The Star. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1923. “ TAKE AWAY THESE BAUBLES.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17229, 21 December 1923, Page 6

The Star. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1923. “ TAKE AWAY THESE BAUBLES.”

Without what might be called Cromwellian austerity, but firmly and properly, the City Council has at last decided to disembarrass itself of its shipment of red rear reflectors for bicycles. The Motor Cycle and Cycle Traders’ Association has agreed to take them over at fivepence apiece, which will represent a fair profit to the Council, and retail them at ninepence. This deal ends the very ill-considered proposal for the registration of bicycles. That measure, as we pointed out long ago. was a very clumsy attempt to save the Council’s face in regard to an unpopular piece of municipal trading. Registration was to cost the cyclist balf-a-erown, for which-he was to receive a red reflector, representing a cost to the Council of something under fourpence. But as an afterthought the. Council decided that it would be necessary for the cyclist, at his own expense, to have his registration number painted on the bar of the bicycle. Of course this roundabout process could never have been enforced in Christchurch, especially in face of the fact that the Council had a by-law on its books providing that all cyclists should carry red reflectors. This by-law was simply not enforced, although it was eminently reasonable, and had never been objected to by the cyclists themselves. It is true that during the war, when the supply of reflectors was short, the Council deliberately decided to hold the by-law in abeyance, because profiteering was going on, but that is many years ago, and there has been no excuse for the past five or six years for allowing the by-law' to remain a dead-letter.

There is one interesting point in the negotiations for the sale of the reflectors in which the Council appears to be taking advantage of the simplicity of the cycle traders. Members of the Finance Committee must know' that they cannot enforce the undertaking given to the purchasers that all riders will be required to use the red reflectors day and night. It would be just as unreasonable to require cyclists to carry lamps during the daytime, or tool bags, or pumps. Many cyclists never cycle at night, and would have no use for reflectors. However, this point is not very material. The Council was probably prepared to promise anything. At all events it has got out of the situation as gracefully as possible. One of the councillors suggested that the Council should retail the reflectors at sixpence, but it is much better to let the traders handle the whole shipment at ninepence. That price, at all events, represents a very substantial reduction on the present retail price of reflectors, which run from a shilling to half-a-crown each.