Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-02-08
AUTOS SHOULD NEVER Be MADE
A NUISANCE.

II NUiJH WULs
Representatives Of the state board Of
agriculture, the state horticultural society
and the Highway Protectors association
have addressed to Senator Jackson Of
Middlesex county an open letter giving
the reason why they ask for the passage Of
the automobile bill, Senate "a, which VAS
introduced last week by Senator Jackson
The bill is an amendment to the act defin
ing motor vehicles, approved March 8,
1908. The bill was drawn by committees
of the bodies named.
The proposed amendment provides for
the registration Of all motor vehicles, and
that no person under IS years of age shall
operate any such vehicle. Requires regis
tration number on front and rear, registra-
tion fee to be ST. No vehicle is to be per
mitted if geared to { higher speed than 20
miles an hour, or thai weighs when Asaded
more than 10000 pounds. Municipal lies
are given power to pass speed ordinances,
within the above limit, medium speed to
be six miles per hour This provision IS
not contained in the present law, and thiss
has caused considerable trouble in the past
The proposed amendments also provides for
the taxing OF the machines by local boards
of assessors. ANY police officer may arrest !;
S25 fine for the first arrest, fine and I'M
prisonment for subsequent offence. In
view Of the acute condition Of the automo-
bile situation at present. caused by tne
agitation over the Frelinghuysen bill. the
letter to Senator Jackson is interesting. Is
says
ssWe think that if the automobile has
come to stay it must act in harmony with
all other users of the roads. It should not
b. allowed to be nuisance, selected as such
IN its treatment, nor should It be asked to
pay for so continuing. 1t should not be
allowed to do unnecessary damage to the
roads, either by going at high speed or by
reason Of its mechanism or its wheel tires,
and when it does no special damage to the
roads isshould not be asked to pay any
special tax for road repairs. The public
should pay for the road repairs and not p
special or privileged class.
I'VE do not believe IN licensing automczr
biles for the sake Of revenue, in the returns
for which speeding privileges are 70 Bes
given. The argument will be advanced
that as the state bargained for the revenue
the persons paying il invested III machines
shat could attain the speed, and when the
repeal of that class of legislation is de-
manded it will be said that it is not fair to
repeal the speeding laws after SO much
! money has been invested in automobiles
designed to go fast. From this point the
arguments will be pushed to the threadbare
vested rights basis.
'sWe haye provided for registration as
distinguished from license at a nominal
fee Of 81, and this is to be paid, not for
revenue, but, under the police power OF the
state, to provide for Identification OF the
owners of the machines. We object to the
licensing of vehicles as a class because it
makes it possible to license any other class
Of vehicles; retaliatory movements can be
started TO license all sorts Of vehicles which
have heretofore had the free and unintef
rupted use of the highways, and the end OF
it might result in legislation saying that
certain vehicles cannot use the highways
at all.
s.We do not want to lay basis for dis
elimination in vehicles, as such move-
ment would lead to a division Of the high
ways into two classes one for pleasure and
the other for business purposes The line
roads were built for the general, not the
special, developments Of all the interests OF
the state. We are opposed to high lieenses-
as it may have tendency 60 make the use
of the automobiles as commercial machines
too expensive TO use These machines
should be kept in position to be used as a
cheap freight carrier, milk to the creamery,
horticultural and agricultural products to
market and other necessities back to the
farm. We do not want to see
high license put on the automobiles, SO
shat the farmer and the business man can
nos pay for the privilege of using these
machines for commercial purposes on the
public highways.
stThe landowner on New Jersey road
owns it to the middle of the road, subject
to the public easement; in other WORDS
the landowners right is only subsracteJts
from by the public user. The Legislature
has very uniformly placed in the local
officials the power Of deciding what public
use can be made of the higeways. That is to
say, gas, water, telegraph, telephone and
trolley companies get their permission to
exclude some one else by local authority.
The present automobile legislation has per
mittea the whole system Of state roads to
be so appropriated that the landowner is
not only diminished in his rights, but they
have been entirely taken away from him
but you may notice, however, there has
been left with the local authorities the
right to lay taxes for the repair OF the
roads,
1.-The present automobile law has not
been, and never can be, enforced. We
know Of no other law that compsls law
breaker to be arrested only by corroborative
testimony It requires two witnesses to-
proceed under the present law. The auto
mobile owners word is good under the
statute, while no citizen's word can be-
taken unless eorrobrated. ~
The letter is signed by Charles Collins,
Moorestown; George De Camp, Essex Co.
Charles D. Borton, Marlton, and j. Blan-
chard Edgar, committee Of the state board
Of agriculture; DR.. ). B. Ward, Newark,
and S. B. Ketcham, Of Trenton, committee