Evening star., 1924-06-02
TRY TO DRIVE WOMEN
FROM TRAFFIC RANKS
New York Police Watch Like
Hawks for Slips and Bawl Them
Out, Says Official.
DECIDED BY "HIGHER-UPs"
Case of Miss Rockefeller Merely
One of a Group.
BY JESSIE HENDERSON.

BY Consolidated Press.
NEW YORK. May 31.-Isn't it
splendid that the day of discrimina-
tion against women Is gone? Isn't it
wonderful that women are people
that they can go into society, politics.
business and motor driving on abso-
lutely equal terms with men?
The answer is a prolonged, II sub
dued, ha ha. This noise. compounded
of mirth and irony, comes from the
general direction of the New York
traffic squad.
The noise arises from the sub rosa.
soto voce and otherwise secret. dark
and midnight determination Of the
traffic higher-ups to drive the woman
motorist off the streets of New York
city
You don't believe It? Neither did
we, until the case of Abby Rockefel-
ler, the youngest daughter of John
D. Rockefeller, jr., was dragged out
Of the more or less secret archives
of the traffic court, to brighten the
front pages. The lady has been sum-
moned for speeding twice within the
past few months.
Trafic Squad Surprised.
The fact that she was let of both
times without punishment. and that
news of the affair was studiously
suppressed. is beside the point so far
as the traffic officials are concerned.
The surprise expressed by her father,
when he read about 1t In the news
papers, was no greater than the sur
prise experienced by the rank and
file of the traffic squadrespecially
when they learned she had gone scot
free.
The cop who "pinched" Miss Abby
the second time claims 1t was by no
initiative of his, but on instructions
the second time as a first offender.
The traffic squad including the cops
who stopped Miss Abby. is under the
sub rosa impression that the NOM
bers are to nab and put over the
bumps ever ywoman driver they catch
violating the tiniest traffic rule, even
If that woman be a Rockefeller.
Miss Abby's case came to light be-
cause a lot OF chauffeurs got angry
over her suspended sentence and
complained to the mayor about what
they called "one law for the rich
dered an investigation, which is get
ting Miss Abby columns OF news
paper space, where couple OF mere
convictions would have yielded but
inches.
But the case of Miss Abby called
crets about which people say: "Oh.
it's true enough. But you can't say
anything about 1T. because no one
will admit the fact. The moro you
say about it, the more denials you'll
draw
Omcial Interviewed.
Listening with horror to hints OF
discrimination against the woman
driver, we put the thing up to some
one in a position to know. Looking
carefully round about to make sure
no one overheard. and extracting
from us a promise not to mention
any names, the official-for it was an
division-spoke as follows:
Sure it's true. We aim to make
things so hard for the woman
motorist that she'll stop trying to
drive through traffic. We don't want
women drivers on the city street at
traffic cops have been instructed to
pick on women, but the tra{hc cops
understand perfectly that when they
haul a woman uo for even q slight
infringement of the traff1c rules. It's
a good job and won't bring repri-
mand.
you see, women drivers are more
nervous, more fiighty than men.
They're less clever drivers than
All this time we had been repeat.
ing monotonously: "They are not!
They are not! They are not!"
The official fixed US with q steely
glance. II say they are"
That's what men. say about every
thing women try to do" we snapped
its only prejudice; matter OF male
opinion"
Well" replied the official, its q
matter of my opinion and Of otheri
on jobs similar to mine, and In Z