The Washington herald., 1916-01-24
MOTOR GOSSIP
By." "SI" GROGAN

Most every one fortunate enough to
own motor car was out yesterday. 1t
was the first bright day that We have
had in a long while and, added to this,
was the fact that it was a holiday. Most
ot them confined their trips to about the
city or through the parks, as the aver
axe country roads are not in the best Of
shape Just now.
Though there are 5000 automobile
freight cas- in use today, they are not
sufficient to take care Of the demand.
From the city Of Detroit alone they are
shipping 800 to $50 carloads Of automobiles
per dav. Dealers located anywhere
ner- their factories are accepting de-
liveries Of machines at the factory and
driving them home over the road They
find this 10 be about the quickest and
cheapest manner in which they can NIL
their orders.
Twelve miles an hour is the legal rate
OF speed within the FIRE limits and TWEEN
tv beyond these limits. Motorcycle and
bicycle police are stationed on the various
streets Of the city to see that this Ia"
Is observed We hardly believe, though,
that il Is either the intention of the law
or the head Of the department. that these
men should place themselves on dark
streets or around the corner, where they
cannot be seen. and suddenly rush out
upon man who Is traNelelng raster tndh
the law allows
Whether or not they receive particular
credit for the number of arrests for yio-
lation of this ordinance cannot be de-
termiued. The .rnotorist travelling faster
than twelve miles an hour will no doubt
slow down II there Is an officer in plain
sight. When he knows, though, that
there Is apt 70 be one lurking about In
some dark street. waiting to spring on
his wheel and pursue him, it adds zest
to the idea IL he can openly violate the
law and escape
When an officer starts out TO overtakt
a man, he naturally must travel consid'
erabIy faster than the motorist to over
take him. He Is presumed to pace the
man for some little way and determine
from that just how fast he is travelling
This Is not always done. Instead, on Oc'
casions the officer has been known &c
Overtake a car and inform the occupant
that he Is under arrest for travelling
twenty miles an hour or faster. Wheth'
er or not the man Is really moving a.
this rate Of speed is, in some instances
a mooted question. II is the officer;
word against the drivers, and usually
the officer has all the best OF the argu'
ment for when the case Is called or the
collateral deposited, what he says Il
generally taken as the statement OF the
case
The vast majority of men arrested FOL
violating the law do not do it intention
ally and II they are travelling faster thar
the regulations permit they are doing 81
on streets and in a part of town wher'
traffic is very light and danger from &C
cident but slight. Carriages and wagons
can do most anything their drivers wish
block the street by driving all over II
turning around In the middle Of tn
block without signaling, or any one Of I
half dozen things which are, in them
selves, as much violation Of the Law
as slight excess Of the speed limit
though they may not be specifically Sc
down as such in black and white.
Nothing is ever said about this, but le
the motorist do the slightest thing tha
Is not in accord with the written wort
Of the law and he must either 60 to th'
station house and deposit collateral o
agree to meet the officer In court th'
following morning
In cities where traffic conditions ar,
many times as congested as they are n
Washington. the motorist and the poles
get along well together. So long as tn,
spirit OF the law Is observed. the Officers
are satisfied. They realize that Il Is t.
the interests OF both that the technics
letter of the written mandate be over
looked. Here IL seems to be the aim anC
object to enforce the very letter of tn,
law even II II Is necessary to rush out
from a blind 10 do II