The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-23
A PAST MASTER OF CROWN.
Retiring London Police superintendu.
Talks on Trafic Handling.
Fron the London Daily Chronic

From the London Daily Chronicle.
The city police force has lost a familiar
and respected figure by the retirement yes.
terday Of Supt. Fitzgerald.
The retiring officer had a CHEEKY welcome
for q Daily Chronicle representative who
dropped In at his of1ce in Old Jewry to wish
him "good-by and good luck" II Is twenty.
eight and . half years since he Joined ts
force after service In the Welsh regiment,
and there was plainly a note Of regret In biz
voice as he said he had come to his last hour
Of duty and was chatting over things with
his successor. Supt. Nichols. But the man
who has faced the perils that only a polIcs
oficer knows shrank from the Interviews.
Look here" he protested laushinsiy.
I'm not . hero: I've just done my duy,
But I've always managed to keep good friends
with pressmen. so what can I tell your
Stunt, Fitzgerald has OF late had much to
do with the control Of trafic and OF the crowds
that assemble on special occasions. so he wa
asked TO talk about that.
well, as to traflo." he said. the problem
doesn't get any easier. Whether the tubes
iishtened thinss at all 10 questionable. and a.
the same time you had the introduction Of
motor buses, which have aggravated the
problem. From my experience ! should say
that the only real remedy for congestd
trafio 10 street widening. enormous though
the cost : would be. Look at Farrinsdou
street, for instance: do you ever see Q block
theref As to tho delay where streets meet
and croes the city rule IL never to stop one
line of trafio for more than q minute. Az
for the suggestion that SLOW, traflo should
be diverted, leaving the chief streets for
cabs and buses. we have practically no such
alternative routes east and west. The ideal
would be parallel streets. one for eastward
trafac and tho other for westward. Bearing
on the matter IL the fact that the streets
are 90 literally watered as to be dangerous
for horses and motors. This watering b
specially excessive at the sides Of the streets,
30 that we hesitate about turning heavy
trsflo there. as the burdened horses would
never get q foothold.
As for London drfvers. they remain 10
good a. ever, though We miss the old Omnibus
driver, whose skill was world famous.
with regard to city crowds. thor are
wonderfully easy TO handle II You 60 about u
the proper way. II you try to regulate them
in q common sense manner they appreciate
your efforts and help you all they can. Blu,
II you were to try harsh measures the work
would be very dinioult.
YES. Londoner: make the best behaved
they are getting better and better. AZ oas
time Lord Mayors show day was FOLLOWED
by o large number OF pocket picking oharges,
and there was q rough element to deal With,
but ali this has practically disappeared. Our
golden rule 10 to watch the sid streets 0,
that tho crowds cannot converge and become
The densest crowd I ever saw in the city
was at the return Of the 9. ]. VS., and Sui
difficulties were increased by. the fact thai
we had no mounted men on duty that dly.
iadysmith was probably the. next bigSssi
day for W; A royal VISIT 70 the auildhsn I
| At the luncheon hour, when warehouses and
offices dissoree their t~houssnds.the strssta
sIsb, not T IinInr % uD f,rtSs Sw vest. 'hAn usual
Al for recent crowds outside the %
Bailey, ! agree with every word in the Daas
Chronicle OF yesterday and to-day: But. q,
matters now stand, R was better. for us te
other day to let the people gather In Oh
Bailey than IN Newgate street, an We v.ds
able to keep the latter thoroushfare free it
the escape OF less popular people. The mob
| that welcomed Sievier was not q typical Lon.
| don crowd, but moro Of a ra~cecourse crowd.
and far more difficult to handle"