BY-LAW BREACHES

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1930, Page 1

BY-LAW BREACHES

AUTOMOBILE CLUB PROPOSAL. i Wv Telegmpii—Press Asslku&Uou > WELLINGTON, December 9. Free legal defence of members charged with by-law breaches in a police court is a scheme the Wellington Automobile Club hopes to introduce year. “I am very anxious to introduce it for more reasons than one,” said the Chairman, Mr E. A. Batt. A tremendous number of motorists are almost at the mercy of the police and traffic inspectors. Where there is a conflict of evidence between the motorist and traffic officer in regard to excessive speed, the evidence of the latter seem to he taken invariably by the Magistrates. Many men who have not time to spare .did not attend the court in defence of the prosecutions. When they .let the oases go by default they were fined far heavier than if they defended the cases or engaged a solicitor to do so. It. was a notorious fact that a motorist was prosecuted for very trifling offences. It appears that as time goes on the traffic officers find it so easy to get decisions in cases where defendants do not get a solicitor, that we will lie at the mercy of every traffic officer. I do not think we should defend cases of alleged drunkenness in charge of cars. It is one of the most debatable points in motoring to-day. The matter of investigating the free legal defence scheme was placed in the hands of a sub-committee to report.