Evening star., 1933-01-29
BY THOMAS p. HENRY,


President. American Automobile Association.
Out of the railroad highway contro-
versy in the last few years has come
such a deluge Of propaganda and mis-
leading statements that people every
where are almost hopelesSly confused,
not only as to the nature of the issues
involved, but also as to the facts un-
deriving these issues.
What Is true as regards The con-
fused state Of mind of the public in
general is equally true of legislators
who are urgently beseeched to enact
legislation and approve regulations that
may have a vital bearing on highway
transport. AS see it the great danger
now is that In the midst Of this mass Of
misinformed opinion, laws may be
placed on the statute books OF the
various States that may seriously Grip
pie motor transport for many years to
come, without doing anything mate
rial to help the railroads of the coun-
try out of the predicament in which
they find themselves.
Wrong Slant Taken.
Several months ago I had occasion
to make this same statement. 1t was
Immediately interpreted as an active
Automobile Association to fight for the
commercial users of the highway and
against the railroads. This was a palpa-
BILE misinterpretation both as to the
intent and the specific wording of the
statement I refer to. As a result. how
ever, the private passenger car owners,
who compose the membership of the
American Automobile Association and
i'll whom we are primarily interested,
were misled as to the position I had
taken. Let me restate this position as
clearly as I may.
AS an organization of passenger car
owners, the American Automobile As
sociation definitely and categorically
favors such regulation of commercial
motor vehicles as is found wise and
necessary in the interest of the safety
and the convenience of the travelling
public and in the interest of protect
ing the highways themselves There is
no doubt at all that the time has come
for all States to exercise their police
power in behalf of this type of regu-
lation
Recently, through the joint efforts of
the Bureau of Public Roads and of the
American Association of State Highway
Officials, there were adopted a set OF
standards governing size, total weight.
weight distribution, and other physical
features of commercial motor vehicles.
particularly trucks. These standards
are now available to the State legisla-
lures, and furnish constructive basis
for action along lines which passenger
car owners everywhere favor.
Motor vehicles, or combinations of
motor vehicles Of such q character as
tend to endanger other users, have no
more right on the public highways than
have the careless or reckless operators
OF private passenger cars, who would
be outlawed and deprived of the priv
ilege of driving by the safety-respons-
lbiltty bill sponsored by the American
Automobile Association
Favors Proper Regulation.
The American Automobile Associat ton
has for years favored adequate regu-
lation of highway common carriers by
the States, and when interstate bus
operations are involved, by the Federal
Government. We have recognized, how
ever, as has the Interstate Commerce
Commission, that there is a serious
problem involved in truck regulation in
that only small fraction, namely. 190,-
664 out Of 3,456303 trucks registered
last January, are engaged in common
carrier business, either interstate or in
traState. Eighty-six per cent of all
| trucks are privately owned and oper-
ated. All disinterested students of the
existing situation as regards contract
Or for hire" trucks, realize that eX-
cept for control such as l have out
lined above for safety and highway pro-
lection purposes, precipitate regulations
such as the ton-mile tax proposal, ef-
forts such as that recently made in
Pennsylvania to require all trucks pass