Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-02-23
AUTO THEFTS ROUSE
COMMERCE CHAMBER
Various Private Agencies Plan
10 Take Over Work at
Which Police Fail

Failure Of the police to stem the
rapid Increase in auto thcfts has aroused
the Chamber Of Commerce % action.
That body. in co7junction with the Au-
tomobile club Of Philadelphia and simi-
lar organizations is formulating plans
to take the situation into its own hands
with a view TO remedy situation which
tho police, and principally the Detective
Bureaus motor squad, failed to check.
In a report submitted TO the Chamber
or Commerce Powell Evans. chairman
OF tho fire prevention and insurance
committee, pointed out that auto ,hcfts
havo increased 800 per cent within
year Corrective measures must be
taken by the citizens Of Philadelphia n
they wish TO prevent an increase in
motorCar-insuranCc rates. Since this re-
port was made, a month age. tho rates
nave been increased. and another ad-
vance in rates is anticipated.
Following Is the report made by the
committee:
Your committee has been advised
by the Automobile club of philadcl-
phia that tho theft Of motorcars IN
Philadelphia for the year 1917 was
substantially three times as great as
In l9l6--that is. that three wore stolen
per 100 In 1917 vs., one per 100 In 1916.
Unless some corrective Of this con-
dttton IS accomplished unuucstionahly
the rates Of notorCar insurance will
have to be sufficiently raised to cover
this additional risk. This loss g. csti-
mated I'm round figures at 100000 in
this city for 1917.
After careful consideration OF this
situation the conclusion was reached
that the Philadelphia Chamber Of
Commerce could adviscdly urdertakc.
In conjunction with all other citizen
agencies which will assist in the mat
ter, an investigation Of the facts,
causes aud corrcctivcs of current OK
CcssiNc motorCar theft in Philadelphia.
POWELL EVANS,
Chairman.
SLEUTllS point WITH PRIDE"
Protests against the undue" agita-
tion have been made by Captain of De-
tectives Tate. Jessie Wistcr. who heads
the squad Of eight auto detectives, and
the detectives themselves. 1,hey point
with pride" to their SCord of rccoveries.
and insist that they make frequent
rounGS of the business district each day
IN II search for auto thieves.
Records in the offices of large insur-
anco agencies show that not only are
cars stolen in large numbers. but that
each month the total value of tires stolen
from automobiles within n radius Of i've
blocks from city Hall IL about $500.
Beside that, there is II record of robes
and other articles stolen from the cars
which are parked for even % brief period
in tho central section.
Tho police officials cry that they can
do nothing without the cooperation Of
the citizens. A case is cited of "A man.
with offices within n stones throw Of
| Independence Han. who saw an expcn-
stvo automobile standing on the high
way for twcnty-four hours. Finally sus-
pecting that all was not well he called
| up Detective Headquarters and asked II
/ they had "A record of "a car with such
/ and-suCh license tag. reported stolen
| A member of tho auto squad replied
| that they had no such Complaint. The
| citizen then told of having seen this car
| stand in the same place for twenty-fou
| hours. The telephone conversation took
| place in the morning. Late that after.
| noon he saw two men get into the car
and drive off. Believing that they were
| the detectives who were to be sent tc
! inv cstigate. he dismissed the incident
! from his mind.
An hour or moro later a detectiv,
/ walked in and wanted to know what he.
came OF the automobile. When told
| about the other two men who drove of
I In II. the scuth became very indignant
| and wanted to know why the citizen
/ did not stop them.
Another case Is cited Of an automobile
| standing on Broad street near. oxford
| for two days before a garage owner. who
reported it TO the police. took it into his
own garage for safekocping. That same
dav insurance Investigators got the oar
and delivered II to the owner. The police
don't know yet that the car has been
recovered