IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 93, 15 September 1914, Page 7

IMPRESSIONS OF ENGLAND.

A MODEL Oil i. LESSONS FOPrNIcTv PLYMOUTH. Writing to a New Plymouth friend, Mr \a ter Bewlcy, who is on a visit to i'ngland, says: I nm for a few days at the model and garden city of England, Letchworth and I iho.>-<l to have writen, von a-s to' the lessons tlut New Plymouth might well jruni from -what is to be seeoi here and m other parts of England. It .would we!* .pay the Borough to send its engineer out here to see what is being done in road improvement, which h quite within our means, and would make sn enormous improvement and savin" in our road conditions. °

I have been writing, however, nearly avl day what may 'be mv last comnvumrations for some time" to eome, as the gloomiest views are taken as to the outcome of the next few days.

ROAD-IL\KL\G,

'** of road Uirec inoliea of met,! •' me tw '° or for a surface ««u r l F ; r r ,ol l sl >' tan «> be* usually told U itttc " e , an foundation, but a, ol metal ro ed eve] «.„i +h„ ■ road wouldstand any traffic tnnTour W Y 'V* te , U ' ar at 'P r, '*™t. or will have to bear for some time to eome

MOTOR 'BUS**.

«»od 2 f ' oTo '\ aml ***** over a whl >ri " uvv - a,ul hllv <-' no- '•> spoken of by motor 'buses. j t j, a )l a Won of degree. The roads hero J'.ngland, are practically perfect tz ""■ c.M's, but in place,* tJ)c ■ Ul . e u , VcTnT Vl / rw ? tM " or "w-t to'the lest, Or ue, for limited distances, and aJumt such conditions tile Englisiluiaii ( howls. i;, e . mis traffic \.«irs (.lie roads, bub to blame tli'e for all- the wear is simply ridacuJoita as where tiicre is a '-bus route there is also an enormous motor traffic ana also many steam trailers and 1 heavy motor goods traffic. To say 'how much oamcigc cai-li class of traffic is responsible lor is obviously impossible, but the trailers are «ud to do thine times as mucin damage as the 'bus. Jioads conslvucted as J have outlined would not !)•■ much more expensive at Jirst cost than our present system, and 1 would oe most economical after, and on such roads the 'bus could be-run with perfect comfort as thej- are here. La I have stated in New Plymouth, the cost of running the 'bus is constantly coming down. Tyres do nut cost more than half ti'.ie price of I'W-> years ago, and, in addition, they have a much longer life. I saw 'bus tyres a. Wie rubber show in the Agricultural 'Hall which had run between 00,000 and 70,000 miles, and the cost) of tyres', which is the. chief expense, will soon he further (reduced. It has been, stated that at, the present price of rubber, which is likely to fall stiiJ further, tyres could be produced at half present price. Petrol is falling, and will fall further, and 'brains are at work ir. ai directions to adopt tin; Diesel type of engine to traffic conditions, and o.re well on the way to siiccftis. I. eneln-..' extracts that show how uie tide L-i running.

PLAiXMX',I OF SECONDARY BTIIEKTS. ' I enclose also a postcard showing tne planning of the secondary strceth in tin-, town—the. metal in the centre, abou: —ft. wide, curbed on eitlien side, and the strips t-f grass running up to .tne | footpath. W'iLli the clean y.iey adjoining the footpath, there is no need tor the tradesman to bring his vehicle up to the siaewafk, and with that strip 'cut and planted, a great attractiveness 'is added to the street, and in our case the dust nuisance would almost be extinguished. With the heavy clay land of Letchworth it is necessaryl to ihave a drain adjoining tiie to carry off heavy rains. I am hoping that Air Clarke may be able to pay this town a visit of inspection, as its streets are models. THE WAR CONDITION. 1 I have taken my return passage by the "iliilojii," on Xtv. IJ, but whether any of us will be able to get out cf Ki'.glajid, is another matter, from present indications and opinions it uoes not sei'in probable.

I have nut said anything so far abo-.it. tile war ceiuuiUoiLs here, tint really wj are thinking and talking about nothing el->e, and it irritates one almost to l stiu boo a good ileal of space given in the newspapers to cricket and racing, as I'ue majority people are thinking of how they, can make the ready money at their command go farthest. Well-to-do families will, in many cast's, join force.;, shut up the empty ■houses, dismiss the servants and do their work themselves. Tiie <oi:d'ilioru are so totally unprecedented, and incomes derivable, from aliroad may be quite cut off. It is sa.nl that the deferring of the August settleiiicnt on tiie Stock Kxchaiige to Septem ber, saved 50 additional firms fro.ii being hammered.

Hope of a settlement as now almost past. Thvrc is just i'lm diance that Italy might throw in her Jet with tihe Triple Entente, but we have practic'ai'y ceased to hope. J'.iilTAlX'S ULTIMATUM. Sinc'i writing the above 1 have retun:«:il t.j I.omiuii tjiis morning (August Ij), and! London is ringing with. -r-iig-lanil'n ultimatum to (Urnr.tny. i happened no he "ti one of London's largcal and )ir:-it .popular restaurants when ihe jie«s of the ultimatum to was o-Liiounwil, and it was received with tlie wildest enthusiasm, the hand playing '"foil i-HVf the King,''' ami 250 people singing it. ending with continued cheers. 'J he public mind is much relieved about the food position, which, with a good harvest Leing just g-atlicred in, it, much, better than was thought. -TMK IJKT COU.NTKV." I have come to the ( wivjuskm that Nyw Walaiid is the 'best country on tile earth, and New Plymouth one of tin: best places to live'in. 1 "Sell to think Kiigland was, hut though we have Had v.tiai. is considered a beautiful summer. I sadh miss the brightness of our skies.