DRUNKEN DRIVERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 September 1939, Page 5

DRUNKEN DRIVERS

APPROVAL OF STERNER MEASURES. BILL FOR PARLIAMENT. <By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. There could be no disagreement with clauses designed to curtail the activities of drunken drivers, the Minister of Transport, Mr Semple observed, when moving the second reading of the Transport Law Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives last night. “There were 685 convictions for being drunk in charge of motor vehicles last year,” Mr Semple said. “And I want to ask why should 30 people die in a year because somebody wants to to get boozed and take the wheel of a motor-ear?" The Bill gave traffic officers the power to arrest drunken motorists, lie continued. It/also forbade tlie use of liquor in a public motor vehicle. Mr Coates (Opposition, Kaipara): "Can’t a man take a bottle of beer home in a bus?" Mr Semple: “Yes. but he can't give an exhibition of how he can get rid of it when he is in a public motor vehicle." “I am satisfied that 90 per cent of the people in this country will support that,” Mi' Semple continued 'As for the power of arrest, we are doing it at present, but we have not the legal right. An officer can pull a man up and ask him to go to the police station, but the man may refuse. We are not going to give our inspectors batons, handcuffs or revolvers,, and we are not going to have scuffles in the street.”

An Opposition member: "Thon how are you going to make arrests?” Mr Semple: "If a man refuses to accompany the officer to the police station he will be liable to be prosecuted for resisting arrest. He cannot be today, but this measure will bring him within the scope of the law." The Minister spoke at length concerning the evils associated with drunken drivers, and said that while he was Minister of Transport he would do all in his power to put these potential murderers off the road. This portion of his speech was punctuated by frequent calls of “Hear, hear,” from l?Qth sides of the House.