FINES "ON THE SPOT."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21224, 2 July 1932, Page 7

FINES "ON THE SPOT."

SUGGESTION IN VICTORIA. MOTORISTS CONDEMN PROPOSAL. Without hesitation the president of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, Mr. H. J. Bean, expressed himself recently as being strongly opposed to the proposal which the Chief Secretary, Mr. Macfarlan, is investigating, That police officers should be empowered to impose fines upon motorists "on the spot,", without Court proceedings. In other countries, Mr. Bean said, this method had made blackmail bo easy that corruption had become notorious in the police services. The only argument which could be urged in favour of the proposal, said Mr. Bean, wa:i that it would ransure uniformity of lines for particular offences. At present there were extraordinary differences in the fines imposed by various Courts for minor traffic offences. The cure would be worse than the disease, however, if police officers were empowered to deal summarily with motorists. There should bo eo departure from the British principle of allowing properly constituted Courts to dispense justice. It was unthinkable that the police should be allowed to be judges as well as prosecutors. "While the majority o!i the police would no doubt use their power with judgment and discretion, I am vary much afraid that, abuses would soon creep in,** said Mr. H. W. Harrisoa, (secretary of the Chamber of Automobile Industries* "I think that we had better leave well alone," he added.