The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-05
AUTO HEARINGS
 ARE WOUND UP
Shall Selectmen Have Power to Close Roads to Machines Sirens, Mufflers and Other Matters Discussed.

On Roads, Bridges and Rivers closed
 Its hearing on automobile matters yes
 1erday, giving attention to bills affect ing features of the law, other than
 phose taken up on the other days. The First of these bills (of which there were six) confers authority on selectmen to close certain roads, deemed unsafe for
 automobile travel, to such vehicles, such prohibition, however, to be only after proper advertisement, and the right of appeal from any such order on the part of a. selectman is given to any such persons feeling aggNeved- Another bill would prohibit the use of the siren whistle on a.utomo piles. Two bills relate to the question of n1ufflerS and would make it unlawful to drive amy automobile with the muffler cut out on any highway in the State. The fifth bill provides that the registration number shall be painted or printed on the front and tail lights of cars. The other measure would prohibit any au- eomobile passing a. trolley car dis charging or receiving passengers, on that side from which the passengers Were being received or discharged
 Senator Holzer, Senator Manwaring and Judge A. B. Beers spoke in favor of the bill relating to trolley cars. Each cited instances where persons had been either killed injured by automobiles passing cars while passen- gers were being discharged.
 J. Fl. Hale of Glastonbury who said he represented the Connecticut State Grange; spoke on the general automo- Rdle flaw "as countryman of the State." He said that in his judgment the present law needed some teeth and they should be strong and sharp. He EonsldeFed 75 per cent. of the automo- eitists gentlemen, but the others were hogs, and he desired some. way to get Rfter these fellows whom he consid- cred worse than "cusses.'' He thought f <,f iy, I ersfield were let go and a few of these t'hogs' put in their places the State would be better off.
 You have got to take up this ques- lion, gentlemen" said MT. Hale. "or the people will take it up of them selves and take hold of every man who usese an automobile, and I do not want that.'
 MT. Hale advocated g, speed of eight | to ten miles an hour going round cor ners and at street Intersections. He thought automobiles should stop when l approaching stationary trolley cars. 1 In reference to the registration fee he recommended charging enough so that it win take care of the damage done by this class of vehicles to the roads of the State.
 Donald T. Warner of Salisbury. spoke in support of the measure re- -aating to closing certain highways against automobile traffic. He gave instances where accidents have been
 
 roads. The pith of the question he | said seemed to him to be this: A recognition of the right to use motor | vehicles on any of the main highways | Of the State roads, and other thor 1 oUgbfares, where the conditions are | Suclt-that such traffic would be safe. | MT. Warmer said that he believed that | unless the towns were authorized to | c:4se such highways as were danger l -ot.s, the towns of themselves would be | liable for any injuries that might be caused to users of the road
 Representative Smith of Colebrook | was heartily in favor of the bill sup ported by Mr. Warner. He added that ie did not believe in a. speed limit, | rate of speed might be dangerous, in | others forty miles an hour would be fainlica1 cnIy to the people in the au- tomobile. MT. Clark was also in fa- eor of the trolley car provision:
 ! Rev. Dr. Newman Smyth of New Haven, discussed the automobile bill generally. He thought one way to arrive at a. proper bill would be to the roads and carefully note the bad places and suggest things that would take care of the difficulties encoun- 1ered- It would be no hardship on to have this done, for the careful drivers would naturally observe the precautions that would re- suit from such test He said the Fundamental principles of the present law were wrong, because it was not on the principles incor- rorated in other laws concerning the Jp1pb1fc safeCy and that it was vicious diass ieeisIation. It was also con- tTary to the customary construction of criminal law. Criminal law was specific, definite and mandatory. The law was indefinite and full of holes, and has never been fought out on sound legal principles. The l2w,. he said, had been found made qqate in practice.
 sDr. Smyth objected to the present law because it took away the principle of home rule. He said there should pc some provision made for the sus- pension or revocation of a license by B trfal court; that while the court had the right to send a man to jail, or to me galows. that court could not take He considered that poor law MT.