Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10
USE Of DEALERS
AUTO TAGS SCORED
Storage of Plates in Cor
ridors and Failure to An
SWer Letter Also Hit.

Regulations concerning automobile
license tags issued to dealers which
are held to discriminate against other
automobile users, the storage or the
license plates in one of the main
corridors OF the District Building and
the failure of Commissioner Proctor
L. DouGherty as president or the
board of Commissioners to acknuWl-
edge a letter from the Crounse-Hinds
Co., which furnished Washington
automatic traffic signals and access
cries. are criticised In three seperate
reports filed with the Commissioners
Yesterday by the Federal Bureau OF
Efficiency.
The regulations governing the dis
tribution of tags to automobile deal'
erS, the bureau declared, give them
a privilege no one else may ENJOY
and should be amended.
The practice of Wade II. Coombs.
superintendent of licenses. in storing
excess tags in the corridor OF the
first floor of the District Building,
the bureau described as "untidy,
while the criticism of Commissioners
Dougherty for neglecting to answer
the communication of the CrOunse'
Kinds co. was designed to serve as
a memory logger" The letter IN
quired merely as to when the oom'
pany might expect the already defer
red payment for the traffic signals.
Use of Dealers Tags Criticized.
Concerning the dealers license tags,
the bureau said: -,
"A pronounced abuse of the deal
ers' tag privilege has grown up IN the
District of Columbia. Much OF the
responsibility for this abuse can be
oho IN
covering the use of such tags. 1t
was originally intended by officials or
the District of Columbia to allow deal
nrs' tags on cars for sale and demon
stration ONLY The regulations IN
force prior to the adoption OF the
present regulations did not speclncaly
permit Of any other use than that
mentioned above. The question was
raised concerning the use OF ID tags
on service trucks on April o. A9Lo.
The corporation counsel or the DIS
trict of Columbia rendered his opin-
ion, part of which is here quoted: Ihe
regulation does not permit dealers
tags to be used where the service
wagon is neither for sale or for DEM
onstration.'
apparently the dealers were allow.
ing their statesmen and members or
their families to use ID tags, ana
when the present regulations were
adonted A. new paragraph known as
Do 81 was added to section OF article
\ This paragraph in substance per-
mitted the use of d tags on Venlcies
held by the dealer for sale or owned
by the dealer for exclusive use IN mas
business. Further it prohibited IN
specific terms the use of d tags by
members of the dealers family or
nQTQnnAI
The amendment permitting the use OF
dealers tags on business vehicles
grants a privilege to automobile deal
ers that is not granted to any other
business organizations. Businesses
having large numbers OF trucks.
number of which are always tied up
for repair or not in use for other
causes, are not permitted to use tags
INTERCHANGEABLE on their business
vehicles This, on investigation, ap-
pears to be unwarranted discrimina'
ton"
Suggests Strict Record.
AS a remedy for this situation the
bureau suggests that dealers be re-
quired to keep strict record or the
persons driving cars. to which ID
tags are attached, and that the amend
ment to the regulation governing
their use Specincally state tnat Such
tags shall not be used on vehicles
owned by statesmen, members OF
Dealers family or the personal prop.
erty of dealers.
The report dealing with the storage
of tags points out that $500 pairs are
kept in the west and south corridors
of the first floor of the District Build
ing, and their exposure to view makes
them easily accessible to anybody
wishing to appropriate one or more
sets, while the opened boxes and
packages are mutilated and give an
unsightly appearance to the halls.
The bureau comedies that during
the annual renewal period 1t is Hec-
essary to have the tags available in
large numbers, but 1t is explained
that during the remaining IL months
of the year the necessity for eHler-
gency storage does not exist"
Would Store Surplus Tags.
AS not more than Is or 30 sets of
tags are issued daily, the bureau rec.
commended that a four or five days
supply be kept in the office of the
SUPERINTENDENT of licenses and the re-
mainder be stored in the lower base
ment where they easily can be