In the House of Commons on Monday, Sir John Baird,
the Untr-Secretary for Home Affairs, announced certain decisions in connexion with the traffic problem. After September 30th strap-hanging in motor-omnibuses and tramcars is to be pro- hibited. Reforms are to be introduced to reduce the present congestion on suburban railway lines. He also said that local authorities had no power to close their roads to charabano traffic. There was a good deal of criticism on the announcement about strap-hanging. Several members pointed out that it would be something like cruelty to prevent people getting to their homes as quickly as possible in bad weather, even though they might have to stand up throughout the journey. Sir John Baird replied that by the time the rule came into force there would be plenty of omnibuses and tramcars, and that the rule, after all, was only a revival of the police regulation which existed before the war.
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