TRAVELLER'S NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 288, 5 December 1925, Page 21

TRAVELLER'S NOTES.

(By F.M.M.)

TRAFFIC IN MANY LANDS. HUMOURS OF PARIS.

Most of us have memories, pleasant or otherwise, of various modes of travel, ' h ere or in distant countries. In France, Where I spent happy years, the rule of the road had quite a Gilbertian touch. It was the unfortunate person run over wh o was prosecuted and fined, dead or alive Possibly the driver was rewarded handsomely, and one pictured these "JehUS" Chasing pedestrians round the town and gloating over a "kill." But, after all, nobody wants to be run over, and even this unfair penalty did not lessen 'accidents. The traffic in Paris is proverbial and a living example of what not to do. To ' the ordinary visitor there seems to be no rule or order whatever j a sort of. "go-as-you-please." Every vehicle goes at its own sweet will, at a great pace, with much rattling of itself and shoutin" of drivers. It is the correct thing without intermission, whatever warning instrument of torture the vehicle may possflUs. A tram, with trailer, will have a ceaseless ringing in front, a conductor amidships will toot on a horn, and the end man will execute' a fanfare on an iron whistle. Crossing a street, under such circumstances, is a nerve-racking ordeal. I have seen a brave man venture alone in a cool and daring manner and without mishap, but he was a "mad Englishman." ' Personally, my habit was to wait until a fairly large crowd had collected on the brink and insert oneself into the very centre of the mass till the crossing was accomplished. Once we noticed a gendarme endeavour .to stop the traffic in a well-known street. He was a-man of ample proportions, who filled well a resplendent uniform and sported a huge waxed moustache. Advancing with dignity to the middle of the road, he held up an arresting arm, and, for a moment the unusual occurrence, had a paralysing effect. Only for a moment, however, then, as the traffic bore . down . with redoubled noise, the law abandoned its dignity and sought immediate safety on the footpath. » Conservatism of Ireland,. In sharp contrast to the rush and bustle of the French capital is the leisurely, out-of-date atmosphere of the j South of Ireland. There, public motor cars were unheard of and even private ones'were banned in some tourist resorts We drove on a "long car" as far as pet- i ' mitted, and then mounted ponies to proceed through the "gap." The members of our party being accustomed to riding, >c assured the men in charge that their services were ,not required to lead the docile steeds or hold their riders on. However, «they stuck to us .like barnacles aud-. were in at the-finish, each demanding an extra 2/ for "seem' yer honour and his lady safely acrost." In the wildest part of the mountain pass we were stopped by old women, in dirty black cloaks, who produced from some inner receptacle large black medicine bottles of milky fluid. "Sure, an'"'.yer honour.'ll taste a wee drop of potheen, the raal mountain dew; an' the beautiful lady, too. An' what for wud ye be sayin' no,to a taste for good luck till ye both." I think; for that one moment, we were staunch prohibitionists.. On the lakes, our. boats were loaded to the gunwales, and stalwart men. rawed us in a leisurely manner.' Our' suggestion that in every case,- motor I traction would be quicker, pleasanter' and cheaper, met with a storm of pro- \ t.ist, but the only real reason advanced against this progress seemed .to be: j "An* what wud the "poor boys he : doin' I if ye take away their work? What's to happen- to thim if ye -bring your ingines intie the place?" Seeing that our .'Empire was fighting for it"- very existence I might have suggested-a suitable occupation for such strong, abisbodied men. Even in Dublin the motor bus or taxi was not permitted to ply I for hire, and one has to be educated to I jt early in life to appreciate the jaunt-m-j-car. It possesses neither convenience nor comfort for man or beast. London's Efficient Regulations.' There is a great deal written and said against the traffic in London, but to a visitor the management of such an enormous mass of moving vehicles is really wonderful. Slow at times, one must admit, and irritating wnen a certain train has to be caught or an important appointment kept. Otherwise there is much to amuse and interest the passenger on the top seat of a bus. Very occasionally a new policeman will get the various moving queues inextricably mixed up and an outlet seems hopeless: Urnes along a man of experience, and 1 lax WaVe ° r two of a commanding Hand the tangle is straightened out, and we all move in our proper direction, •ihere is still some horse traffic, but it « gradually disappearing. For this one cannot help a feeling of satisfaction, ■much, as we miss these beautiful animal 8 ' as the roads are now too hard and slippery for safety. In various Mces, where help may be of service, uur Dumb Friends' League has stationed worses to assist their' toiling brothers. S which stands near Park Lane, is <W\,A°T n and a general favourite, vne *et day it was discovered that he was minus his official waterproof cover, Wi, -?- Te evenin S- all London knew it. Authorities were .interviewed. the Uoxernment blamed, and probably the man in charge was court-martialled. i-T? °* the busiest thoroughfares n London I saw the whole traffic held It t5 r n ai J ? rdinar y and very ugly cat. andS^ to th ? middle 4 th! street. Sam? J o ™.* , lnstantl r two double Sea n~- ICkS ?*!&* and a - E^ passage was left for the adventnSiSSuv^^ ac «- s isfatSnS 8 ?Z Where the Cold with thf *?\ t , ram cars are Provided S£% C "r St lltUe Stoves " The heat Sl WlIl »St« to run-through thf lisfV he SeatS ' but " also boils snack, f *% teS ' and cooks *H*uit Kfi, «.e officials. The covered lloss tif n f ggS ' whicll . bring provisions Stho fr °v., lakes ' *™ Provided S the S a me little cosy stoves. They must be useful and comfortino- on lonS&2W Where human habitaY' wons are unknown. .