Evening star., 1934-04-25
Interference With Street
Cleaning and Flremen Are
Among Reasons Given.
GARAGE PROFITEERING
POSSIBLE OBJECTION
Trade Organizations Plans for
Substituting Day Parking Ban
to Be Given Out Soon.

While Washington's major trade
bodies were drafting comprehensive
recommendations looking toward a
substitute plan for the drastic day.
time parking ban on F. G and Sew
enth streets. Maj. Ernest w. Brown,
Superintendent of Police came for
ward today with an Endorsement of
elimination of all-night parking on
Capital streets.
The police chiefs expression of
opinion was accompanied by list of
reasons why he believed motor We
hicles should be removed from the
streets at night. He admitted, how
ever, that one Of the big problems
standing in the way of putting this
into effect was the threat of an in
crease in garage rentals and proflteer-
ing by owners of auto storage space
due to the lack of facilities for all
cars
The recommendation of the trade
bodies, whose representatives met this
morning in the headquarters of the
Board of Trade, will go forward to
the District Commissioners within the
next day or two. Represented at
the meeting were the Board of Trade,
Chamber of Commerce, Merchants
and Manufacturers Association and
Seventh Street Business Mems As
sociation.
Discussion Is Extensive.
The group discussed at length the
Ills which have attended the traffic
and transportation problem in the
downtown area and were of one &C
cord in opposing the complete prohibit
ton of parking.
Details of the specific recommended
tions to be made to the Commission
ers were withheld by the group, pend
ing their approval by the directors of
each trade association represented. It
is understood, however, that they will
embrace proposals entirely new in
character and revealing willingness OF
merchants to make reasonable conces-
sions for the ultimate solution of the
whole problem.
A committee of the representatives
will meet later today to draft a writ
ten report, based on the decisions
reached at the meeting today.
The meeting was held as result Of
the request of Commissioner Hazen
that the merchants themselves get
together on a counter plan for solving
the traffic congestion problem, if they
have found the ban unSa tiSfactory.
Meanwhile, the Merchants and
Manufacturers Association announced
the results of a survey conducted
among members of its organization
on the streets affected by the parking
ban.
Adverse Effects Reported.
Twenty out of 20 merchants queried
reported that the elimination of park
ing of their respective streets had
adversely affected business. Com
pairing the first week during which
the ban was in effect, with the week
previous, Is merchants reported a
lesser amount of business, and each
attributed the decline to the elimina-
ton of parking.
Twenty-Five of those questioned re-
ported they favored restoration of the
one-hour parking regulation previously
in effect, and recommended its COM
plete enforcement.
Mai. Browns reasons for indorsing
the all-night parking ban were set out
by him today as follows:
l. The number of thefts of cars is
greater when autos are parked over
night.
g Recovery of stolen automobiles is
made more difficult.
g. Cars parked all night interfere
with street cleaning.
a. They interfere with snow re-
moval
S. They hamper firemen, especially
in fighting blazes in large buildings.
6. They should be stored off the
streets for the owners own protection.
$4,000 on Night List.
The most recent survey, Maj. Brown
said, indicated approximately 10000
automobiles parked on streets over
night. At present. he added, there
are not sufficient facilities for COM
plete off-street storage.
Maj. Brown asserted it is "unfor-
tunate all-night parking has grown
to what it has expressing the view
it should have been done away with
some Is years years ago when the
number of cars was much less than
now If such had been done, the
storage problem would have taken
care of itself, the police chief said.
The superintendent said the ulti-
mate solution of the situation is a
big problem that will take some time
to solve He continued to emphasize,
however. that garage owners should
be discouraged in any attempt to
charge exorbitant rentals or profiteer.
Traffic Director William A. Van
Duzer recently has been trying to
get line on public opinion here re-
1ordipu overnipht marking