Evening star., 1924-09-08
ARTICLE I.


Twenty-Five years ago the motor
vehicle was little more than an ex-
pertinent conducted by persons. who,
better ways Of wasting time Today
there are over 100000 motor
vehicles in use. and the automobile
industry is adding to this total at a
rate Of over 100000 a year. No
wonder Secretary Of Commerce
Hoover asks the question: Are we
consuming new living conveniences
faster than we can digest them?"
Yesterday traffic officers were a class
Of community officials unknown. Today
the budget Of practically every police
department in the United States con-
tains a plea for more of them. New
York city alone has 1900 and needs
an additional 1000. Yesterday those
who admitted the possibility of a
practical motor car predicted that In
any event the motorist would always
be in a small. comparatively unimpor-
tant class which would have to submit
to the most drastic restrictions. Today
the control and restriction OF the pedes-
trian Is receiving almost as much at
tention as legislation for the control OF
the motor vehicle.
Twenty-Five years ago a driver could
hitch the old gray mare to any post
and let her slumber peacefully and in
definitely. Today the streets are dotted
with signs containing such legends as
mo parking here" Park parallel"
Park at an angle of IS degrees" Park
six inches from the curb" or Parking
limit 80 minutes" while fat policemen
armed with tape measures, calipers and
stop watches, instead of the good old
fashioned gun and billy. perspire as
they measure. calculate and make an
endless record Of the passing of Father
Time One came and went as he pleased
in those good old days while now we
are discouraged with abrupt commands
such as "One-way street." mo left
hand turn" "Detour'' and a variety Of
other instructions in the law of the
road.
In those days an accident in the
street made the front page of the
daily papers. Today, unless 1t results
in a fatality or happens to an i'm
portant parsonage. it is fortunate II
1t gets a paragraph somewhere near
the classified advertising section.
More frequently 1t is thrown out en-
tirely by the news editor. Yet $4,000
persons were killed in traffic acci-
dents last year. It has been predicted
that there will be 30,000.000 cars In
use In 1895. Calculating with a sort of
rough geometrical progression. and
assuming the present situation Will
continue, traffic fatalities will then
run to approximately $4,000 a year.
The traffic won't stand it. The toll
at the present time is appalling. Our
city streets are congested to a point
where 1t is no longer a pleasure to
drive on the main thoroughfares, and
the business man would rather use a
street car, a motor bus or taxi
cab than go through the agony Of
finding a place to park. There are
corners in more than one city that
require the services of five policemen
to keep the Immediate vicinity from
looking like the results of a success
full air raid. 1t is no uncommon thing to
hear of a pedestrian being seriously
injured while walking on the side
walk several feet from the curb.
Special courts organized to handle
cases involving traffic violations are
clogged. Hundreds of millions of dol
lars are being spent on the construc-
tion Of roads which will accommo-
date the motor vehicles and at the
same time remain intact for a rea-
sonable length of time under the
pounding of the traffic.
The gypsy has once more taken his
place in the social life of the nation.
Today he Is represented by countless
thousands of American citizens and
their families touring through the
country. Every community has large
areas set aside and labeled tourist
camp" for the use of these temporary
nomads. Fortunes are being made in
special equipment for the travelling
vacationists, such as tents, folding
cook stoves, chairs and other para
fhernalia designed to give the family
all comforts of home at any time of