The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-03-05
PROTECTION AGAINST AUTOMO.
MOBILE THEETS.

A plan to destroy the market for
stolen automobiles and thereby stop
the thefts is now in process of fornna :
tion by the Interstate Motor TEsft
commission at Chicago.
Laws, locks and protective devices
have proved themselves Inadequate
says w r. Van CORTLAND, commits
sioner. The professional motor Car
thief is unabashed. Motor vehicles Of
an approximate value OF 100000, the
commissioner says, are stolen every
day in The United States, despite all
Large numbers OF persons thrive as a
result of the traffic.
The plan is this:
A car is stolen in Chicago. If the
numbers are changed one of two things
happens. either a duplicate Of some
other number is made or fake num-
Der, one that the manufacturers never
placed on a car. When the car is sold
and re-reglstcrcd in any state some
number must he given. A duplicate
numbo" viii Immediately be caught
and tho two Or more cars carrying that
number win be thoroughly investi-
gated. A fake number will show up
just as quickly and be looked into. If
the number is not changed there will
be a report of the number on the com
missions records as that of a stolen
car, and when the same number is
registered again from the same state
or any other it win Immediately be
caught.
che lack of any national clearance
system in the past has been one OF
the largest contributing factors in
making this lawlessness easy and
profitable, Mr.. Van Courtland states,
With the commissions national clear
ance system in operation a car stolen
in Maine, the numbers changed and
the car sold and registered in Califor-
MIA, would immediately be caught, he
asserts.
The plan is virtually a "fingerprint"
system as applied to automobiles. A
master record of every car registered
in the As stats as well as the new cars
that come into existence is 10 be kept
at the commissions headquarters. The
numerical arrangement OF the records
makes checking OF any vehicle simple
/ and automatic A smith eight" for
example. engine number 1884. is regis
tered with the state. The commission
receives this number and goes to post
It, but find another smith eight al
ready registered in that state or some
other-and they do not correspond in
/ detail. 1t is Immediately apparent that
one is incorrect. No man changes these
numbers except for fraud. 1t is a sim
pie process Of elimination for the law
enforcement bodies having jurisdic-
ton over these cars 70 determine
where the trouble lies and then, with
the aid of the commission, the original
identity of the stolen car and to whom
it belongs is determined
Through this national clearance
test the comnS ssion believes that it
will be virtually impossible to dispose
permanently of a stolen machine.
Closely identified with the commission
are sheriffs, police department heads,
chamber of commerce secretaries,
manufacturers, business and profess
sional men. Names that appear on
the national advisory boards include
Joseph A. Faurot, deputy police COM
missioner. New York Dan Beard, Ma
tional Boy Scout commissioner, ]. A.
Hail. educational director, Associated
Advertising Clubs of the World, and
Gutzen Borglum, sculptor and presi-
dent of the International Sporting
o1uh