DEFENCE OF MOTOR RACING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 227, 25 September 1928, Page 16

DEFENCE OF MOTOR RACING.

SENSIBLE VIEW OF SPORT

A BROADMINDED CORONER

The diebards who persistently decry motor racing as a sport and urge that it should be banned, should read the very sensible remarks made by Mr. S. Brighouse, the South-West Lancashire coroner, at the inquest at Southport, on Mr. A. E. Cunliffe, who was killed on June 23 during the Southport Motor Club's 100-mile race on Birkdale beach. He was riding as a passenger in one of the 2-litre Gra-.u Prix Sunbeams, which was driven by his daughter, Miss May Cunliffe. The car overturned on a bend. One of the witnesses at the inquest stated that the sand at the spot where the accident happened was badly churned up by the constant turning of the cars, and he was of the opinion that the soft sand pulled the front wheels of Miss Cunliffe's car, locking them and causing her to lose control. The momentum of the car against the front wheels embedded in soft sand at an angle caused the rear portion of the car to rise up, turning over or somersaulting the vehicle.

The coroner, returning a verdict of death from misadventure and exonerating Miss C'unliffe from blame, eaid there were people who maintained there ought not to be racing and that they ought not to do this and the other. "If you want to be quite safe you must shut yourself up in a bathing van and travel at three miles an hour along the high voad, and then it might overturn," lie remarked. Personally, he was a great admirer of sport in all its phases, and liked to see the British nation excel in competition with other nations, whetfier in flying an aeroplane, driving a ear, in a golf match, billiards or anything else. It was simply a desire to be able to do something better than someone else, which was for the good of the nation. "We don't want to be babies always taking milk out of a bottle," he added. Mr. Brighouse ia over 70 years of age and has been conducting inquests for many years. He is, therefore, not lacking in experience, and his remarks should be a great help to motor racing, which he thoroughly vindicated. —"The Motor." THE RULE OF THE ROAD. PASSING TRAMCARS. A good deal of misapprehension appears to exist in the minds of both the public and the police in regard to the rule of the road relating to overtaking and passing a tramcar on the offside. The regulation dealing with motors is as follows: "Every driver of a motor vehicle shall, when overtaking another vehicle other than a tram, pass on the right side of the overtaken vehicle and shall not then move into the line of passage of the other vehicle until clear of it." In conversation with a "Daijy Times" reporter, the chairman of the Otago Motor Club (Mr. A. E. Ansell) mentioned that the words "other than a tram" appeared to have given rise to the impression that a motorist might not pass a moving tramcar on the offside. The regulation, Mr. Ansell pointed out, was not intended to convey any such impression, as it was necessary on occasions to pass trams.on the offside, particularly in a locality where the distance between the kerbing and the tramline was so narrow as to involve considerable danger in parsing on the near side. For this reason the Minister of Public Works indicated recently to the Christchurch City Council that it was optional on the part of the motorist on which side he passed a moving tram. It should be remembered, however, that the regulation applied to a moving tram only. By another regulation the passing of a stationary tramcar was forbidden under any circumstances. PREVENTION IS BETTER. Calling one day upon a member of his church, a Metropolitan minister parked his car in a vacant space. A policeman was not far off. and did not object. Some twenty minutes later the minister ea-me out. and the policeman charged him with obstruction, adding. "This is not a parking place, and your car has been here twenty minutes." "How do you know that?" the minister asked. "I saw you draw up here." replied the policeman. "In that case," continued the minister, "I shall appear in court and state that you looked on at a man who, not knowing that he was about to commit an offence, drew up his car (which ht» was using in the way of ; duty) in a place where he supposed was free, and that for twenty minutes you «tood there, perhaps neglecting other re«nonsibilities. in order to catch him." The case was taken into court, the "culprit" told his story, and was acquitted. "Watchman," in "The British Weekly," commenting on the case, says: "We must not rush into harsh and unfair criticisms of policemen. It is for their sueprior officers to let them know that whenever fhe.y can prevent an offence rather than apprehend an offender we should all prefer that they ehotild do so."