Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 18 May 1931, Page 4

Mat)i:ti>, the European capital which lias been most prominent in the public (AYO in recent weeks, is strikingly modern in many aspects. 1 lit' Spanish capital upsets the geography student's mental picture of a typical Spanish city. For Madrid’s city planners long ago gouged broad, straight streets where narrow, tortuous by-way s once ran, and low red-roofed houses, whose eaves nearly met overhead, have given way to modern structures. Now and then an ox cart from the rural district rumbles towards the market place, dark-eyed .onoritas in mantillas and brilliant-coloured shawls venture in the steet beside beshawled swains with gay vests and trousers, and bull-fights still are popular pastimes; but Madrid, for the most part, is a bit of Paris, London and New York set down on a Spanish plain within, eyeshot of med-

ieval castles and within a. hundred Liiles of Toledo and other more typically Spanish cities and towns. Underground railways roar over a network of tracks beneath Madrid’s streets, “cruising” taxicabs are at the visitor’s beck and call, huge motor buses may be bailed to take him to a neighbouring city over paved roads, and modern cars on more than fifty tram lines, with mail boxes attached, course the city .streets. Cables that carry the human voice and the tick of the telegraph key to all the capitals of Europe have recently been placed underground. An underground sewage system, and an underground water supply s vstcm to enable street cleaners to wash down the streets several times a day, a.-.sure public health. Shop windows like those of Regent Street -display the latest fashions from London and Paris, radios and electrical equipment from foreign factories. When the bullfight is on a large part of Aladrid’s sporting population still flows towards Uie ring or towards the newspaper bulletin boards for minute reports. However, the “movie” with the names of Hollywood’s celebrities emblazoned in electric lights and on gaudy postor s also enjoys the popularity of amusement seekers. Numerous parks and playgrounds hav<> been laid out, new subdivisions have rjsen above the surrounding plains, and the city lathers are busy tearing tiowii tile old and building I lie lie W. But with all tliQ changes* the Puerto del Sol, the so--0(1 lied hub of the city, remains the centre of everything that it was a c-eri-tury ago. .From ten streets pedestrians, street ear. 4, motor cars, taxicabs and the few remaining horsedrawn carriages pour into the square. Here seller meets buyer, beau meets belle, loafers loaf and beggers beg amid the earpicrejng cries of vendors of sweetmeats, canaries, flowers, lottery tickets, syrupy drinks, and “What have you ?”. Above the din rise. the shrill youthful! voices of rival newsboys and bootblacks, the toll and clang of church and tram bells, and odd noises from a variety of automobile horns.