NOTES AND COMMENTS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 259, 31 July 1942, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

No doubt some economy in petrol and tyres will be effected if the authorities enforce the new regulations limiting the maximum speed for vehicular traffic in this country to 40 miles an hour. It would seem, however, that a large section of present-day transport—namely, military traffic—is to be excluded from this limitation, as are various emergency vehicles. There seems no good reason why all vehicles, official or otherwise, should not be compelled to adopt so common-sense a saving, except.in a time of actual emergency. Aside from this, however, it should be recognized by the authorities, as well as by all users of vehicles that moderate speed is not the only—nor the most important—measure of economy. Many a vehicle in driven so carelessly at speeds lower than 40 m.p.h. that its petrol consumption is high and its tyres rapidly wore out. In the case of public transport vehicles, overloading is today a common abuse of tyres, besides being a cause of transmission and other mechanical trouble. Regulations dealing with a single aspect of transport economy may be useful as far as they go, but. the real need is for general appreciation of tho importance of all-round care of every transport vehicle. The careless ways of the past must be amended. Any form of wastefulness In the operation of motor-vehicles should lie checked, either by educative propaganda or by appropriate penalty.

With the fall of the city of Rostov the Germans have gained a double advantage in their south-eastern offensive. They have removed one of the main obstacles to their'advance toward the Caucasus, at the same time cutting one of the main railways to Moscow and the interior, and they have widened the bulge which is now expanding in the direction of Stalin-1 grad. This latter city, besides being an important manufacturing Centre,' is a key point on the alternative Caucasian railway running east of Rostov, and its loss would greatly increase the difficulty of maintaining adequate communication with the Soviet's oil region. Aside from these factors a serious blow has been dealt to Russia by the overrunning of the great grainproducing area known as the Don Stepjies—apparently before the crops could be harvested. Tills does not mean that the grain will be in German hands, for no doubt the retiring Red Army will have destroyed much of it. But it does mean that Russian storehouses will be depleted In the coming winter and that the colossal task of breaklng-ln and preparing new, grain-bearing lands for the feeding of Russia's millions will have to be faced almost at once. In spite of this difficult outlook the people of the Republics are maintaining a sturdy, resourceful attitude. Already “a great battle on the Soviet food front” has begun with energy and earnestness.