18 JULY 1908, Page 16

THE SPEED OF MOTOR-CARS AT HINDHEAD.

[TO TEN EDITOR OF THE "EPECTATOR.".1 Srn,—The district of Hindbead, in the south-western highlands of Surrey, has during recent years become quite a fashionable health resort, and in consequence is thickly studded with churches, chapels, schools, hotels, boarding-houses, and private residences. It has the misfortune, however, to be on a sort of main-line junction of express motors in their scurry between London and the sea.. A petition, headed by Canon Selwyn (who has come from Uppingham to reside in Sir Conan Doyle's famous house), and signed by practically everybody at Hind- head, has been sent to the Surrey County Council, asking that body to approach the Local Government Board to impose a ten-mile speed-limit for motors in the populous parts of this locality, where visitors, including invalids, ladies, and children, are always about in considerable numbers.—I am, Sir, &c.,

[Though we by no means bold that motorists are enemies of the human race, but rather believe that they should receive justice and reasonable treatment, we sympathise with the desire to limit speed in places so much frequented as the urban portion of Hindhead. For ourselves, we would abolish the speed-limit in the open country, but in all villages, at all

junctions of roads, and near all houses closely adjacent to the road we would enforce, and enforce very strictly, a twelve- mile-an-hour limit. As it is, all careful drivers slow down past side-roads, and we see no reason why the law should not compel all motorists to do what careful motorists do without compulsion.—En. Spectator.]