LONDONERS HAVE TO WALK

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 90, 3 May 1937, Page 7

LONDONERS HAVE TO WALK

-Presp Aasn.-

Bus Strike Causes Traffic Troubles TAXIS REAP A HARVEST

(By Telegraph-

-Copyright.1

(Received 8, 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, May . The presence of Cup Tie crowds combined with the - mai crush of Londoners led to remarkable scenes in London at midnigkt, with crowds relying on the tube railways for getting home, in the ahsence of buses, found the stacions already blocked and trains paoked. Many people were left stranded on the platforms when the last trains departed and they sought taxis in yain, as these were all engaged. and thousands of people had a long tramp home. All those possessing cars used them to go to the theatres, resulting in unprecedented traffic blocks when the audiences poured out into the streets agaip. __ " The London bus strike started at midnight last night. Simultanequsly 120,000 provincial busmen were called on tp cease worlc in support of the strike, which already has affected 12 counties. Except for strikers outside garages cat-calling aud booing the drivers Of tramcars, the first morning of the strike was uneventful, though scarcely so for regular bus patrons, who had to fight to get places on the packed trams. Many had to trudge to the nearest railways, while thousands walked or cycled to work. .Taxi-cabs reaped a harvest. A British Official Wireless message says: Central London presented an unusual appearance this morning in the absence of the lines of familiar omnibuses, 5000 of which have been withdrawn from the streets by the striko. Traffic seemed no less congested, how ever, as large numbers of additiona' private cars had evudently been brought into use and whatever diminufion the coincidence of the first day of the strike with the Saturday half-day may have caused in the numbers of incoming workers, was more than made up by the "invasion" from the provunces for the Football Cup Tie. The Ministry of Labour 's Court of Inquiry will meet on Monday. London morning papers deplore the withdrawal of the buses at a time when London is crowded with visitors for the Coronation and express the view that the men are alienatdng the sympathy which would be with thom in a reasoned appeal for reconsideration of their conditions in the light of the strain of city traffic.