The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-03-07
ELIMINATE MARKET
FOR STOLEN AUTOS
Method Proposed to Check Thefts
Now Running as High as $500,
600 a Day In Value,

Chicago, March 4.-Destroy the mar
ket for stolen automobiles and there
bv stop the thefts, is the plan now in
process Of formation by the Interstate
Motor Theft Commission here.
Laws, locks and protective devices
have proved themselves inadequate,
saws w r. Van Courtland, commission
er. 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
measures taken to check the thieyery.
Large numbers of persons thrive as a
result Of the traffic.
The plan is this:
A car is stolen in Chicago. II the
numbers are changed one OF two things
happens, either duplicate of some
other number is made or fake num-
ber, one that the manufacturers never
placed on a car When the car is sold
and re-registered In any state some
number must be given. a duplicate
number will Immediately be caught
and the two or more cars carrying
that number will be thoroughly inyes-
tigated. A fake number will show up
just as quickly and be looked into. II
the number is not changed there VIII
be q report of the number on the COM
missions records as that of stolen
car and when the same number IS reg
istered again from the same state or
any other it viii Immediately be
caught,
The 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 clearance sys'
tenn in operation car stolen in Maine
the numbers changed and the car sold
and registered in California, would i'm
medlately be caught, he asserts.
The plan is virtually "fngerprint
system as applied to automobiles. A
master record of every car registered
in the IS states as we'll as the new cars
that come into existence is to 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
1924 Is registered with the state. The
commission receives this number anC
goes to post it but finds another
Smith Eight" already registered IL
that state or some other-and they dc
mot correspond in detail, II is imme
d ately apparent that one is incorrect
No man changes these numbers excep
for fraud 1t is simple process o
elimination for the law enforcement
bodies having jurisdiction over these
cars to determine where the trouble
lies and then with the aid of the com
mission, the original identity of thl
stolen car and to whom it belongs il
determined
Through this national clearanc,
, test the commission believes that /
, will be virtually impossible to dispos
! permanently Of a stolen machine
Closely identified with the commission
. are sheriffs, police department heads
chamber of commerce secretaries
manufacturers, business and profe'
: sional men. Names that appear o.
: the national advisory boards includ
/. Joseph A. Faurot, deputy police con
9 missioner, New York, Dan Beard, na
: tional Boy Scout commissioner, ]. A
. Hall, educational director Associate
a Advertising Clubs Of the World, an
!. Gutzen Borglum, sculptor and pres
dent of the international Sportln
Club,