New Britain herald., 1925-02-27
ADD CONFUSION ID
 CAPITAL TRAFFIC
Situation in Washington Creates
 a Vast Problem to Solve

Washington. Feb. 27,--Among the countless problems which center in the national capital there is one which, in contrast to welghty mat ters of diplomacy. state and govern ment, Is peculiarly a Main Street" question. It is the traffic problem. It has attracted the attention of ex- perts from many cities; special com mittees have wrestled with 1t, and TOW congress has taken it in hand, hoping to solve it. but to all ap- pearances 1t still remains a prob- lem.
 Those who have unspoiled recol- lections of their national capital be- for the war, with its wide, free av- snues and inviting shady circles, square and parks which dotted the magnificent distances. would think if they were to visit Washington to- day that it had been converted into public garage.
 lItTc dl6 III wa lOliS Slty of 5o0,000. about 100000 automo- piles, and those from the nearby suburbs in Virginia and Maryland swell that number. There are SO few garages, public or private, that residential streets are cluttered at night with homeless motor cars. By day the same thousands of cars are to be found in the streets downtown and in the parks.
 The motor car owner in Washing ton may do what he may not do in New York, London, Paris or practi- cally any other large city. He may drive to business and leave his car in the street until his days work is done. Of course, all-day parking is prohibited and occasionally po- lice drive against 1t nets some fines. Large department stores run free busses for patrons to the outskirts of the parking area: others pro- vide garage facilities and drivers for shoppers, but the problem remains. The death rate from motor acci- dent runs around one . day, and the injuries several.
 A special committee of the Cham Der of Commerce has denounced Washington's traffic regulations as "asinine." They are voluminous and the police say the great ma- jority of motor drivers don't know them.
 There arc, of course, many ccr1- plexities arising from privileged drivers. Motors belonging to the foreign diplomats are marked "dip- lomatic." When . speed cop pulls up alongside one of these cars a distinguished looking gentleman sticks out his head and says. T am the ambassador from Belgravia-" The cop knows that the car and oc- cupant have diplomatic immunity. A pretty young woman breaks the speed limit into splinters and says, "I am the daughter of the minister of Graustark." In aggravated cases the state department politely re- quests the embassy not to fracture the local ordinances.
 But there are other complicating special privileges which make diff ficult strict enforcement of the laws. Congressmen have asked for and ob- tained a practical blanket immun- ity from punishment for traffic vio- lations. The local government has supplied their cars with tags marked Congressional" No policeman. ex- cept in rare cases. ever arrested a congressman if he knew who he was, but the immunity is now made dou- ply sure. A congressman may now park his, car as long as he pleases while transacting official business"
 There are probably more motor car drivers in Washington who are privileged, or who imagine them- selves to be privileged, than fin any other place in the world. It Is not strange that the policeman often wonders whom to arrest.