THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Thursday, October 9, 1941. A BAD BARGAIN?

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24733, 9 October 1941, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Thursday, October 9, 1941. A BAD BARGAIN?

There are times when Parliament is to be commended for its prompt despatch of public business. It cannot be suggested, however, that any commendation is due to either side of the House for the expedition with which the Supplementary Estimates were passed on Tuesday evening. Despite the fact that they provided for the disbursement of large sums of money under a wide range of headings, these estimates were disposed of, with little discussion, in something less than two hours. It is true that information from the Ministerial benches was sought in connection with a few of the votes. But questioners were interested not always in the largest or the most intriguing of the appropriations listed in the Estimates, and the result is that public curiosity, where it exists, must in the meantime remain unsatisfied. It is noteworthy, for example, that no voice*was raised in connection with the vote of £30,000 to cover the recent purchase by the State of the Blackball colliery, and that the additional item of £2500 "for the purchase and installation of plant" hardly excited any attention. Actually there was ample reason to inquire from the Minister of Mines whether the experience of the past few weeks had caused him to lose any of his earlier enthusiasm for the Blackball transaction, which was largely his personal responsibility. Before the purchase was concluded the Minister professed to have satisfied himself that.the mine was .better "than well equipped, and that it measured up satisfactorily to production tests; When the mine passed to the State early in July, he expressed his conviction that he " had not saddled the country with a liability." On the contrary, Mr Webb believed that the mine, under State ownership, would be an asset to the country and an inspiration to its people. The history of the mine since its transfer to the State has nevertheless been one of difficulty and loss of production. Last week it was announced that it had been worked on only 13 days in six weeks. There is an accumulation of slack coal largely unmarketable because of its high sulphur content—a shortage of shipping space being a contributory factor —the production rate has been substantially reduced, and fourteen men have been put off the payroll with the assurance that work will be found for them in the State mines at Runanga or in the Grey Valley. In the meantime, according to the Acting Under-secretary for Mines, steps are being taken to "explore the Crown area lying along the smoke ridge," while the main dip in the present mine is to be pushed ahead " in the hope that better coal will be found." None of these facts argues for the prosperous sequel to State purchase that was so confidently foreseen three months ago by the Minister. On the contrary, they point to his having made a bargain which the taxpayers may have future cause to regret, regardless "of the permanence or otherwise of Mr Webb's opinions on the subject. It seems reasonable to recall, also, the Minister's "amazement" at the fine plant he found installed in the mine on the occasion of his first exploratory visit. It was " the most up-to-date plant in New Zealand," and had been offered to the State at "thousands of pounds less than it was worth." Yet, on top of the purchase price and as a footnote to failing production and frequent idleness in the mine, there is provision in the Supplementary Estimates for £2500 for the provision and installation of plant! In the circumstances the Minister's views on the changed conditions in the mine and how they might be expected to affect the State's investment should be instructive. The extraordinary thing is that, during Tuesday evening's discussion with the Opposition admittedly in " work- ' ing mood," they were not even i sought.'

SAFETY AND THE BLACK-OUT The fact that in two months only one fatal accident has occurred in the Dominion' in restricted lighting areas may be taken as an indication that both motorists and pedestrians have given serious regard to their obligations under black-out conditions. The restrictions undoubtedly increase road risks, but extra precautions by road-users can, as this record suggests, reduce the hazards to a normal or less than normal degree. A consideration which the Transport Department might take into account, in any long-view analysis of accident figures, is that the vehicular lighting restrictions have automatically reduced the danger that is inherent in dazzling headlights. It may even be possible that a permanent modification of vehicle lighting in urban areas would prove a safety measure. On this brief experience the Transport Department is no doubt justified in delaying action on the Road Safety Council's recommendation that the speed limit in restricted lighting areas should be reduced from 30 miles an hour. But a return covering two months only cannot form the basis for. definite conclusions. In Great Britain, where, of course, the black-out has been much more thorough, the road accident death rate rose immediately the regulations were introduced, setting a new record in the first month of the war, and it has continued to increase. In the first five months of 1940 fatal accidents accounted for just under 2000 deaths, and in the same period of this year, for nearly 3000 deaths,

about 75 per cent, of them during black-out hours. Eighteen months

ago the speed limit in built-up areas was reduced from 30 to 20 miles an hour, obviously without noticeably minimising the dangers of the black-out. It is presumably the alarming incidence of accidents under black-out conditions that is principally responsible for the suggestion now being considered by the British Government that the regulations should be modified. That Moscow, which is at the present time enduring the concentrated attack of the Luftwaffe, should have found some relaxation of the black-out practicable, is a circumstance that is expected to weigh with the British authorities. Actually there is a section of opinion in Great Britain which inclines to the .belief that the total black-out is not justified in such cities as, for example, London, where the Thames provides an inexpungable guide to enemy aircraft. That modified lighting should even be advocated while an "invasion season " is in prospect provides an interesting indication of a lack of definite agreement concerning the necessity for the total black-out as a war precaution.