HEAVY TRAFFIC BY-LAWS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 126, 20 July 1911, Page 4

HEAVY TRAFFIC BY-LAWS

STRATFORD COUNTY DISAP- ' PROVES. The sat of heavy traffic by-laws recently approved by a conference of County Council representatives at Hawera were considered at yesterday’s meeting of the Stratford County Council. The Chairman, reporting on the conference, said he could not concur with the proposals, and had informed the delegates that .be would take no action in connection with them. Cr. Hathaway: I thought you had full power to act. The Chairman said the Council had offered to give him full power, but ho had declined to take it. He moved that the Council could not see its way clear to concur with the by-laws, and

respectfully submitted its own as being reasonable and equitable. He or.id there was one thing which must Iks said plainly, which was that the. by-laws were aimed directly at milkcavricrs—in fact, so much had been candidly admitted at the conference, ihe by-laws would never do in a, county like theirs, where most of the

ratepayers were dairymen. He thought it would be altogether too harsh to make nine-tenths of their ratepayers change the size of their tyres. The by-laws proposed that loads of live hundredweight and upwards should he carried on throe-inch tyres. ' A cause of objection was that the by-laws only dealt with goods, aid there was no limit to the number )f people who might .be carried in 'chicles. Ho could not see the force »f that at all. it had also to he considered how much more time and uoney the Council was prepared to spend in enforcing 'by-laws. They dready had their own by-laws on the matter.

Cr. Walter: And they seem to be working smoothly. The Chairman said the Council’s present by-laws were humane and reasonable, and, he believed, good in law. The Council had already spent nuch time and money in enforcing its by-laws. A By-laws Act had been missed last session which it was believed would euro all complaints. The Counties Conference some years - before had asked the Government for bread and had been given a stone in the shape of this measure. Cr. Maxwell: It wasn’t crushed stone, was it? The Chairman: It is very indigestible, anyhow. Continuing, Mr Mar■liant said it appeared that under '.he present law a magistrate had newer to declare any by-law inoperative. What was wanted was n set •f model by-laws. If a sot of model by-laws was prepared by the Govcrn-

incut, magistrates would have to regard them as an expression of the will of the Government. Cr. Maxwell: I would rather leave it to the magistrate. Cr. Porritt thought the Government should give assistance. Cr. Walter supported the motion, rlo thought the chairman had acted very wisely at the conference. Some of the provisions in the proposed bylaws were very irritating. Cr. Maxwell thought, a set of model by-laws would do no good, as so many local conditions had to be considered. Cr. Thomson thought farmers Mould be allowed to carry a thousand jounds on 21-inch tyres. The Government should prepare model bylaws, tiius enabling councils to take from them only’ what they wanted. Jut the question was like that of the dairy regulations, and as in that case die Government were afraid to tackle it. The Chairman said the proposal of die conference was for a three-inch rj re in good or bad weather. Cr. Thomson said what the Coun■il desired was to deal with carters. They could deal with settlers by rating their land. Cr. Hathaway thought the weight should be the same for two and fourwheeled vehicles whether spring or block. Mr Maxwell said the Engineer should be asked to speak on techni•al points. He was not. sure that engineers were decided that broad Ayres were better than narrow ones. The matter of tyres could be left :o the individual—he would injure ilmsclf if his tyres were too narrow. The Engineer said broad tyres, up Lo a certain limit, were of benefit to the road, but when that limit was passed the weight of wheels and byres tended not to benefit the road. The motion was finally carried with the addition that in the Council’s bylaws when submitted to other coun-;-,cs the indulgence extended to spring vehicles he omitted. Regarding motor car traffic the Chairman reported that the conference bad approved a by-law dealing with notor car traffic in side cuttings. Cr. Marfell thought councils should bo compelled to put up notices showing where motors should keep on the wrong side of the road. There were many 7 places in the Stratford County where it would be dangerous for notors to keep to the in-side of side writings. The Chairman said it was properly the duty of the Government to make provision in the matter. Cr. Marfell thought the by-law approved at the conference would be worse than useless, as it would be impossible to find out exactly the right and wrongs of any accident'. The following motion, .moved by Cr. Hathaway and seconded by Cr. Porritt, was carried :—That the Council, while in sympathy with the proposed by-law, fears that it will load to scri-

ous confusion, and expresses the opinion that it is the duty of the Government ; to amend the section of the Police Offences Act, dealing with the matter. The Chairman said the Counties Conference would meet in a few weeks and would no doubt make representations to the Government with a view to having the section of the Police Offences Act dealing with the rule of the road amended in the desired direction.