Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-14
REGULATION OF AUTOS
Commissioners Grant Hear
ing to Those Interested.
49,. ~
DRAFT OF NEW LAW
OBJECTIONS URGED TO MANY OF
THE PROVISIONS
Mr.. E. NJ Sunderland and Others Dis
cuss the Measure-Held Under
Amusement.
DRAFT OF NEW LAW

The hearing granted this morning at II
o'clock by the District Commissioners tc
those who wished to go on record relative
to the proposed regulations governing the
operation of automobiles in the national
capital. was largely attended and was
marked by many interesting suggestions on
the subject. In opening the hearing Mr..
Macfarland, president of the Board of Com
missioners. stated that the proposed regu-
lations were by no means a matter Of re-
| cent origin. Two years ago the Commits
sioners forwarded to Senator Mcmillan the
draft of a paragraph covering the operation
of automobiles, which was introduced as a
part Of the bill regulating the operation OF
street railways in the District of Columbia.
The street railroad bill was not adopted,
and the proposed law on the subject Of au-
tomobfles was not pressed as the Commits
sioners were advised by their counsel that
they had the right to promulgate police
regulations on the subject.
Mr.. mcfarland then read the draft OF
the proposed regulations, which are as fol-
lows:
Section l. 1t shall be unlawful for any
person or persons to operate any automO-
bile, locomobile or motor vehicle Of any
kind, the motive power for which shall be
electricity, steam, gas, gasoline, oil,
naphtha or other similar source of energy,
whether such vehicle be used as public
hack truck or for hire or for private use
for pleasure or business, except railroad
locomotives and electric cars until such
person has first made application in writ
ing and presented himself or herself for
examination before the board of examiners
of steam engineers of the District of Co.
lumbia, who shall determine by examina-
ton whether or not such applicants are
competent to operate the specified vehicle,
and who shall recommend to the Board OF
Commissioners for license such persons as
are found to possess the necessary knowl-
edge for the operation of the vehicle for
which license is sought. Such applicants
shall be found, in the judgment of the
board of examiners incompetent to operate
the vehicle for which license Is sought shall
be rejected until the necessary knowledge
Is obtained
Licenses and Vehicles Numbered.
Section 2 All licenses issued hereunder
shall be numbered and shall contain the
names and addresses of the persons in
whose favor they are issued, and shall
state the kind of vehicle to be operated
Hereunder with a sufficiently definite de-
scription thereof. The number Of such H.
cense must be shown upon the rear of the
vehicle in conspicuous place to be
plainly visible at all times during daylight
the figures to be separate Arabic numerals
not less than three inches high and the
strokes not less than three-eighths of an
inch in width Numbers shall not be trans
ferred from one vehicle to another, nor
shall license numbers be loaned from one
person to another, nor shall fictitious num-
bers be used
Section 8. The vehicle shall be equipped
with two suitable lamps, to be approved by
the Commissioners, such lamps to be car.
ried one on each side Of said vehicle, and
to have securely fastened across the mid
die of the outside of each lamp a metal
band not less than two inches in width, out
of which the official number of the license
under which such vehicle Is operated shall
be cut after the manner of a stencil plate.
The component figures of such number
shall be not less than one and one-half
inches in height and Of a style to be ap-
proved by the Commissioners. Said num-
bers shall be so placed as to be easily seen
from either side Of the vehicle both by
night and by day, and such lamps shall be
kept brightly burning from one-half hour
after sunset 80 long as the vehicle Is used
at night
Section 4. Each vehicle to which these
regulations refer must be provided with a
lock suitable to lock the starting lever,
throttle or switch by which the vehicle is
set in motion.
Suspension and Revocation.
Section 5. 1t shall be sufficient cause for
the suspension or revoking of such license
/
violation of any law, ordinance or regula-
ton of the District of Columbia in regard
to the rate of speed at which such vehicles
as are affected by these regulations are
permitted to be run; or has willfully vio-
lated any law or regulation relating to the
use, operation or management of such We
hicle: or that said licensee has on any
streets. avenues. roads, alleys, highways,
parks. parkways or other public places
within said District operated or attempted to
operate any such vehicle while said license
was In state of tntoxication or in other
respects incompetent to or incapable of
properly and safely operating the same; or
has otherwise operated any such vehicle or
attempted to do so on any Of the aforesaid
public places in a careless or reckless man.
ner, or so as to endanger the life, person
or property of any other users of such pub
lie places; or that said licensee has know
ingly permitted or allowed any person not
having license hereunder to operate on
any of the aforesaid public places any such
vehicle owned or controlled by such
license; or has carelessly or negligently
allowed any such vehicle owned or con-
trolled by said ltcensee to stand or remain
unattended on any such public place while
the machinery of such vehicle is in motion
or without having first locked the levers,
throttles or switch by which the vehicle
may be started; or that said licensee has
refused on demand to exhibit to any police
officer or to any member Of the board of
examiners of steam engineers his or her
license obtained hereunder
Penalties Prescribed.
Section 9. Any person attempting to
operate, or operating any vehicle covered
by the provisions of these regulations, on
any of the streets. avenues, roads, alleys,
highways, parks, parkways,, or other pub.
lie places within the District of Columbia
without first obtaining a license so to do,
or violating any Of the other provisions or
requirements of these regulations shah be
punished, on conviction thereof, by q fine
Of not less than five dollars nor more than
forty dollars, or by imprisonment for not
more than ten days, or by both fine and i'm
prisonment, for each and every violation "
1t was stated that the hearing had beer
requested by the National Capital Auto
mobile Club, and Mr.. e. M. Sunderland
corresponding secretary Of that organiza-
ton, made the first remarks. Mr.. Sunder-
land read from a prepared statement and
answered several questions propounded by
the Commissioners. He stated. in open
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