TRAPPING MOTORISTS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13650, 18 July 1908, Page 3

TRAPPING MOTORISTS.

LATEST SCHEME BY POLICE. The war against motor cur "scorching" io very severe,' owing to the numerous accidents (soma fatal) that occur on i:utiii>y roads. In May last, eight motorists wore "captured in ;i new trap on the Biighton road." " This is the most important case that has ever been, tried since motor-car legislation was put in force." So declared ■ Mr. Marshall Hall, K.C., at Hayword'ts-heath on May" 18th, when the tirst batch of motorosts who fell victiniD to thes new "long distance tuning" operations of tlio East Sussex police on (lie Brighton road at Easter -nere. summoned. The timing was done from Patch - am, in the south, to Slaugham parish in the north of the county— just ovur thirteen miles —and th-j speeds ranged from twenty-six to thirty-one miles an hour. There were nine defendants, but it was agreed to take only two cases that day. Mr. C. K. Gill, K.C, for the 2-nesecut-ion, said (he chief constable hail received complaints ironi many sources. The test he had hitherto applied iiad been the. lest of speed at which motors were going over a distance of one furlong. But it was sometimes suggested that that was rather a. hardship that motorists should ha tested over so short a distance —that a. motorist might be travelling at a speed exceeding the Jegal limit, but if tested os-er a greater distance it would-be found that lie was not exceeding the law. So long-distance timing was done on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday, the icsult of which was that some eighty summonses had been taken out against persons passing over the road between Slaugham and Palchain, a. distance "f thirteen nii.es fony yards. On Good Friday they timed 152 care. Forly-si-ven exceeded the twenty-mile, limit, but in no case was any summons takm out except iu cases where it was found that the- car had exceeded (lie speed of twentylive miks an hour. Out. of the forty-seven thcro were 23 eases in which the speed was twenty-live miles or over. Having "regard to the* number- of complaints made to the chief constable, Major Lang was determined that he would, as lar as possible and with fair consideration to everybody, put a stop to this intolerable nuisance which had prevailed for so long a- time on that road. The' fiivs't defendant, Geoffrey Davenport Powell, of the Motor Club, London, then entered the box and pleaded "not guilty'' to the two tsuinnumses against hint "for driving at speeds averaging twenty-six and thirty-one miles an hour br-twe'eii l'atcham and Slatigliam on April 17. HOW IT IS DONE. The "timing'' was described by PoJieeScrgeant Waghorn, of Lewes, lie said that he and Police-Constable Terry were stationed at a. cottage in Patcliam on Good Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. They" had to take the numbers of (lie cars from the hack, and had a. view of about half a mile of road. Witness recorded iu a book the number of the car, tlio time, and who was driving. The watch was hanging up before them. They timed all the cars travelling up and down the roads as'far as they could, if two parsed at once they took the heaviest ear. Sergeant Bridgeham was at Slaugham. T'luiy met- at the chief Constable's office at Lewes, and made extracts from their books of the times taken to cover thei various distances of ground, taking out all cars exceeding twenty-miles an hour. Witness produced : the ' list of en-

tries. Defendant's car, assumiug it reached Slaugham at 12.2, as recorded, would have beeu going at thirty miles an hour. Mr. Marshall Hall, K.C. (retained for the defence of the Automobile Association) said this case was one of enormous importance to the whole motoring 'fraternity. The* weakness of this "trap"—he did not ur>e the term offensively—was now conclusively demonstrated by the evidence they had heard. It was a useless trap, as against the very class of man -whom they wanted 1o catch—the scorcher. -But were it not for the admission of Mr. Powell that he was driving the car on that particular day there would be no proof of identity whatever. The man who. deliberately intended to run through a trap of that kind had only to put on a pair of goggles or anything eke to conceal his identity, and when the. police came refuse to give any information, to them. It was for the prosecution to piove i hat the individual who was driving the car at the cciinmcncemejit of the thirteen wiles was the; same pereou as was driving at the end of thirteen miles, and that there was no change' of driver in theJ-ihterval—which they; could not prove. . Tri 1 J "greater the* pace at •which the motorist drove the greater the immunity from detection.. lie asked the bench to treat this as a, test case, and to inllict a nominal penalty. It would go a long way towards conciliation. People thought motors had come to stay, and it was no good fighting hard on both sides. They wanted co-operation to reduce the evils to a minimum. If Major Lang would consent to receive, a deputation fioui the great associations in London and elsewhere soino modus operandi might be arranged. The bancli fined defendant £5 in each case and costs, and said the suggestion of Mr. Marshall Hall was one that they could not with propriety express any opinion upon. It rested entirely with the Chief Constable and the association.