Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-27
Suggestions Made to Simpli.
fly Method of Issuing
Motor Tags.
COMMISSIONERS STUDY
NEW RECOMM ENDATI0NS
Rules Would Lessen Possibility Of
Thefts by Protecting
Cars.

issuing automobile identification tags.
together with a new plan for the
registration of motor vehicles. were
recommended to the District Commits.
sioners today by the Federal Bureau
of Efficiency.
The bureaus recommendations are
contained in comprehensive report
based on thorough study of the
present methods of issuing motor
vehicle tags and the registration of
vehicles. If adopted, the bureau con.
tends that a more economical and
simplified system Of tag distribution
will result, and the District will have
an effective substitute for a certifi.
cate of title law.
The procedure proposed for the reg
istration of new and used motor We.
hicles. the bureau explained, will have
a number of distinct advantages.
These include the maintenance of an
accurate history of the ownership of
each registered motor vehicle, render
more difficult the disposal of stolen
cars, eliminate to large extent the
registering of fictitious names and adj
dresses, and because of this would
facilitate identification of hit-and-run
drivers and materially reduce the
number of dead tags in the District.
New Registration Form.
The new scheme suggested for the
issuance of automobile tags contem-
plates new form of registration
which the applicants for tags would
be required to fill in instead Of clerks
at the District Building. These forms
would be distributed from police sta
tions and various convenient centers
throughout the city. The plan also
provides for the discontinuance of the
present practice of reserving and Is.
suing license numbers in the lettered
series-special numbers for which in.
dividuals show a preference.
A detailed plan of procedure for is
suing tags under its proposed system
was outlined by the bureau, which it
recommended should be put into effect
September 1. Aside from a new form
of registration for all classes of We.
hicles and the distribution Of these
blank forms to the public from a num-
Der OF agencies the plan, briefly, will
provide for the following improve
ments. according to the bureau:
Safeguard registration by requiring
written signatures of applicants; re-
quire the surrender of old registration
certificates when renewing licenses;
expedite the distribution of tags dur.
ing the renewal period: eliminate back.
tracking on the part of applicants for
other than pleasure car tags by sta.
tioning a deputy cashier Immediately
by the side of the tag-issuing clerk
during renewal period; create a sys-
tematic procedure for ordering and
storing the various classes of tags;
establish a closer control of records
concerning the ownership of both new
and used vehicles; provide an accurate
for cash receipts and es.
tablish numerical file to be kept by
engine or motor number for assistance
in identifying stolen cars.
Must Show Ownership.
In view of the absence of a motor
vehicle certificate of title law in the
District, theb ureau proposed plan
to accomplish the same result.
This plan contemplates the adoption
of an amendment to the traffic regu.
lations requiring all persons applying
for a registration certificate to ex-
hibit the bill of sale, conditional bill
Of sale or other document indicating
that they have legally acquired the
motor vehicles which they desire to
register.
When car is transferred from one
owner to another the record Of the
transaction will he kept by the su.
perintendent of licenses until infor-
nation has been received that the car
has been junked or otherwise dis.
posed of. Upon receiving a report OF
diately attach red enameled metal
tab to the engine number, license tag
number and alphabetical coupons per.
tanning to that car.
I'm addition to proposing certain
improvements designed to speed up
the present system of issuing motor
vehicle tags" the bureau said, "the
principal recommendation made in
his report embodies new procedure
,or obtaining the correct registration
IF new and used motor vehicles by the
bona f1de owners.
THE present system of registering
motor vehicles and issuing license tags
Will be greatly improved by adopting
he following changes:
Il. Improved design Of registration
'orm. These forms should be made
Of extra heavy ledger paper, so per
,ent rag. which will not crack or
Freak under hard usage. The present
forms are made of a poor quality Of
bristol board, which cracks and dis.
ntegrates rapidly after little use.
"All forms and all coupons com.
,rising the forms will be of the same
size. The present forms and the In.
lividual coupons comprising them
how considerable variation in size.
The uniform size Of the proposed
orms and coupons will facilitate the
filing of the latter.
THE present coupons do not re.
Iuire the same information to be in
erted on each. Several coupons re.
Iuire data not called for by others
While the auditors coupons require no
ntries whatever. Some coupons
Which require the registrant's name
nd address to be inserted do not indi.
ate that this information is required.
The proposed forms will require the
anne data on all five coupons, thus
accurate execution Of the
orms.
"2. Distribution and filling in Of
orms. Registration forms at pres.
mt are obtainable only at the District
Building and filled in there by typists.
Hereafter it is proposed to distribute
orms during the renewal period
rom various convenient centers
the city and to have the
egistrants themselves fill in the in.
on the forms. This will re-
uce congestion in the District Build.
lg during the month of December
ach year and will eliminate the hir-
lg of Is temporary typists for thar
lonth, saving of $2,375 annually.
IS. Written signatures. The writ.
IN signatures. which will appear IN