Evening star., 1923-02-16
5000 MOTORISTS
TO LOSE FREE USE
OF STREETS HERE

Close to 5000 motorists who have
been using the streets of Washing
ton gratis, year after year, by pur-
chasing their license plates from their
home" states will be obliged to buy
District tags after March I, under a
new registration system the traffic
bureau will put in operation on that
date. 1t is estimated the city's treas
ury Will be enriched by $4,000 when
this new regulation is strictly en-
forced, a sum these persons have been
sending back home" every year de-
spite the facS that Washington has
long been their legal residence.
Maryland Rule Basis.
The practice of motorists from other
states abusing the reciprocity agree
ment Washington has made with every
commonwealth except Maryland be-
came general Immediately after the
latter state required local drivers to
carry Maryland tags. For several
months Inspector Headley, chief of the
traffic bureau, has been carefully inves-
tigating the extent to which this prac-
tice has gone. He has the names OF
several thousand owners of autonIo.
biles here who have been violating the
reciprocity laws.
After March 1 everv automobile In
washington bearing the tags of a. dis.
tant state viii be obliged to carry in
addition a small tag showing that ii
has been duly registered at the traffic
bureau three days after its arrival. II
that car is still in the city after the
period of reciprocity has expired the
face prosecution.
Police to Keep Watch.
Close watch will be maintained by
all policemen, whether attached Ia
the traffic bureau or the regular
force, to make sure that some motor
lists do not escape. Tab will be kept
on all public and private garages and
no warning will be afforded those
who fail to buy their tags on time
The first persons to be arrested will
be those whose names have already
been obtained. Inspector Headley de-
clared he had found several cases OF
persons who had resided in Washing
ton for thirty or forty years and still
paid their automobile taxes in their
"home" states.
Although the absence OF reciprocity
between Maryland and the District
drove many persons TO adopt this
\
said innumerab1e persons had frankly
told him they sent their money back
home" because the roads there needed
repairing badly. Most of these mo-
torists. he added, had lived here for
many years.
Besides depriving Washington of It's
rightful taxes, the practice has also
made il possible for thousands of mo-
torists to drive in Washington with
out going through an examination as
S.t
instance, any man who buys motor
car may order his drivers permit and
license plates by mail. Hundreds OF
these persons are driving through the
streets of Washington daily, without
ever having gone through an exami-
nation to determine If they are men,
tally or physically qualified to operate
an automobile.
The same law is true of all but
twelve states. The District authori-
ties are obliged by law to permit
these so-called nonresident motorists
to drive here as long as they have
complied with the laws of their own
states. Some of these states do not
require the owner of a car to have
an operators permit at all. Only
chauffeurs, who work for a living
must obtain a permit. Many such
persons are declared to be running in
Washington without a permit>and are
within the traffic regulations OF
Washington.
Fine From Ten Days TO Six Months
The time allowed nonresident mo-
torists to drive in Washington with
out first buying District tags varies
from ten days to six months. accord
ing to the state whence they came.
The District police allow visiting
motorists the same length of time
their own states grant persons visit
ing there. No person, under any cir
cumstances, however. may drive a
car here longer than six months with
out paying the regular fee for Dis
trict tag.