The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-08-28
WILL REQUIRE
EXAMINATION
AUTO DRIVERS
CHAIRMAN OF BOARD OF PUBLIC
SAFETY PREPARES ORDINANCE
WHICH WILL BE INTRODUCED
AT COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT

Automobile drivers in Pensacola
will be required to stand a rigid ex-
animation and to procure certificates
from an expert mechanic before they
are allowed to operate machines upon
the streets of the city, if the ordinance
prepared by Chairman Hargis of the
board of public safety and unanimous
ly approved by that board last night
is adopted by the city council. The
ordinance will be introduced at the
council meeting tonight, with a re-
quest from the board Of safety to
adopt it.
For some time the careless handling
of automobiles in the city has been a
topic of discussion at the sessions of
the board of public safety and the
chief of the police department has
been repeatedly instructed to rigidly
enforce the ordinances already in eff
feet, but it has been the opinion of the
members of the board that additional
laws were needed to more thoroughly
regulate automobiles. At the last
meeting of the board of public safety
! Chairman Hargis stated that he would
prepare an ordinance requiring the ex-
animation of drivers and this was the
ordinance which he read to the board
last night. The proposed ordinance
reads as follows:
An ordinance. to be entitled: An
ordinance to provide for the exami-
nation of, and the issuance of certih-
Gates to automobile drivers in the city
of Pensacola.
Be it ordained by the mayor and
| council of the city of Pensacola:
| Section 1. That any and all persons
| shall be and are hereby prohibited
from driving automobiles in the city
| of Pensacola until they have passed
such examinations and procured such
| certificates as are hereinafter provided
| for.
Sec. 2. That the board of public
safety shall be and is hereby author
lied and empowered to require any
and all persons operating and driving
| automobiles in the city of Pensacola
to pass an examination: first, upon
| their knowledge of the manipulation
of automobiles; second, upon their re-
liability and carefulness in the opera
ton of an automobile.
l. Sec. 8. That the board of public
safety shall be and is hereby author
lied and empowered to procure the
services of an expert mechanic to per-
form the first part Of the examination
mentioned in the foregoing sections,
and to use its own discretion relative
to the mental and physical competency
of the party being examined.
Sec. 4. That a certificate of eff
cheney be issued to the applicant upon
the passage of a satisfactory examina-
ton.
4 Sec. 5. That the applicant be re-
quired to pay fee of two dollars and
fifty cents (s2.50) upon passing the
examination and before the issuance of
the certificate as hereinbefore provided
for.
Sec. 6. That all ordinances and
parts of ordinances in conflict here
with be and the same are hereby re-
: pealed.
Sec. Z. That this ordinance shall
/ take effect Immediately upon it's pass
age and approval
Criticises Recorder.
During the discussion of automobile
driving, P. J. Williams, a member of
the board, severely criticised the re-
t cent disposition of cases brought be-
: fore the recorder for violations of the
automobile ordinance, and declared
that it was no use to arrest violators
of this ordinance as the recorder had
repeatedly refused, or failed, to inflict
the proper penalties upon them. He
said the chief of police and the Of
ficers under him were doing their
duty, but that automobile drivers were
! repeatedly discharged by the recorder
+ 'The recorder is a personal friend
i of mine," said Mr.. Williams, looking
?. the representative of The Journal
t squarely in the eyes, as though to in
= dictate that he did not mind being
S quoted but, must say his recent
decisions in cases where automobiles
were involved have been very rotten