New Britain herald., 1927-12-10
THE OBSER VER- Makes Random Observations
 On the City ano Its People

ano Its People
 to adopt them except insofar as re,
 lights to control intersections wher
 they are located. Against this how
 ever. is the argument that despit'
 their size. cities mentioned canno
 compare with American cities il
 motor population.
 w. F. Enc. devisor of New York
 original traffic code. is authority fol
 the statement that the worst impedi
 ment to scientific management O
 traffic at the present time is the ef.
 fort to control 1t by the well know1
 synchronized or progressive system
 of lights instead of by hand anG brain. Of course those who have
 not studied the situation carefully o1 have not experienced its fallaces
 may think that the progressive light
 idea is the ideal one but little ob-
 servation should convince them that
 it is impossible for such a system
 to take into consideration the fact
 that traffic varies so greatly in vol
 ume and character that what is good ! for one intersection may not be ap-
 propriate for another
 | Millions of dollars have already been expended by the police depart
 ments of the United States, and no
 inconsiderable amount has been spent right here in New Britain, for
 these lights. However, engineers and
 students of traffic are beginning to
 realize the false economy of mechan- ically controlled traffic as general panacea for the congestion prob lem.
 There are three kinds of auto motive pests that are obnoxious and dangerous on our streets. These are the horn-blowing pests.
 First, there is the "show-off" who wants to let the world know that he is driving a classy roadster and has lost his manners in doing so.
 Second, there's the employed driv- CT who wants to get to his destina- ton in hurry and has no consid- eration for others. His horn- blow ing is more to divert abuse to the injured party than to himself.
 Lastly, there is the nervous driver toots his horn at all times. when ever his imagination gets the better of him.
 Goodness and restraint are essen tials for good driving. Nervousness suggests a fear complex which, if pushed too far on the highway, may be taken up by others like a. fast spreading disease.
 A slight touch of the horn is enough to let the fellow ahead of you know you want to pass. No end of blowing will get you ahead, however if the traffic is heavy and 
 The best that can be done when traffic is heavy is to curb your i'm patience and drive along with it. Horn blowing is useless and trouble some.
 As the time hears for the prepa- ration of estimated income and eX- penditures in the city government. it might not be amiss to suggest to heads of departments and commits sions that they do a little toward relieving the board of finance and taxation by submitting honest esti- mates. giving full credit for reason ably certain incomes and emitting padded items.
 It has been the experience of the finance board year after year It find recommendation that do not have the wholehearted approval of ommissioners, but which, it was port to satisfy the whim of some con missioner, or because there was l strong influence brought to bear. There is no attempt here to insinu- ate that any but proper methods were employed. Commissioners are human. It is rather difficult to sit on the opposite side of a table, hear the earnest plea and argu- ment of brother member of the ! board and then coldly vote against 1 including the item in the estimates, when it is recognized :; hat this is not the final vote and | hat the finance board or the con- | mon council has the right to re- feet it later. The trouble perhaps ies with those who insist on in- cludlng their pet projects even | though it is realized that their doom 1 is sealed. Members of boards should | call their sense of proportions into fullest play at this time of the year. Taxes must be kept consistent with { the ability of property owners to | pay. While q project might sound , ideal, and while some neighborlng city may long since have adopted t, it must be remembered that New Britain too has features of its gov ernment not found in all other -ities and no municipality can fi- nance Utopian government.
 Frequently too. it has ben found estimate as their in- come amounts less than those re- ,eived in normal years, when there l s no reason to suppose or suspect heir will be a depression in their particular business. This should be 
 Commissioners who know from experience how difficult preparation of their own budget is, should feel ,or the finance board which must make of the many estimates a mu- licipal chart of income and expen- iiture, and should be anxious to CO., operate rather than throw monkey Erenches into the machinery,
 Sudden changes in temperature ,lways give us the sniffies. Whether he weather change for hotter or. for 1