THE RULE OF THE FOOTPATH AMENITIES. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10018, 9 April 1894, Page 3

THE RULE OF THE FOOTPATH AMENITIES. TO THE EDITOR.

[ Sin,—Under this heading a correspondent writing under the norn de plume of " Keep to the Left," suggests that because in driving it is the rule to keep to the left foot passengers shonld do tho same, and says : " Why should we introduce" (italics raine) "a confusing element by having contradictory rules for the road and footpath ?" As there are more foot passengers than vehicular he might as well expect that, as minorities nre supposed to be ruled by majorities, drivers of vehicles should change sides and keep to the right side of the road ; but a child can perceive that as the driving Beat is on the right hand side of the vehicle, by each vehicle keeping to the left hand side of the road when passing each other, each driver is brought side by side, has control of his off-sido wheels, and is able to see every inch that ho has to spare to avoid collision. If he sat on the left side the driver would not have a free whip hand.

Again, why nofc advocate an alteration in the " rule of the road " at sea, which is that vessels meeting each other pass on the right hand side,

" port to port" ? The thing is ridiculous. Tho custom in this wicked world has been to warn all pilgrims to avoid keeping to the left, even to please one or two stubborn people, who would like to teach their grandmothers to extract tho contents of an egg by a moro roundabout phraseology than that conveyed by the homely word " suoking." I hope that our City Fathers will still adhere to the ancient custom of such paltry places as London, ks., with its miserable millions of foofc passengers, and although it may bo (as "Keep to the Left" would suggest) "a matter of life aud death" with our enormous population, I would rather advocate our City Fathers' placing a printed sign on several of the lainpi posts requesting all contrary-minded citizens to conform to the rules of the footpath and April 6. Keep to Tina Right.