Motor Car Drivers at School.

Otago Witness, Issue 2368, 20 July 1899, Page 62

Motor Car Drivers at School.

"No," said one of the-head officials of a. motor car company, replying "to a: remark from the writer, " the auto-mobile "system is not making such rapid progress in this country as some of us would like. ' This; is one of those things they manage better in prance. " Take, for instance, the school for motor car-drivers in Paris, which I had jan opportunity ii inspecting recently. Thij learners aro trained in a big field with a track paved

I variously with cobbles, wood blocks, asphalt, j and macadam, so as to reproduce', as far as posi sible the highways of Paris and bther cities. , 1 "In order that the lesson] shall be as thorough and realistic as possible, pieces of broken glass (perilous to pneXimatic tyres), } blocks of "wood, atones? and jfcther obstacles ! aro scattered about. In addition, there, are . flat wooden figures representing foot iy t \rfpen--gers, soldiers, nursemaids Ateith perambula- . tors, loungers, errand ' boys,/ and so forth," which are planted about the route. The whole track, in fact, is an Excellent piece of . realism ; and novices in ir/otpr cat management are thereby pretty thoroughly drilled in the art of threading their ivay safely through tho obstacles of street traffic. I only wish that the idea were taken ir,p with the same earnestness in this country.'' i f-