LORD MAYOR'S LAPSE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22200, 29 August 1935, Page 8

LORD MAYOR'S LAPSE

BREAKING TRAFFIC RULES CROSSING AT WRONG SPOT STORY FROM BRISBANE The Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Mr. A. J. Jones, recently received a police caution for crossing the chief street of his city at other tha%an intersection or approved crossing place. Smilingly he told the story against himself. One morning he said lie set out to keep an important appointment with the members of the Commonwealth Bank Board. When he crossed the main thoroughfare he found a traffic policeman waiting for him. It was explained to the Lord Mayor that he had committed a breach of the new traffic regulations by crossing the road other than at an approved spot, and a caution notice must bo issued to him. " What is your name? " asked tho policeman, whose knowledge of civic notabilities was apparently not extensive. " A. J. Jones," said the Lord Mayor. " Address? " asked the guardian of the law. " Town Hall, Brisbane," came the reply. The policeman thought for a moment, and repeated the address. " Yes," said Mr. Jones, " I am the Lord Mayor of Brisbane." The traffic policeman appeared to wander whether this conferred upon the culprit immunity from regulations, but Mr. Jones explained that he had no privileges so far as traffic was concerned, and his name was taken and the caution notice issued. Just then another policeman came on the scene to direct attention to the fact that a second breach of the regulations was being committed by the Lord Mayor and his captor by standing in the middle of the footpath instead of at the kerbside. The Lord Mayor laughingly recalled that he had been caught for jay walking in Chicago on one occasion, when it was the practice to draft all the offenders to the end of the street, where they were duly fined withgut delay. There, however, because he was able to point out that he was a member of the Queesland Government, on an official tour, no action was taken.