The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-08-07
A
Richmond Authorit
Carried Out iCaroli,a
Recent Arrests Of
Men

udv issued the following StatpIno
There has recently. occurred
misunderstanding by autos
dealers of North and South CA
as to the enforcement of .tl1es Aa,t1
bile laws at Richmond, and we
this method of explairinr Ia
friends in both states what we
found to be the facts involved.
The complaint by the autoy
dealers was that cars. without
license or regulation state metal 3
ber plates, but with pieces fof 81
board marked by the owner or n
pfacturer I'm" Transit were stops
identified and the usual fines ifnpob&
| After thorough investigation il 81
pears from the correspondence quot
below, clearly an effort by our ai
thorities to carry out by direct ID
guest of their officials the North al
South Carolina laws, and 1t is not a
any way an enforcement against no,s
| residents of Virginia laws.
From state highway department. d
South Carolina tc' the secretary OF ta3
commonwealth of Virginia, dazqj
July is, 1920: Y
Hon. b. Q. James, Secretary of iii
Commonweallh, Richmond, Va.
Dear Sir: Your comm anieation.,, UNI
der date of July, 10, addressed 20 tsS'
secretary Of the. state. of SoS,h Caro-
lima has been referred, to this depart,
mept.j 81 s..t&y Ny,8
L The state highway commission il.
much pleased toslearn, that the au-'
thorities of your state have been In,
strpcted by you to recognize only th6'
official metal auto license tags fprS
nished by, this department TO indf-'
vidual owners and dealers OF. SoutI1
Carolina, who may be operating, au-|
toNobiles through the state cIf .yir-
ginia. The pastenoard ,markers OF
which you so Justly complain are rsef
to- be considered in any, sense ofRcisl,
and such markers are not. recogni1Ad
at all by the authorities in. our state.
This department will gladly co.
operate with your Office in anytsgay
possible in connection with such mat
tars and to this end weswiil give such
publicity to your letter rs we can
til. ocgh the. newspapers and other
means. Yours very truly,
tsignedl T. III THOMAS.
Secretary.
From North Cart.lina.
9 From secretary Of the comuiof,-
wealth of, North Carolina to Hon. b.
O. James secretary of the common
wealth of irginia, dated July H..
l192O: ys' ~
Hon. B. O.. James. Secretary Of the
Commonwealth of Virginia, Rich
mond, Virginia.. -
/ ,rDear Sir,-Yopr letter. OF the 10Th
instant, relative to operation OF nutor
| Ivehiclss with pssteboard markers, is
lfeceived
| "While our law does not provide
for the operation of machines with
In Transit tags, or. similar ones, is
SUED by manufacturers etc, it does
provide for the official Duplicate
Number Applied For tag, which ~
made from press board. i am sending
you sample, of this tag under sep
ate cover. and will he glad for pow
TO, amend your instructions that this
tag will be recognized, ssss
Il will be glad. .indeed. to give -
much publicity as, possible to your In
strpctions covering I'm Transit tags.
With best wishes, ea So
/ a0 y. Bryan Grimes. ss..
| s1rS Secretary OF State,
by tSianed) j. .E. Sawyer, Automo-
bile Clerk" -. <,
I The North Carolina "Duplicate. NUM-
Der Applied For" tags can. always be
Iobtafned by dealers or others al. a
cost gofg $500 each. ! If amy ones4wfta
allowed to make for Ibimseif or Others
a paper tag marked ..'ln Transit. .. and
such tag carried with it freedom OF all
highways, how would a, person injured
by such a car get redress how would
automobile thieves, whose pllnder
now amounts TO millions. be appre-
hended; how would automobile traffic
be controlled at all. A c& a
1 This chamber offers the corres-
pondenee sabeve1ands feels certain that
lany fairninded man in Virginia.
Nsfsh, or South cgrelina., or anywhere
else, will agree that it @0e3a, he i'm
possible 20 allow free use. of D.
ways to automobiles with no mar
identification other than TAGS mad
will by any one who could get
use of piece of payer and "a. marking
pot nor would it be Or -ctical or
equitable to pass such cars for one
Iowner and hold Eip those OF another.
One OF the things most highly an
preciated by tie Richmond Chambsr
OF Commerce and Our entire business
community. is the confidepce aud
neignbbrly friendship ,of the WHOM
people Of our sister states OF. North
and South Carolina, which we feel
certain .'Will not be disturbed by this
little. incident ~
The Richmond Chamber OF Com-