PAGE SIX UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1943 1423 7500 Traffic and Fire Hazards In City Require Immediate Public Attention It's time the City of Lawrence began waking up to the fact that it has become one of the biggest danger spots in Kansas — a city where it is actually not safe to cross the street or attend a movie. Lawrence is getting a reputation it can well be ashamed of. The death of a young man in an automobile accident within the city limits is a pretty steep price to pay for jarring the people into the realization that something should be done. The enormous increase in the city's population and passenger traffic in recent months has left the police department far behind in its ability to handle traffic. Yet there is greater need now than ever for control. Speeding has also become a continual hazard to safety within the city, especially between 11th and 22nd streets on Massachusetts. In this 11-block stretch there is not one traffic light, and traffic police are present only during the short time in the morning and afternoon when students are going to and from school. Yet traffic is heavier on this street than any other in town. Practically all S.O.W. workers come up Massachusetts street after entering town, and they leave town on that street. Personal observance shows the disregard they have for speed limits. The result is that during these heavy traffic periods a person cannot cross Massachusetts street between the 11th and 22nd streets without literally taking his life into his hands. The great number of cars parked on Tennessee street, north of the 1700 block, greatly increases the chances of accidents. Drunken and careless driving in Lawrence has nearly tripled since the S.O.W. plant was established according to Lawrence Police. With so many new people coming into town there are bound to be many fools who still believe liquor and gasoline will mix. Unless something is done to curb this practice, and curb it quickly, serious accidents and violent deaths will be the price paid. The practice of smoking in the theatres is the most flagrant violation of common sense and of the law that has yet faced this community. There can be no adequate excuse for letting this practice continue. Lawrence theatres are so crowded that a serious fire in any one of them would result in a major disaster. The practice of allowing so many people inside the theatre that they are forced to sit in the aisles or stand against the wall greatly adds to the danger. Asking the people to cooperate or putting up "No Smoking" signs in the theatre helps, but will not solve the problem—it is the absolute responsibility of the theatre management to see that the practice of smoking in the theatres is stopped immediately. Theatre-goers will help if they would report cases of smoking to the management it would then be up to the management and peace officers to eject the offenders. Since the police department is too small to handle the traffic, why cannot civilians be deputized and stationed on street corners to direct the traffic and enforce the speed laws during the hours when travel is heaviest? The practice of deputizing citizens and using them to aid in directing traffic, with the power to Just Wondering If Kansas basketball fans aren't more than a little ashamed of themselves after their poor show of sportsmanship during the Nebraska game Tuesday night. issue traffic tickets or to make arrests should materially reduce the problem if speedsters are shown that these men mean business. A traffic light on the corners of 14th and Massachusetts and 19th and Massachusetts would help solve the speeding problem, and would also materially reduce the chance of accidents when motorists or pedestrians try to cross Massachusetts street. These situations in Lawrence are serious ones, and should receive the public's immediate attention. Police and fire protection is the responsibility of the people—it is up to them to make it adequate. 0------- Whether or not there is truth in the charge that meat is being hoarded in country food lockers seems to be a disputed question between the National Frozen Food Locker association and the National Retail Meat Dealers association. Certainly the meat is going somewhere and if it is not being stored in the nation's locker system, there must be considerable meat being stored under very unfavorable conditions when twice as much could be stored in the lockers if filled to capacity. Sign outside a barber shop in a war-boom town: "Come in and we will give you an estimate on your haircut."—Reader's Digest. UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas NEWS STAFF Editor-in-chief ... Maurice Barker Editorial Associates ... Don Keown, Joy Miller, Matt Heuertz, Jimm Gunn, Florence Brown Feature Editor ... Betty Lou Perkins EDITORIAL STAFF Managing Editor ... Virginia Tieman Sunday Editor ... Joy Miller Campus editors ... Alan Houghton, Jane Miner, Clara Lee Oxley Sports editor ... J. Donald Keown Sports Editor ... Betty Lou Perkins News Editor ... Florence Brown Picture Editor ... James Gunn Society Editor ... Phyllis Collier BUSINESS STAFF Business Manager ... Oliver Hughes Advertising Manager ... Charles Taylor, Jr. Business Assistants ... Eleanor Fry, Betty Lou Perkins, Mary Morrill Trials of a feminine sports editor: Betty Lou Perkins, Chi O, who has taken over the sports desk in the absence of an eligible male journalist, finds the new game pretty rough. The technical lingo of sports sometimes gets beyond her, and she finds herself behind the eight-ball (or is that another game?) At Tuesday's basketball game, Betty Lou found herself marking down two fouls against one man on a play. Later someone told her what a double foul is. The Coed: The Coed: The coed is a faithful thing. I like her. Through thick and thin she'll steadfast cling I like her. She's never fickle, just true blue. She saves her kisses all for you. And, oh! I wish all this were true. I like her. A list of musts for the aspiring young writer or journalist: All laughs must be hearty. All sighs must be heartfelt. All kisses must be rapt. All sobs must be heartrending. All onlookers must be skeptical. All hopes must be high All approvals by crowds must be roared. All success must be howling. All thuds must be dull and sickening. --- The spice of life: The Sage of Mt. Oread was nonplussed the other day. How he got nonplussed I'll never know, but there he was—nonplussed and loquacious. I was nearly startled out of my shoes when he said: "Did I ever tell you of my trip to New York?" I settled back into my brogans and shook my head. The old man to New York—a likely story! "I joined the merry circle of cafe society, but I soon got tired of that ceaseless circle. Besides which, I kept tramping on my beard." (The old man's beard is really something to behold.) "I was homesick for the plains of Kansas and the homely faces of the students." (And he was.) "The trip was uneventful," said the Sage. "When I reached New York, I took a room in a hotel overlooking the city." (Which is some overlooking, anyway you look at it.) "I decided to return to my little cave on the Hill, where I could meditate upon the sins of mankind and go to bed every night with a copy of Esquire." (And he did.) Kiernan's Points How To Save This time Walter Kiernan, International News Service staff writer brings to the public's mind a few of the situations now occurring because of the fortunes of war. Kiernan brings his "One Man's Opinion" in the following flashes. He does it again! Wanted — double-entry housekeeper, plain cook, good at figures, prefer certified public accountant. Notice—Joe's market will hereinafter be known as Mr. Joseph's Cook Shoppe. Hours 9 to 3. Want to Borrow—party wants two cans of peaches for Thursday night at reasonable interest. Attention Heirs—we help you to trace and collect your legacy. Dozens of cans of peas in storage awaiting rightful heirs. Harvard grad, single, with can of beans, desires to meet cultured woman, single, with bottle of catsup. Object—dinner. Notice—the skunk who stole my tomato paste is known and had better return it or I'll have the law onto him. Swap—political hopeful will exchange 48 points for 48 states in '44. Address W.W, Marriage Broker offers splendid investment for some lucky girl—man with ulcers drinks only milk, coupons intact. Investigate. Thought for the day: "Taint funny, McGee! N G University Band And All-Girl Band Merge Announced by Wiley The University band and the all-girl band are being merged into one band, Russell L. Wiley, director of both bands, announced today. However, he said, both bands will keep their separate identity within this larger band and will retain their own officers. The new rehearsal schedule, to be announced at the first rehearsal at 7:30 tomorrow morning in Hoch auditorium, will be lighter than the schedule of either band in the past. Wiley said. The entire personnel of both bands will bring the membership of the merged band up to 85 members. Mr. Wiley also said that other students wishing to join the band should contact him immediately.