Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-06
The Shipping-Entrance Ruling.

There are two distinct phases 10
the extraordinary decision rendered
yesterday by a judge in the Traffic
Court when he held that shipping
entrance. no parking" signs. erected
In the downtown section to permit
the business of the city to carry on,
are illegal and therefore can be
ignored at win by the public. The
first phase is the urgent and imme-
date need for an appeal to the Dis
trict Court of Appeals against the
ruling, which, so far as it may oper-
ate, will virtually paralyze the trade
of the National Capital, and the sec
ond is the striking lack of uniform
ity in the decisions of the four
judges of the Traffic Court.
The appeal should be expedited in
every possible way. Merchants of
the city cannot and should not be
penaliZed because their stores are
situated within the congested shop
ping district where parking is at a
premium. The shipping entrances
which. by the ruling yesterday. have
been held invalid are solely for the
purpose of unloading trucks carry
ine goods to be sold by the partic-
uiar merchant and the discharge of
goods for delivery. They are no;
exclusively for the use of one per-
son and they are most assuredly ,
public necessity
If the Commissioners in the eXcr-
else of their general powers and the
traffic Office with its specific author
fly cannot regulate the traffic Of
Washington for the benefit of the
entire public, then the National Cap
ital is indeed facing a sorry situa-
ton. Congress. Of course. is the
legislative body for this community,
but Congress has delegated author
ity in matters of this kind to those
in close contact with the conditions
namely, the Commissioners and the
traffic Office. and their decisions,
based on public need, should not be
arbitrarily upset in a manner calcu-
,ated to create confusion and dis
tress.
In view of a recent decision OF Tho
Court of Appeals, which upheld the
powers of the traffic office in bar
ring solid tired vehicles from arterial
highways, there is every reason to
believe that the peculiar ruling of
yesterday will be reversed. No time
should be lost. however, in getting
The matter before the higher court.
The other angle of this remarkable
case is the serious condition of JUS
tice in the Traffic Court. For more
than a year shipping entrances have
made possible the business of the
city. For more than year arrests
have been made and convictions
secured before three of the judges
for infractions of this same regula-
ton. Yet when case of similar
character is brought before the
fourth judge the regulation is over
turned in it's entirety and the BUSH
ness OF the city is thrown into tur-
MOL.
This condition has obtained for
some time in the Traffic Court, al
ways, however. with the same Judge
acting as the dissenter and the
arbiter of the traffic destinies of the
community. Justice should be dis
pensed in equal portions by ever
Judge Of the court. They should act
in unison and one of the four should
not be in a position to speak for
or overrule the other three
If the shipping regulation
is illegal it should have been so held
by the four judges acting as body
when the first case was brought
before them under it. II this had
been done new and legal regula-
ton could promptly have been writ
ten, the present confusion would not
exist and District business would
not be compelled TO suffer while a
ruling by the Court of Appeals is
awaited.