A MOTOR FATALITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18687, 17 October 1922, Page 5

A MOTOR FATALITY

PLACING THE BLAME. ' (From Our Own Correspondent.! WELLINGTON, October 16. A reference to the motor fatality which occurred near Ekctahuna on Sunday morning was made in the House to-night, when Dr 11. T. J. Thacker (Christchurch East) asked the Minister of Internal Affairs whether he did _ not think that a very close inquiry _ should ho made into (ho local circumstances. The member mentioned that, the accident was apparently due to the bad state of the road, the wheel of the car getting into a rut and causing the machine to swerve and get out of control. He asked that an inquiry be made so that, if necessary, the rosnonsibilitv could be thrown on the local authority which controlled the roads. The Hon. W. Downie Stewart said that ho did not know that ho could take any action which wmdd protect (he drivers or passengers in motor cars. Dr Thacker; But you could make the local bodies sit up and look after their reads. The Minister: I would ask the member if there are no ruts in the Christchurch roads. Continuing, the Minister said that he always understood that lh» leeislntion the member had asked for was in the direction of preventing furious driving, hut in this case there was no suggestion of .that. Ho did not think that ho could ask the Government to exercise any control over the local bodies in the direction suggested. The Government, could not impose penalties on the local bodies for having ruts in the roads.