Evening Star Newspaper, December 16, 1928, Page 80

RAFFIC lights in the down- town business area and on In the Motor World opposition to this splendid cam- paign of the which is bound to be of great Trafic Bureau,; BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. I will not be turned on until after the holidays, it was authora- tively stated by Director of Traffic William H. Harland. While the work of installation {s progressing rapidly in these sec- tions, it was Mr. Harland's opin- ion that, due to the large crowds frequenting, the business areas at this time of year, it would be bet- ter to wait the time when the benefit to all law-abiding motor- ists and citizens of the District of Columbia, and which cannot rightfully be considered harmful {to any one, even in the slightest | degree, is disgusting, to say the | |least. As a matter of fact, if the | | association persists in fighting the | reform being carried out by the| Traffic Bureau, I intend to resign my membership in the associa- | tion, and it would not surprise me are less congested. | if other members decide to do ¢ likewise.” The letter was signed. Delay Downtown Lights. Another communication of in- “1t takes time for the motorists | terest reached Mr. Harland re- to get used to mew lights,” Mr.|cently, resulting in considerable Harland stated. “It also takes a|ccrrespondence, and a change of few days generally for proper heart in the original writer of adjustments to be made in regard | these latter letters. The first let- to timing. For these two reasons ter of tfis correspondence is as| I deem it unlwise to plalce the ?e\v ! follows: traffic signals in actual operation | . . before " the st of the year. Registers a Complaint. Therefore, the lights on Thir-| “Fifteen minutes from the mid- teenth street, below Massachusetts | dle of Connecticut Avenue Bridge | avenue, other designated down-|to the entrance of the Zoo! This ! town streets and Fourteenth | is the first night the new traffic | street between Monroe and Har- |lights were in operation along the | vard streets will await the close avenue near Wardman Park of the holiday rush.” | Hotel. X Provisions of the proposed mu- “Two weeks later it still takes nicipal code, under the Hoover| me from five to seven minutes to lan, were discussed at the meet- travel between the same spots any | Ynn of the traffic council last | time between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m., Thursday night. Besides the di- |due, as far as I can tell, from the rector of traffic and his assistant, | poor timing of the traffic lights. M. O. Eldridge, the council com- | The great bulk of the travel is out | prises representatives of the Connecticut avenue at that hour, Chamber of Commerce, the and it certainly seems reasonable Board of Trade, the Merchants |that the greater time by far and Manufacturers’ Assocition, should be allotted to through | the Federation of Citizens' Asso- bou'evard travel. ciations, the American Automo-| “I have lived in Cleveland Park bile Association and the Wash- for the past §ix years, and the ington Automotive Trade Associa- | cnly delay I have ever experienced tion. Of the matters discussed at | in that time has been since the this meeting it was found that installation of the lights in ques- the District code now enforced tion. One red-haired traffic of-| here differs very little from the ficer stationed at Woodley road, proposed municipal code. (and_ Connecticut 2venue kept | Council Discussion. :il?amgi movmi‘usfimmh}i"xi& both | Pedestrian control, a regulation | (LicCHONS un ens RS e in the National Capital, but at installed. Please either restore present non-enforced, corresponds | mg‘“gmdg“to’f ,thhee%eeht}; TERCERILE with the plan of the municipal| “usg the matter stands now you code. The banning of all-night payve’ done one of the best little pariing, pl:opnsedl in the munici-|hieces of work for the retardation pal code, was tabled by the coun- o suburban development that I cil when it was disclosed that the | coulq think of—and a continua- garage shortage in this city Was|tion of the lights along this im- at least 50 per cent. . |portant thoroughfare would cer- The council made the following | tainly create a demand for down- recommendations, which will be|town’ apartments. Suburbanites effective this week: That parking\gimply could not get home in on the north side of New YOQrk time for their evening meal. avenue between Fourteenth and| " .please investigate for yourself, Fifteenth streets be changed from | ang see if it can be remedied. And angle parking to parallel: that| while you are at it please note parking on the west side of Eighth | that three times during the past street between Market place and | 1g gays the streets on the hill on | Connecticut avenue in front of E street be changed from angle |the Highlands have been flushed parking to parallel; that angle parking be continued between E| gyring the rush hour of the morn- and F streets. A recommendation | . 5 » that angle parking on Pennsyl- | ns—around 8:45 a.m. {anigh av(eing‘e ht‘l.')etv{‘ele:nt S".:sveg— | Mr. Harland’s Answer. eenth and Eighteenth streets be | % changed to parallel parking was_mys‘:‘ Harland answered as fol voted down. | “This will acknowledge recei | pt mé‘éti:;&n?eeu;lvs%?lss ‘;2:‘ 03;‘, t&iz | of your letter of December 6, 1928, | making of left turns on lntersec-%v-mh dscadiinl Ll tiomarGintrolled. by Hghts of po_'mox;s on Connecticut avenue due; loemen ‘would "be brought p'vto“mstallatlon of traffic signals. | Time did ot permit, and the pros |, e have carefully watched the | and cons will be argued at next| oM D3 s S| Thursday's meeting, which will be since they were installed and find held as usual in the Mills Builcl-!thab Mgy, SIE fhesiomu ix eny | in: streets bordering these sections | nicely the function for which they were installed. Yours is the first| - 1< complaint received as to any de- vass of traffic officers and "m“mls,la_vs since the night they were put of the Traffic Bureau showed & |into "~ garvice, which = naturall i y y u{nan;nmou% f"h""”"g of tthe ggn- brought about some congestion. tinuing of the present system.| ™ «rn'the installation of any traf- The present system, however, is in| 46 jjont system the pedestrian as total variance with the municipal | we)1 a5 vehicular traffic is given g?ge, “510?1 c{‘:“ggi back td° t&e consideration and the lights on oy ng ardently | copnecticut avenue are so timed fought for by various trade bodies | permit a pedestrian to cross the | and automobile organizations. intersection on a green signal be- The director of traffic, although | {012 5 “tivanges to red #n favor of continuing the present “We have received a number of method, has admitted that most | ,mylimentary letters on this in- of his obiection to going back to| -iaylaticn and feel that no change turning from the center of "he‘isneccsxary at this time.” street would be eliminated if it 3 5 A Change of Heart. did not mean turning left before the light changed or the police-| m, tnis the writer replied as fol- lows: :x;lan t\;med his semaphore. “It is the going against a red stop sign| "y thank you for your courteous :?aartcdl object most to,” he de-|,n4 prompt reply to my recent ' letter relative to the stop- lights Upholds Traffic Director. on Connecticut avenue near | Wardman Park Hotel. A communication upholding the . Mr. Harland stated that a cen- traffic director in his method of handling constant violators of the more serious traffic regulations was received recently. The letter following was sent to the Amer- ican Automobile Association and a copy sent to Mr. Harland: “I am a member of the District of Columbia division of the asso- ciation and am writing you with reference to thé campaign which “Perhaps I was just a little bit| {late in voicing my protest, for it |so happened that the very day I | mailed my letter to you I was | able to go directly out Connecticut |avenue with no delay whatsoever. It was then about 5:45 p.m. “Pedestrian travel across Con-' | necticut avenue at Woodley road : | and Cathedral avenue is very light | } indeed, and I still feel that a little | i THE SAME FELLOW WHO GAVE HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW SUCH A BAWLING OUT FoR DROPPING ASHES IN HIS NEW CAR,GETS THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS AND GOES TO THE NEARBY VIRGINIA THE CAR WITH HOLLY BERRIES,PINE NEEDLES, KIDs, DOGS AND MUD! T FTRERRYMAN | HOOVER REGARDED PARTIAL 0 AUTOS Expected to Rank as “Motor- ing Executive” During His Presidential Term. President-elect Herbert Hoover is ex- pected to quickly take rank as a “mo- toring Executive” and will possibly use the automobile more than any of his predecessors, acording to the American Automobile Associdtion. Hoover, who has been a member of the A. A. A for more than 15 years, has done possibly more than any other in- dividual to improve motoring condi- tions, and to make the motor car a greater factor in the play of business life of Americans. Says the A. A. A. statement: “Although a motorist at heart and interested in every phase of the motor ca:;, Mr. Hoover motors as he lives. When he enters his motor car, he re- laxes, and his drives are well and leisurely planned. Not even the most fervid imagination could picture Her- bert Hoover rushing at any {ime. By the same token, thay could not imagine im speeding through congested traffic or along the lanes of the countryside. It just does not fit into his scheme of things. the White House, next March, he will carry with him a deep love in his heart for motoring. He will "probably get more pleasure out of listening to the purr of a perfectly tuned engine than any «man_whose destiny has been to preside over the fortunes of the Nation. ‘This will come from having contributed more to the motor car and motoring *han any of his predecessors.” COUNTIES WILL AID MARYLAND DRIVERS The national motoring body says Mr. | “When he is inaugurated and enters | the Co West Virginia knows her roads. Aroused from her lethargy and smart- ing under the criticism that its high- ways were the world's worst, the peo- ple eight years ago voted a $50,000,000 bond issue, expended the money in the development of a great road sys- tem, and then last month, by a ma- jority of 4 to 1, voted $35,000,000 more [of bonds for the continuance of road building. Already commanding attention of tourists with its fine system of roads, it is claimed that with the expenditure of the new hond issue the Little Moun- tain State’s roads, instead of being the world’s worst, will be among the world’s best, making the State, so richly endowed in diversified scenic beauty, one of the most popular of the States | of the Union with tourists. Many Tourists Expected. So great will be the Influx of tourists, | in the opinion of Albert Snedeker, pres- | ident of the West Virginia Good Roads Assoclation, an organization of leading West Virginians, which conducted an | intensive campaign of education that | put_over the last bond issue, that this | fonrist business will become the State’s | greatest industry. A survey conducted by the West Virginia State Road Com- | mission less than three months ago showed that already 25 per cent of the automobiles traveling the roads of this State are from other States. President Snedeker points out that although West Virginia has been build- ing State roads for only six years, it has already surpassed other States which have been building them for many years, that the benefits already derived from these roads are beyond | estimate, and that as a result of the roads comvleted and those yet to be built the State will make more prog- ress in the next 10 years than it has made in the past 50. So great was the faith of the West Virginia Good Roads Association in the people of the State that they issued before the election a challenge to all the other States voting on bond fssues | the Traffic Bureau now has under | longer time might be given to the way in an attempt to raise the|through traffic on the avenue to stendard of automobile driving in |the advantage of all concerned.! for the hanor of polling the biggest | proportionate majority for ratification. this city. | “It has been a matter of much | surprise and chagrin {0 me to note in the newspapers the stand that has been taken by the asso- ciation in opposition to this ex- ceilent picce cf work of the Traf- fic Bureau. “Heretefore I have been glad to be a member of the American Auiomobile Association, but its However, I bow to your greater| experience and to your full au- thority in the matter. “I appreciate the many difficul- ties that beset Washington’s traf- fic director, and do my best to help by observing very meticulous- ly all stop signs, traffic lights,| etc.” The lot of a traffic director is not a very happy one. $5,000,000 May Be Spent on Highway Work By 36 States With BY WIL""AM E. BERCHTOLD, Associated Press Automobile Editor. : s within the heavy aea ere rcady to spend 00,000 this Winter to ksep their highways open to motor traffic These States, according to a survey of the Bureau of Public Roads, will keep =now removed from more than 112,000 miles of main highways, making possible the use of all important roads 1rom coast to coast. Although State highway departments in the area hit by the heavy snow estimate a cost of $45 for each mile kept free from snow during the Winter months, millions of autcmobile owners who pay the taxes of these States de- mand that the money be spent to kecp the roads open. It is estimatcd that benefits to business organizations which make use of the roads pass the $25- 000,000 mark in value, muitiplying the States' investment five times. Snow removal has been consider i an increasingly important part of each State highway department’s work dur- ing the last five years, the total mileage of roads freed from snow being raised from 27,096 miles in the Winter of 1922- 23 to 111,645 miles last Winter. The last three years have scen a steady improvement in machines and equipment available for snow removal work, with an increasing amount of equipment employed each successive year. Since 1922 the number of truck plows in use has multiplied over 1§ fole—from only 184 to 3,412, The in Heavy Snow Area jnumber of tractor plows has jumped | | from 281 to 1,275, The old grader, first |used for snow removal work, is fast being placed into the discard, with the | truck and tractor plows taking its place. The Winter season now opening will | see more snow removal work under State control instead of local or county su- pervision than ‘1 previous years. Ap- proximately 20 of the 36 States in the heavy snowfall area have provided for snow removr] unger State control. | There are no highly scicntific meth- ods of removing snow, effective clearing | of roads depending upon the regulazity | with which the work is déne as soon as | pessible after the snow bogins to fall. If State expenditures for snow re- | moval Jast year can be taken as the | eriterion, Minnesota, Michigan, Penn- | sylvania 'and New York will each spend more_than $500,000 to kecp their chief arterial highways open to traffic. Min- nesota spent the most last year— $604,965. Oregon, Nevada, Towa, Wisconsin. Illinois, Ohlo, Maryland, New Jersey and Massachusetts will each spend more than $100,000 if they have normal snows, [wnh Wisconsin’s expenditure coming close to the $500,000 mark. R ‘When you drive at a speed of 30 miles ! an hour you are covering a distance of 88 ieet every 2 seconds. In other words, Treasurers Authorized to Perforate License Application Blanks Sent Them by Mail. | special Dispateh to The Star. BALTIMORE, December 15.—Auto- mobile owners living in the countizs are not compelled to appear personally at their county seats for perforation of license applicatoin blanks in cases where taxes already have been paid, ac- cording to E. Austin Baughman, com- missioner of motor vehicles. Treasurers of the counties, in agroe ment with the motor vehicle depart. ment, will accept mailed application: accompanied by checks to the commis- perforate the blanks where taxes have been paid and forward them to Mr. Baughman. Only in cases where taxes have not been paid do the applicants have to personelly appear before the county treasurers. Three counties, Prince Georges, Alle- gany and Harford, and Baltimore City requested that applications be mailed their treasurers rather than to the in- dividuals. The blanks upon which taxes already had been paid were per- forated and with the unpaid ones were returned to the commission for distri- bution to owners. According to Mr. Baughman, a low percentage of the blanks were perforated. Many more were returned because applicants had left the county without leaving a for- warding address. More than 60,000 applications already have been returned to the commissioner because car owners failed to leave changes of address. Committee Is Announced. Alvan Macauley, president of the Na- tional Automobile Chamber of Com- merce, has announced the personnel of the banquet committee for the annual show banquet which will be held at the Hotel Commodore, New York, Tuesday evening, January 8. All members of the committee are presidents of the companies they represent. Du Bois at a speed of 30 miles an hour, 2 sec- onds is plenty of time for vour car to go frem the road tg the fence if you + lose steering control, A. R. Erskine, Edsel Ford, W. §. Knud- aan, Charles . _Nash, Martin Bulcher and E. 7. Strong. » sion in payment for licenses and will, Young is chairman. Other memb-rs are | West Virginia came out with flying colors, winning easily. The bond issues lost in Colorado and Pennsylvania and won in Iowa, Missouri and Louisiana, but not by the overwhelming majorities | that swept West Virginia, where the vote was 360,579 for to 92,905 against. Contest Is Inaugurated. | n order to give zest to the campaign {and stir the workers to greater efforts a | contest was inaugurated among the 55‘ | counties of the State for the biggest | proportionate majorities, and in this| contest Mingo County came out on top | with a vote of 21 to 1, the total being ! 5547 for to 209 against. Calhoun ; County was second, 17 to 1, with a| otal of 3,573 to 203, McDowell was 9l’olhd, 15 to 1, the total being 14,141 to 4. In view of the generally admitted fact that good roads mean develop- ment and progress West Virginia asks . ,the world to please take notice to the | progressive spirit of the mountaineer, 'which was expressed in the following ' telegram sent by President Snedeker of ithe West Virginia Good Roads Assocla- | ition to the associations in other States | making drives for bond issues: i “The West Virginla Good Roads As- | | sociation, one of the greatest organiza- | tions of its kind in the most progressive | State in the Union, hereby challenges your association and similar organiza- !tions in other States voting on bond | Issue proposals November 6 to prove that | ours is the greatest good roads organ- | ization, and that West Virginia is the | | most progressive State and will roll up !a larger proportionate majority for its | roads bond issue than any other State voting on bond issues.” The challenge was accepted by the other States voting on bond issues. Association Regarded Efficient. l It is declared the West Virginia Good | Roads Assoclation was the most per- ¢ fect and efficlent State organization | | ever formed in the State, doing its! + work so well, in fact, that there have, | been demands that it continue in exist- {ence and work for the interests of the | Whole State in other ways. Officials of i the association feel there is a great i need for it and it will continue to func- I tion for at least another year. Facing in the beginning of the campaign sec- | tional and county charges of favoritism in the expenditure of the previous bond lssue, o) of many of the elec- | maintenance, $35.000.000 MORE IS VOTED FOR WEST VIRGINIA ROADS |State Has Just Spent $50,000.000, and Hopes to Make Highways Best in untry. torate opposed to bond issues as a principle and opposition for various causes, mostly due to misunderstanding, the association in three months con- verted the State to the road bond issue. The amazing part of the campaign was its small cost, the only salaried people being a campaign manager, clerical force and publicity manager. A loyal press opened its columns wide, gave enthusiastic approval to the bond issue and all misunderstandings were removed. In addition to newspaper publieity, circulars were issued, officers of the association made speeches and the State was thoroughly organized by district, county and precinct. The West Virginia Outdoor Advertising As- sociation contributed $10,000 worth of panels at various vantage points in the State urging votes for the bond issue. Sixteen hundred residents of the State contributed $1 each for membershi) and others gave larger amounts. In some sections of the State loyal business men grouped together and bought whole page advertisements urging votes for the bond issue. Pivot for Highways. ‘The tourist can't well miss West Virginia. More national highways, east and west, and north and south, pass through it than any other State. Driv- ing from Pittsburgh into West Vir- ginia is only a matter of minutes; from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washingtcn, Cincinnati and other populous centers a matter of a few hours by motor. In fact one could in a single day go from Pittsburgh and other big cites, spend the greater part of the day fishing in the mountain streams of West Virginia and return home the same day. The fine roads and the wonderful scenic beauties of the State are within easy reach of the millions of the most thickly populated sections of the United States. Within four years West Virginia will have expended more than a hundred million dollars on its State road sys- tem alone. All that in a space of 10 years. It was only nine years ago that a campaign was launched “to 1ift West Virginia out of the mud.” The first step was the ratification of the $50,- 000,000 bond issue November 2, 1920. At that time no two important cities of the State were connected by good roads. Today they are all connected and the work goes merrily on. This bond issue, unlike that voted at the recent elec- tion, was a revolving fund. As soon as part of the original bonds were retired, a: similar amount of new ones could be issued to bring the total out- standing back to fifty millions. Since 1921, $61,750,000 of State road bonds have been expended or placed under contract and Federal aid since 1921 has been $5223,642.55. There are ap- proximately 4,000 miles in the State road system, of which 2,500 miles have been hard-surfaced, 900 miles have beelf graded and 600 miles are yet un- improved. No Property Tax. And West Virginia's roads are be- !ing constructed without any property tax. The entire cost, including the annual interest and principal pay- ments on State road bonds, State road and overhead expenses of the State Road Commission, has has been paid from the proceeds of { motor vehicle licenses and the gasoline ax. ‘The motor vehicle owner pays the entire bill. The West Virgiria gaso- line tax is four cents per gallon. The | total average cost of operating a motor vehicle in West Virginia last year, from a tax standpoint, was $31.32. Thus the | average motor vehicle owner pays the State '$2.61 a month for use of the { State road system, which gives access to all other parts of the State, and to the road systems of other States. And exhaustive experiments show this to be a paying investment for the motorist. A paved road saves the motorist an average the year around of two cents for every mile traveled in gasoline, oil, tires, repairs and de- preciation. As the average motor vehicle owner travels 6,000 miles a year, these good roads save him $120 an- nually, or almost four times as much as_he pays the State. West Virginia wants the world to know, the truth about its roads. In some downtown streets of Berlin, Germany, a car owner may park as long as he likes by paying a rental ot about 7 cents an hoyur and he must pay up before he con move his car. The money goes into the city treasury. | 000,000 gallons, the largest being GAS GONSUMPTION INGREASE SHOWN Average Motorist Used 227 Gallons in First Six Months of 1928. Each motorist in the United States. the first six months of this year, used 227 gallons of gasoline and pald a gaso- line tax thereon of $6.85, according to average gasoline consumpiion figures compiled by the American Motorists’ Association. The average per capita gasoline figures, compiled by the association, are based on production figures of the Government, showing that the first six months of this year the motorists of the country purchased approximately 5,249,- 863,000 gallons of gasoline—an increase of about 15 per cent over the amount purchased the first six months of 1927. Three States—Massachusetts, Illinois and New York—have no gasoline tax. Motorists of the other 45 States and the District of Columbia used 4,652,393,535 gallons of gasoline, or an average of 227 gallons during the six-month period, which means approximately 1.24 1- lons per day. The gasoline tax in the States varies, ranging from 2 to 5 cents, the aver: being 3.02 per gallon. The States collected a total revenue of $140,635,398. An increase in gasoline consumption is reported in all States, 17 of which reported an increase of more than lfli.v n California, with a gain of 39,000.000 gallons the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year. The other States reporting an increase are, in the order named: Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wiscon- sin, Missouri, Indiana, Washington, North Carolina, Minnesota, Alabama, Arkansas and Connecticut. “An analysis of the figures on the amount of gasoline used by the motorists of each State shows that the larger gains in_consumption are due to in- creased highway mileage rather than increased registration of motor ve- hicles,” according to Thomas J. Keefe, general manager of the association. CONDEMNS AUTOISTS FOR TAKING SHRUBS Maryland Forestry Head Calls Removal of Greens From Property Stealing. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, December 15.—Motor- ists’ habits of cutting “Christmas trees” standing alongside the road, taking holly and mistletoe that attracts their eyes, or acquiring any sort of decora- tion without first obtaining the permis- sion of the owner of the land from which the greens are taken are charac- terized as “stealing” by F. W. Besley, head of the State Department of For- es try. “Something has been taken without permission that could have been turned |into cash by the owner” he sald in calling attention to the State law mak- ing such an act a misdemeanor, pun- ishable by fine or imprisonment. Plans for the orga tion of forestry councils in the courties of the State are now being worked ‘out. Under the direction of Fred B. Trank, extension forester, these councils, on which the forest wardens and members of the Maryland Forestry Association have been .asked to serve, will meet and dis- cuss the needs for reforestation in vari- jous sections of the counties and the work that can be done in the replanting of idle lands. REMOVAL NOTICE WANTED Director of Trafic Must Be Ad- vised of New Address. One of the g:nmhm of the traffic act of which tl fimm public seems to be ignorant is that requiring motor- ists to notify the director of traffic of a change in address within a reasonable time. Since a recent police order in- structing the traffic officers to check up on this feature it has been found that a large percenu‘:ouot those arrested have moved without informing the trafic director. Almost without exception the de- fendents plead ignorance when brought into court. A nominal fine of $2 is usually HEEDLESS DRIVER IS FOUND TO BE INCREASING MENACE New Traffic System Recently Put I“'E" Practice Here Is Given Description by Officer. BY R. J. ALLEN. Member of the Metropolitan Police Force. A great deal of comment and seme | Indignation were excited recently by a | published account concerning a new !s_vsum which has been put into prac- tice by the traffic director's Aepart- ment. ‘The system in question was worked out and put into operation by Traffc Director Willlam H. Harland and his assistant, M. O. Eldridge. A description of the above mentioned system is briefly as follows: There are contained in the files of the traffic director’s office the names and ‘ad- | dresses of every person in the Dis- — trict of Columbia who has been | issued an operator’s | | permit, as well as | a licenre for a| motor vehicle.| Also, there is kept an accurate record of every arrest|/ made in the Dis-| trict involving| traffic offenses. | This includes for- feitures as well as actual convictions. Arrests, convie-|1] tions, forfeitures, etc, are recorded - opposite the name of the person concerned. For example, if a motorist had been convicted of speeding on March 29, 1927, and reck- less driving in July 9, 1927, and again for reckless driving on October 24, 1927, | then some incident were to occur where Mr. Eldridge might want to know what kind of driver he had been in the | past, all he would have to do would be |to call for a certain card. Thereon | inseribed would be the exacf number of times he had been arrested, etc. Dangerops Driver. Now as time went on. and there | piled up against some of these names !a considerable record of offenses com- mitted, and there continued to be a | steady increase in fatal autd accidnts, | as well as others involving serious in- juries to people, property damage, etc., |it became increasingly evident to the | | officials of the Traffic Department that | something must be done ebout drivers who displayed continuous disregard for | the safety and rights of others. They proceeded to work under the reason- | able theory that if a man has been | caught speeding on several occasions, | under the law of averages, he must speed often. They came to the con- clusion that a speeder is unable to stop on short notice—which is often neces- sary on crowded city streets, there- fore, “he” is a dangérous driver. Also, if a person has been convicted of reckless driving on more than one occasion, then he must be a dangerous driver. . Accordingly, there were dispatched to all persons—shown by the records to be of the type driver mentioned above—a summary demand to appear in the of- fice of Assistant Traffic Director M. C. Eldridge, at a certain time and date, and show reasonable cause, if any, why their permits should not be taken away from them and why they should not be prohibited from further operation of a motor vehicle in the District of Co- lumbia. Letters were also sent to all persons who had been convicted of numerous small violations of the traffic code, suggesting that they call on a certain date at Mr. Eldridge’s office. They were subjected to a questioning and thorough examination concerning the traffic regulations. The idea is to try and ascertain thelr viewpoint and knowledge of traffic regulations. The expressed intention of the of- Is of the traffic director”s office in pting this plan is to try to remove a mln{ potentially dangerous drivers as_possible from the streets. Men in the duty directing traffic. Last week I in- terviewed quite a few of these brother officers of mine who “do” direct traffic every day, with the result that I found them, without exception, in favor of the aforementioned plan which has been put into vogue by the heads of the traffic director’s office. Also, may add that I, too (with a proper dis count for my somewhat limited experi. ence), approve heartily of this pl cannot see how any show of idign could be predicated reasonably on behalf of a chronic offender against the rul of safe driving who has been tak sharply to task. After all, the safety of others is the primal motive back of the promulgation of almost every traf- fic_regulation. So if a man has shown by past acts that he is careless of the safety of others, then I think, in company with a majority of my brother officers, that it is high time something was done about regulating his acts in the future. Of course, as some people contended, { he may have been dealt with by the law concerninLelch separate offense already, and that when a person has been punished once for an offense against the law he should be free from any further penalties. Ridiculous Argument. ‘That, to my mind, is about as ridicu- lous an argument as could be offered. When an engineer of a railroad dis- regards or fails to notice a safety sig- nal, it may have been the first one he ever disregarded since he has been an engineer, or it may be true that no one was hurt or no damage suffered due to his lapse, but nevertheless he is in- 1 that railroad, the theory being that where the lives and safety of others are concerned no amount of care is too much; also that only by increasing vigi- | lance and visiting inexorable punish- ment on those who are guilty of even ! one lapse, where the safety of others is | concerned, can they hope to impress in- | | delibly on the minds of their t>maini engineers trat tney must never 5 where the lives cf people ars ®t sux’ the presumption peing that if an engi neer were to figuresthat he had even ¢ small prospect of leniency in the even he disregarded a signal, why he migh reason that by virtue of being an ol District best qualified to | offer criticism concerning traffic condi- | tions are the policemen who are on | ation | stantly dismissed from the employ of | | employe he might risk one mistake | And that first mistake which he figure | he could “get away” with might co: | the lives of & score of passengers. Precaution General. We are surrounded on every hand | | many reminders of the care taken 1 governments, city authorities, organiz: tions, etc., to safeguard life, limb an property. Every fire plug, every com pulsory fire escape, every time we hea of a bridge being condemned, the con cealed-weapon law and a thousanc other mechanical contrivances and rule: all designed to promote “advance” safe. ty. And last, but not least, the famou | Baumes law of New York State, whicl provides that all persons convicted of ¢ felony three times shall be sentenced tc life imprisonment upon a fourth convic- tion of a felony, ‘the theory being tha a man who has committed so many serious offenses is not a fit person tc have at liberty, four such offenses being considered as conclusive proof that he has no regard for law and authority or | the rights of others, nor is he likely to ever have, so they do away with him for life. L ‘These things serve to remind us tha' | we look “fcrward” to the safetv. o others—not back. Then why shoule on2 be lenient with a man who hac shown by past acts that he is a “hsed- less" driver? An old trafic officer (he now has = | position of authority) was talking to me just recently about the appalling number of automobile accidents which occur every year. He said, “son, after you have directed traffic for some years you don’t have to wait for a person to have some bad accident to know he’s a reckless driver. How often,” he declared, “have I observed people pass my inter- section in a manner which caused me to think, ‘there goes an accident looking for some place to happen.’ You can just t~lL,” he said, “by the way some people drive that it isn't going to be lonz before they have an accident. Of course,” said this veteran, “a great many accidents are caused by unfortunate tometimes unavoidable, circumstances, but in the majority of instances acci- | dents could be avoided by the exercise of proper care.” Another “old trafic cop” has this to say: “A great many drivers have figurad out, and quite reasonably too. that the majority of persons who drive automobiles are careful, conscientious drivers, and will invariably approach corners, etc., with ths proper care ‘Then, having figured this out, they pro- | ceed to tear around about as they | please_and pass intersections withont a cares No doubt under the theory that the other fellow will do the ‘looking | out.” Well, everything goes all right with this type of driver un‘il he mests = ;)bher driver equally dispos:d—then 1 fun I have often in the past been ¢ tailed (and still sm on eccasion) Emergency Hospiial to take reporte any accidents or unusual cas's v may occur. No cne con'd hvs * | detail long and fail to be imnr=g=~ - | th® number of human wre~ks fh~* | brought there a'most constan‘l™ * ]nutomobfle accidents. It is e-r enough to make any on® pauss and to consider ways ani means for ebatcment of thess unfortunate - | dents. | Besides the human injuries, there 1 | anohter important consideration ab~ | these wrecks, an | ., that is the enor | 5309 H mous property dam | f g! age. It isn't s -0 much the accidents where people are hurt, either, be- cause they are not sa frequent, as it is the countless num- ber of minor acci- dents which occur. 1t I had the amount of money for my own use that has been, spent to re- pair fenders that I have seen ruined in the last 24 months, well—I could buy this and that. Huge sums are spent annually to purchase electric equipment, signs, etc. all desigred to promote motoring safety, but what could be more efficacious to- ward this end than to remove the | driver who has by his past acts proven ‘thnt he is potentially dangerous? ‘There are also many semi-official or- ganizations composed entirely of motor- ists who concern themselves primarily toward the promotion of safety and convenience of the motoring public. They annually invest large sums to- ward this end. Some of them even | retain lawyers who devote themselves | solely to look after the interest of mem- bers. Others go so far as to set aside sums for the purpose of paying rewards [to any person who may be directly responsible fer bringing to justice cer- tain types of traffic offenders. But what more could any organization do toward promoting safety of the motor- ing public than to assist in removing from the streets drivers who have proven by their past record that they | have no regard for such safety? | It is the duty of all good citizens to support those in authority, and to ac- cept the rulings they make. At least until time or experience has proven conclusively that any such ruling is ;wt' for the best interests of the ma- jority. | What is a better way to improve | conditions than to try and remove the | “heedless” driver from the street? SIOW Trucks ancl 30- Causing Decrease in Trucks with their slow speed and 30- passenger busses with their great width are multiplying so rapidly that in many instances two-lane road widths are being abandoned, according to E. E. Dufty, highway educational writer. Observations made by the California State highway department in Los An- geles County show that there is a defi- nite money loss every time a motorist is delayed by slow-moving trucks just ahead. Traffic counts were made on a nine- and-a-half-mile stretch of two-lane roadway over a period of two years. It was found that the average speed of passenger cars was 26 miles per hour and that of trucks, to be miles per hour. Time lost by cars in walting for an opportunity to pass a truck averaged 11 seconds. An average of 1,227 ‘“passings” occurred hourly, which represented a loss to motorists of 3.75 hours, or 60 hours in the traffic count day of 16 hours. The investigators assumed that there were two persons in each car. A value of 25 cents per hour was assigned to the time of the motorists and 50 cents per hour for the rental of the cars. Even this conservative estimate shows a loss to motorists of $60 daily, or $21.900 yearly in the use of this nine- ard-a-half-mile roadway. ‘These studies although representing condition: oish proof that narrow roads in popu- in one State, at least fur-|d: Passenger Busses 2-Lane Road Widths ous communities are uneconomical. The monetary values assigned to motorists’ time and to car usage are held to be a reasonable method of measuring the cost of delays, recognizing that motor- | ing discomfort and the constant danger | to life and automobile is far greater than time losses. Commercial traffic has e ded 0 rapidly that, like in aviation, it is difficult to keep up with the news. For | hstance, one company is now op- | *raf 400 busses over 50,000 miles of roads; linking 1,000 towns and cities. A similar development has taken place in trucking: witness the 5.300,000 of stock transported in 1927 by motor, an 18.5 per cent gain over the previous year. ‘Wide highways are for themselves (nto the ‘g:nmmlbn plef KEEPS CARRIAGE LIGHT. NEW YORK, December 15 (#).— One of the most expensive automobiles shown at the 1928 automobile salon here clings to tradition, despite addition of the latest improvements in body design. The carriage light of olden days is kept, and is in striking contrast to the basket-weave body, m: y running board and modern upm. It is & reminder of the days when the horse- rawn coach was the smartest vehicle of travel