Evening star., 1923-02-01

spicuousness Of tyaf1c policemen, so
that they do not catch the attention OF
drivers always, for they are not sta
toned at all corners. even In the con-
gested region, and drivers are often not
aware that q trafic officer exists at a
particular corner until perhaps the car
has failed to stop and the warning trill
OF the police whistle tells the unwary
driver that maybe he has committed the
objectionable sin Of crossing in the face
OF an unnoticed signal. To say that he
must assume the presence Of controlling
officers at all corners is nonsense, since
they are no more frequent than at one
In six intersections, and in crowd ed
streets the driver has plenty on his
mind without guessing at non existent
obstacles to his freedom. The sema-
phores should be bigger. brighter of
color and be at all corners on congested
| streets.
Ninety-nine per cent Of drivers are
as anxious to avoid accidents as the
most careful pedestrian. 1t takes
more caution to control and guide
three to five ton engine through
the crowds Of similar monsters.
trackless and perhaps less carefully
handled, than it does to run a loco
motive upon its track. The bane of
the streets is the young. reckless
drivers of delivery wagons. whirlirg
their engines around corners and rae
ing over crossings.
With q population considerably
less than half a million, we are kill
ing human victim every other day,
besides manning many daily, and the
| slaughter is increasing. From SO to
100 traffic arrests are made daily.
What next?
Compare automobile driving with
| aviation! 1t is ideal safety to ny.
The pilots of the Post Ofhce Depart
ment few 1000. 900 miles during 1922.
without . fatality. How far do all
the automobiles of Washington
aggregate In miles per death? How
far per manning? There are about
$4,000 automobiles in Washington.
Not all travel daily-perhaps not
more than a quarter of them--but
If the whole number average Ave
miles a day. that amounts to less than
100000 miles. and they would re-
quire two days to 100000 miles, or
four days to aggregate the mileage
of a years run of the Post Once
aviators. The automobiles. in that
distance, kill two innocent bystand-
ers, while the airplanes, Kill nobody.
| 1t is safer In the clouds than in the
city streets.
The distressing Information comes
that there are more children en-
ployed in the factories and mines OF
America now than ever before, ac-
cording to a report of the children's
bureau Of the Department Of Labor,
just issued. There are upwards of a
million under fifteen years Of age. of
whom there are 3s7.o63 less than four
teen years. The ruling Of the Supreme
Court makes 1t impossible for Con-
gress to control the evil without
constitutional amendment
! What with child labor. the narcotic
| evil and bootlegging, the manhood of
America is certainly in bad way re-
garding regeneration from the condi-
tion Of degeneracy which caused one
fourth of the drafted men of less
than thirty years Of age TO be rejected
as physically unfit for the Army. The
! problems of how to build up America
| physically, even before facing the
problems OF intellect and morale, ia
one of the grayest that any nation
has ever had to face. The narcotic
| evil Is incredibly uron4trous, and
must be grappled with even moro
! vigor than alcoholism ever called