Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-05-13
Must Register Title To
Autos After June LIST.
Fine of S. to $1,000 If Owners
Fail TO Comply With Law.

The recent act of the Legislature re-
curing all owners of motorcars in the
State of Maryland to register title to
their cars with the Automobile Commits
sioner becomes effective June lat. Those
who fail to register will be liable to a
fine of from S. to 81 900, and will Re un-
able to secure license on January of
next year.
A 9O-day period of grace. running from
June /. is given for compliance with the
law to all those who are in possession OF
automobiles on that date, with an excep-
ton in the case of those who own cars
the engine numbers OF which have been
mutilated or tempered with. Such own
ers must file application for legal title,
with full history of the car, within 6O
days The man who purchases car at
ter June l with mutilated or altered
numbers must make report and file his
application for title within 10 days.
The object of the law, as explained by
Automobile Commissioner Baughman, is
to close Maryland as market for stolen
automobiles. The blank which must be
filled out in applying for title requires
the fullest details as to where and from
whom the car was purchased and COM
plete description of the machine. This
information must be sworn to and will
be subjected to verifcation by the title
departm ent before title is given.
Conviction for changing the number of
an engine after June will carry with it
punishment of up to five years in the
penitentiary. False statements made in
applying for title involve severe penal
ties. In every possible way the law at
tempts to safeguard such property and
make it dangerous thing for anyone to
circumvent its requirements or destroy
distinguishing marks upon which legal
title is based.
When car is sold secondhand, the law
proper endorsement, and the purchaser
must exhibit the title properly Endorsed
when he makes application for license.
If he cannot show such title, he will
have considerable explaining to do to the
Automobile Commissioner.
1t will not be as difficult for dealer to
get title as the used car agents. The
agent is required to furnish the title de-
partment with the full description of the
car, the name of the purchaser and other
details, and title is given.
Colonel Baughman firmly believes that
this law is long step toward the solu-
ton of the stolen car problem. 1t will
not be long, he believes, when similar
laws will be adopted by every state in
the country, absolutely depriving auto
mobile thieves of market for their loot.
At the same time he predicts, the Inter-
state Commerce Commission will require
of railroad and steamship lines that no
automobiles shall be received for ship
ment from one point to another until sat
isfsctory evidence of legal title is pre-
scented with the bill of lading.
The Automobile Commissioner declares
that hundreds of cars are being shipped
out of this part of the country to every
part of the world and sold. Such state
of affairs would indicate that automobile
thievery $ organized on big scale with
widely scattered markets. Rigid regu-
lation of automobile shipments, it is be-
lieved. will be necessary to break up the
traffic.
Automobile agencies are themselves
responsible for the mutilation and alter
alton of engine numbers, declares Colo
mel Baughman. Hundreds of cars, he
charges. are shipped out of cities into
the territory of other agencies. and to !
keep this fact from becoming known to /,
the agents whose territories have been
invaded the tel[tale numbers are remov-
ed, otherwise an inquiry addressed to the
fact ry AS to which agency of q certain
number was consigned would bring ex-
posure and the loss of the agency of the
offending party.
Has Two Murder Cases.
For the first time in several years