TRACTION-ENGINE TRAFFIC.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12896, 6 February 1906, Page 6

TRACTION-ENGINE TRAFFIC.

COMPLAINTS, WARNINGS, PROSECUTIONS. ' I A good share of the time of yesterday's meeting of the Mackenzie County Council was taken up with the statement and discussion of complaints regarding the manner in which traction engine haulage has been conducted in the county. The county engineer reported that serious damage had been done to the main road between Fairlie and Burkes Pass by wool hauling over wet roads, and this report wns corroborated by Mr Guthrie. Two letters of complaint were read, one relating to a serious accident occurred, the other to the existence of conditions calculated to. cause an accident. With reference to the'former' Mr Frayne, coach proprietor, waited on the j Council, and he mentioned other grounds ox complaint against the engine drivers, besides that connected with the accident. The' County engineer also reported oa the position of the legal proceedings that had been ordered to be taken against the owners of 'engines for taking one over Tekapo bridge without; a permit. Mr Wigley, one of the owners waited on the Council to make explanations, and to that fairness tlie legal proceedings should be withdrawn, a suggestion., the Council did not see their way to adopt. DA3LAGE TO 110 ADS..

The following are extracts from. V the. general report of the couiity ehgineer":— " pwing to continued, broken' weather the roads in both JTairhe .and'-AJbury; Ridings which traction engines have been running over, have been cut" up much, more than usual. The Council should as sdon as- possible proceed, with,the framingby-iaws tt< regulate this traffic m regard to weight of loads in relation to engine jjawer, iumber of speed. . " Messrs WigjSey and Thornley not haying complied with , the Council's. conditions within the 14 dbya allowed, the solicitors V'ere instructed to take proceedings against, them for crossing;-the Tekopo Bridge without apermit, ii. <vecortf rtcce: 1 the Council s resolution. TPse solicitors advise that a. reso.ution of the:- Council giving) the aeces? sary authority to lay the in forma tid iv-in rs t. be passed at this meeting," .. .... .. In the course ■ of-discussion on the -report,

: Mr Banks said ic would cost £IOOO So. put- the main road in- order. He could Hnotsay exactly how much cf the damage wl» done by, engines,; but certainly'a Virs'-lafga snare of it was. j . . -- .

Mr Guthrie said the last twtJ'fripW of ThcrnleyVr. engine, in I- tret the last trip iii a. heavy- i-jin< on-Saturday—-had made'the' road like a ploughed; puddock. He had? iOo-lwles of. wool-on" tin ee ttfncks, between _ seveS - laid jeigbt tpha: per crock. The engineer should, make' an estir fliate of the cost of repaifs; ancrtiiV Council should make a claim on -JWiglev, Thorn- ' Ipy and Co. He had heafd"'another " ex-'' pert say that £IOOO-:wovTd notcqver the damage dohe by' :the ehgines this year. More damage had been done in two weeks hy tne engines, than woo? waggons would liave-done in-six-years; - • Mr Wreford defended the engine traftic i within limits. 'lsiey wafted a tc*j limit the weight of loads.® ,1 The. chairman said that was The .total load should be limited;' as it*! was the drag of the engine on"the road] that did the most ] Mr Guthrie remarked that Mp Harkhess i was careful not- to travel, m -wet weather. ! He had been known to camp for' two of j three days in wet weather. The other j people drive on, wet or dry. . ! Mr laying gave some exi>eriences of reck-' less misuse of roads, by the leaving of I materials en roadsides, and- of black ashes i on the roads, the latter very startling, to i horses. - • I

Mr Guthrie moved, and ifc was carried, that when the wool' season was over, the engineer should- make:» report on: the damage done to -the roads by tEe: .engines, and the cost of repairs.

' A COACH UPSET. A letter was rssw} ; from Mr asking .the Council, .i#, take n ateps. ..to. prevent a recurrecce .of ' an '.which had hap£fen& f Wrae >< lIonfi( Coot coach' through the horses shying at a- bag of coal left on the . roadside by a, tractioi\■ engine driver. ' The coach was cap&tzedj 'and Mrs LeCren and another lady passenger •"i;irrowly escaped series hurt,. Mr Frayne, of Kerr and' j'rayne, coach proprietors, waited oa.the Council re this accident, and. strfted What- hisdriver 5 , a young man, had told him about ibis affair. According to his story the driver passed along the road in one direction and sr,\v nothing on the road; on returning, in a heavy rain, the horses 6liied at. a bag of coal just off the road, and. capsized the coach. The coal waa found, to belong to Wigley and Thofnfey, and; their - driver afterwards removed' it. Mr Frayne pointed . out the very' great likelihood of such' aj thing as a bag of anything left- near the track, causing horses to shy, apd get out of oontrol, especially if the driver was no? expecting any danger at the time; The bujp. > was lying at a very awkward spot indeed, where it would be suddenly come upon, and it was on the opposite side to the driver's seat, so that the bor: c.-; .saw it before the driver did. Mr Fniyae said it was lucky that the accident <">n not happen to a full coach, or verv lifcrlv some people would have been killed. 1' would cost £2O to repair the light ve hide that was damaged, and if the drive! had been hurt tie whole turn-out mirht have been lost. He understood that in* would be liable to pay compensation his passengers had been injured. It wis an ugly accident as it wa6. The f<-r !:or?es were all down and tangled togetl e: nd rbe driver had to get them right sing'ehanded. Mr Frayne said the practice of lea v. r.-.gbaga of coal dose to the wheel track was

far too common, and it was very dangerous. Messrs Wigley and Thoruley too. had left a water tank on a dray at Tekapo within two feet- of the coach track, a thing there could have boon no necessity for. It was a danger to oveiyone driving past it. The chairman said the Council had advertised warnings against leaving things on the road. Anyone could take action in such a case under the Public Works Act. As a County Council they had no power to act on behalf of the coach proprietors for the accident that had happened, but they ought to interfere in the interest* of the public. The engine drrfcis wese utterly reckless and were taking charge <•( the country. "DANGER AH HAD. Mr Frayne described to the Council a source of danger that now exists in the possibility of a coach and «. traction engine meeting on tho "long cutting"' at Burke"* Pass. He did not knovr what could bo done if that, happened. Tho engine driver should be required to send a man tho full length of the cutting to see and signal thai it was clear, before starting to go up I or down.

ilr Guthrie said provision was made in tho new by-laws for signal posts at each end of the cutting, and that a man should be sent ahead of the engine to make sure that the road was clear. ANOTHER COMPLAINT. Mr J. A. Hamilton wrote that one <« Messrs Wigley and Thornley's traction engines, carting wool, was travelling alf*e< ciark (8.30 p.m.) on 50th January, wist;, the engine had neither head light nor ms:. in front. He had sent a trap down tl.t road with a young horse, and had to cycle tiree miles down the road to meet the vehicle, in case of accident. He trustee the Council would prevent any further breaches of tho bv-lavr.

This complaint was corroborated by a member of the Council. u WIGLEY IN REPLY. „ -' r Wigley waited on the Council to ask tor certain information and to offer certain explanations.

Regarding the coach accident, Mr Wigley had been to look at the place where it happened, and he thought tho bag of coal if it was n bag of coal—had very littie to do with the accident. The horses were said to have shied. If tbey shied they would have pulled the coach off tho nai row road at once, but it travelled between five and seven chains before it left the road. He had his doubts about the accident, and whether it was caused by a bag of coal. It might Lave bcea grass seed.

The chairman said that from the information received there could be no doubt t.:at it was coal, or that it caused the horse; to bolt. The engine men seemed to bo very reckless, dropping and leaving things about in the way they did ; and § Mr Wigley did not look after them the Council must do so.

Mr Wigley wondered why, if the bag frightened the horses one day, the drirer ; did not shift'it the next' timß he drovu t&at way. '

A councillor said ie could not leave bis team to do that.

The chairman drew Mr Wigley's attention to the remarks in the. engineer's report; "on the.damage'done to the n»in road by liaalage iu wet weather, and suggested that probably £2OO worth of damage was < done by one trip on the previous Saturday. ] | Mr Guthrie said, the loads had been [ camped two or three days at Fairlie, and they -inigbt just as well have stayed the two or three -days -at the -Pass, and then the roads would have been dry again. Mr Wigley v- We can't learfe the roads: and,.if: we camp r qn the roads you. com- 1 L4"iu- We? always do stop, unless >we are caught iu the rain ou tlie roads. .-The: j&airnun then mentioned Mr .FrayrieV i'Orapbmit about the water tank at Tekujpo, lelt by the engine drirers closi to (he couch track. It was an obstruction and had no business to be there. It created a risk, and the coach proprietor •lookedTto the: Council to have it removed. Thf' Council "were determined to put. a stop to the praaticeiif putting stuff down on-the 'road ft.' They " had • published cautiWDs _in the • iincl threatened prosecutions, but it wus; difßcult* to sheet home The. evidence they nowlind nrm tne strongest tliey wrtyr likely ti/get. und ■'hi. told Mr '-"Wigley they ;were• <.n the case. 1

£ brought tip the quest iu;i of pWigley' aiid'-'Ghorriley's agreement not ui J'cairy wool past Fairlk. ;mking Mr Wigley |wiiy they broke that agreement. | Mr VVigley said he uuderetood they wcse Ifeto be allowed to crass Tekapo bridge, hui "the Council did not give (hem the jH>r;mit. The Council had made a breach of faith,.._i£.. he -had .done, so,. He did not-i-admit that there was any breach of ; fcj&e agreement had uqt been complete*:. |alie Council made a breach <Jt, lanii iu "a resolution to sue them not found by the sheep, lanntia in [fourteen days, and the Council b£ga&»D?..; !• them before the fourteen days were up. f;ind before, they had carted any wool ixiat } ifairlie.- ,

i, chairman said he could not undeij Stand that argument. The breach of iaith t ww crossing the bridge Without j A fortnight was then given theaiVto'coui- ; plete the conditions on which, tJto~»j>evni it } was to be granted, and if thestt wert emi: ty'eted' the prosecutioa was to lapse. (. Jlr said it was not ior Ik-m ,ti> complete the conditions; they had r.»i.thmg to do;,with .fejding £IOO. These .;was no breach-oF agreement on ;a.s the', agriegvent lid never ',i'*eted. They had said they haul wool: past 1' air lie ,if they jjpt' a, - jjer'W;»foixl said thev i<aw ihsough verv diherept spectacle. Asked wliy'the'Utck country settlers did HoKfiftd; the £100; Mr Wigley said that some of them objected to the condition that wool w~xs not to be carted pasJrfTPftinl*. They thought that finding £IOO-ought u> be enough. " --i- »• The chairman said the £IOO vrtfSd uit pdy for the damage to the road. A discussion then took pl;ici> on what was to have been a " reasonable load.'" aud.councillors and Mr Wigley differed ;ir? to the actual weight of an average bale of vcml—whether the oi cwt is the mmimum or the. average of "bales of merino.

-^ r 'Wiglipgr asked if the Council were J, J P 01 "}? on_ with the prosecntion, ai;d Uie chairman said-they were, and also with the case for obstructing the n»d by leaving a bag of coal tiwon it. Kmplovers responsible for tlie acts of their servants, and if they did not look after thenu must take the consetjucnceu. Mr Wigley asked \o be treated" in a reasonable way,' as tbey had tried to meet t They could have carted all the wool to Timatu, and it would have paid them to do so. The ratepayers ci vil not do without traction engine.*, as !hev would -see when tlie grain season c-ane on. Perhaps {hey had letter give the (Vvn.-il the traction engines. and save unv i.mje bother. Perhaps the Council rosil.i iv« them for carting shingle for the mad.- - We might, iu dry weather, said a councillor.

In reply to Mr Wigley, the chairman ] he Lad hud nothing to do with Use link j in? of the station yard gate on Saturdav ; night to imprison a load of wool.—(ice: - j feclually as it happened). j The chairman told Mr Wigler that, a, complaint had boen mado that one of I i- • drivers had blocked another engine itiHOffi

PUfflg bim na tic Mr Wigicy i laughed at the charge, jsayin? i? *r,x* not : possible. tbfcre wu j>3et»ly «»f 300131 i»a ; Uic road, and ?be enru:*# woe working tojcxlu r. j The interview then cl<wed. ' The Coijndl ing i lie ne<c*M jy #lepiK to !»<• taken lo , pwcrnif M«»» Wigky and Thftrnky (1) j for taking a t»cU«n c»gn»e -">■<" ?*«# jJjc 1 Tekapo bridge na .|,mMaiy 3rd *u3k«bj a j perms'!. ju:d <2) for placing 'il>vlructj<»n* c»n I a public i*jd. T!»© wjasew w-a* a!*c» | instructed Jo icjvijt on tie dim.igc ! l« 'he Fairtie>ll<)r)itV Par* mj.ky usr. 1 tioj) engine*. with estimate «f <f>rt «<f ;< i jwiin. , rm: i.kvels cocnty corscu. CASK. i Tli» Levels CosMy {«»ei;dl <*♦- i operation in rjnyjng «s their U« tail! against Wiglcy ajjd Tl)«riiify. ftw <lx» ho - removed, it ws» "<* ike C<«H of Appeal.—After a lUwsvinn it »ao | agreed U« accede So lhe Mr Guthrie though*. the?* !>h<rtjM be a.: conference »f the l.Vsswty I.V<s&i}*, to! fiuwr. uniform hri< re ihcy n;rcttl '■ to share the c<!>! of !««• tu.-rVI n;l agree t« the I.tvr't t>.rad"> | '** tsui li« fee 'fa tL}«*Juug ; fioni baui.ti.,- er.gint*. i