The record-union., 1899-11-27
4 VERY iNCONGRUOUS LAW.
CAN THE WIDE-TIRE ACT BE
ENFORCED?
II Will Go Into Effect on the Isl OF
january, When It Can Be
Tested.

Peonle are becoming considerably
worked up over the wide-tlre laW' Wnlch
goes into effect all over the state on
the 1st of January next-that ls' they
are in a. quandary as to what TO do'
for nobody has yet been found aple TO
interpret the law in a common-sense
way. The intent of it's author and CT
the LEGISLATURE was all right, but the
bill was not properly drawn and IN It's
muddled condition probably the law
cannot be enforced.
HOW THE LAW READS.
Section /. The width of tires for
wheels upon wagons or other Venlcles
to be used upon public highways OF the
State of California shall be, Tor the
following styles of wagons, as follows:
Two and three-fourths inch steel or
thimble-skein axle, 17s-inch tubular
steel or iron axle, not less than o-inch
tire; 11a-inch steel or iron axle, z1s-l men
tubular or iron axle, not less than o12-
inch tire; 3-inch steel or thimble-skein,
15s-inch steel or iron axle, 2as-lnch
tubular steel or iron axle, not less than
4-inch tire: 314 4-inch steel or thlmble-
skein, 134 or 17-inch steel or iron axle,
25s-inch tubular steel or iron axle, not
less than 41a-inch tire, 31a-inch steel
or thimble-skein, Pinch steel or iron
axle, 21s-inch tubular steel or iron axle,
not less than 5-inch tire; 334 Inch steel
or thimble-skein, 2A A-inch steel or iron
axle, 31s-inch tubular steel or iron axle,
not less than 51a-inch tire; 4-inch and
larger, steel or thimble-skein, 212-inch,
viz i
and larger, tubular steel or iron axle,
not less than 6-inch tire. Other styles
of axle shall have tires of same width
as those of equal carrying capacity
above specified. All intermediate sizes
shall have tires of the same width as
the next larger size above specified.
Section =. Every person who eells, or
purchases, or uses upon any public
highway of the State of California any
wagon or other vehicle, the wheels of
which wagon or vehicle has tires of a
less width than as specified for such
kind of wagon in Section l of this Act
shall be guilty of misdemeanor.
Section 3. Every person who brings
into the State of California, or who, in
said State, offers to sell or sells, any
such wagon or vehicle, which has not
tires of the width prescribed by Sec
tion l of this Act, shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor.
Section f. Any person found guilty of
a violation of any of the provisions of
this Act shall be fined in the penal sum
of not less than twenty-five dollars
(S25) nor more than five hundred dol
lars (s50O or to be imprisoned in the
" To M hap wa
(25) days nor more than six months.
Section 3. This Act shall take effect
and be in force after January 1, 1900.
ITS AMBIGUITY
People have been preparing to meet
the requirements of the law, and most
of the orders sent in during the past
year have been for wide-tire vehicles.
Waterhouse G. Lester of this city con-
duct about the largest supply house on
the coast for the wagon trade, and
naturally the putting into operation of
law of this kind is a matter that
greatly concerns them, and they have
consequently given the new law a very
close study. H. I. Lightner, Assistant
Manager of the firm, when asked re-
Gently to give the Record Union" his
views on the subject said:
You have asked me to give you what
Information I could concerning the
wide-tire law. Our firm has had sew
eral of the best lawyers examine into
the matter, and they all advise us that
in its present condition, it is inopera-
tive. I have tried to have the State
officials express themselves in the mat
ter, but without success. There is
m ha 70
the list of January and then make a
test case, which will quickly prove
whether the law will or will not be
upheld"
Discussing the matter at length. Mr..
Lightner said the chief trouble seemed
to be in the ambiguity of the wording
of the bill. Whoever wrote it omitted
important words which omissions
changed adjectives into nouns, and
eubstantives into adjectives. The
probability is. said Mr.. Lightner. that
the legislative committee having the
matter in charge went to some builder
OF wagons or dealer in wagon parts and
procured from him the statement of the
several kinds of axles. That individ-
ual used the briefest terms in ,furnis-,-
ing the information, terms entirely in
telligible to the dealer in such supplies
but which are meaningless when con-
verted into law.
The error in this law is either typo
graphical or it was laundering onis
sion on the part of authority. which
should not destroy the effectiveness. of
the Act Where "2M steel or thimble-
skein axles" are mentioned, it should
read. ''2$4 steel or iron thimble-s skein
axles." But in the next instance. 1sk
tubular steel or iron axles reads cor
rectly, showing that the word iron
was inadvertently omitted in the first
instance. So again, where it says "1ia
steel or iron axles." it reads properly.
bat in the next instance where it reads
'2l2 tubular or iron," it should clearly
read tubular steel or iron.''
Such reading would make the Act
Intelligent throughout. The words
''steel'' and iron should always be
treated as qualifying "thimble-slxeins'
or tubular and not as substantives