Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-23
MOTOR THEFT ACT
NOW LAW OF LAND
S. 900 Fine or Imprisonment
or Both Provided for
Violation.

| Local motorists will be interested
to learn that the act known as the
National Motor Vehicle Theft Act"
has become law. having been pre-
scented to the President of the United
States for his approval and not having
been returned by him to the House of
| Congress in which it originated with
in the time prescribed by the Consti-
| tuition of the United States. This act,
which is the work of Representative
| Dyer of Missouri, is for the purpose Of
Furnishing the transportation of stolen
| motor vehicles in interstate or for
| eign commerce.
The act provides that whoever shall
| transport or cause to be transported
| in interstate or foreign commerce a
motor vehicle, knowing the same to
have been stolen. shall be punished by
| fine of $4,000, or by Imprisonment of
not more than five years. or both.
| Whoever receives. conceals, stores,
! barters, sells, or disposes Of any motor
| vehicle, moving as, or which is part
of. or which constitutes interstate or
| foreign commerce, knowing the same
! to have been stolen may also receive
| the same punishment. Any person
violating this act may be punished in
any district in or through which such
| motor vehicle has been transported or
removed by such offender.
| The committee on judiciary Of the
House, to which the bill was referred
! in recommending its passage report
ed as follows:
THE Congress of the United States
can scarcely enact any law at this
session that is more needed than the
| bill herein recommended. and that has
for it's purpose the providing of severe
| punishment of those guilty of the
stealing of automobiles in interstate
| or foreign commerce. There has been
| and is now a most widespread demand
for such law. State laws upon the
subject have been inadequate to meet
the evil. Thieves steal automobiles
and take them from one state to an
other and ofttimes have associates i'll
this crime who receive and sell the
stolen machines. The losses to the
Of this stealing amounts to hundreds
| of thousands Of dollars every year. 1t
! is getting worse. 1t is getting SO now
that it is difficult for the owners of
the cheaper cars to obtain theft in
surance, due to the great loss that
insurance companies have sustained.
During the past year automobile
theft insurance on this class of cars
has increased 100 per cent. 1t is au-
tomobiles of that price that are gen.
| orally Stolen. AutomoD1le thieves VINO
make a speciality of this crime do not
steal many Of the higher-priced cars,
the reason being, Of course, that they
are not SO easily sold.
The purpose of the proposed law.
is to suppress crime in interstate
commerce. Automobiles admittedly
are tangible property, capable of be-
ing transmitted in interstate COM
MERGE The larceny of automobiles
is made crime under the laws of all
the states in the Union. No good rea-
SON exists why Congress-, invested
with the power to regulate commerce
among the several states. should not
provide that such commerce should
not be polluted by the carrying of
stolen property from one state to an
other. Congress is the only power
competent to legfslate upon this evil.
and the purpose of this bill is to crush
it, with the penalties attached"