The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-03-19
WANTS ALL TAXIS
UNDERSTANDINGS
Commissioner Brownlow Tells
House How to Solve D. c.
Traffic Problems.

The quickest way 90 enc the war
now being waged between the pubic
hackers and the taxieAb companies
at Union station and In the streets
OF washington would be to put all
public vehicles on AN equal basis un-
der supervision OF the Public Utilities
Commission. District Commissioner
Brownlow today told Congressmsn
zihlman's traffic subcommittee.
BY equipping all public vehicles
with taximeters, and givins Tie Puo-
lie Utilities Commission power to
regulate all rates, Commissions
Brownlow declared existing evils
would be cured and reduced ultl-
mately.
Jail sentences for reckless drivers
who habituslly violate traffic reEula-
lions were urged by Brownlow as
sure method OF cutting down the
number OF street accidents.
I'VE are hurting and killing too
many people. and we need radical
changes to enforce the trafnc laws,
Brownlow declared.
Police Force Depleted.
1.-THE most important thing to do
is to establish a separate traffic
court, TO stop Immediately the prac-
tice of forfeiting collateral: to re-
woke licenses. and to impose jail
sentences upon habitual offenders.'
Depletion of the police force,
Brownlow declared, has retarded
plans to organize a traffic force. Al
contemplated by the department.
He declared threats to take away
the S24O bonus for policemen already
are resulting in designations. At q
time when the force Is below Irll
strength.
Despite the passage OF the in
craauad nav hill he declared. therg
were only twenty-one applicants for
positions on the police force. Only
nine of these were able to pass the
| examinations. At, present. he sad,
there are seventy-two vacancies on
the force.
Congress ought to take steps 10
build up the police force, he SAD.
and put it's pay on an equal basis
| with the pay In other cities.
zihlma. Does Not Agree.
Brown did not believe there was n
necessity for creating a commissioners
OF motor vehicles. saying enforce.
| ment could be left entirely to the
| police.
Congressman Zihlman did not agree
with this view. Out of $4,000 viola
! tons of the traffic rule, Congress-
man Zihlman said. fines we're col
| lected in $4,000 cases, which showed
the need of having someone in direct
charge.
Commissioner Brownlow deplorcd
the urgent need for strict regulation
| of the issuance OF LICENSES, though he
believed most offenses were due to
recklessness.
There should also be a definite re-
vision OF the license fee and the auto
mobile tax. by consolidating both into
a single automobile tax" Mr.. Brown
low pointed out. ut Is too easy for
people to escape the ad valOrem tax"
he explained, 'end II is too expensive
to collect the tax. all of which would
be eliminated under the proposed re-
vision.
Too Many Commissioners.
He suggested that il the committee
decided to create a commissioner OF
motor vehicles, he be called by some
other name. as there are so many
commissioners at present it is confus-
ing.
In regulating traffic, Brownlow laid
particular stress on the practice of
FORGETTING collateral, declaring rs per
cent of the cases persistentfy forfeit
their collateral. He urged creation
of a special traffic court to stop this
practice and compel offenders to APP
pear in court.