THE MOTOR FIEND.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1775, 14 March 1906, Page 26

THE MOTOR FIEND.

WHAT HAPPENS IN HOROWHENUA.

Whafc the motor bicycle and the on* dinary bicycle are to the non-combat** ant pedestrian of Wellington, tfie motof oar is to the peaceful inhabitants of the country. As far as city traffic is concerned, the motor-car is a fairly well-behaved vehicle. It is in the country, putting up long-distance records, that the motorist becomes dangerous. Only the other day, driving down the Manukau cutting at a million miles an hour, more or less, a motorist was suddenly confronted by a peaceful contractor’s dray, taking in spoil from a benching. The motorist and the horse eyed each other ominously. There was only room for one. and as the horse %vas not accustomed to thinking rapidly, the motorist jammed on his brake, and ripped off one of his tyres. That was all the material damage. The rest was chiefly language.

Again, a motorist putting up a record from Palmerston to Wellington is said to have traversed the whole length of the H&roAvhenua county, from Kereru to Te Horo, before a message could be sent to stop him. This sort of thing gives the local body no* control whatever over persons passing through its jurisdiction. In fact, the deduction from the narratives of motori ing in Horowhentia is that the peaceful population avlio are paying rates to keep the roads in condition for motors and milk-carts are afraid to use them themselves, but creep along behind the fences in terror.

On their behalf the County Council held a council of war oil Saturday, when Councillor Venn, in pacific tones, moved that the oounty solicitor prepare a hy-larv under clause 3 of the Motor Oar Regulation Act of 1902 by which the owners or drivers of cars travelling through the county should reduce their speed in passing through toAvnships or along side benchings, fill 1 - ings, sharp turns, or dange2*ous and should stop and render assistance to their victims. Councillor Venn said they should leave it to the solicit tor to decide what the act meant by a “reasonable speed.” It was very dangerous travelling fast in broken country with sharp turns, and he would suggest eight miles as a reasonable speed for passing tOAvnships and dangerous places. A man the other day went from Palmerton to Wellington in four hours, or about twenty-five miles an hour. That was orettv rough on a person aa*lio happened to bo driving a restive horse. Councillor Richards seconded the motion, which Avas agreed to.