1960-04-02 — Page 12

An

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1960,

HK's

answer to traffic_problems?

UNLESS

By HUGH DE COURCY

LESS a solution is soon found to end the ever-increasing trafie con- gestion on the streets of the cities of the world-Hongkong included— movement will become, quite simply, impossible. ·

But how shall the problem be tackled?

A number of highly imaginative suggestions are being considered. But the best solution of all, I think, was discovered as long ago as 1820.

It is called a Monorail.

What are Monorails"

Quite simply, they are rall way carriages which run up, or are suspended from, a single vall. The tremendous advant nge of such a line is that it can rin over existing roads and railways without adding to existing congestion and has no need for the cumbersone and tunsightly kirtlers of the tradi- tional elevated railway.

The lesicul French, at least, have realised that monorails ean

a solution

the trafe problem.

גן

Monorail cars, too, would flash Travellers from airport to elty centre. Citles, Colonel Bing- han says, would agal belong to auto- people-instead ist inobiles, trucks, buses, tramears and trains.

Whether the Colonel's vision comes true or not, nue thing is certain--all over the world in- eressling Interest is being taken in the possibilitles of monorail Travel.

where the volume of traffic does not justify the cost of construcl- ing rallways of more orthodox design.

the

Houston and Alaran, in U.S.A. have established experi mental lengths of monorail, and line has been projected to run between Los Angeles und Long | Beach, California, a trusy and permanently crowded route that is one of America's worst traffic headaches.

15

Among the countries An A monorail which reaches a

besides France, terestedt

within are speed of 60 mph. Britain, Germany, Switzerland, seconds 19 to be built to carry Brazil, Japan, the United passengers along Fifth Avenue, Stales (at least 20 cities besides Seattle, to the 74-nere site of have been in the "Century 21" exhibition, One of these monn-railways, San Francisco which, it is claimed, combines vestiguling monorails) and even which is to be opened in 1901 for a paried of two years. The theme speed, comfort and crotomy, East Africa, 10s been bull! and fested, with

of this exhibition is to be "Mon in Space."

encouraging results, at British schemes Chateauneuf-sur-Loire, near

Orleans.

The drst demonstration of this line was

than singed earlier planned so that the mayor of San Franetsen elty keenly Interested in monorail travel- could see it in action.

Cheap

Germany is In fact, now ex- porting monorails. Some have 1 Britain, a

an ose to Sao Paulo, Bruzil, often year ogo. Essex development

the fastes(→ corporatien koned to be made a slie available for

city on earth because the growing building of an experimental the 3,150,000 population is monorail, one and third miles 12 mes what it was 50 years Long at a cost of some £230,000. bark. This is an ideal location

Now Scarborough Corporation for monorail construction.

is to consider

Rehomme to

bulda monorall to link the Severe

North and South Bays.

Financially this system beats the underground all ends up. It is so much cheaper between 11,300,000 and £1,700,000 a alle eintraded with £1,000,000 London 10 £11,580,000 mile where tunnelling is necessary.

It beats me why nonoralla dave never except in i fow isolated instances fund favour

Eat their day may be coming at lurt for, in tratty of the world's historic cities, notably Rome and Ainens, traßlle is 00 that tourists are such density Ligning in consider visits te gatory than a pleasure Have monorails a part to play in restoring to pedestrians their due rights?

now

Passengers have long rom- plained about the waste of time Takvo, with 9,000,000 people, the journey be is now the biggest city on involved in tween central London and earth. It has roached such a Alsport. A monoral: severe stage of traffic congestion would reduce the time taken for that existing transport facill- the 10-alles Journey by 18 to 20 tles simply cannot cope with the

nutes. Top speed would b still worsening situation. between 75 and 00 mp.b., and New surface railways Ce coal of the line £8,000,000. tramway lines are impracticable, If the monorail Idea Andis and subways are regarded as favour in Britain this is the too expensive. So the director first urban stretch likely to of the Tokyo Transport Bureau Bilt and the plan is, in fact, has had allt a trial monorail. being considered by the British it has been working for about Government.

18 months, and results have

be

The Germans have been de- so far been sailsfactory,

strating a monorailway near Cologne since 1952. Just over two years back the Farliamen- fary Scereturs to the Britis Ministry of Transport and Civil Well, a former head of the Aviation raw the line and said

he was impressed by it.

The cars are able to "bank over" to an angle of 45 degrees in perfect sutely. Speeds of up 1 mph. are easily attain-

claim

New York Board of Transporta-

tion, Colonel S. . Bingham, has been planning his city ofde and the inventors the future. It is a tragic-free, 200 m.ph. would be possible on

long stretches.

notar - free, seeather - proofed

Best means

To turn to a much

ΟΣ

different

location, o £15,000,000 scheme

is

to transport coal from the prime fields north of Lake Nyasa, Tanganyika, was recently put forward. Transport experts be- lieve that if there is sufficient! coal in the interior of Tangan! yiko for export, a monorail the best means for getting it buc. Years ago there were plans for a Central African railway, but they were too expensive. Now a monorail could be bullt for two-thirds of the cost. system same as the most famous over- It would rest on stilts, the head monorail which lies be- height of which would

city, built specifically for high- Save space

spred cura, jet aircraft and rackets, The heart of the city

would be concred by a weather-

pranj dome and the centre

trould

175,

be free of all private

The French

over

is the

vary

and

The secret of the man who will bake the Royal wedding cake: ITS ALL IN

THE SPICES

PICTURE BY BRIAN DUFF..

In his Morecambe bakery: Ronald Adams, the little baker with the big order

>

}

Know Your Dog By H.M. HOWELL

THE BOXER

tween Bremen and Elberfeld us according to ground contaurs. the Ruhr, and has been in action Need to negotiate - bends since the beginning of the cen- gradients would be reduced. This medium sized and comparatively recently popular breed 20 miles shortening distances, and R descended from a variety of bull-fighting dog. It has good tury. Over a route long, it has carried

500 uniform evil would enable the "com/nentence and makes an attractive companion and guard

dog, though In Hat weather likely to drool somewhat. million passengers without the cars to travel at high speed. loss of a single life. At speeds Maintenance and operation costs Like the Alzatlan at first, essentially a Continental dog. Body, as high as 126 m.p.h.!

would be lower. But the most muscular and lean with a deep chest and sloping shoulders, Commilega would leave their Monorails have Space and are spectacular suggestion of all has standing about 21 to 24 Inches and weight 60 to 45 lbs. own transport at the edge of the not noisy. They are also ideal come from America for Neck fairly long and gracefully arched and free from dowlap. elly and step into high speed for plonver countries where similar line crossing the con-

Major characteristic is pronounced stop in a broad head. monorail Trains to be carried rough lands have to be crossed, tinent-with cars travelling at Muzzle deep with dark mask on a fawn, or fawn and brindle within minutes to their offices, and in thinly populated areas 200-300 m.p.l.

colcuring cometimes with white markings.

1

THey signed Us A Man To RIDE With US

count

HE sign above the window of Ronald Adams's brown-painted corner THE

shop bakery says: "Weddings a speciality.". The other day master baker Adams began preparing the biggest speciality of his career.

He stood at the well-scrubbed table in the Lakehouse behind his shop and sorted out the ingredients for Princess Margaret's wedding cake.

The ader for the cake has gone not to some big West End confectioner but to the 40-year- okt ex-Army Catering Corps haker whose business ly in regent Read, Morecambe, Lan- cashire,

By GEORGE WEBBER

next few weeks Ing by to receive full instruc- combing of It will take nearly a

ions but I understand the de- month. sign will be left to me....part from any molifs

And in the until the wedding the Bghts will be blazing until well after mid- night in Mr Adams' white-tiled bakehouse,

The ingredients will be the same as for any of his customers ....the customers' who have their daughters' wedding eckes made at his little shop next docr to the off-licence.

HIS WORRY

He said; You can't better (this mixture-It's champion."

Mr Adams-champlon con- fectioner cf England and Wales tor 1959 and the man once de- scribed 25 "The greatest wed ding-cake artist in the world" — is waiting for a esl to Clarence House to get the Anal detalls of the order.

Taen all his time, every even- ,lry ma tvey weekend, will os taken up preparing for the 10yal wedding day.

"I asked to make the cake as gesture from the small bakers

all and craftsmen

over the from

calendar

Then Mr Adams will prok the or insignia cake into a box, load It Into his which may be required."

delivery van and set of Jor Helped by his foreman baker, London, 4-year-eld Alec Bowden, Mr FOOTNOTE: Mr Adams does Adams was busy with Uuwis all the baking back home tao. Or Hour, sugar, cariona cr Lut even his wife Bobbie does CRKS, the carefully hand-picked not know the secret of his tako fruits, suitenza, currants, raisins, guloos. "He's the beker in thin almonds, chopped nuts, brandy, house" she said. and rum.

London Express Bervice).

But Mr Adams would not tell me the rer of his ingredients.

"That's my accret the plecs end flavouring that give it that extra zemathing cre part of my vn recipe, the one that won me the championship last year."

Before mixing can begin Mr Adams will have to know the number of guests, friends, and Telatives who will be eating the royal cake.

HIS MEDALS

When it mixed it will go into his gas oven and he balted ut a temperature of 260 degrees. This is the same temperature housewives use for their week- ly bake.

And Mr Adams, who has won

THE TOWN'S

FORGOTTEN

MAN- VALENTINO

Rome.

The death of Rudolph

country, and this crder Clarence House has come us great hondar," he said.

*ine Gineing at hanging over the fireplace he more than 1,100 awards, in-HIRTY-FOUR yours after added: "I shall have lo Irek cluding gold medals in London, myself away in the bakery for Vienna, Berne, Dusseldorf, and we want all the time we can get Busacis, will also decorate the m the hext four weeks.

"My main worry at the The leing will be half an luch moment is the size. I'n stand- thick and the piping and honey-

cake,

FIRST he told Her she gotta prive around,

JACKY'S DIARY & JACKY Mendelso COUNTall the miss TAKES. Right aw- The CORONER, WHICH She did REAL fast

on, FRIDAY Mommy & me WENT TO Take A DRIVING TEST.

Age 321⁄2

BURDE of MOTOR VEICKLES

Bump

• So then THe man gorall Ex-sighted just cause She Drove up on a Safety ISLAND, WHICH WASN'T HER FAULT. What Was it Doing Out in THE Middle of

The STREET! anY WAY?

ay You LOULD SEE He was A GroutCH.

(fello

©1980 King Fedure? Studicate ing

World Fights Reserved.

after that she Hadda Park the car in 1 To a PLACE BackWOODS, Which is Harder Even Then FRONTWoods. Thats why she CRUNCHED into an other car a Little bit,]

crash."

13-6,

YOUR

LATE

Miss TAKE COUNTER

ON A COUNT of She Took a Short-cut,

BOO Who!

it Turned out the CAR belonged to the Man Who Was Giving THE

Test. What a CRY-BABY

P.So in case Your in- NERested, WE FLUNKed the Test

One good thing g aNY HOW... A nice Police Man CAme & Gave us a FREE Ticket, or was a Prize for going 2 Ways on

"

A 1-Way Your Friends

Street

Jacky

Valentino, Hollywood heart- thrab of the 'twenties, Castafianeta, the town In Southern Italy where ho was born, is planning to put up a monument to him.

do

The citizens are tourist, mind- ed. They feel that if they don't something tangible about Valentino now he will be for- gotten and so will Castel- Janeta.

Valentino was born on May 6, 1895, His father; Giovanni Guglielmi, a veterinary surgeon, registered him as Rudolfo Pietro Filberto Guglielml.

Soon after the family moved to another part of Italy, Castel- laneta forgot the Guglielmois. Rudolfo went to America as a youth and found forme.

But back in Castellaneta no one realised that the world's lavourlie and Rudolfo, Guglielmi were identical. At the peak of his carcer Valentino made car trip through Castellanetą. He was unrecognised.

Thwarted

one

Not until he died in 1920 dia the citizens realise who he was, They ont urgently. to Naptos for two of his Alms: "Blood and Sand" and "The Black Engle." The films were a riot,

A few years later there was a ball-bearied Inove to erect a monument to Valentino. The town' authorities Indignantly thwarted it. A town that did hot even have a memorial to its 1014-18 war dond could not. have one to a film actor,

A modest plaque was, puljup

on his family's old home the gift of his fan club in Cincinnati. Now at lost the citons of Castellangla have asked. Rome sculptor Professor Nicola Cantore to preparo des go for à statue of Valentino.

It was once said of him, after his fare ascuned: "He had to die to revive his popularity,"