New-York tribune., 1921-03-27
The Scrap Pile

%u'e " heart trouble, which is report
ca 20 be greatly increased. The idea is
.nat .ne presence of many automobiles
o'l ,he streets, uttering carbon mon
Oh tnls heart affection. Carbon mon
oxide doesn't get "A chance to pet In its
deadly work, however except in small
inciosed specs, such as, for instance.
hltle garages or test rooms If there
we're any general tendency to heart
'rouoie among garage workers and
Nueomopiie factory employees, there
might be some real basis for making
statement of the kind. But there do
not appear to be any statistics to hear
cut this theory
Traffic regulation in the city is he
coming increasingly more complete
many more intersections are now be ing
pellced than ever before, and tall sema-
phore standards have made their an-
peafance at busy spots. The Police De-
partment is certainly entitled to credit
Tor the way in which the traffic prob
,em Is Is being handled. 1t is a sufficient
~ difhcult thing to regulate the grow
ing number of motor vehicles, but the
Job IS being done in workmanlike
manner.
The man who walks dagonally across
street intersections on wet days de-
serves what he gets A motor car can
not be as much under control on slim
perry pavements as it is on dry days.
Although it involves a great deal of
work, the automobile bureau of the
Secretary of State is giving road tests
to all first applicants for operators
hcenses. Every one who wants to get
card emitting him to drive car
must show at least that he knows how
TO run car. This all takes time, but
at least it is making the operators
card amount to something.
1t appears from reports of the licens
ing bureau that a great many persons,
VINO when money was plentiful bought
cars are now becoming professional
chauffeurs in order to run their cars for
hlre. OF course, many who bought in
flush times have long since sold their
cars and have no way of driving their
own for pay But at least a percentage
OF workers have turned to the taxicab
business as a means of lvelihoom.
Motorists paid IN 1920 for license
New York Nearly IS ner 'oe cent s's!e of tb
sum was spent on highway mainte-
nance and repair. Now comes the Low
man bill that would increase fees 25
to Az per cent horsepower for pas
senger cars and 30 to 100 per cent for
trucks. It is stated that at present
rates of licensing the normal increase
IN motor vehicles would mean S11,OOO,-
00O for the state in 1921, and $4,000
600 N 1922. This ought to be enough
tor highways, in all conscience, with
out trying to make motor ears make
good the finances lost by liquor taxes.
me law Is supposedly that the fees
on motor vehicles arc to be merely
enough to pay the cost Of registration.
served
If motorists and truck onerators
don't beat the Lowman bill thew will
find the rates jumping every wear until
the ownership of an automobile is
h hosvily nenalized Now is the time to
defeat it.
The Automobile Club of Southern
California, which has a membership of
about 10000 is behind statewide
movement to punish by arrest motor
lats who discard lunch boxes. tin cans
bottles and other trash alongside the
highways after pcnics. Riverside
County, California, has actually nut an
al rubbish law into effect. AIthourh
Motorsts arc not the only ones who
lcave rubbish along the highways. thew
arc often offenders. This is true in the
East as we'll as out on the Coast. It
would be a good thing to start such a