New Britain herald., 1925-05-16
THE OBSER VER- Makes Random Observations
 On the City and Its People

| Britain at recent congress hold in London. whore it was decided that | the bus-lno would never be able to entirely supplant the electric rail- way, should be of particular inter- | est to local citizens who have long pondered over the same possibility here in New Britain, Many here arc of the opinion that some day, | and that not long distant, the bus will take the place of the street car. but judging from the London l meeting at least, there is nothing which would >tm to bear out this contention.
 The London experts agreed that the bus would and does serve as an excellent auxiliary to its first -estab- | lshed contemporary. but all were likewise certain that it could not be of any greater value than 1t now ls 1 London, 1t was pointed out, with the greatest bus development in the world, still finds the street ear an absolute necessity. Buses in the English metropolis, though they carrying but 40 per cent of traffic, still jam the streets 10 tho limit,
 Experts at the London congress pointed out that the granting of ab- solute dominion to tho busses would mean an enormous widening Of highways and huge increase in fares, Those who would operate these lines, they averred, would not do so for their health. and the use of them would mean an added cost of just two-thlrds. based on the as sumption that for every three street cars five buses must be operated. the cost of operation for one bus being identical with that for one electric car
 | These points constituted 10 a cer- tain extent a summary of the gath ering made by c. J. Spencer, gen. eral manager of the Metropolitan Electric Tramways, Ltd, who also went on to say: T am perfectly cer tain that if you would take the rev. enue that is now earned by 5000 tram cars and place it against the expenditure necessary to run 5000 buses even an accountant would have difficulty in making things f1t."
 MT. Spencer, continuing with his discussion. showed that the tn- , creased cost Of operation coincident with the absolute use of the bus, would ultimately result in the com pete cessation of bus operation and hence all means of transportation.
 The general opinion expressed by those at the London gathering was that there should be coordination between buses and electric cars, the electric cars handling the heavy part of the traffic.
 Henry Himpc's comrades in the American Legion at Omaha. Neh :, refer to him as "the only man who cussed a king and got medal fol it."
 During the fighting in the trenches in the early days of the war. some
 one tugged at Himpe's shoulder ,; Not knowing who his mud -bespat
 tered companion was, Himpe per 5. cmptorily told him to "get the hel
 out of here or I'll shoot you"
 was King Albert of Belgium.
 A few days later Himpe was calle'
 to headquarters and reprimanded to ., not being more polite to his com ? rades. That was the first he kneV y that the man he threatened 10 shoo
 was his own king.
 King Albert later came to look O
 the incident as a joke and after tn
 war introduced Himpe to the cour t, as "the man who threatened to Xii t. me"
 Himpe has just received notic
 that he has been awarded the Bel
 gian war cross with one palm. nt The Roads, Rivers and Bridge {! committee of the legislature hs ID still that Cat Hole pass road be
 tween New Britain and Meridcn mind. Every legislative year bil
 for roads are turned down. hut tc
 ward the end of the session a fc Id road bills slide through. IL is hope . by thousands of motorists in tn C. section of the state that the legi Id lators will see fit to smile on tn a, proposition, and from late repor by many Of the men are in favor TT ve longer it stays in committee, il
 moro it is being considered, and lis it stays long enough it will be
 that bunch which goes through as ht by magic in the last few days.
 Continuing our tour Of the Nnit'
 States as made through the medin
 of guide books. histories and motto