Evening star., 1931-11-22
POLICING HIGHWAYS
BY FREDERIC J. HASkIN.

cycles and s. automobiles. and Mary
land 3 horses, 55 motor cycles and 10
automobiles.
The cost of State h4gAwsy police
forces depends, of course, largely upon
the number of men engaged IN the
work, New York, Pennsylvania ana
California having annual bills consid-
erably IN excess OF miiloA a0haIs
each, while Nebraska gets by with an
outlay of only $4,000 year. But the
trafhc experts point out that the Inn
portant question is not how much this
service costs, but what it is worth. Its
greatest value doubtless Is the lntan-
gible one of preventing loss of life and
property in traffic accidents, but 1t also
produces substantial revenues.
Nebraska's force of three men, cost
ing but $4,000 per year, produced rev.
enus of more than $4A 900 from fines
and uncollected license fees alone.
Texas, with an annual expenditure or
$114, ZOO in 1890, had return at the
rate of S175,000 that year.
PennSylvania's highway patrol showed
an outlay of 81 l,t20387. .3S for the year,
while the revenues amounted to $l,147,-
HF10. These revenues included the
value of recovered cars and property, the
amount of fines collected, and credits
on the examinations of new operators.
An interesting item Of these revenues
was one OF $97, 7,6oT.T9 collected on bad
checks.
Patrols Prove Their Worth.
The fact that not State which has
established q highway patrol has ever
seriously considered disbanding the or
ganization Is cited as the best proof
| that State police are needed and have
made permanent place for themselves.
| Public apathy continues to be the
big deterrent to highway safety. and
| with the prospect of a new traffic ia
tality record for 1891 the National
Safety Council is endeavoring to in
terest other large organizations in doing
of activity recommended by the coun-
| Gil include the continued promotion OF
drivers license legislation in States
where there are no such laws at pres
| ent the continued study of the acct-
deIt-prone driver and the continued
dissemination of Information that VIII
tend to arouse the public to the trl-
creased seriousness OF the trafnc PROB
lem.
In spite Of all that traffic officers can
| do and in spite of the constant repeti-
| ton OF warnings, motor vehicle deaths
continue to occur at a rate higher than
has ever been known before. 1t had
been thought that q falling on would
be shown In the fatalities for the month
| OF 6epUcIHDGI, Uub WItS1l OAlC A4SutEo NDAO
compiled it was found that the total
number of deaths was 1920, as against
1900 for September of last year and
SOTO in August of this year.
| The September fatalities were at the
| rate of I10 per day, or nearly deaths
every hour of the day and night. About
81 per cent of the deaths were Of chill
dren under the age of 16 years.
There teens to be no way Of keeping
children of the streets, although some
thing new Is being tried constantly. Out
in Madison, Wis, for instance, group
Of citizens living in one neighborh9od,
| 80 families in all, agreed that when
any father or mother found child
playing in the street the child was to
be padded and sent home, no matter
whose child it might be.
It is said that the plan has worked
very well, possibly because the children
have discovered that padding which
comes from outside the family carries
a little more zest and sting than does
i the usual home discipline.