Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-05
WITHOUT
Z BIC OFFICIALS
No Motor Vehicle Head Nor
Secretary of State Until
Senate Takes Action.
MARTIN TO BE NAMED AGAIN
Dill Reports to Legislature of
Business Done by the Motor
Vehicle Department.
BIZ spectnl Corresnond,nt.

TRENTON, April 5.-New Jersey is
today without y secretary of state
and without a motor vehicle commits
sioner. Failure of the state senate TO
confirm the re-appointment of Thomas
+. Martin because of the Republican
plan to take over the Department OF
Motor Vehicles has brought about this
situation. Martins term expired al
midnight and that of William l.. Dill
as motor vehicle commissioner and
assistant secretary of state, at the
same hour.
1t is likely that the house will to-
night pass the ripper" bill over the
governors veto and then the senate
will Immediately confirm Martin, as
he will then be stripped of power to
rename Dill as motor vehicle COM
missioner. The ripper" takes this
power from him, and the senate has
been holding up Martins confrma-
ton in order to prevent his remaining
Dill.
Co-incident with his going out OF
office today Commissioner William L..
Dill today submitted to the Legislature
his fifth and last annual report. 1t
shows, among other things that dur
ing the past year this department tool.
In a total of S2,931,9O2.15 in revenue,
a twenty per cent increase over 1918.
amounted to 1897, 1850 a jump of
nineteen per cent. Other totals and
the percentages of increase or decrease
follow: drivers licenses S754,617, in
crease 20 per cent; motor cycle Ii
censes, $22,S32, a decrease of per
cent; receipts from fines, s6S,075.S0,
13 per centAincrease; number of auto
licenses issued, 171.374, 10 per cent.
increase; motor cycle licenses, 11.416,
decrease of per cent; drivers licenses
PSI, $50, 25 per cent. increase.
There were 1898 motor cycle IL
censes issued in 1917 and 11,416 last
year. The report says the decline of
the motor cycle as a method of trans
portation is evidently due to the fact
that the cost of this machine today
Us almost as great as that of an auto
mobile.
Maintenance OF the motor vehicle
department during 1919 amounted to
z IL per cent of the gross receipts,
Mr.. Dill points out.
Among the offenses for which Ii
Icenses TO drive in New Jersey were
revoked, driving while under the in
fiuence of liquor was the most frequent
the number of cases being IFS. A total
of 335 licenses were revoked. The
S,113. Automobile fatalities during
the year numbered 24S as compared
with rs on railroads and trolley and
3 on wagons.
taken to bar mental detectives from
driving automobiles. THE matter is
one that is most VITAL" said his re-
port, "and will require working
agreement between the state board of
education, the labor department and
the department of motor vehicles, in
order that clearing house may be
established whereby those defective
can be Weeded out, the possibility of
securing drivers licenses .precluded,
and the likelihood of not obtaining n
position fraught with danger made
certain"
The report scores the justices of the
peace who are reluctant to entertain
complaints for violations of the mo-
tor vehicle and traffic acts because of
the minimum amount of costs they
aret permitted to impose. "A magis-
trate who will conduct his court sole
ly upon the fees derived therefrom
and who declines to lend his good
Offices in the hearing of cases where
the fees are virtually nil. is unworthy
of the high honor which attaches to
justices of the peace" said the report
on this.
So that the lay mind may intelli-
gently grasp the regulations, the COM
the department, Mr. Dilrs final report
has this interesting recommendation
to make:
'"The work of the commissioner has
grown to such proportion that it Is
well nigh impossible to keep pace
with the same single handed; and a
deputy commissioner should be pro-
vided to assist in the work and to
have powers co-extensive with that
of the commissioner in sitting as a
magistrate"
The report renews previous COM
ment on the failure of Pennsylvania
and New York to enact laws making
mandatory the examination of all
those desiring to drive a motor vehi-
Gle. Until this Is done, New Jersey
motorists must expect many distress
ptency of the unlicensed drivers who
infest our state" Mr.. Dill states.
The outgoing commissioner declares
for more rigid regulation of jitneys by
the municipalities especially in the
ing on the part of passengers and the
use of abominable siren horn or
whistle.
Stating that the moneys now col
lected are not adequate TO properly
maintain our roads the commissioner
says: The proposition of registering
ment, upon the weight of the same,
cles an additional fee based upon the
iting loads to 5000 pounds, is wor-
hxra af