A PLAGUE OF PRAMS: A MENACE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8089, 20 April 1906, Page 3

A PLAGUE OF PRAMS: A MENACE.

TO TJIE KDIIOB. bin,—l respectfully beg to claim a small space m the colunis of your widely-read paper to air a grievance of a great number of my fellow beings in this pari of the world, namely, the "Plague of perambulators and go. cart?." Our town is literally infested with them. One need only take a walk in Devon street when the public is moving aboul, and he will at once have an ocular demonstration. To make any progress he will need the dodging abilities of a lirst-class footballer (no doubt this is the real secret of the Neir Zealand team's success at Hsmo recently). The ladies—thoughtlessly, of course-push Ihe vehicle along the crowded footpath, at the same time looking at and admiring tho latest fashions displayed in the shop windows, never hseding the course they arc steering. Let the captain of a ship, or the driver of a sart, carry on in the same way, and he very soon comes to grief. Should a pedestrian happen to turn his head to speak to a passing friend, he will at once feel a

crack on the shins or a weight on liis pet corn, which will turn out to be caused by a pram, with u lady in charge, wlwsu looks, if they contained explosives ot any kind, would blow him to the outer regions of the solar system. She is very indignant that such as ho should be allowed to roam the streets, interfering with lier progress and disturbing the infant. Last Saturday evening f attempted to enter a shop in Devon stveol, when to my surprise I found the door completely blocked with a pram—the owner of the pram was m the shop making purchases. I walked further on to another shop. This time J managed to get inside, but only I<> exhibit my leaping ability, for a go-carl this tinie barred my way to the counter. However, 1 negotiated this obstacle with a hop, step, and jump, only fo tie met 011 lny exit Irom the shop by a sharp cjack ou the shins from a passing pram, f have read somewhere of men spending tile whole nf their lives trying to discover perpetual motion. \Vhat a waste of time and energy! They need only visit a town like this ami watch a pedestrian dodging infant conveyances, and they have perpetual motion ill a nutshell. Now. Sir, I am led to belicve thai a lot. of money is to be spent by our Mayor and Councillors 011 the improvements of our city, and 1 would suggest lhat amongst ihose improvements they lay down'a "pram track," the same as other cities have for cyclists, at the side of jie footpaths, to be used bv ladies 111 possession of prams or go-earls. By doing so. our city fathers would immortalise their names. I know thai 1. will be subjected to a Hiking lire of nasty names from the fair sex ; therefore i. will head the ' lut by signing myself A CfiISTV li.lt'llULOll,