The Daily News FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28. A NEW SOURCE OF DANGER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81912, 28 December 1906, Page 2

The Daily News FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28. A NEW SOURCE OF DANGER.

in ilii' forties when first, strain 4 reel motors began their win']-: of <!rrasiatinn. public oiiijsion was too stroll'; for tl;cni. Tin- aboniinations were relegated lo tin l r. 'fii'.' j-ieam motors of the forties at Laiii'.'il tin' enormous speed of t.'ii mill's im liour going "eves out.'' The modern successor of those old time motor curs develop any speed up to seventy or eighty csiliu an hour, ami they #r« responsible for move deaths l>y aecideilt than any other vehicle. Excessive speed produces a stimulation and exhilaration that needs an outlet. The person whose spirits are abnormal:;.' stimulated is more .'.am:, was than lie who is normally cheerful. Anybody who has had the priviV'ge of travelling on a auin with a team of successful footballers will agree. All savage races stimulate themselves before thev go to light by dancing,, y.lling, and otl.cnvise getting mad. The .Maoris would never light until tliev had been spurred up to it by excitement. JJands and noise of ali kinds have an invigorating effect on soldiers; 'tis mi id a [Scotsman will "ladlv die to the twirl of the pipes, although inanv others would gladly die to be saved the skirl. A horseman often f.eels like yelling with delight at a real ringing gallop. He doesn't care whether lie goes through a fence or over it when his blood is up.

All .this preliminary to saying that the modern catastrophe, the motorist, is not necessarily a murderous villain at'heart or on foot. But once on board a car there are men in NewZealand at this moment who would gladly slav anvthiug between the Cape and'the Mull', and who do as a matter of fact often enough succeed in maiming someone or other. A little bunch of motor accidents has occurred in New Zealand during tin: last few weeks that make it imperative for maddened motorists generally to be rigorously dealt with. J.l is the opinion of one of the most eminent London brain specialists that persistent motorists become maniacs ill live years, or less, according to tiie quality "of their grey matter. It cannot but be the opinion of the mere lavman who has seen anything of motoring i» - Nl! «' Zealand that, the motorist's brain becomes useless after about two years' persistent scorching. The large cities of New Zealand have imported motor steam lire engines to "el to the too frequent tires at something faster than a gallop. As everyone is aware now the Wellington mo"tor lire engine was called ; out> 'not long since because "a boy had set lire to some scrub. The engine going round the corner at a pace variously estimated to be anything from four miles to thirty miles Killeu a lady instantly and badly injured 'ier daughter. The Auckland lire engine while ambling along at apparently no pace at alt and going nowhere m particular, knocked over a man and injured him. The driver was lined. At Christcinu'th some motorists ran into a vehicle and one of the motorists was killed, it is usually the person walking who is killed or maimed. People used to travel more slowly. The .successful business man who used to take half an hour to get home in his uu'(fc r y now has to do the same distance in tlll'CC. He is a. less successful business man now than then merely because he is playing,"old Harry" with his nerves, his temper., and, mudentaliv hjs digestion. He pretends he like's being poisonc.l Willi tllfi Vile fumes of petrol. 11" has no earthly right to travel at fifty, or even tuirty, miles an hour, not only because lie s a curse to everything on the road but because lie is injuring his own esteemed health. It has been shown that local authorities have the power to regulate the speed of motor cars because the Government has already done all that is necessary to ensure the safely of (he public by passing a .Motor Regulation Act whicu doesn't mention sinv i-'peedl limit either for town or eou'ntrv and which have been fiaa.ed l.v men who either oiyned motors or intended to own teem. )\ e n ,„l of idiots beating the e.vpress trains in the colony. Why are not these people who get back to their town and boast of it not arrested? Instead the matter is considered ot sullicient interest to be wired to every paper in New Zealand. There are numerous eases in which motorics have collided with pedestrians or vehicles and have never stopped to enquire as to the damage, it is exceedingly diilicuit to recognise a motorist who is travelling at perhaps thirlv miles an hour, especially if lie is go'gded, cloaked and whirling l.v in a cioud of dust. .Many motor fiends are not brought to justice, although we confidently expcii; .various jnamacs of die class to be slopped per gun before there, are many more accidents. The trouble is that the man with the gun is more likely to «o to "aol for maiming a motorist than the motorist would be for killing the man with the car. The possession of a car is sullicient to induce most magistrates to smile at any small del linquinev. A motor car has the same i eil'ect on the judicial mind as the wearing of a while collar or no collar on two "drunks" has on the same intellect. The man wilii nu collar will get the heavier sentence.

When you commit a crime, have a good wash and brush, up before mcetin- tin.' magistrate, lti'spwiability—at" least in appearance—uppcujs to the heart of the law. Xo be run over bv a doctor's {lift for instance, is an aecidci*.. To be run over by an express is »ros- tar on the pari of tin' driver. 'i'» iii: run over by a motor i.» an lionor. Von may lie the onlv piebiau person in tne provincial district who lias ever been killed m this superior way. Your horse is doiii" alright if lie trots twelve wiics an hour, 'ihe people will hurry out of ti.e way as you come along. Anv motorist will swear in any courl that Iweiitv-live miles is not an ex ccssivc succd. A conlirnied motorist will swear anvthiiig. Xo motorist in New Zealand "has yet been Hugged or sent to -ao! for running over anybody. The milk cart horses lluii, have been frightened over precipices, the live atnek that have been chased to deatli, the people who have bum liianyll'il ojuh the earn haven't yet hail a chance of dealing with the petrol ilemls. The poliee are powerless, the m.i"istrutc lenient, lieeause they all hope to be motorists some day, and llie people are only bubbling. Some day the bubble will burst and it will hit a motorist.