The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-07-07
SPEEDING AUTOS A! ''|yss
: MUST STOP, SAYS
MAYOR bAIS0N
TISSUES uLTlMATUM TO MOTOR
CAR OWNERS WHO PERSIST
IN VIOLATING LAW.
HEAVY fines WILL Be
IMPOSED FROM NOW On
Says He Has Been Making Fines Light
In Hope That Drivers Would Take
the Hint, But Beginning Today He
.Will Show No Merey-Wili Provide
Policemen With Stop Watches.

81 am going to put stop to this
reckless driving within the city Of Hat !
tiesburg," said Mayor Batson at the
city court today after he had finished
t Nng one of the numerous exceeding
tN Speed limit" cases.
Ge city commissioners are serious
lPconsidering some means OF check
ing what has become one of the most
prevalent violations of the city ordi-
nances. The means will probably be
a special traffic officer, detailed to the
work Of enforcing the ordinance limit
ing the speed of automobiles within
the city limits to IL miles per hour.
The commissioners are at present con-
templating the purchase of motor
cycle for the traffic officer and stop
watches for some of the other officers
so as to have positive evidence IN
court when the cases are brought to
trial.
"Hattiesburg has so recently grown
up that we have not paid much atten-
tion to traffic regulations because
there was no need of it," Mayor Bat
son said. Lately, however, traffic on
the uptown, streets has become prob
lem. There has been a great deal OF
complaint to the city commissioners
on the way the drivers Of automobiles
disregard the rights of the pedestrians
and of other vehicles. The city has
been fortunate in not having any seri-
>ous aC .idents as the result Of speeding
automobiles and motorcycles, but 1t
has been due largely to chance that
they have not run down more people.
The vast majority Of the people do
not own or ride in automobiles and the
city commissioners do not intend to
allow them to be imposed on by the
few fortunate people who own ma
chimes.
at is a matter of common knowledge
that amost every automobile owner
violates the ordinance every day ano
protest at the small fines which have
been imposed comes with bad grace
I have pLrposely made the fines small
: in the hope that the owners woult
take a hint that the city means to en-
ever. I mean to make the fines heaV!
avr mean to make the fines heav!
enough to make the owners rememDe
that more than 12 miles an hour Il
dangerous to other people and forbid
den by law"
= sompers Being Considered.
! The civ may take step fourthe
!, and plad bumpers across the mgr
1 ways at dangerous crossings and
front of/schoolhouses where childre
| are likely to be playing in the street'
II is also contemplated to have mea
ured courses along the principal pave
! eets and an officer with stol
III ltch at the end to catch the time
! machines over the course.
~ The principal difficulty in tryin
cases heretofore has been that thel
was mo accurate evidence to appeal
INT the court had to rely on the 1ud
@,ment of experienced men. Sometim'
dgments contradict each other' \
Eiver has been found yet who' accor
n his own testimony, was goh
8i<ye than s miles an hour accordii
his best Judgment at the time OF u
. }rest. ,,
"Tbere is another ordinance whl
leople have been flagrantly violating
i H. mayor says, "and that is passl
1tationary street cars at a high rs
L speed. y person getting on .
Meet car between the devil and
~ eep blue yea when a fast macn'
. thizzes by. He has no way to dod
attiesburg is the only city which d'
II maze automobiles come to &c
llt behind a stationary street G
Salaw allows them\ to pass str
al the rate of miles an hour
distance Of feet The street
oAX9en will be asked tcs report
tons Of this ordinance alseN
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