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Show THOSE RADIO TAXICABS There's another revolt in the offing. This time it's against radios in taxicabs. No man can serve two masters and no taxicab driver can do justice to three traffic lights and four or five radio programs. A public cab should be a conveyance con-veyance and not a loud speaker with hot brakes and loose fenders. There is no reason why a man who wants to cross town in a hurry should be obliged to ride with a swing orchestra, a cooking program or a couple of radio comedians. The taxicab companies insist that the customers prefer radio hacks. They say the riders regard an outside out-side aerial as more important to transportation than four-wheel brakes. But this correspondent doubts it. He thinks the ride is tough enough without the incidental static. For every cab fare who wants to hear "Oh, Johnny," "Town Hall Tonight" To-night" or the United States Marine Band while taking sharp corners on two wheels, there are at least ten who prefer to do their rough riding unaccompanied by symphony orchestras, radio tenors and masters mas-ters of ceremonies. It has sprung to the rescue of a long-suffering public with a demand that taxi driving by ear be forbidden, forbid-den, and that the hose be turned on the quaint notion that there isn't noise enough in a big city without radios in taxicabs. The drivers won't give up without a battle, however. They contend that their lives are drab without music, mu-sic, wise cracks, hints on how to prepare a shrimp sal-a sal-a d and a voice shout- ing trom somewhere every five minutes, "Right, Miss Turpey! 100 per cent right! Lincoln's first name was Abraham, and you win five silver dollars!" m They insist that, with or without passengers, they are entitled to the full companionship of the Radio Corporation of America. If that contention is sound then a paper hanger is entitled to use his portable port-able radio while papering your living liv-ing room and a doctor is justified in listening to the Bison City Quartet while discussing your symptoms. This department is also mildly opposed op-posed to radios in private automobiles. automo-biles. Driving is hazardous enough in modern traffic without giving the driver three extra switches, another glass dial and a lot of additional noises to worry over. WAR NOTE The servants are listening to the broadcasts all night and both German Ger-man and French cooking is in a severe slump in fact, it's terrible. That's why you see so many familiar famil-iar faces dining out en famille. R. ROELOFS JR. A telling commentary on the contrast con-trast in living on two continents came over the radio the other day. "The French commander," the voice said, "has called on all men to die at their posts rather than retreat. re-treat. The fate of the world is at stake," he declared. "Warneke now rubs a new ball. The count is three and two." Information, Please! Speaking of Leap Year, Haven't I heard It's the early worm That catches .the "bird"? Marjorie Lederer. Roosevelt is still reported as considering Mayor LaGuardia of New York for vice president. Well anyhow, the attempt to make Fiorello play second fiddle fid-dle anywhere, any time would make one of the great radio features fea-tures of all time. A big airport recently went into bankruptcy. In selling stock for an airport is anybody ever offered a chance to get in on the ground floor? Some candidates for the presidency presiden-cy are so full of intolerance, partisanship par-tisanship and bias that you could speak of them as tossing their "hates into the ring." "Do you remember," asks Wallace Wal-lace Cox, "when 'German Lieder' meant a group of songs?" |