Evening star., 1926-04-11
RE|SSU|NG PERMITS
BY NEW PLAN URGED
EIdridge and Hesse to Con-
slider Scheme of Mailing
Drivers Licenses.

A new scheme for the speedy reis-
suance OF the $50 900 invalid automo-
bile drivers permits. in lieu Of the
original proposed plan Of sta ggering
the work over a l2.month period, will
be considered at conference this
| week between Traffic Director NJ. o.
| Eldridge and Chief Of Police Edwin
B. Hesse.
The new plan. conceived by inspeC-
tor r. w. Brown. in command Of the
Traffic Bureau, contemplates the use
Of policemen in distributing the appi-
cations for renewals to automobile
owners on their beats. The applica-
! tion cards would then be filled out and
! returned to the Traffic Bureau with
| the money for the new permits. Clerks
! in the Ira ffic Bureau would look up
the records and where no objection
| occurred, mail the new permits back
| to the applicant.
Would Take Month.
Under such an arrangement. il is
! believed. all of the permits could be
| reisSued within a month with the min
| imum of Inconvenience to the Traffic
| Bureau and the motorists At the
| me time it would provide the Traf-
| ftc Bureau with correct addresses. be-
cause the appica mt would have 10 eX-
| pect the permit to reach him by mail.
Director Eldridge indicated yeSter-
day that he favors the plan and will
| confer with Mai Hesse who would
| have 10 approve the order to put it
| into operation. The permits. how
| ever. will not be reissued until Con
gress passes the amended traffic bill.
| which would establish permanent
! system of renewing operators per-
| mits and extend the authority of the
traffic director in the revocation of
| permits.
Suggestion Came Late.
| Had Inspector Browns plan been
thought Of several months ago. it
was pointed out at the District Build
| ing, the present muddled situation
/ over the drivers permits might have
been avoided. One Of the reasons
given by Mr.. Eldridge for the failure
| to reissue the permits when they
| expired March 81 was that II would
have been a physical impOssiblity TO
! reissue the thousa nds of permits in
/ a month. He had planned to stagger
| the issuance of the new permits over
a year. renewing about One-twelfth of
! the total number each month.
| Cards for application for permit
renewals have been designed in the
4
sent to the printer az soon as the
| Senate passes the bill amending the
traffic law. The measure has passed
| the House.
The bill to strengthen the ira ffic
law, which was approved by the Sen
ate District committee Friday, was re-
| ported to the Senate yesterday after
noon by Chairman !Capper, with a re
| port In which he urged it's passage at
an early date.
The bill not only improves several
sections of the original law. which
have been found to need reinforce
ment after a year of experience. but
provides for clearing up the unsettled
situation now prevailing with regard
| to renewal of automobile operators
I permits. 4
The hill was placed on the Senate
lcalendar. and Senator Capper will seek
action at the first opportunity. The
bill has passed the House. but the
Senate committee proposed several
amendments. which will necessitate a
conference with the House after the
Senate acts.
The measure provides for renewing
permits for three-year period. with a
| SO fee. 1t empowers the director of
| traffic to suspend and revoke permits,
with an amendment requiring that the
| reason for the revocation be set forth
| In the order. The Senate committee
also changed the bill to allow the oper-
ator to apply to the Court Of Appeals
on a writ of error instead Of a straight
appeal. as provided in the House bill.
| This change was made because the
| Senate committee felt the writ of
error would prove a more expeditions
| procedure.
| The bill would place all traffic
| cases in the District Branch of Po-
| lice Court. Under the original
| traffic law there was division of
| jurisdiction between the District and
| United States branches of the court.
| The language of the original law
has been clarified to remove all
| doubt as to the jurisdiction of the
traffic act over all types of vehicles
and to control pedestrians. 1t also
| has been made clear In the Senate
| bill that the director shall have
| power to fix speed limits below 22
| miles an hour on bridges and other
| places where care is necessary. and
| higher limits than % miles on
| arterial highways.
The House provision seeking to
| regulate taxicab stands In front of
| hotels and at Union Station vas
eliminated by the Senate commit
| tee.