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Hokitika Guardian, 14 August 1924, Page 2

Brand National week in Christchurch appears to have affected the impoitaucc of the business transacted in Parliament this week. Evidently many of the legislators felt that l he exhausting dibits of the budget debate called for some necessary relaxation, and the call of the turf could not he denied. The 'House will he dealing with Estimates for the remainder <>' the week and the task will no doubt extend into next week, so that it will he some time before legislative work will begin actually. 'lbis, no doubt, suits the Government to keep the' session as dull as possible as long as possible. The chief struggle of the session from a party point of view will ho nlxmt the Electoral Reform Bill and it is evidently suiting both Reform and Labor to keep the measure in the back ground. But if the Government is sincere about its proposals, the forms of the House "ill permit it to advance the measure with very little delay, despite the avowed opposition of Labor. Next in importance for the House will he the taxation proposals. which Mr Massey continues to hold in abeyance, hut the details must ho forthcoming soon. Hie Gaming Bill is promised a stormy passage, but probably more as a means <>t holding up the Government electoral relorm proposals. It is high time tho House was in its full working stride.

Tin: frequency of motor accidents on the highways and ill the public streets, due to high speed, suggests that the question of the. control of this class of traffic is not merely an academic problem. It is demonstrated fa.r too often that human life and limb are at stake. It is hardly possible nowadays to peruse a daily newspaper without a traffic accident, more or less serious, and far too often fatal, being recorded. The time is at hand when there should ho more rigorous control of the sliced of traffic. As tho law stands there is varying opinion about thequestion. 11l the North Island one Magistrate held that a by-law limiting the speed to 16 miles an hour was invalid, liecau.se it was considered an unreasonable limit. Many local bodies have by-law s limiting speed in towns and in congested thoroughfares at a much lower limit. If they are to he held unreasonable, then the public stands in great [icril, and the sooner Parliament gives a more authoritative ruling the liettor. Motor traffic at a high speed, is often to he seen passing up and down Revell Street on. Saturday nights, and there is no question almut the danger to pedestrians. Tt seems to be a matter for consideration whether the local body should not enforce more rigorous conditions as to speed in the main street, having in mind always, safety first.