Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-12-30
PASSENGER CAR FOR
EVERY rs PERSONS
Washington Is Whirlpool of
Automobiles and Garages
Reaping a Harvest.

Washington, which is located in the
District of Columbia. snugged up 10
the swampy banks of the Potomac
river, was once called the City of
Magnificent Distances. The engineers
who planned and laid out the long,
broad streets may not have had in
mind present-day conditions; never
theless their work could not have been
better carried out. The war has rnade
Washington the Mecca of automobll-
lists, and its streets are ideal from
their point of view.
The city boasts of population of
not many over 100000 persona. even
with the vast army of war workers
who have been called to labor for
their country Nevertheless there are
approximately $1,000 passenger auto
mobiles in the city owned by the per-
manent residents. To this have been
added at least one thousand more cars
by the business men who have been
drafted from all sections of the coun-
try to assist Uncle Sam. In other
words. there is in Washington today
at least one automobile to every %
persons. including women end chill
dren.
The army of tourists cannot be re-
duced TO statistics. Even Washington
police have been unable to make an
estimate.
The automobile conditions in the
national capital are peculiar. 1t IS
doubtful whether similar conditions
exist In any other city in the country.
Heretofore there has been no annual
egistratlon of automobiles in the Dis
trict of Columbia. That accounts for
the fact that new license tags today
mount to such large numbers as
62660, for example. Dead numbers
have not been accounted for. Begin
ming January /, however, the first an
nual registration will take place.
Heretofore an automobile license has
been perpetual and has cost but 50;
the operators license costs the samc
amount. The owner, however, has
been compelled to pay annually a per-
sonal tax upon the value of his ma
chine.
Beginning with the new year there
will be an annual registration, and
licenses thereafter will cost 30 for
cars of "a horsepower ana undcr. 50
for cars between "a and thirty horse
power and $40 for cars of over thirty
horsepower. And still the personal tax
will apply, The automobile associa-
tion is striving to have this corrected
by increasing the annual license fec
on machines and eliminating the per-
sonal taX feature.
The influx of passenger automobiles
as a result of war conditions threw the
city into near panic. 1t has caused
many first visitors to the city to Won
der at the strange sights, and it has
caused considerable worry to the pc
lice. For instance, parking cars in
the streets has been rather hap
hazard matter. 1t was only in tie past
year that the police began to draw
white lines on the asphalt to show the
manner in which cars should be
parked and the spots they should be
parked on. Even today there Is 10
part of the city where parking is for
bidden, altho there are about 16 city
blocks in all where the parking is linz
tied to 15 minutes, which Is calcu-
lated-doubtless by an efficiency eX-
pert, unmarried-to be sufficient time
to allow milady to rush into store
and do her shopping.
But tie influx of the one thousand
cars or thereabouts was the last straw
that made the citizenry feel the weight
of crowding. 1t was only In the past
month that one OF the daily papers Of
the city came out with the startling
statement that Washington is now ono
of the most dangerous cities In the
United States, as evidenced in the
number of street traffic accidents,
whereas only month or two before
II ranked high for safety. 1t Is also
one of the few cities OF the country
where pedestrians may cross in the
middeI of a block amidst the densest
traffic without being arrested or
warned by the police.
During the past year, It was said.
there were SO traffic fatalities in
Washington. an increase Of 40 per cent
Dyer the previous year. Thero were
s,400 injuries or 20 per cent more
than last year, and in ten weeks there
were &c fatalities.-Automob Topics.
The Food PatriOt
Thu food nafrinf has como 10 aNaX.