The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-08-15
AUTO ORDINANCE A
Joke FOR POLICE
Scores of Owners Violate Law
Regarding Numbers and
Lights.
ALREADY A DEAD LETTER
MOST OWNERS DON'T KNOW
THEY BREAK THE Law.

Salt Lake appealed for an automobile
ordinance for many months until the
city council at last took heed and. after
discussion occupying a score OF ses-
siOns and special. meetings and hear
| ings, Salt Lake got what II asked Tor.
Among the most insistent in urging the
| passage OF the ordinance was = M
Barlow. chief of police, il whose hands
| the ordinance has been for enforce
ment Tor little more than three
weeks. So far however, there have
| been only TWO arrests for violation or
the ordinance. one case was where a
| property owner protested against al
! lowing a machine for hire TO stand IN
| front OF his place and the other was
| where a visiting automobile owner cut
wet corner and his machine skidded
against the curb.
Two citizens were discussing certain
| provisions OF the ordinance and one
Yentured the remark that nine out or
every ten automobiles in Salt Lake VlO-
| lated the ordinance every day.
"I'n bet a good hat that / can show
| you 80 violations OF the automobile or
dinance in 80 minutes" was the ehal-
| lenge and IL was taken in a minute.
One incident which led 10 the dis
cussion was a remark made by Salt
4 Lake automobile salesman 10 pros
| pectiVe customer regarding the en-
fOrcement OF the law regarding the dis
II
| ed TO a fixture on the rear of the au-
| tOmObiIe. This fixture consisted OF a
I bracket on the left mud gard behind
/ the machine so arranged that the num-
| Der might be attached to the bracket
easily and when SO placed the light
/ from the rear lamp would illuminate
/ the number at night.
Law Is Not Enforced.
After pointing out this convenience,
! the salesman pointed 10 the number OF
the machine swinging from the rear
axle two feet below the light, saying
that he did not use the fixture because
the law was never enforced in Salt
/ Lake.
The result of the little investigation
was the discovery that &c automobiles
were found in few minutes that were
siolating the provisions OF the ordi-
nance regarding the display or register
/ numbers and rear lights.
The clause in the ordinance regard
| ing the display of lights is as follows:
Section p. Vehicles Must Carry
/ Danger Lights. All automobiles oper-
ating or standing upon the streets OF
I Salt Lake City between one hour after
| sunset and one hour before sunrise,
shall be provided with at least two
| lighted lamps showing White nights
visible for a reasonable distance in the
direction towards which such vehicle
| is going. and one red light attached 10
| the rear of such vehicle, on leIt Sluei
visible for reasonable distance In the
rear thereof Said lamp shall have a
glass on the side thereof TO show a
white light and be so arranged that
said white light shall make the num-
Der of said vehicle visible, and all 9TH
er lf-prOpelled vehicles operating
or standing upon the streets OF SAT-
Lake City between the hours aforesaid
shall be provided with at least one
lighted lamp showing white light, Visi-
Bile for a reasonable distance in the d.
rection towards which such vehicle is
going and one red light attached TO the
rear OF such vehicle, visible Tor rea-
sOnable distance in the rear Thereon,
and it shall be unlawful for the owner,
driver or operator of said vehicle TO fail
to comply with the provisions of this
section.
Display of Numbers.
The section OF the ordinance regard
ing the display of numbers, which Is
taken from the state law with prac-
tically no change, is as follows;
Section 43. Number Every motor
carriage, whether propelled by gasoline,
electricity or steam, shall at all times
while being used or operated upon the
streets of Salt Lake City, have num-
Der assigned 10 il by the secretary or
state of the state OF Utah, displayed on
the back or rear thereof in conspic-
uOus place and manner, securely las
tened so as not to swing and so that
the same cannot be raised TO show the
back of said number, and so as TO be
Arabic numerals and upon a plate or
marker, the said number to be fol-
lowed by the initial letter OF this state
on the plate or marker, the figures
thereon TO be four inches high and
each stroke thereof to be One-halr and
the said letter thereon TO be not less
than one inch in width and at all times
unObscured.
Three Points Considered.
In checking the automobiles in the
business district three points were
noted. The first point was whether the
number was securely fastened so as not
TO swing; the second point was whether
the number was according TO specifi-
cations as to size of the figures and the
letter "U." The third point in scoring
was whether there was light on the
rear OF the machine, and the fourth
point noted was whether or not this
light was so placed that ii could make
the number visible at night.
Some OF the machines noted came
close TO observance OF the law, but
most of them violated the provisions OF
the ordinance in two or more or the
four points in scoring.
The automobiles were picked AT ran
dom on Main and State streets, between
South Temple and Fourth South streets.
Practically every one of the owners or
the automobiles would be liable to
fine of $500 OF imprisonment for six
months. and, although some OF the own