THE A.A.A. PATROL

Gisborne Times, Volume LXX, Issue 11167, 28 March 1930, Page 3

THE A.A.A. PATROL

LONELY LIFE IN CARAVAN. THROUGH THE LACKRLOfWS Oi A INTEL An L PtbOYiNCE. EXi'"ERIENCFS OF AIR. J. S. YATES. STORIES GRAVE AND GAY.

“It/s a lonely lile, but a good, healthy onti.fuor one lor all Liiaf,’’ smu (lie A.A.A. •Signpo.-.ting 1'..1i01, Air. ,j. S. A'ates, who us at present in tins district, m Hie course oi a chat with a Tunes re|)<»rter com eriiiug li,s worn The p.oneer patrol of the Association, and tho omy one op.-iai.ng ni ni provijue, Air. dates has worn Liu A.A.A. unnorm lor just on Luo yearand two months, Having spent al least tin mil of the tvveive months m each yeai in loming ju-aciicaiij every road m the Aiieklantl proyinco. apt mg out dangerous p.ecos-oi mat! and signposting accordingly, consti Cutes a ii’ i-ge part ol me pa two.T duties,.'and un-riiig his tenure oi that oili.ee he lias erected near.y ■j.i.-CO signs I'liis, however, is only one branch ol the work, ,a large portion ol Air Yates’- t:ni.e being taken t:p collecting data for maps , and road guides, and interviewing county engineerand people upon whose property signs are considered necessary. '1 he patio, leads a solitary lile, driving mer tin roads in Ids caravan, cymjung in all sorts of places and in ail sorts o; weather, only staying at an bote when it is necessary to make a lew days’ stoo at a fair-sized town.

WHY SIGNS ARE ERECTED “The Association,'" explained .Mi Yates, “does not emit these sign> because it. thinks people cannot drive. The signs are placed them t< educate motorirts to observe due caution. Some men can drive in pencel safety at 50 miles an hour ; others arc road-hogs at 15. hut the ports in-

them to warn the novice driver o danger and to keep the old hand, from forretfinn it.’’ •> First of all the officer traverses tin piece of road on which ;t is in l ender to onerate, mailing a sketch of it fo his road guide and finding snots In :-i)nsiders need signposts. He thei makes out an order for the inimbe. of signs and posts required and scud* if to one of two depots, on*- of wine! is in Gisborne and the other u

Auckland, where the signs are paint ed by the A.A.A.’s two agents. NKAY SIGN FOR WMARKRATAS. ■ There is in* nei'd to vn'ain lb A.A.A. direction signs-- these am s well-known as the town elm k--hut soiin'th.ng new in the wry o tiange* s : gnals is li****'g in.ii-e'hi*■■(•■ 1 mu tin W’harerata Mills and the East Coast road. These consist ol experiii.riua signs comprising four Imils-eyes hi r • ot-ira imsL. placed on a danger'*!! corner in such a 'position that a mot ■wist negotiating the bend mn-i 1*01)1]) ini*) it l-cl'ore gong over til* lank. !r is :|l\\-"-s piainl'- visil-ii as at night- the hulls eyes act as relief tors. Ln connection with these signs which are as yet only an exp*-r.iin'm the opinions of motorists an- invite f fiv the Association, which wmld tii**i bo able to judge whether their uni versal adoption is advisable.

“SYAIBDL” SLONE. “Symho!" signs are perhaps no* noimlarlv known as vet. Tliese art signs which warn motorists of curve; and intersections ahead hy diagram or sv in he's. For instance, one is ap wised of an S-bend bv a large hlacl

; of a rigid-angled lie ad by an an .■ie. and so on. A '-nr', e. wi h al uitersuetiivn. would iiid’eate that idler* was a branch mail at the arproael. ing curve. Thi'se s'u'iis are *o'h!<i read than a written sign, and thei warning may he taken ,11 al a glanei

WILFUL DAMAGE. Despite tile j;n t that the goo* U,) 11e hv th;"-*- signs is generally ref n-/u>si-'l, [jr.icci'iled Mr. Yaies, sum people are taoiif-duicss emmgli t damage them will "hi eyd a> e.-c post voids from C‘J io Co to er<*e‘ it is small woiuh-r that the A. A...A 1 offering a rew aril u C 5 for an\ one ah!e to give ev.d* ime lending < the convh t'on of any jier * 1 i.s cangii lest roving it - signs. As an in-dam-e Ilr* ]ialrol i- •! **r r< > io the A lot 11-O’ 'ot is i i**a*i. whm some of the si.rp'-. had been del.be; ateiy Mumped, while in other nhu“ ti ev had fife 11 used as targets i'i fi'-earms, st.a\*’s. etc. Gishorne, incident allv. remarkeI .he o'fieer. was notabl v I ;ve Imu tills complaint. During his travels, sail! Mr, A nt« j s he has nu l several dinners, v h*i :r varhihly eom)i!aiu ol the habil 1/ motorists who blow their horns whm apnroaeh'nc a moh of sheen. Tip natura.llv tends to main' t!ie mo’ b"nch nn, v,'h(‘reas i. the drivedrops into se"ond or low gear aiv’ jirocceds steadily, {.he sheen iv.ll <>*im gut and make wav for lion. 'Mb applies equally when approacliin.' from front or i'ear.

DANGER' SIGNS FOR COAST ROAD The patrol look a trip no i-be Coast on Monday, lrturning on Tuesday for another *o.ad of signs. Alter hr se.'-ond trh> he will he hack in Gis mrne to-'h.tv. f'n the first: trip h worked almost to ’l'okomarn Bav • -"braeing '-Yain'ro and Ruatoria 01 die second journey, while tho dan gerous rivers between Rnatorin am 'i’e Araroa will receive attention or Monday. Some off danger signs an fo he erected on the Coast road dmdig the present visit. VU-. Yates describes the Co-xt road as dangerous, in that it is narrow in places, and holds several bail benduid rivers where one is always liable to meet traffic It is in tips respect somewhat, s’mi’ar to the AYharerata Hills, Ijlft, in the ofiieer’s opinion, the worstJroads in the province are in tlie jjniovth, from Auckland to AYhnnga#i, where lie Juts often, been hopebogged in rough, sticky elav. Mid 'found it no joke having to dig Turn self out.

“GOOD DAY, GENERAL!'’

\ reference to his unifcnn called forth some amusing experiences. Mr Yates liui'fliiiiP’lv related ho-' - ho ha ' often boon addressed as “General” and sainted by respectful inebriates. while numerous oitn/ons have boon under the misapprehension Hint his outfit, was Yissocbitcd with Ihe St. John Amlr:lance- Others, apram. less complimentary, have taken him for a baker. The uniform is uof unlike that of the. R.A.F. and Afr. Yates nas on several occasions hern taken for a liver. , E'ospho its loneliness, the dntv or the patrol does not Jack eycitm ;. humorous adventures, and durnifr li s time on the road Ah'. Yates lias had soma unenviable and amusing experiences. Often, wot thron-d, and with no w*iy of drying Ws # hns had to’carrv on for days at n tune. Before he had ascertained tlm lH*holidays in van'eus districts, too, c.li Yates has run out of nrovbdnns and made for the nearest town in search n c tV'in on a at fil'd av ii fte'-nnon. Oiilv to find the shutters -n. ■>yd thus heine fomed to fiist. idl Moiiclnv, ivtr. Votes reoMhid that, at the t*m/\ of. the h'«r storm after tb<r QJs-l-orno Phonv ’thono was a n-nsh-onf 'no the AVairpa-Nanier road. Finchm* se-o’-al oars str«k no. and h r : "z ,tp that sort of work, ho offered to

tow them across the flood. After several sale passages ha i been mace, and the gratnml motorists set on the mad again, lie. found himself on die wrong side with the flood rising, so thi.it it was after midnight when lie arrived in Map.or, a ter having been polled Out, by a home team ! THE MIDNIGHT YiHITOB. .Mr. A'ates laughed as lie recalled the following incident, hut commented that, at ilie time, he failed lo see anything laughable about it. Camped on the Coromandel Peninsula between Thames am! Oirodeo Hay, on a pai I ien'arlv dirty M-gbl, he awakened with 11 1 e shaking of his -van. At first it dTd not worry him, as a, harmless now .had often been known to rr.l; an lhe vehicle. He was just ahoni to drop off to sloeo. Imwever, when the van began to rork violently, and ..lie situation was mium d tire more darnim;; when it began to move forward. Full of fearful apprehensions, he jumped, out of lied to find a large Jersey bull with its horns hooked under- the liar ■ between the lie.nd- ‘ a runs, pulling despe.ratel v in a vain •ffort'to free itsel!. After about hn'l ■in hour in liis pyjamas in the teeming rain the discomfited camper saw the bull’s horn break rdf, allowing •be beast 10. disappear cl a gallop nto the darkness. ‘'There was no ’urther s!(y*p for me that night con--li'de," Air. Ya ( es. “so 1 ni-**o u cup of eo’feo and anxiously awaited duy’lghf

A XA n now ESC ATE. Once while travelling towards Ku-u-liia from ' Auckland, lb-- mst.ro! miHUttingiv threw dice wifli Death are 1 on’v won hv a miraculous stroke of 'nek. 7T e had honed lo ■"e,m]i Ids lest-ination before 'nightfall, but darlonss found him with some miles P* “over, so seeing -in iuv’t ng green natch on the side of tin* road, lie Voided to ramp them for the night. T o backed on to it and slent peace ullv. but to I‘ds horror discovered n the morning that the hack wheels -if the cafa'-an wear* two foot off a reeip’to,, s lvnlc.