Milford chronicle., 1919-08-01
MOTOR LAWS CONFLICT
LOCAL REGULATIONS NOT IN ACCORD
ANCE WITH STATE LAW.

II is probable that a number Of Del
aware towns will shortly awaken "a
the fact that the ordinances which they
have passed governing automobile
traffic through these places. and un-
der which numerous motorists have
been fined, are not worth the paper
which they are written on. Numerous
motorists in Wilmington and other
places are familiar with the situation
and it is not likely that many of them
will in the future submit to being fin
ed under any OF these town Ordin-
ances.
In various places in Delaware signs
are posted warning motor drivers that
the speed limit of that town is eight.
ten or twelve miles an hour, as the
case may be. There are also signs
notifying the motorist that horns must
be blown once or twice, as the town
directs. at each crossing. A COM
plete synopsis of the rules and regu-
lations, ordinances they are pleased
to call them, which these towns have
made, would fill book. In some places
people have been arrested and fined
under them.
According to the automobile assOcia-
ton people and those who are famil-
lar with the subject. the State auto
mobile law expressly provides that it
is the law which must be obeyed and
that no city or town has the right to
pass any ordinance or regulation
which would add to or subtract from
the provisions of the State law. Even
the city of Wilmington does no more
than enforce the State law and the
people who are fined for infractions
of the automobile law are fined for
the State law which applies
to Wilmington the same as other
places. and not any rule of the city
st. Georges, where trouble recently
occurred and where a number of peo-
pie were recently fined. has a notice
to the effect that the speed limit there
Is y miles per hour. The State law
provides for a speed of Is miles an
hour The st. Georges people claim
that no one was fined unless he was
going more than Is miles an hour, so
hat those who were conducting the
speed trap evidently knew something
If the State law. The State law also
that a car shall not 90 over
street iuAcISttllOu dl luOIt ludu ~
niles an hour. and it is on this feature
# the State law that many motorists
lave been arrested and fined.
In some instances magistrates have
ined people, it is claimed, under the .
own ordinances and have been warn I
d by the automobile association off
ers to desist from fning anyone eX-
ept under the State law. The State
aw was drawn as it is so that there
7ill be uniform rules for motorists
II over the State and so that no town
ould pass some sort of ridiculous or
nance for the purpose of gathering
4 a number of motorists and collect
lg some ready cash for the town.
Whether the towns do not know that
hey have no right to pass such or
inances is not known, but they still
Ontinue to post elaborate rules and
equations on their signboards and
'ould probably endeavOr to enforce
le ordinance if they had the Oppor-
unity of so doing. There is no ques-
on, however, that any motorist who
fined under anything but the State [
wv in Delaware has a good case to I
ght because the law was intended to
op this town practice of gathering {
motorists under town ordinances !
nd expressly provides that they shall {
Dt take the place of the State law a