Evening star., 1923-11-23
'6|(DAY' AUTO TRUCE
WITH MARYLAND|S
ASKEDBY DISTRICT
Move Made to Give Congress
Time to Enact Reciprocity
Measure.
BALL CONFIDENT BILL,
WILL BE PASSED SOON
Senate District Committee Head
Sees Enactment by Christ
mas Holidays.

The Commissioners will ask Coz
Ritchie of Maryland to enter into .
sixty-day armistice agreement coverinG
next January and February with IN
District on automobile tags in the hopA
Of obtaining enactment of the reciproc-
ity bill early at the coming session q
Congress.
At the board meeting today Com.
missioners Rudolph, Oyster and Bel$
voted to lay the proposal before tho
governor Immediately.
If the suggestion is adopted byi
Gov. Ritchie, it will mean that during
January and February Washington
motorists would be permitted to
drive into Maryland on District tags
only and Marylanders could cross che
District line on their state tags.
The motive which prompted the
Commissioners to make this move
was to eliminate the confusion that
might result If Congress enacted the
reciprocity bill early in the new year.
after hundreds of District people had
purchased Maryland tags and large
numbers of Maryland residents had
bought District plates.
Might Spur Congress.
It also is held at the District build
ing that the declaration of sixty
day truce between the two JuriSdfc-
tions might help to spur Congress
to act promptly in bringing about
permanent automobile peace.
Under existing law the Commis-
sfoners are empowered to recognize
the tags Of any state that recognizes
District tags. Therefore. If Gov.
Ritchie sees his way clear to accept
the proposal the Commissioners could
automatically return the compliment.
The city heads also issued an
order today authorizing Wade Coombs.
selling District automobile tags for
1924 on December 3.
The Commissioners did not discuss
the question of what adjustment they
could make on District tags sold dur
ing December on the present horse
power charge in the event Congress
should enact the gasoline tax in Jan
uary or February. 1t was suggested
by one official that this question
might be provided for in the text of
the gasoline bill
Double Purchase Heavy.
Superintendent Coombs estimated
today that 20 per cent of all District
tags sold go to Maryland cars and
that about so or 80 per cent of Wash
1t is to prevent this interpurchase of
tags between residents of the two
Jurisdictions, with the possibility of
the reciprocity bill soon becoming a
law, that the Commissioners are pro-
posing the temporary agreement.
While the Commissioners were act
ing today, Senator L. Heisler Ball,
chairman of the Senate District com
mittee, promised that reciprocity with
Maryland on automobile tags, through
the gasoline-tax measure, can be
promptly achieved and this legisla-
tion can pass the Senate before the
Christmas holidays.
Coupled with this is an assurance
that the problem of transportation
through the streets of the National
Capital is receiving his most earnest
and thorough study looking toward
an effective and permanent solution.
II believe We can get this 'reci-
procity' measure acted upon favor
ably by the Senate before the Christ
mas holidays" said Senator Ball, "un-
less Senator Mcclellan or Senator
Cousens blocks US by insistence upon
f1ve-cent car fare measure being
passed before any other District leg
iSlation is taken up.
MckeIIar Stood Firm.
The attitude of Senator Mcclellan
referred to was shown in the closing
days of the last Congress when much
District legislation was held back
by McKellar's insistence on his reso
luton which called for the street car
companies to live up to their original
contract and furnish transportation
for cents. coupled with which was
a demand for an investigation as to
why the Public Utilities Commission
had assumed the right to abrogate
the terms of such contract.
While the threat has been made
that Senator McKellar would resume
his filibuster for this measure when
the new Congress opens, close ad-
visers of his say that they are hope
full that this will not be done.
THE District Commissioners have
promised me that they will have the
new gasoline tax. or so-called 'reci-
procity' bill, ready so that ] can in
troduce it on the first day on which
measures can be put, in" said the
District committee chairman. 81 will
get 1t promptly reported by the commit
tee and 1 have assurance that there will
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