Evening star., 1934-11-28
POLICE ASSA|LED
BY TRADE GROUP
Committee Declares Rights
of Pedestrians Are
Neglected.

A sound verbal slap was admin
istered to the Police Department yes
terday by the Board of Trades Traf-
fic Committee in a resolution charg-
ing the police with neglecting their
duty of protecting pedestrians.
The committee stated there is a
lack of appreciation on the part of
the Police Department of the necessity
of protecting pedestrians.
THE absence of special orders on
this point" the resolution continued,
has resulted in a situation in which
pedestrians are almost universally left
without protection by police officers.
and, as a result, their rights and
safety are usually utterly disregarded
by motorists"
The committee decided to bring the
matter before traffic authorities with
view to remedial action"
The resolution, which was adopted
unanimously, was presented by Col.
Lawrence C. Crawford. chairman Of
the groups enforcement subcommit-
tee. Crawford prefaced his remarks
with the statement that no reflection
was intended on Traffic Director Will
liam A. Van Duzer, his assistant,
M o. Eldridge, both of whom were
present, or Inspector B. A. Lamb,
commander of the Traffic Bureau.
Want Even Break"
AN we want is to see the pedestrian
given an even break" he declared.
Motorists habitually violate the rights
of pedestrians, but never yet have I
seen one of them warned by police
man"
Van Duzer later said he did not
agree with the committee in its CEN
sure of the police He pointed to the
statistics indicating 81 per cent of all
pedestrians cross streets in the middle
of the block and that the great
majority of pedestrian casualties are
caused by the pedestrians themselves.
Col Crawford and Van Duzer were
the central figures in controversy at
the meeting which resulted in action
being postponed on a recommendation
for compulsory examination of all
automobiles with the tests to be made
by private service stations.
Crawford recommended that motor
lists be required to produce certificates
furnished by service stations as a
prerequisite for issuance of license
tags. Van DuZer also was for COM
pulsory mechanical examination of
automobiles, but favored the system
in effect in Memphis, Tenn, where
cars are tested at a central municipal
garage.
Plan Is Opposed.
IF you knew how the private ex-
animation plan works in the various
States which have tried it, you
wouldn't recommend it," said Van
Duzer. 1T is rapidly being discarded
for the Memphis plan. Even the deal
ers and garage men oppose it because
they realize the difficulty of being a
sort of judge over the persons on
whose patronage they depend
Crawford and others favored sys-
tenn OF private examination because it
would give work to service stations and
because of the argument that it would
facilitate testing the city's cars.
The committee finally voted to have
Col. Crawford's subcommittee and Van
DuZer discuss the matter in private.
Opposition to any change in the
present speed regulations was formally
expressed.
The committee decided "to try to sell
the idea" of negligent homicide law
to United States Attorney Leslie C.
Garnett, who was represented as op-
posing it on the ground that the pres
ent manslaughter law is adequate. In
a report on the status of the proposed
bill, Milton R. Vollmer, member of
subcommittee on laws and codes, told
the group its progress had been halted
by Garnett's opposition. He also said
the measure had been referred to Cor
poration Counsel E. Barrett Prettyman
and he ignored" it,
Prettyman Explains.
Prettyman. who was present. ex-
planned that the matter was entirely
outside of his province, since enforce
ment of the proposed law would come
within the Jurisdiction of Garnett's
office rather than his own.
In brief address Prettyman told
the trade body members that "you
can't treat the vast majority of our
citizens, who want to observe the
traffic laws, as if they were outlaws"