Jan. 27.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 289

ELLESMERE ROAD BOARD, COUNTY OF SELWYN.

By-laws relating to Traction-engines.

Special Order made by the Ellesmere Road Board at a Special Meeting held on Monday, the 6th day of December, 1909.

THE following by-laws for regulating the conditions on which traction-engines and vehicles may be allowed to pass along the public roads within the Ellesmere Road District, for providing a yearly license fee on any traction-engines engaged in heavy traffic within the said district, and for imposing penalties for the breach of the by-laws, be now confirmed and adopted in form of special order, namely:—

BY-LAWS OF THE ELLESMERE ROAD DISTRICT.

In pursuance of the powers, provisions, and authorities contained in “The Road Boards Act, 1908,” “The Public Works Act, 1908,” and of all other enabling powers, provisions, and authorities contained in any other Acts, or otherwise vested in them, the inhabitants of the Ellesmere Road District by the Ellesmere Road Board (hereinafter called “the Road Board”) do hereby make and ordain the following by-laws for regulating the conditions on which vehicles, engines, and machines engaged in heavy traffic may be allowed to pass along the public roads within the said road district, and for providing for a yearly license fee on all traction-engines engaged in heavy traffic within the said district, and for regulating the maximum weight of loads, and the speed of traction-engines, and for making other provisions relating to vehicles, engines, and machines, and to the owners and drivers thereof, and for imposing penalties for the breach of the by-laws:—

1. The term “traction-engine” or “engine” where used in these by-laws means a locomotive engine propelled by steam or other motive power, not being used on a railway or tramway. The word “road” means a road as defined in “The Public Works Act, 1908,” and situated within the Ellesmere Road District, and includes county roads, district roads, and any roads actually in use by the public. “Local authority” shall have the same meaning as in “The Counties Act, 1908,” and shall apply to local authorities having jurisdiction within the Ellesmere Road District. Words importing the singular number include the plural number, and words importing the plural number include the singular number, and words importing the masculine gender include females.

2. Whenever a traction-engine shall be propelled upon a road the person in charge of such engine shall cause a strict and efficient look out to be maintained behind as well as in front of the engine, and shall provide two efficient lights, to be fixed conspicuously, one on each side, on the front of the engine, and one efficient tail-light in the rear of the engine, or if wagons or other vehicles are being drawn by such engine, then in the rear of the last wagon or vehicle so drawn, such light to be kept burning from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise.

3. Two persons at least shall be employed to drive or conduct any traction-engine upon a road, and the owner of such engine shall be responsible for the observance of this by-law.

4. The driver of any traction-engine upon a road shall give as much space as possible for the passing of other traffic.

5. Whenever any person riding on horseback or driving a horse or horses in a vehicle upon or along a road shall be approaching an engine, and shall indicate his desire by holding up his hand or otherwise signalling for the driver of such engine to stop such engine, such driver shall thereupon immediately stop the same; and also shall, upon being requested by such person so riding or driving as aforesaid so to do, give such person such assistance as may be necessary for the purpose of enabling him to pass by such engine with his horse or horses in safety.

6. It shall not be lawful for any person to propel any traction-engine or to cause the same to be propelled upon any road or highway at a greater rate of speed than seven miles an hour, and when passing through a town or village at a greater rate of speed than five miles an hour. While crossing any bridge or culvert the speed of the engine shall not exceed two miles an hour.

7. It shall not be lawful for any person to sound the whistle of any traction-engine or cause the same to be sounded, or to open the cylinder-tap or cause the same to be opened, or to cause or permit the steam of any traction-engine to be blown off or allowed to attain a pressure exceeding the limit fixed by the safety-valve, within a distance of 10 chains from any person riding or leading a horse or driving any vehicle on any road or bridge.

8. It shall not be lawful for any person to take any traction-engine or propel it upon a bridge while any person riding or leading a horse or driving a horse with a vehicle is upon such bridge, or to stop any engine or wagon attached thereto on any bridge or culvert for the purpose of drawing water from any stream, water-race, or ditch passing under or through such bridge or culvert, or for any other purpose.

9. It shall not be lawful for any person to rake out or discharge ashes or other refuse from the furnace of any traction-engine upon any bridge or culvert, or upon any road within a distance of 1 chain from any bridge or culvert or the approaches thereto; and in every case where such ashes or other refuse are discharged upon a road they shall not be left in a heap, but, if a-light, having first been effectively extinguished, shall be spread out upon the road or the sides thereof in such a manner that the road or the sides thereof shall be kept even and the level thereof maintained.

10. No person shall drive, propel, or take any traction-engine upon, across, or along any bridge or road if such engine has studs or other pieces or rings of iron or other metal attached to or raised upon the level of the face of the tires of its wheels for the purpose or which shall have the effect of sinking into, gripping, or breaking the surface of any bridge or road.

11. It shall not be lawful for any person to drive or take any traction-engine upon a road hauling any wagon having tires of less than 6 in. in width.

12. It shall not be lawful for any person to drive or take any traction-engine upon a road hauling any wagon carrying a greater weight (over and above the weight of the wagon) than 3 tons for each pair of wheels unless the tires of such wheels are at least 6 in. in width, or carrying a greater weight (over and above the weight of the wagon) than 4 tons for each pair of wheels unless the tires of such wheels are at least 8 in. in width.

13. Any person authorised in that behalf by the Ellesmere Road Board may stop and detain any traction-engine hauling any wagon upon a road which in his opinion infringes either of the last two preceding by-laws until the width of the tires of such wagon or the weight of the load carried thereon can be ascertained, and any person obstructing such officer in making such investigation shall be guilty of a breach of these by-laws.

14. The person in charge of an engine shall give immediate notice to the Surveyor, Clerk, or road foreman of the Ellesmere Road Board of any damage or injury done by the engine or any wagon attached thereto to any road, or to any fence, bridge, culvert, watercourse, drain, side ditch, or other thing appertaining to any road; and, if such damage has rendered the road or its appurtenances dangerous for ordinary traffic or to public safety, the owner or person in charge of such engine shall, in addition to giving such notice as aforesaid, place and maintain in such position, and for such time as the Surveyor, Clerk, or foreman of the Road Board shall direct, such signals as shall be sufficient to give warning to all persons using such road by day or by night of the existence of such danger, and such damage shall be forthwith repaired and made good by or at the expense of the owner or person having charge of such engine.

15. In crossing bridges or culverts at which planks are provided by the local authority in charge thereof the driver or person in charge of any traction-engine shall lay down such planks, and the engine shall not be taken upon or over any such bridge or culvert except on such planks; and after crossing such bridge or culvert such owner or person in charge of such engine shall return such planks to their proper position at the sides of the bridge.

16. For the purposes of these by-laws twelve sacks of wheat, twelve sacks of barley, thirteen sacks of oats, eleven sacks of potatoes, twelve sacks of coal, twenty-eight sacks of oat-sheaf chaff, forty sacks of straw chaff, respectively, shall be deemed to weigh 1 ton; one cubic yard of bricks shall be deemed to weigh 1½ tons; one cubic yard of stone or metal shall be deemed to weigh 1 ton 5 cwt.; and six bales of wool shall be deemed to weigh 1 ton.

17. Every owner of a traction-engine travelling upon a road, or taken upon or over a bridge, shall cause his name and address to be painted or marked on such engine on the off side thereof in letters not less than 2 in. in length, and proportionate breadth, and of such colour or in such a manner as to be plainly distinguishable from the colour or nature of the ground whereon such letters are painted or marked, and when such owner possesses more than one engine a separate number distinguishing each such engine shall in like manner be painted immediately below such name and address. The lettering and numbers shall be kept clear and legible. The exact and true weight of every engine shall also be painted in like manner upon or affixed to some conspicuous part of such engine.

18. It shall not be lawful for any person to drive any traction-engine upon a road in suchwise that all or any of its wheels shall travel in ruts formed in the road by the wheels of the same or any other traction-engine.

19. The owner of every traction-engine travelling within the Ellesmere Road District, or some person on his behalf, shall register the same with the Clerk of the Ellesmere Road Board, and shall renew such registration every year, on or before the 15th day of January in each year. Every registration of a traction-engine shall be made by the owner of such engine, or some person on his behalf, delivering at the office of the Ellesmere Road Board to the Clerk of the said Board