bay Argus, Volume IX, Issue 68, 15 September 1904, Page 2

THE COMING OF THE MOTOR CAR.

" You can't allow motor cars to run on the public road at anything like a pace that will satisfy their owners (says " The Colonel " in " To-Day "), if you are going to protect the lives of the public from the consequencos of being run down by motors. And if you protect the public, you can't let the motor men have their way. You have got to choose between forbidding motorcars to use the public roads, or forbidding the greater part of the public to use them.

" The only plan I can think of is to forbid all persons, except motor men to u:;c the public highways without a license, and to license only such people as would be improved by being run over. " For instance, if a motor-car should run over a butcher boy and his cart, no reasonable person could find any fault with the motor man. Similarly, if a motor car should run over a yelling milkman, or the sort of wretch who yells, ' All kinds of ferns,' or * Fresh, *ripe strawberries,' in the streets of the suburbs, all right-minded men would feeL like presenting the motor man with a vote of thanks and a medal. Then, there are scores of men we all know, any one of whom could be run over by a motor car with benefit to the community.

"I name no names, but I could furnish a list of at least 25 men and seven women whom I would gladly permit any motor car to run over. As for boys, the more of them the motor cars run over the better. Now, let the Government license all milkmen, butcher-boys, yelling costers, small boys, and undesirable people generally to use the public roads either by walking or driving. And then let the Government authorise motor cars to drive at any speed whatever, and the problem of the motor car will be reasonably near solution.'»