Evening star., 1924-03-09
MARYLAND'SAUT0
LAWSFACE CHANGE
Activity Results From Dispute
of Baughman and Own
erS' Club.

ANNAPOLIS. Md, March S.-with
automobile reciprocity between Mary
land and the District virtually as
sured, and the concomitant increase
IN the use of the states highways.
Washington motorists should be in
terested in a number of bills now be-
fore the Maryland legislature chang
ing the motor laws of the state, par
ticularly as the Automobile Club of
Maryland and the, commissioner of
motor vehicles have disagreed as to
the manner in which the latter en-
forces his regulations. and have in
troduced the legislation in question.
One of the practices frowned on by
the club is the policy of the commits
sioner. Col. L. Austin Baughman, to
deputiZe citizens as special deputies
with the power to arrest for speed
ing and other violations of the motor
code. These so-called "snoopers' wear
ordinary civilian clothes, bearing no
distinctive marks, and have aroused
the ire of the Maryland motorist.
One section of bill now being con-
sidered by the house judiciary COM
mittee abolishes these deputies and
takes the right to appoint them from
the commissioner. 1t will be further
amended to provide that all motor
cycle deputies, excepting those en-
ployed in the commissioners Office,
wear uniforms.
Back Light Traffic Court.
Another bill divides the traffic
court, sitting in Baltimore city, into
three branches. two justices to hold
court during the day and one at
night This is aimed to reduce the
congestion of cases in the courts and
facilitate the. trials of persons ar
rested for minor offenses. thus saw
ing the time of the accused and wit
neSses.
The main bill. known as house bill
No. 55, has been in the hands of the
house judiciary. committee for more
than a month and will come UP as
tho special order of business Thurs
day at noon. A favorable report
offered, and a fight with the COM
missioner's friends is anticipated
An amendment will be offered
changing the law for excessive speed
ing from sixty to fifty miles an hour
and another amendment changes the
minimum fine for exceeding thirty
five miles an hour from $50 to SO.
The minimum sentence for operating
"A machine while intoxicated is raised
to one years Imprisonment, instead
OF thirty days, as heretofore.
scale of Fines Changed.
Another change made by the bill
is the abolishment of a minimum fine.
as 1t WIZ allow smaller lnSS 10 De
imposed for slight violations and en-
able severe punishment to be meted
out to those guilty Of comparatively
serious charges.
A section providing that any auto
mobile operating on a highway wide
enough to permit three'or more lines
of traffic to the right of the center
or the highway and moving in the
same direction to pass machines on
the right will be Struck from the bill.
as will a section allowing motor
vehicles to pass street cars on the
left on one-way streets.
The bill contains a provision pro-
hibitinG parking on the tops, of hills.
curves or any part of d state road
where the clearance is less than
fourteen feet, with the exception Of
vehicles unloading freight, pasSen-
gers or disabled. This will be
amended to exempt the vehicles of
public utility corporations which main
tain telephone lines or pipe lines
along or in the highway, provided
warning flags and lights are used.
Motorists entering a highway from