PARROT DIRECTS TRAFFIC.

Shannon News, 8 June 1923, Page 4

PARROT DIRECTS TRAFFIC.

■COJIEDV or A TRAM .STOP,

It 3ms only now been discovered, says the Johannesburg correspondent of the General News, that a parrot has been directing trailic, has mischievous- )> selicnied against the public convenience, and.scolfed at the angry protestations of tram passengers when they were left behind. Now that the mystery lias been solwd the bird is no longer allowed to play tricks on the unwary. Strange as it seems, the situation was created and maintained by the iimrrot, which at its own will actually controlled traffic from a window in the fiat at Main Street, Jeppestown. At a snot where the parrot lias its cage there is always a large number of people boarding and alighting- from tram cars, and lor some time members oi the public have been complaining that undue lmste was being shown in restarting- the cars. The result was that many passengers were left behind, whilst others were carried beyond their destination. When protests were made, the responsibility was placed by the drivers on the conductors, and by the conductors on the motormen, although the latter always declared that they had been given the “right-awuy” before th • v again set the cars in motion. There was much unpleasantness, but always the public took the side of the drivers.

At last it avus discovered that the parrot had acquired Avith amazing precision the language of tin- conductors, and Avas able to give the “right-away” and ‘‘hold-fight” in such a manner j that the drivers accepted the Avords as j the signals from the conductors, and j started the cars again. j Many a scramble was caused when F there Avas a large crowd Avaiting, and | the malicious bird gave the ‘‘right - away” before many people had managed to get off the cars and others had been able to get on. Once when a. girl had been unable to get on to the car before it restarted' the bird added to .her annoyance as she stumbled by shrieking: “Naughty girl!” the Avords being folloAved by shrill Avhistles. Avhich directed more than ordinary attention to the already embarrassed young Avoman. The parrot Avas as proficient in the use of Dutch as English. She -had caused such a tremendous confusion that the authorities regarded her as dangerous, and lun-e noAA' prevailed upon her owner to hu\-e her AA'ithdravcn from public \ie\v.