PARIS FORBIDS STEAM WAGONS.
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Our resident correspondent in Paris writes :—Important decisions regarding the weight and speed of commercial motors have just been issued by the Prefect of Police, to apply to the whole of Paris and surrounding country in the Seine department. The maximum load shall not. exceed 150 kilos. (practically 3 cwt..) per centimetre of tire width---[Say, 71 cwt. per inch—End. Public-service vehicles must. not exceed 8 tons in weight, loaded, and must not exceed 12 miles an hour in built-up areas and 1 miles an hour in the open country. The maximum weight of "light " commercial vehicles is fixed at 5 tons, with the same speed limits as for the passenger-carrying vehicles. Heavy vehicles—those weighing more than 5 tons—must not exceed 11 tons in weight, and must. not exceed a speed of 3.7 miles an hour in built-up area.s and 7.4 miles an hour in -other districts.
The result of these new regulations will be the abolition of the fleet of steamers maintained by the Say Sugar Refinery, and the steamers carrying paper from the suburban mills to the offices of the daily newspapers in Paris. Owners of these vehicles are given a period of five years M which to dispose of their "heavy-weights," but must. make an immediate declaration to the malice. Tf the speed limits are to be enforced immediately, the five years concession is really gratuitous.
n12 The official motive for thes.e new regulations is "vibration, damage to buildings, danger to the public, a-nd disturbance of the tranquility of the inhabitants" caused by the heavy traffic. Increased cost of street maintenance has not been invoked in the official announcement, for it has been proved that the city expenditure on street maintenance has increased but 12 per cent.. in 17 years, this being barely sufficient to cover the increased cost of labour and material. It will be noticed that the regulations are so framed as to leave the city omnibus unmolested.