TOLL OF THE MOTOR

Hokitika Guardian, 9 May 1930, Page 3

TOLL OF THE MOTOR

tialH for check

ily Telegraph, Per Press Associiitioil

WELLINGTON, May 8

“Tlie public will not stand tlie in : creasing toll of accidents for ever,” said the Chief Justice to-day at Palmerston' Ndrth, when urging caution ori motorists.

Speaking in a similar vein, the Minister of Transport, lion W. A. Veitch, said “It is unnecessary at this juncture to emphasise the mount ning toll of life arid property due to motor, accidents. The press reminds 11s daily, of the hiss of human \ life and the damage to ' property, while our own knowledge indicates, the great amount of human suffering tndt follows every serious accident. This problem appears world wide. Every country that has adopted motor transport to any great extent has had lo face a heavy lbss.in capital, human and economic. The officers of the Transport Department have been directing ■ their attention to the prevcnMhn of accidents sihee the inception of the Department'. ' The protection of life and property is a dominating principle in the administration of' the traffic regulations. It has, however, felt for soTrie time that the accident problem slidhld he submitted to more scientific treatment than is the case at the present time”’

“It is proposed, therefore, to. cpri-t vene <* a- conference- of the interested: parties to go into,, the question, and 1 inter alia, to estahhVh a compreherisive and reliable system ,of statisticswhich should yield complete information on every aspect of the problem.”

In reply to questions, the Ministdr «oid 'that enforcement was as important as law, and must be equallv considered. The regulations for enforcement and the penalty must, urider proper system be brought into line:

DAMAGES FOR INJURED GTHI.'

WELLINGTON; -May 8. Damages totalling £9fi3 fis fid were allowed in the Supreme Court to-day to a young girl who had been struck by a runaway car at tbe foot of an incline and busbed through a fence and the closed door of a dwelling when tbe accident happeried. The niisbap occurred a t the foot, of a hill street in October last. The injured girl was Tcim Woods. wb n hv her guardian ad litom. William .Tames Gibson, .took aH-inn acninst Gcail Alfred Sadler, a land snlemao .tbn owner of the runaway car. The jury was away twenty minutes. .