The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-19
Speed Limit of 25 Miles an Hour Favored by Legis-
 lators and Many Others.
Object Less to Reduce Danger to Other Traffic Than to
 Save Highways.
Committee on Roads, Rivers and Bridges Fixes Date For Hearings On Automobile Legislation-MorelThan One Hundred Bills to be Consid- cred.
(By our Staff Corres.)

Hartford, Feb. 19.-The committee on Roads, Rivers and Bridges has set aside four days, beginning March 2, for hearings upon bills connected with the use and ownership of automobiles. More than a. hundred such bills are in the hands of the committee. They cover every branch of the subject in almost every conceivable way. Not a few of these bills are crank meas ures. Some of them are intelEgently aimed at the correction of undoubted evils.
 The automobile interests desire the present law to be maintained substan- tially as it stands. But there seems to be little doubt but that it will be changed in a drastic manner. This is an inference that is drawn from talk in the corridors, and from the expres- sions of individual opinion made by members of the committee.
 It is thought that instead of the ex- isting law, which permits any speed that is not reckless, a speed limit of 25 miles an hour may be fixed.
 The motive for making a. speed limit, as it exists in the minds of the friends of the change, is not so much a desire to make the roads safer, as to make them last longer.
 It is claimed that roadmakers and engineers have uniformly come to the conclusion that a. speed greater than 25 miles an hour is disastrous to the road bed.
 Especially is this true of the high powered tournirlg cars as they whirl over the highways at speeds ranging from 35 to 60 miles am hour. The suc- tion of these vehicles, so driven, is such that modern methods of road building will have to be changed to overcome the destructive effect, or speeds will have to be reduced.
 Another change that is threatened is an increase of tax, especially as against cars owned in other States. At pres ent foreign cars can come into the State for a. limited time, without ob- taining license. It is the foreign cars engaged in interstate travel that create the greatest wear on highways. There is a. general feeling that the owners should make a. payment which will partly compensate for the dam age.
 The plan of issuing licenses may be altered. Secretary of State Rogers has noted that the number of automo- bile licenses issued has decreased over last year, although the number of au- tomobiles driven has undoubtedly in creased The suggested plan is to change the car number every year, and thus make it certain that every owner will apply yearly for a license.
 The opinion is expressed by a mem- Der of the committee that the time is not distant when the automobile in- terest will be powerful enough to con- trol an interstate parkway between the Atlantic and Pacific, built by pri vate capital over private rights Of way, which will be used by automo- piles upon the payment of a, suitable sum to the association by which the enterprise may be maintained.
 Others are of the opinion that when such a road is constructed it will be by the Federal government. Bills for such @ highway have several times been brought to Congress, and much pressure has been exerted to have them passed.