Evening star., 1925-04-20
LODGE WILL MAKE
AUTO LAW SURVEY
$500 Cars Coming to Mac
CabeeS' Session Here to
Study Many Systems.

A Nation wide study of the opera
tion of the traffic laws of the various
States will be made by the Maccabees
in July, when 10000 members of that
fraternal order drive to their quad
rennial convention in Washington, 1t
was announced Saturday night by Su-
preme Commander A. w. Frye, who
presided at a conference of leaders of
the society at the Hotel Raleigh Sat
urday.
Automobile caravans numbering
$500 or more cars will drive to Wash
ington from every State in the Union
and many of the provinces of Canada,
1t was stated. Each party Will carry
q QUESTIONABLE on which 1t Will
report on the operation of the trafhc
laws of the States and cities passed.
The results will be tabulated and turn
ed over to Congress with view to
promoting the adoption of uniform
traffic regulations all over the country.
"EVery State and city now has diff
ferent traffic laws" Mr.. Frye said IN
proposing the measure. I'm Maryland
we are allowed 35 miles an hour out
side of incorporated towns, In Virginia
80 miles, other States vary from 70 10
a. miles an hour, while still others
cree that motorists shall drive safely,
with the inference that the man who
gets in a smash-up was reckless while
the man who gets by obeyed the law.
When we want to make left turn
in a Michigan city we stop In the
middle of the street and wait Tor a
chance to cross, while the man VINO
does that in Ohio will get called down
by the traffic officer, if not run down
by some other car. Motorists in Los
Angeles performing the same maneu-
yer are told to turn left Immediately
without stopping and blocking the
street, while in other cities the man
who crosses that way will get a trip
to court.
Indecision Is Menace.
"The result is that motorists in
strange State and city do not know
what to do, and their indecislon Is a
menace to both themselves and other
motorists and pedestrians. The pur-
pose of all traffic ordinances is to IA.
ciIitare the movement of traffic and
safeguard life and property. the Mac
cabee caravans, numbering 2,50O or
more cars touring the country IN OF
ganized parties, have an unprecedent-
ed opportunity to observe the opera
ton of traffic regulation. Every state
and nearly every large city in the
country will be traversed, not by one
Maccabee car, but by hundreds, and
our investigation will be the most COM
prehensive of it's kind ever made.
When tabulated the results Will be at
the disposal of any legislative body or
organization which desires them. we
do not propose to tabulate traffic laws,
but to observe their operation, with
the hope that we may be instrumental
in promoting some system of uniform
regulation which may be understood
and observed by any motorist, whether
he halls from Maine or California, and
the public interest be served thereby"
j. T. Lloyd Speaks.
Leaders in the organization of the
Maccabees' automobile caravan pro-
gram from every State were present
at the conference, which took up the
day. J. T. Lloyd. president of the
Chamber of Commerce, delivered the
address of welcome, which was re-
sponded to by S. w. Hall of Oakland,
Calf. Reports from the various State
and district managers took up the
morning session, and at 1890 the en-
tire delegation was received by PreSi-
dent Coolidge at the White House. Ar
rangements for routing the caravans
and making the national traffic sur
vey were discussed in the afternoon
and plans for the convention outlined
at the evening session.
The automobile caravan to the con-
vention was adopted as the Maccabees'
patriotic program for 1925. 1t is ex-
pected that 10000 or more members
of the order will visit the Capital and
have the opportunity to get acquaint-
ed first hand with not only the ma
tional seat of Government, but the
East in general.