Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-21
MUST Be REGISTERED |: 4!
What the New Automobile
Regulations Require.
THE DRAFT FINISHED
EACH MACHINE TO BEAR CON-
sPICUoUs NUMBER.
Provision Relating to Issuance of Per-
mits for Operating the Vehicles
Speed Regulations.
THE DRAFT FINISHED

Commissioner Henry L. West has COM
pleted the draft of the new automobile reg
ulations Mr. West is the Commissioner
who has supervision of the police depart
ment and the matter of framing the rules
regulating the operation of 'horseiess
vehicles in the District has come under ms
personal direction. The new regulations
differ in number of respects from the
proposed draft as read on the occasion OF
the recent hearing granted to the auto
mobilists Mr.. West will submit the laws
as written by him to Mr.. Duvall, the cor
poration counsel, and to Major Sylvester
the superintendent of police, for their real
ing and suggestion. When these officials
have given their views the regulations will
then be acted upon by the board of Com
mssioners and promulgated
The regulations as now drawn up require
that all automobiles shall be registered ana
have number cOnspicuously painted upon
them. The Commissioners received mary
suggestions as to lettering the autos or lie,
quiring the owners initial to be placed
upon them in lieu of numbers. Mr.. West
feels that only through the number system
can mistakes be avoided and the proper
identification secured. Whatever other
notifications may be made in the draft the
numbering system will remain. The COM
missioners are determined on this point.
Revocation Of Permits.
AT the hearing granted the automobile
owners a strong protest was made against
that part of the proposed new regulations
for the revocation of permits in the dis
cretiOn of the Commissioners after one
conviction in the Police Court. 1t was
claimed that this would mean a deprivation
of the of private property 1t was
further suggested that such deprivation
would not stand in the courts, it being
cir nSfi tIrti Mr. WQSf
has eliminated this feature from the regu-
latiOns as they now stand. The various
offenses for which a revocation was for
merly threatened have been specified in
the different sections that are to call for
punishment by fine imprisonment. Sec
ond offenses will call forth such severe
sentences as to meet the requirements of
the law and the demand for publis safety.
All owners of automobiles will be re-
quired to apply for. permit to run their
machines 1t was provided in the former
regulations that they should appear before
the District board of steam engineers to
give evidence of their fitness to operate
automobiles. Mr.. West has changed this
so as to provide for new board, the
members of which will be assigned from
the District service to this duty The pro-
posed board will be composed of two
steam engineers. two experts in gasoline
and naphtha engines and one electrician.
Thus. all classes of automobiles now on
the market will be familiar to the different
members of the examining board.
The holders of steam engineer licenses
for the operation of steam automobiles will
be required to register their machines but
will not have to pass another examination.
The fee required for a steam engineers
license is 81, and is fixed by law. There
Will be no charge for automobile permits
where steam is not used. The question
was raised at the recent hearing as to
whether one permit in a family would
cover the operation of the automobile by
any member of it. The Commissioners feel
that it will work no hardship for each
member of the family proposing to run the
machine to apply for permit, since no
fee is to be charged.