MOTORING.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17470, 2 June 1922, Page 4

MOTORING.

NOTES. Tne Motor Reliability Trial, postponed from last Saturday, will be held to-day, tho ears assembling at Latimer square at 7 a.m., and leaving at 7.30 ror Aknroa. If the weather makes the original route impracticable, nn alternative route, via Gebbie's Vaney, will be used.

The postponed roiiferenc-e between delegates of the South and North Island Motor Unions, Counties' Association. Good Roads Association, and the Minister of Public Works will lie held in Wellington on Wednesday. Mr a win represent the South Island Motor Union. I

The annual conference of delegates to tiie South Island Motor Union, held on Wednesday night, disclosed si' very satisfactory state of affairs, and members were not slow to recognise that a largo share of the .success of the organV', ftt '-n n A V as (sue to tne past-president. Mr F. W. Johnston, and the secrctarvtreasurer, Mr P. It. Harman. In vacating the chair in favour or the newly elected president •of the South Island Motor Union (Mr J. S. Hawkes) the retiring president, Mr F. W. Johnston, said that at last Mt Hawkes had come into his own. He »rus one of the pioneers of motoring in the South Island, but his modesty had precluded him from coming into the limelight. At the conclusion of the business before the conference, the lioalth of the now president and also thai of tho retiring president was toasted. i The proposal to have a uniform system of sign-posting throughout the island, made by Mr J. 3. Hawkes lecently, was discussed at the annual [conference of delegates to tho South ■u\ i r Uniou ou Wednesday night, and was unanimously approved, lite scheme has been extended to include, in addition to direction sh'iis the names of rivers to be disnlaved on bridges, and signs showing the'names of the small towns passed through on the main route from the north to the south of the island. The affiliated clubs and associations will be circularised and asked to adopt the scheme, which should prove of great convenience to touring motorists.

The non-motoring public might be alarmed at the decision of the South Island Motor Union to endeavour to have speed limits removed from the by-law, but this movement is not nearlv so dangerous as the uninitiated mi<*h't suppose. The Union maintain that a fixed. speed limit is unreasonable, and if only the statutory law, "forbidding drivers to drive in a manner dangerous to the public," were observed, it "would mean a great improvement in the control of traffic. At present the authorities must prosecute if a case is brought under their notico of a car proceeding at ten miles an hour where the speed limit is six miles, irrespective of whether tho inspector or the constable is quite satisfied that ten miles an hour is not a dangerous, speed under tho circumstances. As a southern member stated at the conference on Wednesday night, it might be quite safe to drive along a street at 20 miles an hour at one time, and five minutes later it might be dancerous to proceed at the i rate of ten miles.

Another difficulty in regard to byI law speed limits, is that they vary in different districts and towns, and it is absurd to expect a driver travelling a long distance to know the speed limits at all the places through which he passes. The motorist has to be trusted to exercise a little common-sense under these circumstances, and he shonld bo trusted to that extent in all cases It might be argued'that the removal of the speed-limit would encourage the road-hog to indulge in speeding, but that type of motorist would soon bo educated up to the proper standard, for the powers of the authorities under

HOME AND ABROAD.

(By "BOADSTEE.")

the statutory law are fairly wide. It would be oasier for a constable to prove "dangerous driving" than it is at. present to prove that a motorist has ex- . ceeded a speed limit by five miles. . I In the big cities the tendency Ij of the controlling authorities is towards speeding up traffic. Mr E. . R. Guinness, a South Canterbury delegats to the conference, said that this J was the case in Sydney and Melbourne, and he had found when driving slowly j in those cities he had beei: signalled to move more quickly. Some local bodies in New Zealand are comprised of members who have had no experience of motoring and are quite unfitted to lay down rules for motorists. Some of these worthy eentlemen, knowing that a horse is striking a <r~od gait when it travels at 14 or 1G miles an hour, are rendered brcthloss at the mere mention of 25 miles an hour. I Apropos of this, Mr A. E. Ansell, of 1 the Otngo Motor Club, said that his club was dissatisfied with a speed limit in a certain borough and a few of the members offered to give a demonstration of speed to the members of the I local body. When told that they were gointr to be taken o\*er a stretch of road ' at 18 miles an hour, some of the borough councillers became alarmed for th"ir own sa>Hy, but they undertook the trip. When asked to form an estimate of the speed they were travelline they cuessod nt something like 10 miles an hour, and could hardly "believe their eyes" when the speedometer showed 18 miles an hour. As a result of the littl" lessen in safety motoring, the borough council, which had been prosecuting for breaches of the ten mi'e an hour limit, immediately amend- • ed t7i-> by-law, increasing the limit to j 20 miles an hour.

I The inclusion of the words "New Zealand" in the title of the Automobile Union which is representative of the North Island only is a sore point with members of the South Island Motor Union and they certainly have reason for their grievance, for the all-embrac-ing title naturally gives tho impression that tho Automobile Union is the headquarters of North Island and South Island affiliated bodies. In this instance there is, with all due respect to the immortal bard, a great deal of importance attaching to a name, for the North Island body, by reason of tho "New Zealand" in its title, is often assumed by Government Departments to be representative of tho whole of the Dominion, and the result is that tho South Island Union, a much stronger and better organised body, is ignored. The Southern motorists have no desiro to antagonise their Northern frier cb and have not taken any official steps to have the title of the North Island body altered, but if tho matter is brought under the notice of the Northern motorists in a friendly and private manner, they will no doubt gladly fall in with' tho reasonable request of tho South Island Union.

The delegates to the annual conference of the South Island Motor Union referred in terms of high praise to the hotel concession scheme instituted last I year and acknowledged the good work of the executive in Christchurch and the socretary in developing it beyond all expectations. The scheme is now in operation throughout practically the whole of the South Island, and many members of affiliated clubs and associations have already reaped much benefit. In practically every town of any size there is at least one good hotel where members can, by presonting their I membership ticket, obtain a tariff conI of from two shilling to three shillings a day Besides the direct benefit obtained by members the scheme has proved of tremendous raluo to the affiliated bodies in obtaining new members and reviving the interest of old members whose motoring enthusiasm hat dwindled. Ten clubs and associations, with an approximate total membership of 4200, are now affiliated with the Union, as against eight clubs and associations with a membership of 3300 last year. It is confidently expect- i ed that there will be a furthor bio- increase this year. a