Evening star., 1927-11-24

indicates that, in the main, the motor
car owner is the one who should be
entitled to the first objection to the
law--for he pays the bills. Does
he take advantage of this right? The
answer Is to be found in the state
ment of q man, evidently of average
circumstances, who was just getting
into his car parked on the east side
of Boston's famous public gardens.
"How do l feel about the COM
pulsory liability insurance law? Well,
at first. did not like 1t at all. 1t
appealed to me only as an increase
in the cost Of operating my car.
Then, when they fixed the rates 25
per cent lower than they ever had
been before, l began to look at it
in another way. After that it struck
me that they really were thinking
of the general good, not the good of
the insurance company or Of just
another way of penalizing the motor
car owner.
Naturally. I don't like the idea OF
paying more for anything than l have
been paying. and this costs me money
every year. But, when / got to look
ing at insurance just as l look at
brakes or something else on the car,
it didn't seem so much like the mo-
torist had been picked out to be some
body's goat. ] like good brakes. a
steering mechanism that is in good
condition, lights that illuminate the
road and all the other thingst that
contribute to safety-the other fel-
lows as we'll as my own.
Calls It a Good Thing.
"But not all brakes and other safety
-, ~ oil
the way lots of motorists take care
of them. And, even if they are,
drivers slip up at times. Well, if
slip up or let my car get into bad
condition, and there's an accident
there's no reason why the innocent
victim Of my slovenliness or careless
ness should have to pay the bill. When
| look at compulsory insurance that
way it strikes me as a pretty good
thing. / know that no kid is going
to have to spend the rest of his life
selling lead pencils or shoestrings on q
street corner just because I slipped
up. Most of my friends feel the same
way"
That most of his friends did feel the
same way was well established by con
versation with others in Boston anG
elsewhere in Massachusetts,.
Not all of the Bay Staters do fee
that way, however.
The driver of a dilapidated small car.
whose opinion, let it be said, was not
representative OF other owners of
the same make of automobile, de.
clared that the law was process OF
Sticking the poor man." The whole
situation, in his thought, was due to
the desire of the insurance companies
to "get rich" When it was pointed
out to him that the insurance com
panies were among the bitterest op-
ponents of the law when it was in
troduced. he declared that "they had
to take that side to get the thing
through the State House"
This incident. with the other pre-
viously cited. is fairly typical OF the
average motorists perspective on COM
pulsory insurance. A majority, how
ever. agreed with the first car owner
that IL one could look at the law un
selfishly. it was a good, sound piece
of legislation. even IL it did consider
the public interest rather than the
special viewpoint of the motor car
owner.
A high official of one OF Boston's
largest banks threw some interesting
light on Bay State conditions under
the compulsory insurance statute.
Principle Held Sound.
EVERY one agrees that insurance is
an excellent thing, whether it is life
fire. theft or any other kind. 1t Is
society's way of distributing individ
ual losses among the entire group, and
insurance in America is our largest
single enterprise indicating where this
country stands upon the principle.
I'm the individual instance it may
be hard to see this viewpoint. Looked
at generally. however. the point is
exceptionally clear.
Massachusetts believed in this prin.
ciple firmly enough to make autOmO
bile liability insurance compulsory
This State has established financial
responsibility behind every car owner
In many quarters we heard that IL
would work an economic hardship.
don't believe it has. Perhaps it has
interfered with the sale of a certain
type of cheap used car. but general
economic conditions and traffic condi-
tions i'm certain parts of the State have
had a much greater effect. / believe.
"The majority is inclined to look
upon the statute unselfishly and II
stands upon the same ground that II
did when, through it's Legislature. it
passed the law. namely. that it was a
sound action
Throughout his entire study of com
pulsory insurance in the only State
which is operating under such Law
the writer was impressed with Tho
frankness with which its most ardent
advocates admitted that 1t had it's de
fects. An outstanding instance Of
this was to be noted In the interview.
which were given over a period o1
several days by Frank A. Goodwin
state registrar of motor vehicles
Time after time. in the course of these
conversations, Mr.. Goodwin was giver
ample opportunity to shade his an
swers in favor of the statute as it nov
graces the books. Not once did HI
take advantage Of this opportunity.
Minor Changes Needed.
II still requires minor changes p:
step by step the State gets farther
into this field In which 1t is pioneer
ing. he admits. After these minol
| changes, which will create a greater
simplicity and effectiveness OF opera
ton, he believes, there may come
significant major extension-the inc u
| sion of property damage insurance fo
every motorist.
This latter point. Interestingly
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