Evening star., 1924-04-09
European Letter
BY WILLIAM IVY.

PARIS, April S.-Taxi drivers are
the only workers in France who ever
strike. That is, practically speaking.
But they strike on all occasions. and
even without occasion.
Just the other day they struck be-
cause they were asked by their en-
pIoyers to collect 20 centimes more
from each customer than was shown
on the meter. The increase was au-
thorized by the prefecture of police,
but the companies had not had the
meters corrected. The drivers there
fore called a one-day strike and held
a big mass meeting.
While the strike lasted there wasn' I
a taxi to be had and the streets OF
Paris were like Sunday in a New
England village. Some people said
they preferred things that way, and
wished the taxi drivers would stay
on strike forever. But what a strange
Paris that would make. 1t wouldn
really be Paris without the wild ca
reerings of the little red cabs, the
shrill squeaking of horns, the eternal
iand ,incessant -sauabb1ing and quarrel
ing of cab drivers and police, and the
thrill of knowing that you are likely
another and perhaps better world
each time you cross the boulevard
* x x
A Paris humorist has had q dis
concerting, experience. Some months
ago NJ. Georges de la Fouchardiere,
commenting in his daily philosophical
comic Column" on the wave of bun
CO" games, expressed astonishment
that nobody had ever tried the
that by simply buying a cap en-
breidered with gold lace and with the
initials "P. L. NJ" one could travel
handsomely as an inspector Of the
PariS-Iyon- n-Mediterranean railroad,
and make lot of money BESIDES. one
could tour from Paris TO the Riviera
and up and down the coast as much
as one liked. One could even install
ones family in comfortable hrst-
class compartment, at no cost. but
more than that, by examining the
! tickets of the other travellers ana col
Iecting the regulation supplement
I from each one who was riding in a
/! class higher than he was entitled to,
one could easily pick up several hun
dred francs a day in the bargain.
| Well, it now turns out that reader
T. the advice. He bought a little gold
trimmed cap, and had the mystic in
| itials embroidered on it. And for
three months he had things all his
! own way. Nobody knows exactly
| how many free rides he took, nor
supplements And the odd part of it was
| that he might not have been discov-
cred, even yet, If ii had not been thai
! he carelessly committed some otnei
crime that was not quite SO safe' ne
! tried some clumSier bunco-game on Z
| fellow townsman and got arrested fol
that. A search of his home revealed
! the telltale cap and notebook III
which some of his voyages were re-
lcorded.
! 1t is indeed remarkable that more
| people don't take advantage OF suci
/ facilities. I met a man from Buffalo
a short time ago who told me that h'
| had been all over Europe and got oYel
all sorts of seemingly impossible OBJ
stacles by simply showing police
! badge which was given to him hon
, oris cause by police official OF nj:
I home town. This little piece of metal
| carried with an air of assurance, GO
/ him into places that were closed tt
I. ordinary tourists, and got him out ot
places that were decidedly uncom,
! Portable for ordinary mortals- Thef
| there are passport visas-why DO 50
many people waste good time ane
need is a rubber stamp and rathel
| illegible handwriting to fill in the
+, blanks? 1 have never seen a VlSs
that the , merest, novice in forgery
| couldn't initiate in a manner sattsfac
| tory for all intents and purposes. /
| speaks well for the Fundamental hon
| esty of the human race that these
| opportunities are not abused.
| X X X 4
But, the. well known human races
! honesty doesn't come of quite 81