New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-04
Jay Walking Is
Officially Taboo
In Middle West
Police in indianapolis Go
After the Offenders and
Force a Proper Crossing;
Marion, O., Touring Goal

lation Of pedestrian traffic such as
is done at Fifth Avenue and Forty
second Street in New York has a coun-
terpart here at the Euclid and Pros
meet intersection. one Of the busiest
suots in the country's fifth city There
are crossing policemen. besides the
semaphore operator in the center Of
the street These former restrain the
pedestrians from attempting to cross
against the stream of vehicular traffic.
"Jay walking which means attempt
jnr 10 cross a street at any place ex-
cept at intersections with other streets
and diagonal crossing of any kind, is
frowned upon and checked wherever
observed.
! In fact. many Middle Western cities
have such ordinances. In Indianapo-
lis. for example, Jay walking" is
strongly discouraged, and the police
at the busy points. anyway-go right
after an offender and make him do it
over the right way. Some day an ordi-
nance like this Will be passed BY the
Board of Aldermen in New York, but
for the present traffic regulation is
universally, save and except at Forty
second Street, confined to control Of
vehicular and not foot travel.
Prohibition has brought many prob
lens of enforcement with which the
automobile is inextricably mixed. The
law that permits contiscation of the
carrier of liquor applies to motor cars
in curious ways. For instance, opin-
ions given by authorities here a day
or SO ago rule that if a man loans his
car to 8 friend and the latter uses it
to carry hooch and is caught at it the
car may be confiscated. So, too, if
chauffeur. even if using the car with
out perm ssion, is caught transporting
liquor, the automobile may be seized
This looks pretty rough on the own
er. Yet it isn't so vastly different
from an Interpretation by the New
York Park Department in a case Of an
other sort. In the instance ! refer to
a chauffeur JOY riding in car smashed
it against q tree on Riverside Drive.
The Park Department of Manhattan
billed the owner for IS for damages.
When he replied that the car was out
without his permission and that the
chauffeur was even then under indict-
ment for grand larceny, he was told it
made no difference whatsoever. 1t was
his car and he was liable.
Confscation under these or other
circumstances is raising mob with part
payment transactions. Very many
motor cars. new and used, are sold on
time. How many. it would be a sur
prise to know. An autom obie partly
paid for is seized. What then? The
title isn't in the owner, according to
paid for Who is TO lose? Normally
there is a chattel mortgage on the car
What is to become Of that, if the
government takes away the carrier?
Clearly, there will have to be a
"booze clause" in all part payment
contracts for automobiles hereafter
Senator Harding's home at Marion,
Ohio. will be the objective of many
visitors this summer, naturally, mas
much as he is going to have front
porch campaign. The greatest crowd
will gather on July %, notification day.
Naturally, again, very many Of the
visitors viii come by automobile and
that viii mean trips from afar. The
roads from Cleveland to Marion are to
Cleveland Automobile Club, by d.
rection of its energetic secretary, Fred
H. Galley
New York motorists have choice Of
two lines to Marion which lies roughly
about halfway between Cleveland and
Columbus. although to the westward
Of an airplane line from city to city.
New Workers may go by way of the
Liberty Highway through to Cleveland
and then drive southwest or else they
can make use of the wonderful road
from Elkton. Md, through to Columbus
and g. northwest from there. On the
latter route they Will have, of course,
to endure the discomforts Of the trip
from New York south to Philadelphia
and to Maryland points. Once started,
however, from Elkton, they Will find
boulevard. according to those who
have gone that way.
SAYS "The Ohio Motorist": of Ohio's
loss Of liquor revenue was $1,000, 900
per year; if the automobile tax pro-
duces 100000, to be used for repair
ing streets ard roads; if the sums pre-
yiously appropriated out of general
revenues for highway maintenance are
left in general funds, replaced by auto
mobile receipts: that isn't making the
automobile take the place of the saloon,
is 1t? Oh, my, no.
"lf the city of Akron last year ap
propriated 100000 for street mainte-
nance and repair; if this year no such
appropriation is made out Of general
funds, and the city's share of the
automobile tax is $4,000 to be used on
the streets instead of the Sl00,000:
that is making the motor cars pay for
the extra burden of highway upkeep,
ISN'T it? Oh, my, yes!
The class in arithmetic Is dismissed
for the day"