ft : ) -* fc?|*~ U.S. Traffic Controls Firm Will Open Subsidiary Here An American firm specializing in modern electronic traffic control systems will soon began operation in a subsidiary plant in Belleville. . The announcement of the new industry for the city was made today by Mr. L. M. Rodigers, Assistant General Manager of the Automatic Signal Division of Laboratory for Norwalk, Connecticut. Mr. Rodigers also announced that W. Dallas of BeJevOle, a long-time employee of the local Northern Electric branch, will oe the manager of the new firm. The company will set up operations in a building on Adam Street, used for some time by Northern Electric for part of its production. Although the firm has no official name, pending approval from Queen's Park, Mr, Rodgers said that the first Canadian division of Automatic Signal will probably be-gin production by the first of June. Automatic Signal manufactures what it retos to as a ^sophisticated system o/ traffic control" which makes the present system of automatic traffic light synchronization virtually obsolete. radar detecting devices to be | the 'head office in Norwalk, placed at each approach to an onnecticut, and supplies trafintersection, the Automatic Sig- fic control equipment throughna*l equipment becomes "in- out the United States, part of formed" of the speed and vol- Europe and also Canada. ume of tralfiic approaching that Mr. Rodgers, describing the intersection up to a distance of new Belleville firm as "basic500 feet. This information is ally a growth organization," then relayed through a com- ,aid that While the company puting process which changes will probably employ about 20 the traffic lighits accordingly. persons in a few years, this The system has proved ef- factor and the sales volume fective in removing traffic will depend on "the demand for bottlenecks in suieh Canadian sophisticated traffic control." cities as Vancouver, Edmon- Although the operation's patents and engineering are inner- · ton, and Calgary, and Mr. ently American, Mr. Rodgers Rodigers noted that it has come stressed that the Belleville enout on top when compared to terprise is entirely a Canadian "manual" traffic control by concept and is intended "to police officers. put Canadian content into the The connection between Au- product." tomatic Signal and the Belle- Credit for bringing the new ville area dates back to 1939, industry to the city was given when Northern Electric be to Belleville's Industrial Comcame a licensee of the Ameri- missioner, Mr. E. Kneisel. The can firm in the field of traffic co-operation of the local Nor-^ control equipment. For the next them Electric management wasj 25 years, Mr. Dallas was prom- also mentioned as a factor id inent in Northern's transact- the company's decision to set ions with Automatic Signal un- up a plant here. til retiring. Northern Electric Mr. Kneisel said that the adwill be continuing its work in dition of yet another electronic the distributing field for Auto- firm in the city will increase matic Signal, with the differ- the "labor pool" of that industence being that it will now be ry, bring a number of "technidealing with a Canadian-made cal visitors" to the city, and product. could eventually make BellePart of "multi-thousand ville a "demonstration area" COMPUTER-REGULATOR personnel corporation, Auto- for the modern systems of trafEmploying diverse types of matic Signal has suibsidaries fic control produced by Auto- j magnetic, sonic, pressure, or in California and Italy, with matic Signals. BELLEVIUE PUBLIC LIBRARY 223 PINNACLE ST. BELLEVILLE. ONT. K8N 3A7