Arizona republican., 1921-03-06
BY FREDERIC J. HAsklN

4
 NEW YORK, March 3--New York has a traffic court, which, due to the New Workers mania for speeding, is one of the richest courts of it's kind in the world. Thousands of fines, at $25 or more apiece, are collected here every day from automobile operators who can or cannot explain why they were rushing through the city streets at the rate of over 30 miles an hour About 5000 such cases are tried every week, and last year over $400,000 was collected by the court from speed violations alone.
 In the same year, 746 persons, or more than an average of two for each day. were killed by automobiles in New York, in addition to thousands who were knocked down and injured. This year, it is predicted, the number will be considerably increased.
 In other words, it is a foregone con clusion that about 500 individuals who now walk the streets, presumably in good health and with no thought of suicide, will be hurried off to the lnorgues before this year is ended. It is equally certain that hundreds of children will be crippled during this period, and that the city hospitals will be kept busy attending to motor casu atty cases.
  use of motor driven vehicles, certain number of accidents and fatalities are inevitable. New York city alone now has over 500.000 automobiles. with ex- tremelY little space in the downtown section in which to accommodate them. Its traffic system, while unusually eff ficent for some thoroughfares. is hope lessly inadequate in others, so that in many congested places cars are wholly unsupervised, and pedestrians are left to cross the streets as best they may. lodging machines, street cars and ele- yated posts.
 The pedestrians, moreover, are woe fully careless. Exceeding lodging has made the New Yorker over bold at street crossings, while many persons, unacquanted with the limitations of motor mechanism, calmly place all of the responsibility of risk on the auto mobile drivers. It is not uncommon to see a man or woman step heedlessly in front of a moving automobile, with the airy remark, Well, if he hits me, hell get sued,' or something of the sort. Speeding Greatest Cause of Accidents
 Nevertheless, while traffic congestion and the heedlessness of pedestrians are important contributing causes, the greatest cause for motor accidents is unquesionably speeding.
 According to Magistrate Frederick B. House of the traffic court, the rate of speed at which automobiles are driven has increased dangerously in the past few years. Four years ago, the record of speeders haled into court was seldom over 30 miles an hour, while today it is frequently 50 and 55 miles.
 The traffic court is the only existing check on this popular form of sport At least it's aim is to inspire in the metropolitan automoblist a healthy re- spect for the speed laws by fining him literally every time he is caught break ing them. If fining fails to make the desired impression, it cannot be said that the court does not rise nobly tc it's duty.
 All day long, with the exception o1 couple of hours recess at noon, it's small cramped quarters are filled witf disgruntled motor car drivers. in the process of forking over their fines, ol waiting patiently for the gallan oppor- tunity to do so. It is interesting to see the different ways in which the guilty take their punishment. Some are trem bling with rage at what they obviously consider an outrage; others are suller with resignation, and a few exhibit ex- agerated nonehanlance before the bar.
 One of these was being heard tho other afternoon when the reporter vls- ited the court
 You are charged said the judge