NOTES OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1683, 25 February 1913, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Soue rdthcr remarkable facts were elicited from the Commissioner of Police for the City, of; London by a Select Committee set up by the House of Commons 'fo'. inquire' into thela'rge number of fatal, accidents, io, London due. to power-driven .vehicles. The Committee, as a result of its investi-. gations, was to make recoinrnendations with a view to securing greater safety in the streets. According to the Commissioner of Police, however, the power-driven vehicles are not the deadly things alleged; on the contrary, despite the increase in population and in traffic, there has actually been a diminution in the number of street accidents. In 1901 the number of accidents by' horse vehicles alone was 1491, while in, 1912 the number caused by horse vehicles and motors combined totalled only 1384. To fully appreciate what this falling-' off. meant, it should be known that in 1891 the, number of persons who' entered, the city, daily between the hours of 7 a.m. and' 7 p.hi.- was 951,0GG, and the number of. vehicles .76,250, whereas the corresponding figures for 1911 showed increases respectively to "1,077,155 and 94,095. The Commissioner' of Police, when questioned on the subject of the regulation of the speed of motors, .curiously enough saw no good in attempting to impose speed limits. "When

the experience of motor traffic was small," ho said, "he was of opinion that'regulation of speed might be desirable, though, eveli then he had doubts as to ho\V it would'■be possible to enforce a speed limit. ' Further experience had convinced him that a spced_ limit would be' undesirable in the city." _ Pressed for reasons, ho said he objected to a speed limit in the' city streets, because he believed it to be lioth impracticable and undesirable; but even if it wqrehot impracticable he should still object to it as undesirajbio. He was in favour of the restriction of speed, but by regulation, presumably by the police, arid not' by a specified 'iin'ut,'"/Itr-is' of interest k> 'note." that in all'the 53 cases' of fatal accjdepts paused by motor vehicles during the three year's from' January, 1010, to December, 1912 t a verdict of "accidental death" was returned and no blame attaphed to the _ driver. The Commissioner ,6f Pojice thought this was not entirely due to the fact that none of tho drivers were to blame,ibiit was partly Swing tp the disinclination of oproners' juries to harden their hearts sufficiently, to bring in a verdicts of manslaughter. Still, the fact remains, and with it the further fact that despite'the attacks' made 'on motors and their drivers; the number, of . aqciden'ts in the most congested area of- traffic in the. world has decreased with the advent and increase of vehicles., "' * r

That vigorously-.written Auckland publication, The Voice of- Labour.—. "the only Labpur paper in New Zcala.iid." to' quote its own title-page— in 'its latest issue" indulges'iri spine very plain talk concerning' tlie'success of the Socialists in dragging a section of organised labour at'their heels. The Voice can see no reason why the Socialists should not 'aspire to control the destinies of New Zenland, but it leaves"'hd.'rborii for doubt as to its opinion of-what would fyar>pen should that unhappy' day ever arrive. ".'•■ ■■..;-.. Tho Socialists (it states) have as much right as anyone else to, entreat the votes 'o'f-tlie masses,.but' the. masses a|so have a right to. ask'.the' Socialists to show causa, why. they should-: be handed.'this, job, in: preference to' apybody else, and they have a right at least to. be giveu a civil answer, instead of,-, being howled' at as "scabs" for asking the question; The glorious benefits, that .would accrue to tho, masses from' sending 1 a Socialist Government to "Wollihgtori may. be very vividly plain to tho ardent Ked Bagger, but it is hot at all plain to' (he ordinary person, Vjrhb makes up, about aD.por'cenr.' pf the population',', and: as' tho Sopiali'st can't get to Wellington. \Hthout at least' tlie. votes' of 51 per cent., of the ordinary people, self-interest alono' should oauso. the aspiring. Socialist. politician to, curb his indignation' at what ho calls "tho stupidity of the people,"' and to calmly, and, if necessary, oven as one would teach a'little child, point out' in 'polite, language the benefits' which would follow from making, say, Comrade Milla or Com. rado Sempte of Cohifado Hickey Premier of New.Zcalaitd. '.".,-''■'■ The Voice then proceeds ,to discuss some, of the foolish outppitripgs of, the''§pbialists, arid their recent, converts, and incidentally the antagonism' of '■[ the,'' New Soqi.alistLabour combine in New Zealand'to the Labour party in Australia., Un cbhcliiding, it thus curtly,dismisses what it terms "the. Socialist hierarchy in New Zealand'':'— ''.'.-'•',"' "tlit'.' Holland is of : course.entitled to his views on defence, so are Comrades Sempln and but'itis scarcely Hkely that these men .will appeal to the voter's ofiNew'Zealand.a's those with any,'serious .sense'of tho.responsibility,'of;gpvennneiit/ The Labour'party that will ; come in "Jevt, .Zoaliind-'will be d'party-.iyith-a.'senso. of rits'- responsibilities; ■■ '■:■ '■■ .'-..('•'.;:'.' -' v The information which' we publish this morning concerning the coming local bodies 1 elections in April should have some'effect' in, awakening citi-' zens. to a" j liyelier scnse ; of their re-, sponsibilities in the matter than at present appears to exist.. Not only ■the municipal elections but the Harbour Board and Hospital and Charitable' Aid Board elections,take place on-the same day. The.occasion is of more''than ordinary concern this year because of, the determined effort that is being made by! the,new ist-Lalxiur cdmbinatijin'. tp . capture the control,tff'the whole oftheselarge and important public bodies. Labour juSt as much, as an"x bthei;"section of the.community'is entitled to its share in the contrpl : of public .affairs," and we , havo welcomed representation from Labour circles as a good'thihg. The control of public" affiiirs is not theTpriviloge of any class. But for that very reason it is. desirable that citizens bestir, themselves. • I 1 the Socialist element can carry .the. polls by sheer weight' of v.otcs, 110 one. can complain; but what is to be feared is that they may succeed not by virtue of-their, strength—for they are not strong" numericaliy-7-but bedause of the neglect of citizens generally to interest." themselves. . The Socialist-La,bour' combination already, have'more candidates' than they require," and , are." actively at work, but up to tH present there • have been no. signs of activity on tho part of'anyone'else.' ''"'