Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-19
cLASHING MOTOR LAWS

TN A letter printed on another page today
i Commissioner Dill. of the Motor Vehicle
Department of New Jersey. accuses us Of
incorrectly stating the causes of friction
between road authorities on this side of the
river and truck owners from his state. who
have been complaining because Of the en-
forccmcnt of law which restricts the use-
fdlncSS Of Jersey tags in Pennsylvania.
But Mr.. Dill touches only the surface Of
situation which needs to be reviewed to the
bottom. His memory doesn't run SO far
backward as it should
1t is true that the Motor Vehicle Law en-
acted at Harrisburg in 1919 imposes what
seem like unfair restrictions on truck own
crs from other States. who must register
their vehicles and obtain Pennsylvania tags
II they wish to cross the line more than
once a week or oftener than fifty times in
year. Mr.. Dill declares that he does not
know why that law ever was passed He
should know. however. 1t was passed in
emulation Of policy of restriction that
prevailed previously in New Jersey. The
principle involved is wrong. whether it be
applied At Harrisburg or at Trenton.
OF late years it has been the habit of
Legislatures to view motor license fees as
sort Of road tax for general maintenance
Of highways and as the basis of road build
ing funds. Abuse of the roads by some
users Of heavy trucks made il desirable that
the States which spend enormous sums for
road work should have means to keep II
check on those who are disposed to abuse
tn" privilege of motor licenses by ignoring
rules laid down for the protection Of new
and old highways from deliberate dcstruc-
tion. But the fact remains that the first
outcry against "foreign' motorists, the first
restrictive laws and the first arrests of
drivers with 'forcign' tags occurred in
New Jersey years ago. The complaints Of
Pennsylvania drivers who were pcnuized
for using the Jersey roads without having
obtained Jersey tags had as much as any.
thing else TO do with the passage at Harris
burg of what was frankly intended as
measure Of reprsal
When the trouble began New Jersey
could claim with some justice to be the
original good roads State in this part of the
country. JerS"yitoS partly because Of the
favoring topography Of their State and
partly because of the relation Of good roads
to agricultural development. were among
the first TO 60 scientifically about the crca-
ton and maintenance" of a comprehensive
good roads system. They spent their money
without stint. But to placatr the farmers
who paid most Of the taxes. the Stnte au-
thort!cS had finally 10 seek means by which
some of the burden could BE- shifted TO
motor owners who were drawn in increas-
ing multtudcS TO Jersey. II was then.
when almost all other States were drifting
toward n rule Of universal reciprocity under
which full and unlimited highway rights
were accorded everywhere to motorists who
didn't happen to b" displaying the tag Of
Stat" given to discrimination. that the
Jersey authorities began to devise rcstric-
tive measures.
Mr.. Dill is right in insisting that the
restrictions now applied are at one" futile
and unjust But his State and department
helped to create the policy of restriction,
Properly. the roads Of the country ought TO
be organized rs one system and there should
b" none of the discrimination that. viewed
nationally, Is calculated to restrain trade
and even social relationships, between the
peoples Of adjoining Commonwcalths.
W" are now in n transient phase of road
regulation. Laws lately enacted in many
States were conceived in spite or irritation.
They will not last. The pcnnsylv0nin
Motor Vehicle Act as 1t relates to the small
commercial trucks Of farmers ough, to be
revised, If only because the authorities in
Jersey have lived and learned to be- moro
tolerant in the years that have passed since
they used to send ont motor scouts to round
up and fine Pennsylvanians who had been
longer than two weeks on their HIGHWAYS
without having registered their cars and
paid the required license fees