RECKLESS MOTORISTS.

Shannon News, 19 November 1926, Page 1

RECKLESS MOTORISTS.

DANGER AT BRIDGES! HOEOWHENUA COUNTY RESTKICTIONS.' The following matters were dealt with at Saturday's meeting of the Hortfwhenua County Council: Cr. Catley asked whether notice boards had been erected prohibiting cars exceeding the , proper speed at Ohaii. They were travelling 1 at 60 miles an hour. The Engineer said they could not be erected till the Ay-laws were altered.. Cr. Jensen considered . something should, be done to regulate traffic at , the, bridge's to eight miles an hour. The chairman: You can not drive a car at eight miles jan hour. You cannot get steering way on it. Cr. Jensen considered it was possible. He had brought this matter up for several years and was not doing it for fun. There had been accidents and very near accidents. In one. case a cart was coming across , the Otaki bridge when a ear came rushing down the hill with the result that the shaft went through the wind I screen. The cars came down the hill at 30 or 40 miles an hour and could not stop when any tiling else was on the bridge. The Engineer: They won't'stop te read notices. We had barrels in the middle of the road with a red flag and a notice and a, car came along and knocked the shovel out of a man's ''and. I asked the driver whether lie , .read the notice and lie said ' What notice?" A notice was no good after an accident. The motorists just laugh at. you. Cr. Jensen: They might not laugh if there was an accident. The Chairman agreed that there was danger at the Otaki Bridge as Cr. Jens'ehr pointed out. A board might be. erected on the south side of the,bridge at the top of the hill, '* Go SlowBridge Ahead!" Cr. Kilsby asked whether the Automobile Association did not do anything in that respect. \ The Chairman: Very often members of the Automobile Association are the offenders. ; We can ask them to put/a notice board up. . '. ; Land for Spoil Removal. The chairman reported, upon the negotiations for the acquisition of an , area of land at Waikanae for use for spoil purposes. On May 25th last no-, tics was. served on the Public Trustee, who was administering the estate owning the land, that the Council wantecP to at-.quire it for the purpose of taking spoil therefrom. At a later date the Council gave the speaker a free hand to continue, the negotiations. He. had considerable discussion with the local office and the Wanganui District office and he thought matters were, in train to bring about suitable airaugements. It was suggested that the Council purchase this land at a certain price and that the estate have the right to repurchase it at a lower price at the end of six years, Avhen the spoil was removed. In the middle of October the Wanganui office reported to the head office in Wellington and the authorities there rejected the arrangement made. The> said they were willing to lea.'e two acres with a right of renewal, with thd right to remove the spoil, at a royalty of 3d per cubic yard. They weiv; thus asking £2OO an acre for the Jantl provided the Council removed the whole of the spoil off it. The chairman said he felt that this was an absolute imposition and therefore notice was immediately given 'chat the County proposed to take the land under the Publi; Wor.:s Act, aiid 24 hours notice that they intended to remove spoil. He felt that the price asked for royalty was so grossly unfair that he should have jne more try to arrive at a fair settlement so he again had an interview with the Public Trustee nnd tlie result of the representations he then made was that the County was to he. allowed to take spoil there at a rate of one. perry r.o r cubic yard. Redly the owners Avould get the value of the land and still have the land. Seeing that it was i u estate administered by the Pub- . lie Trustee he did not think they could ask that the spoil be given, though in some cases it had been given. It would cost the County £7O to .£IOO for the spoil, fencing and rent. Had they taken the land, the County would have been forced into the Assessment Court and it would have cost £2o«or £3O beside the cost of taking the land by proclamation, which considerable. "A very good compromise," commented a councillor, with which other councillors agreed. The chairman said the urgency of continuing the "road work was ■ very pressing. If this spoil could not have been obtained the County would have had to shift its camp and plant to another locality. SeciSnd Sprayer Unnecessary. Cr. Jensen raised the question whe-, tlier the Council would be justified in buying a second sprayer to enable the work to go on. The Engineer did not consider it would be any advantage. They could seal 30 to 40 chains a day and could