Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-12-27
FRIDAY, DECEMBER ~. 1907
mobile Registration.

Representative Cocks OF Long Island
has introduced bill intending to turn
over to he government the business of
registering and licensing automobiles.
The bill establishes in the department of
commerce and labor a motor vehicle bu-
reau and il it becomes law the several
States will not be bothered by registering
and collecting dues from the owners Of
automobiles.
Mr.. Cocks says that the Automobile
Club of America and other similar or
CARNATIONS are back of his bill 1t is
an elaborate measure, covering IL print
ed pages. Its provisions of course are
to apply only to motor vehicles driven
from one State to another. Any person
who expects to do some interstate travel
ing may file with the motor vehicle bu-
reau an application for number and a
federal license, for which a fee of S. is
to be paid. The certificate is to include
a distinctive number, the name of the
State of the applicants residence and a
brief description of the vehicle. Per-
sons fortified with such certificate shall
be exempt from the requirements of reg
istration, payment of fees and other con-
ditions imposed upon owners of automo-
biles in foreign States. Any person vio-
lating the conditions under which fed
eral license has been issued is to forfeit
the right of federal registration for five
years and become prey to the officers
of the various States, whose duty it is
to tax, regulate and punish automobile
ists.-Brooklyn Eagle.
1t is safe to say that the United States
government will not undertake to inter-
fere in the police regulations Of States
and it is still safer to say that no mem
Der of Congress, at least from any agri-
cultural State-and nearly all of the
States are such-will go back if he votes
to surrender his constituents rights In
such matters.
Of course the above move is made by
the automobile lobby of the United
States entirely in their own interests,
unquestionably not only to avoid an
noying laws interfering with their
speed, but also to avoid laws which
all the States are liable at any time to
enact, requiring the automobilists to pay
their full share in building and repairing
any road they may use. And this, as is
well known, means a large amount of
money. To illustrate we notice in this
weeks Tribune that all automobiles with
chains on their tires have been warned
off from all roads in Central Park.
The order is as follows:
automobiles with chains on the tires
are hereafter excluded from all road
ways in Central Park, Riverside Drive
and the Cathedral Parkway" said Mr..
Smith. while the Park Department
has jurisdiction over Fifth avenue from
59th street to 10th street, West 72d
street, seth street, Morningside Drive
and West End avenue, the rules regard
ing chains on tires will not be applied to
them. They may be used by automo-
bilists as heretofore, subject to the usual
traffic conditions. All of the latter thor
oughfares are mainly paved with as
phalt, while Central Park, Riverside
Drive and the Cathedral Parkway are
macadamized or of gravel, which the
chains on wheels of the machines soon
cut TO pieces and ruin"
1t is evident from this that the people
are waking up to their rights all over
the country and these rights include, be-
sides protecting lives, protecting their
highways from destruction. For certain
iy,.if the great and wealthy city of New
York finds it necessary to make special
laws for this purpose like the above. the
country at large, our agricultural COM
munities, villages and smaller cities,
where all their roads are gravel or ma
cadem, will be obliged to do the same.
In connection with the above. the
Trustees for the village and the Select