Evening star., 1935-03-28
AUTO INSURANCE
BILL Up IN HOUSE
Nichols Attacks Measure as
Obstacle to Straight Com
puIsory Plan.

The House this afternoon began con-
sideration of the District automobile
liability bill. passed by the Senate last
January. with an attack on tine meas
ure by Representative Nichols. Demo-
crat, of Oklahoma, member of the
District Committee.
Nichols protested that it would put
taxicabs and private automobiles in the
same class for insurance and that the
act would be an obstacle to a straight
compulsory insurance measure. No
State has the same law for taxicabS
and private automobiles, he said.
He argued that it would make only
the driver of a taxicab responsible and
that after an accident he would be dis
charged and some other irresponsible
driver would take his place.
Representative Patman Of Texas,
chairman of the subcommittee which
reported the bill and who twice has
caused its consideration to be delayed,
opposed the objections of Mr.. Nichols.
Representative Carpenter of Kansas
agreed with Nichols
Lives at Stake.
Continuing his argument. Nichols
urged the House members to protect
their constituents. whose lives, he said,
would be endangered when they came
to the Capital because irresponsible
drivers would be allowed to Kill people
before being compelled to take out
insurance He insisted that it would
cost no more to take out insurance be-
fore an accident than after an acci-
dent.
Patman declared that the first OBJ
ject of this bill, is to reduce the num-
ber of accidents. He cited the classes
of drivers who cause the most acci-
dents and said their permits would
be taken away from them under this
bill. They are those convicted of op-
Grating an automobile while under
the influence of intoxicating liquors
or narcotic drugs; a driver leav-
ing the scene of an automobile
accident in which personal in
jury has occurred without making his
identity known and one against whom
a Judgment has been obtained which
he has failed to satisfy after 80
days.
Another Bill Pending.
Patman assured Nichols that an
other bill (the Quinn bilD is pending
before the subcommittee of which he
is chairman, providing compulsory in
surance for taxicabs. and promised
that hearings would be held on that
measure soon. He also called the at
tention of the House to extensive hear
ings held last year on this subject.
General compulsory insurance, he said,
would cost s1,500,000 to the people
of the District to multiply the taxicab
rates, and that this would not be spent
for the benefit Of the people or the
taxi drivers, but for insurance COM
panies.
Representative Peyser, Democrat. Of
New York. demanded that COM
pulsory insurance law should be passed
covering all motor vehicles.
The measure Is being considered by
the House as in Committee of the
Whole, which prohibits any general
debate and means that the measure
is being discussed under the five
minute rule.
Representative Blanton, Democrat,
of Texas, who previously opposed this
legislation, helped Chairman Norton
to arrange for its consideration in
this manner.
Hull Drops Fight.
Representative Hull, Progressive, of
Wisconsin, a member of the District
Committee who previously joined Pat
man in delaying the bill, announced
that he would not endeavor to defeat
it. He emphasized, however, that the
bill does not adequately protect against
drunken drivers.
Chairman Norton was applauded
when she said that she had come to
the Capitol today against the advice
of her physician after serious illness
for the last two weeks because she was
so intensely interested to get this legis-
lation passed for the protection of the
people in the District.
Mrs. Norton said the measure is not
primarily to impose insurance but to
promote traffic safety. She said she
believes that people here have
greater claim on the House for what
will promote safety In the streets than
visitort. She read statistics previous
ly printed in The Star, showing the
heavy traffic toll and appealed to her
colleagues to help correct that situa-
ton by passing the bill.
Mrs. Norton also reminded the
House that the people in the District
hove M vote and that II fS the dyltv
of members of Congress to legislate
fairly and honestly for them.
She insisted In reply to questions
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