The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-08-27
OBTAINS PLATES
FROM EVERY
COUNTRY
One of Much interest Is an
Irish License Puncture
BY Sim Feiners.
By international News Service.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass, Aug. %.
- Automobile registration plates,
comprising number plates from
every State in the Union. Nova
Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec, On
tario, Manitoba, Honolulu, Canal
Zone. Municipality of Panama,
Cuba, Scotland, ireland, Isle of
Man. Austria and Toxic. Japan, are
the unique collection of which A.
w. Kelly, manager of the William
+. Nye oil plant at Fish Island, is
the proud possessor.
The collection, begun in 1921 by
. Kelly as an experiment, was COM
pleted recently. The plates are of all
varieties and color schemes. In the
collection there are Massachusetts,
plates Nos. /, 9, 8, 4. and s. Sew
eral plates have interesting stories
: connected with them, as unfolded by
the persons who forwarded them to
Mr.. Kelly.
Probably the most interesting and
thrilling tale accompanies the num-
Der plate from Dublin, ireland,
which contains three bullet holes as
q result of an encounter with Sim
Feiners. This plate was forwarded
by one of the .Nye cempany's agents
in Dundee, Scotland. His letter ac-
complaining the number plate reads
as follows:
Was i'm Ambush.
1.-The Crossley tender that this
number plate came from was in
voTved in an ambush in Brunswick
street, Dublin, by Sim F'einers.
Lieutenant Farrell and Captain
Beard, of the M. c., were killed in
the fray. The number plate, as you
will see, was pierced in three places
by bullets fired by Slim Feiners.
Several of them were killed and
wounded. With the aid of an auto
matte revolver we captured one or
them. He was later hanged at
Mountjoy Prison in April"
Added as a postscript was written:
1.-THE Slim Feiners were trying to
put the engine cut of commission"
Kelly obtained most of the plates
by sending letters to the American
Consuls requesting number plates
from those countries. In one IN
stance the desired number plate
could not be obtained without pur-
chasing an automobile to which the
plate was attached.
This plate was that of Melbourne,
Australia. The vice counsel wrote
that in Australia when a car leaves
the factory ii has attached to the
rear a square metal plate wherein
the number is painted in black let
tiers on a white back ground when
the car is registered
There is nothing distinctive about
the plate; in fact. nothing more Is
shown than the figures. This num-
!. Der does not change but is main
tanned from year to year unless the
car is sold to another county or
State. In this case re-regfstration
would be necessary and fresh num-
Der would be painted over the old
one.
Difficulty In Mexico.
The registration fee is paid each
year, a receipt being given without
any change in the plate or number.
Another difficulty arose in attempt
ing to obtain a number plate from
Mexico. The cost involved by the
ownership OF the pate by someone
outside of Mexico was prohibitive.
In Mexico Mr.. Keliaf was advised
the cost Of number plate is 50. In
addition the plate must be returned
at its expiration. Should a person
of another country own one OF the
plates and take it out Of Mexico,
the cost to him would be SO q
month.
Claiming the parcel containing a
number plate from Tokyo, Japan,
involved much red tape. Kelly was
unable to claim the parcel until he
appeared at the post office with a
representative OF the custom house
in order that the postal authorities
could be assured that the article was
not contraband.
A great deal Of attention has been
attracted to the collection, which
hangs in a front office on the ground
floor of the oil plant at Fish Island.