SPEEDING MOTORISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18459, 24 July 1923, Page 7

SPEEDING MOTORISTS.

ANXIETY IN MANCHESTER. NUMEROUS PROSECUTIONS. PROTECTING THE PEDESTRIAN. The speeding motorist is common to most countries, and to England not tho least of all. A number of motorists and I motor-cyclists appeared in response to [ summonses at the Manchester City Police Court recently, before Mr. William Armitage and Mr. A. Hailwood, charged with offences under the Motor-Car Act, 1903, Mr. F. Webster, of the Town Clerk's Department,appeared in support of the informations. ! ■j. Mr. Webster stated that, public opinion and the large number of accidents nap-, pening in Manchester had led the members of the Watch Committee and Sir R. Peacock, the chief constable, to consider seriously the question of - the speed that motor vehicles habitually travelled. In all . the prosecutions to be brought - before the Court that day the police alleged that the speed was between 35 and 40 miles per hour. ; Public opinion .was becoming ' very strong on the matter, and in the D division of the City' Police, in which all the present . defendants had been trapped, during the last, six months there had been seven fatal accidents and 138 accidents not fatal caused by motor vehicles. As those figures related to only one of the Manchester police V divisions, the position was; becoming most serious. • The Chief Constable "had considered it necessary to have a speed trap prepared by the police. The Chief Constable felt that all people, including those who were infirm and children, had as : much right to use fthe roads as - motorists, and 'to use them with safety. - *

I On th§ : days on which the offences I were recorded, he continued, - most of the i motorists were on pleasure bent, but, they must be made to realise while on pleasure bent that other people had a right'; to 1 use the roads. It was also to be borne; in mind that a motorist who was driving at a speed' from 30 to '40 miles an hour was not in a position to pull up his ' car if a child dashed out of a house and across the road, and, after all, it, must . bo, re-, membered that there were children 'vho did that. He ; believed that it was Mr. Justice Darling who.. said recently that "in < the streets of London there were only two types of peoplethe quick and the dead." We did not want the streets of Manchester in that condition, and it was with the object of preventing that that the present proceedings • had been instituted. . . • '' Police Inspector Barry, who ha,d charge of *a measured furlong trap iri Barlow Moor Road, and Police Sergeant Bead, who was at a trap of the same kind in Wilmslow Road, gave evidence, and a large number of motor-cyclists and motorists were fined 40s each. In the cases of Wilfred John Peers and Frank Jones Roth, Mr. Webster said these, cases were regarded by the police as much more serious than the others. Peers was found driving a motor-cycle at 35 miles 'an hour. He produced to the police officer a license belonging to ; the defendant Roth, and said it was his license and that his name was ' Roth. Subsequently Roth wrote to Mr. Superintendent Tongue saying that ha was not riding, the cycle, and asked that, the summons against him should, be withdrawn. An interview was arranged between Roth and Mr. Tongue, in' the course of which Roth 3aid ho had. had legal advice , and would 'not under any circumstances disclose the name ■ and: address of the man driving the motor-cycle. Police officers were occupied for two days' in ascertain/in|: who the driver vwas. Later Roth evidently repented, and ' furnished the information required, when the police had already obtained, it. Sergeant Read and Mr. Superintendent Tongue gave evidence ia support of the statement of Mr. Webster. . Peers, • for exceeding the proper speed, was fined .£5 and also £5 for driving without being duly licensed, making £10 in all.: Roth" ; for. aiding and abetting ,in the congussioa <jjf the offence, was fined 40fc ~Y 1 '