New Britain herald., 1929-04-08
Sees AUTO TRAFFIC
ON RAILROAD BASIS
EHactness Of Performance 10
Mark Future Stocked Says

Solid streams OF traffic. starting.
operating for time at a given
speed. and stopping. all with the
precision OF automatically controlled
railroad trains although each vent-
Gle will have its own driver. Is the
picture of future conditions on many
highways as visualized by Commits
sioner of Motor Vehicles Robbins B.
Stoeckel.
He presents this view in the cur
rent bulletin OF the state motor
vehicle department while discussing
the necessity for the use OF reason
as a test in making laws which VIII
allow latitude and discretion to III
the time and the event.
because direction of mass traf1lc
is a science in itself" he says 1T
must necessarily soon include dehnlte
and distinct signal systems. trafflc
rules and regulation similar 10
those used on railroads. Traffic Will
in the future proceed with more
exactness than it has in the past.
There will be occasion on each road
and at hours in each day when exact
ness of performance accordance
with signal systems and directions
by authorities will be reasonable
and hence enforceable. AS a result
IT may be expected that some traffic
will move by signal much the same
as We have seen railroad trains move
for many years
Reason in Law
With the expressed belief that "a
man will obey law intended Tor
his direction. however expressed. II
il is in accord With common sense
the article brings forward the aues-
ton of whether the prohibitory
tendency in law has not gone too
far and neither good deal OF the
legal langua,e in regulatory laws Is
unnecessarily stringent. In discuss
ing this subject the article says:
I'm modern times, as the applica-
ton OF enforcement ha" become
more direct, the general principle or
attempting 10 discover the intended
accomplishment Of law rather than
adhering TO the exact wording. has
become common.
Motor vehicle laws furnish many
examples which are directive as dis
tinguished from laws which punish.
and their Interpretation is bound to
be one of approximation rather than
exactness.
General tendencies toward prohi-
hition. with the necessary adjust
ments on the part of authorities who
desire to be fair. have brought about
construction based on what might
wel he called the doctrine of rea-
son.
Believes In General Laws
There are many regulations
which can be stated in a general
manner which will cover the prob.
lens of enforcement officers better
than il they are specific, technical
and restrictive in detail.
1T /. true that there must be
regulatory laws which are SO definite
and distinct in their statement OF
policy and their terms SO specific
that every one may know what Is
expected. Clarity must never be
sacrificed. !
1T probably is true also that the
actual performance under such a
law will be better, il the authorities
have sufficient power. are allowed !
discretion and are taught how to use |
it properly"
A further argument for reason |
abeness advanced in the article Is
that the application and direction OF
business activities connected with
the motor vehicle by legal rules will
soon be an acute problem. The arti-
Gle says that transportation Is es-
sential 10 business and the greater
the freedom from hampering effects
for such transportation the better
for business and consequently for /
everybody. Any law which binders
accomplishment or which discrim-
mates and makes it easier for one
group of business men to receive
and deliver their products than for
another is a bad law. There are and
always will be certain types OF busi-
ress dealing with motor vehicles.
either as such or with the trans
portation supplied by them, for
which Specldl TuIcS iIluot pC 'iouc' |
There are several types OF quasi
public business in the transportation
field. In connection with the regu-
lation OF these there are unusual
problems presented which call for
management by law or regulation
authorized by law.
"Other types which are not yet
regulated. but which present similar
problems are the carrying of work.
ers to and from fields of labor by
the employer or under his direction.
also there is the problem of carrying
occasional picnic parties, athletic
teams and all sorts Of gatherings OF
people though the carrier is not
actually engaged in what is now
designated the public service field.
IL.