Evening star., 1934-03-25

OGOI6SSlOIl. ID UClGCl q
prevent its continued rise.
Traffic conditions here are not at
their best. The fault does not lay
with the director of traffic or his as
sistants. Primarily, the blame should
be put on the shoulders of the motor
ing publics careless drivers. How
ever, If this group does not care to
learn to drive properly, they should
be made to do so. This can be brought
about only by strict enforcement Of
the traffic regulations. No new ones
are needed.
For some time it has been apparent
that there has been a. laxity in en-
forcement. Perhaps bad weather
conditions caused policemen to be
lenient and full advantage was taken.
But Spring is here now and more cars
than ever will be rolling along the
highways making driving even more
difficult. 1t is up to the Police De-
partment to safeguard the motorists
against themselves.
Double parking is a bad practice,
but not nearly so as making turns
without signaling or pulling in from
one traffic lane to another. Keeping
in the center of the street and not al
lowing another vehicle to pass is an
other bad practice of driving, and
often leads to trouble if the overtak-
ing driver pulls far out in the street
to the left to pass. Middle the
street driving is particularly notice
able on upper Massachusetts, avenue
where busses, for no good reason, re-
fuse to pull over"
The system of being allowed to turn
right on a red light, if in the proper
lane, is a good one if it is possible to
get in that lane. Cars with nom
reading operators often park near the
curb at the intersection preventing
the correct turn being made. This is
usually the case at Twenty
street and Pennsylvania avenue.
Strict enforcement does not neces-
sarily mean arrest for offending mo-
torists, but should at least mean a
severe warning.
Washington must be made safer.
Watch Highway Trends.
With the fate of the Nations high
way construction program for the
next several years due for a decision
by Congress and the President within
the next month, highway users and
good roads associations in all parts OF
the country are keeping close track
of the trend of events in Washington.
While there is a strong sentiment in
many quarters for an appropriation
to cover all forms Of national recov-
cry projects, there are many leaders.
{y, Hro nf
Government and In Congress, who
are determined to see that an ade-
ouate amount of this money Is ap-
propriated either directly or ear
marked specifically for the construc-
ton of roads.
During the depths Of the depres-
sion many States found it expedient
to turn over funds derived from direct
taxes upon highway users to purposes
of relief" said Charles M. Upham. en-
gineer- director of the American Road
Builders Association, "and this ar
rangement must necessarily continue
in all but a few of the States until
next Spring. since the Legislatures of
a States do not convene until jan
uary. 1885.
Should the Federal Government at
this time drop its activities along the
lines of planning, co-ordinating and
financing highway construction the re-
suit would be an almost complete ces-
sation Of road building throughout the
country for at least a year.
'On the other hand, the continu-
ance Of the Federal Governments &C
tivity for another year along the same
lines as have been followed this year
will not only assure some half-million
workers of continued employment, but
will enable the States, when the Leg
islatures have had an opportunity to
act, to return to their normal program
much sooner than they could should
they be forced to abandon constructive
work on their public investments for
q whole year"
Gasoline Best Fuel.
After gasoline what?
More gasoline, if the apparent con-
sensus Of automotive engineers cor
rectly appraises the future of auto
mobile motors.
Talk about substitutes for gasoline
as fuel for automobile engines is heard
almost as regularly as discussion of
new models in trade circles, but sub
stitutes either have been found want
ing in power potentia1ities or i'm
practicable from other standpoints,
according to Associated Press advices.
The contest that ragged, in the days
just before volume production of au-
tomobiles began, among advocates Of
steam-driven and electric powered We
hicles as opposed to the gasoline en-
gine Is one of the outstanding mem
ories of most pioneers of the industry.
Periodically since proponents of
steam and electric power plants gave
up the fight there has been agitation
for some new type of fuel or power
unit. Announcement comes that cer-
tain engineers are meeting en-
couraging success with experiments in
developing fuel from sawduSt or raw
potatoes, but always the result has
proved impracticable.
Generally, alcohol or crude oil have
furnished the base for most of the
experiments, and word has gone forth
from time to time that a new and
cheaper fuel requiring little change in
the carburetion principles was about
to be placed on the market. Yet the
introduction Of such a new fuel ap-
parently is not in the immediate plans
OF any volume manufacturer of stand
ard type motor cars.
That a motor vehicle can be oper-