THAT MOTOR BY-LAW.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18353, 10 March 1920, Page 7

THAT MOTOR BY-LAW.

TO THE SIHTOB. Sir, —Judging by the remarks of tho Magistrate (as reported in Saturday’s issue of your paper) during the hearing of a number of cases against motorists for leaving their cars unattended for a longer period than live minutes, the sooner motorists bestir themselves in this matter the better. According to your report, the Magistrate considered this antiquated and illconsidered by-law quite reasonable. That decision* is not surprising in view of tho Magistrate’s expressed opinion that thcro wa» no difference between leaving a car in the street and' leaving a trap there after taking the horse out, and that it wps no greater hardship for g, man to have to take his car to a garage than for a person to have to put his horse and trap in a stablo I 1 should like to point out one outstanding dissimilarity :—Of the business men who to-day use motor-ears, hardly more than 1 per cent used, in the “old days,” horses and traps in their business. That fact alone disposes of the analogy which the Magistrate set up. Tho suggestion that if cars are allowed to stand alongside the kerbing they may as well bo allowed to stand right across the street is ridiculous; and I think most professional or business men are prepared to run the risk of losing tho business of the man who is so nar-row-minded that, because a standing ear prevents him from drawing up his car directly in front of the office he is desirous of visiting, lie decides to take his business to another office! Curiously enough, the same paper that published the remarkable “ obiter dicta ” referred to above also contained the announcement of the Government's intention to take control of the supply of petrol, and of tho probability that car-owners nob engaged in “ essential ” industries may not be allowed to buy petrol. That petrol is dear enough is admitted; but without petrol what chance has a business man of getting his high-priced (as it is to-day) car to pay interest on tho investment? And when he is smilingly making the best of this bad state of affairs, lie is threatened with these silly prosecutions—and all because, unlike the Mayor (who is said to ho at the back of these prosecutions), he does not. employ u nperson to sir :n the ear while it is stationary! Reluctance to further trespass on your space causes me to say no more for the present—l am, etc-, AMUSED.