FRENCH POLICEMAN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 January 1925, Page 2

FRENCH POLICEMAN

QUAINT PEN PICTURE. CONTROLIIN'G CITY TRAFFIC. The French policeman is a very brave man, says, the Paris correspondent of the London Morning Post. He stands in the middle of the _street surrounded by the wildest .taxi-drivers in the world, and is called upon to direct and protect the least pisciplined oi citizens. He is sure of no man’s obedience, and has not very much faith in himself to exact it. When he fails to got it he falls back on violent speech and gestures. 1 suspect him of being a women hater, since he deliberately turns his back on the sweetest of feminine creatures when they silently steal to his side and wait for him to “se.e them across.” Of babies lie is fond, and his attitude is proud and firm when there is a perambulator to escort. He raises his baton on high with majestic dignity, bis step is slow and measured, and as a protector of innocence in swaddling clothes he can command obedience. At no other time, in no other circumstance, can he be quite sure of himself and the traffic. When a sailor, home on leave, and illuminated by the fire of strange drinks, elects to sit on his suitcase in the middle of the road and hold up the traffic at the busiest hour of the day while he writes a letter to his pauvre mainan, the policeman is bewildered. Argument is of no avail with the bluejacket. Force is tlie forerunner of battle, and before it can be used the policemjan must 'call a colleague to support him. In the meantime, the traffic is restless and the air is rent by the discordant cries and screeches from hundreds of hooters and klaxons, The man of Law and Order is not happy under sueli conditions.

He lias, also, many grievances against those in authority over.him. Do they not continually change their methods? In their desire to improve la circulation and reduce the number of street accidents, his orders a,re changed from' day to clay, froth hour to hour. Vehicles may stop on the left side of the street on even dates of the month and in the afternoon; when the date is odd they must stop on the right side and in, the morning only. That street is marked for one way of traffic, this street for the other way. Then, a road is taken up, and the order of the traffic is changed again. Heavy freight is directed to take the quays', but it refuses, and there is much argument between the offenders and tlie policeman. The baton plays a busy part in it. and the whistle is brought into lively action : but neither is so eloquent as the policeman’s tongue, which finds no match unless it be in that of the drayman.

For. motorists who speak .another language and no French the Paris po.liceman is not too severe. Tie pulls, them up for breaking rules, lie invites them to tell the story of their lives, amt to produce the birth certificates of their parents when, they pass a refuge oil the wrong side or are run into by a taxi-driver, but when “John Smith” looks blank, shakes his head, and says “no compris,” the baton is waved and lip is sent on his way with. “A'llez. lilez a, I’anglaise.” For women drivers tlie policeman shows some favouritism. It they smile •it him and look clever at their job he will not he too hard when they take liberties with the rules of the road, but he has no love for fussy women, on foot or in a. ear. He would have them keep cool even though he should be moved to let loose on them a herd of buses, taxis, lorries, hand-carts, and bicycles, at a, moment when they, deluded ladies, thought he was watching over their crossing with fartherly eyes to see them to safety. And should he so far forget his. dignity as to crack a joke with a bus driver of the chauf--I‘uer of a private car, it is usually aimed at some unfortunate female who is in distress from a too-light skirt or heels that are inordinately high. He is at the bravest an best when he stands waving his arms and crying : “Allons, allons,” to a stream of traffic, which, if it followed his advice, would have to barge into an opposing stream with disastrous results. He is quiet and abstracted when called upon to work the air sign, which, when adjusted, pull bring the traffic to a standstill. He dreads the news that M. le Prefet has gone to London to study the science of traffic control, for lie knows that he will coine back with some cock and bull story about a London policeman who just lifts his little finger and the whole of London falls into silence and immobility till he puts it down again, Dreams of seeing Paris as obedient will inspire M. le Prefet to issue another string of impossible orders, and what is now confusion will become pandemonium.