Evening star., 1935-12-08

I'D to them to prove which one was at
fault before the assistant corporation
counsel or the court itself. This pro-
posal, if adopted, will 90 away with
the present custom of allowing COL
.iders "a settle the case out of court
when no serious injury or property
destruction occurs.
Mr.. Van Duzer's recommendation is
somewhat drastic, but drastic action is
necessary and will be forthcoming to
the great inconvenience of the driv-
ing public unless more careful opera
ton of vehicles is seen.
Many motorists will suffer for the
mistakes of few unless there Is an
immediate change. Careful driving
and consideration for others would
prevent extreme measures. But as has
many predicted in this column before,
the motoring public is facing many
hardships brought on entirely by
themselves, or at least by many OF
them.
Motorists are going to find them
selves denied many driving privileges.
many parking privileges and higher
insurance rates. This is bound to
come, Just as certain as automobiles
have four wheels. Wanton killing and
destruction of property has aroused
thinking people throughout the coun-
try. They are going to see that it
stops. national defense act against
causes of traffic crimes" is likely to
be enacted. 1t will call for radical
changes that will step on the toes of
many, but no one should be sur
prised.
Lending its aid to ward off drastic
legislation, if possible. and in the in
terests of safety throughout the Ma
ton, the National Safety Council, with
headquarters in Chicago and affiliates
in many cities, has launched FIVE
year, countrywide program to reduce
motor vehicle deaths at least by 35 per
cent by the end of 1910 and looking
forward toward the saving of at least
$4,000 lives
Mr.. Van Duzer in a wire to the
council. has pledged the full cooper
alton of the District of Columbia.
The drive will start January l, to
continue with growing intensity and
momentum throughout the flve-year
period. 1t will be localized for each
State and for practically each city,
where closest cooperation will be
maintained with public officials, traffic
safety leaders, safety groups, educa-
tional heads, civic organizations and
interested individuals. 1t Is planned
to coordinate much of the existing
safety effort, to centralize and stand
ardize the work through application
of tested methods proved by success
full experience. Close cooperation
with Federal departments is assured.
The campaign, largely educational,
will include a broad program of en-
gineering and enforcement activities.
The seriousness of the problem de-
mands much broader program than
has ever before been attempted.
New ways of appealing to the in
dividual motoriSt, to arouse sense
of responsibility and craftsmanship,
will be sought. A definite Statewide
school program will be recommended
ganization of State safety councils and
localized safety organizations in towns
and cities. The adoption of uniform
laws, including standard drivers
license legislation, will be urged, to-
gether with adequate administration
of traffic laws, including State high
way patrols. The Standardization of
accident reports also will be under
taken, as well as provisions for more
complete accident statistics and their
Interpretation and application. The
detailed engineering enforcement and
educational technique of the States
and cities now doing outstanding
work will be made available to the
country at large, as one of the initial
steps in the big program.
The formal resolution, passed
unanimously by the Executive Com
nlittee at recent meeting in Chi
cago, pledges the councils whole
hearted assistance and the active eff
forts of thousands of its members in
all parts of the country and invites
the cooperation of all interested or
ganizations and agencies to the end
that during this five-year program at
least $4,000 lives shall be saved and
the killing and manning of little chill
dren and all our people shall cease
upon our highways"
Almost six months after the N. R. A.
was declared legally dead by the Su-
preme Court the automobile industry
is still observing the regulations that
were designed for rapid economic re-
covery according to the North Ameri-
can Newspaper Alliance.
Most of the rules laid down were
distasteful to the Detroit manufac-
turers Automobile executives were
frank to say, during the life of the
N. R. A, that they preferred to work
out their own salvation on the ques-
ton of hours, wages and accepted trade
practices. They had behind them Is
years of experience, during which the
industry had grown from infancy to
the country's richest source of capital
profits and individual wages.
Yet today, when the regulations the
Government offered are no longer
binding, the automobile manufac-
turers still accept in practice the prin-
ciple that jobs shall be widely distrib-
uted and hours and wages divided to
give employment to the largest num-
Der. During the last two months,
when the factories were working at
feverish speed to get models ready for
the shows and for subsequent deliv-
cry, the overtime schedules were far
below what they have been in the
past.
Nor did the factories make an eff
fort to load their pay rolls for hurry
up production. The men who went
back to work in September were the
ones who, in previous years, had been
called in December to turn out new
models. But this year they returned
to their benches aware that, under the
new program, there would be contin-
uous employment during the Winter