OLD-TIME VEHICLES

Evening Star, Issue 23817, 22 February 1941, Page 17

OLD-TIME VEHICLES

PARIS SCENE CHANGES HORSEBRAKES AND RICKSHAWS Paris i?i pre-war clays used to have upward of 14,000 taxi cabs running on gasoline. With the coming of the Nazis taxis and buses all but disappeared in a few weeks. Then the Germans planned to have a thousand taxis on the streets, operated with coal gas. This gas is eompre.scd in iron bottles, each weighing 4ewt. Pour of these bottles are fixed on the roof of a taxi to enable it to cover 75 miles before refuelling is necessary. As to the Russian nobles and admirals who used to drive Paris taxis—alas! for them. Only 2 per cent, of the now taxi cab drivers were to be foreigners, the rest being ex-service men of France, or men with largo families. However, the gas taxi cab is mostly gas so far. The old horsebrake, drawn by two animals, has reappeared in Paris. It mmst be like living in a film to sec, as ' Paris Soir ’ described it, French aristocrats driving up' and down the Rue Royale in their cabriolets, with the family coat-of-arms on the doors. The entire continent has naturally become bicycle-conscious; hut the rickshaw idea is surely a step still further back in Paris, It is a tradesman’s pushcart, in which the passenger sits and is pulled along by the owner. In the case of abicycle for two, the driver pedals away in front while his faro sits passively upon the back scat. Sncli a retreat from modernity must be a little depressing for the German conquerors. Indeed, there arc many reports to the effect that flic Nazis' appear to he faking their triumphs rather sadly, in spite of being able to buy food and luxuries at bargain—some say looting—prices. '