Evening star., 1926-04-11


chance, the last-named factor, |
III the numbers which are most S
The story behind an automobile
license tag is but one of the instances
OF unWritten romance of everyday life
Interest in it is intensified in Wash
tngton, where officialdom is multiplied
and the possibility of coveted mum
Der belonging to one holding high
office is even greater than elsewhere
But the official phase is but one OF
many to the seeking and possession
OF low or odd license tag numbers.
Low Numbers Coveted.
Low numbers. of course, are the
most coveted. This is one reason why
Wade II. Coombs, superintendent OF
licenses for the District government
finds a sense of humor and an abun
dance of patience essential qualifica
tions for this office. Ii any one believes
license tag numbers are mere matters
of chance or lend themselves to being
dispensed like postage stamps with
the first come. first served" princi
pie governing their distribution, a few
minutes conversation with Mr.
CoombS should diSilluSion him.
License tags bearing particular
numbers are worth as much as the
law of supply and demand can make
them, although, of course, they all
cost the same. 1t might seem that
there should be enough numbers to
afford as great choice as a shipment of
Spring millinery, but the yearly eX-
perience of the license office shows
that 1000 numbers contain all too
few outstanding numeral combinations
to satisfy the motorowning public.
Many Reasons Given.
Low numbers, according to Mr..
COombS, are most sought after. There
are varying reasons given. Some mo-
tOriStS merely want an appearance of
individuality. Others say they can
remember their tag numerals better
when they are not more than two in
number. Then, of course, there are
others who imagine a low number
gives one the appearance of official
Importance or indicates acquaintance
with the Commissioners, with the ad-
ditional possibility of being passed by
when the policeman starts dealing out
the overtime parking cards.
BY what is virtually an established
custom now, Washington has it's mo-
toring 400" since the first 400 tag
numbers go to District or Federal
officials and persons in private life
who have close friendship with the
District heads.
Numbering of tags begins with the
plate carried on the official car of
Commissioner Cuno II. Rudolph,
chairman of the Board of Commission
ers. BY precedent, the No. l tag goes
TO the chairman of the board. No. ?
tag is borne by the official car of
Commissioner Frederick A. Fenning,
and No. on the car used by Engi-
neer Commissioner j. Franklin Bell.
Nos. and belong to the private au-
tomobiles Of Commissioners Rudolph
and Fenning. Daniel c. Garges, secre-
tary to the Board of Commissioners,
is the owner of tag No. s. Nos. Z,
s and 9 are the property, respectively.
Of Majs. Raymond y. Wheeler. w. II.
Holcombe and w. L. r. Covell. as
sistants to the Engineer Commits
Sioner.
Afte" these cars of officials have
been tagged. the way is open for the
seekers after unusual numbers.
Combinations Also Sought.
Since it is impossible for any one
but a Commissioner to obtain No. /,
perhaps the next most desirable tag
numbering is a combination of Is.
An unusually striking number is No.
il, which has been held, along with
No. 10. for several years by Rudolph
Jose, president of the Washington
Cadillac Co. No. Ill is allotted to
Charles Fl. Pardoe.
Continuing with the combination of
Is, the motorist whose car carries a
figure that would be winning hand
in almost any game of poker is I. l..
Goldheim. well known haberdasher
who has No. LII. The tag with still
another up and down figure on it
No. 11,111-belongs to William H.
Gatchell, 1886 Park road northwest
Record books in the license office
show that there are persons who not
only have no fear of 13 or it's combi-
nations. but try to have that figure
placed on their automobiles. For sew
eral years. DR.. Joseph d. Rogers. 400
NJ street, has succeeded in getting tag
No. 13. Another man who would put
reverse English on superstition is
Henry W. Miller. vice president Of the
Southern Railway system, whose
choice is No, 1913. The owner of
No. 1900 is Harold Watts. while No.
10000 is issued to Charles E Kelly,
435 Fifteenth street southeast. No.
1903 is the tag number of ]. G..
Mallow, PTS NJ street.
Then there are the combinations
which include 13. No. 131 is the num-
ber of DR.. Francis X. Hagner, 1924
Nineteenth street: 313, that of p. j.
Bates. 1549 Harvard street, and 1881,
that of Harry Ellis. SOC l street.
Ciphers Have Appeal.
CipherS always make "A distinctive
plate, and are desirable tag numbers
in multiples of los. zoos or 100Os.
District license tag No. 100 is the first
of the 10 tag numbers allotted the
President for use on the White House
cars. No. 1000 is issued to the auto.
mobile editor of The Evening Star.
No. 10000 belongs to George Allen,
3044 n street. At the furthest end of
the original supply of District license
tags for the present year is the num-
her on the car of Headquarters Detec-
tive Arthur Scrivener, which carries
No. 1000.
No. 1 ,001 is issued to Geneva E. j.
Goodwin. 3415 Ordway street, while
No. 10,100 appears on the car of
William II. Mullen. 1919 Chaplin street.
Chief Justice William Howard Taft
has avoided large number in select
ing his tag number and his car for
several years has carried No. so.
Other "repeaters" include John J.
Boobar, president of the Yellow Cab
Company, whose selection for several
years has been No. sos. Fred Buch-
holz, popular host at the Occidental
Hotel, always asks for Nos. 81 and 80.
DIR. Frank T.. Gibson and Charles
Demonet have had the same numbers
for several years, both striking enough
DIR. Gibson'S is No. is and Mr.. De
monet's No. 16.
Combinations of the figure ''3" are
uotiC0ahle on tags No. 81 is issued.