Evening star., 1937-06-06
FIGHT ON PARKING
METERS EXPECTED
Organized Motorists Gird for
Battle if Plan Passes
ConqreSS.

SSSs
A storm Of protest over the pro-
posal that the District rent por-
tions Of its streets as parking spaces
for automobiles may break about the
heads of the tax-Worried Conmis-
sioners if Congress passes the park
ting meter plan as now drafted.
This part of the Districts pro-
posed new revenue program is not
mandatory and would leave the de-
cision to the city heads. It merely
empowers the Commissioners in their
discretion" to collect fees for park
ing on the highways and to use park
ing meter gadgets for collection OF
fees.
That a last-ditch fight will be
made by organized motorists to pre-
vent adoption of the parking meters,
If Congress grants the authority, was
indicated yesterday when the Amer
lean Automobile Association turned
new blast against the meters, call
ing them operated alarm clocks
and the. plan tragic aburdity."
Legal Study Possible.
Since the plan is still before Con-
gress, the Commissioners have not
yet had occasion to act and before
they reach a decision they may have
their advisers make study OF the
legal aspects Of renting space in the
public streets.
The bill was drafted by District Of
ficials at the direction of the Tax
Subcommittee of the House District
Committee. While testifying before
the tax group, one of the Commits
kioners suggested that Congress order
the installation of the meters, if Con-
greSs wants them used.
Adoption Of the use of parking
meters has been fought in cities from
coast to coast by the A. A. A., which
has contended the plan places just one
more burden on motor vehicle owners
and has protested the scheme is illega'
II it is a revenue raising plan based
on police powers OF regulation.
Nichols Backs Meter Plan.
Parking meters, however, are not
without champions in the District
Adoption of the plan is being urged in
Congress by Representative Nichols OF
Oklahoma, where the device first was
instituted. Its adoption also is recon-
mended by William A. Van Duzer
District traffic director, who believes it
would not only spread the use of the
limited number of parking spaces in
the downtown area, but also greatly
reduce the number of police needed to
enforce time limits on parking
In the District tax group Of the
House, the plan is suggested as q
means OF providing cushion" Of ad-
ditlonal revenues which the Commits.
sioners might provide if needed to bal
ance the 1888 budget. Van Duzer has
estimated the District might raise a.
much as 100000 to 100000 from
widespread installation of the meters
However, if they were installed al
frst only in the area from Fifth te
Fifteenth streets and from Pennsyl.
vania to New York avenues, the rev.
enue would be lowered. Van Duzel
estimates about 1000 would be needed
for such an area. Spaces devoted tc
shipping entrances and free zones fol
parking of taxicabs would not bt
metered, Van Duzer said.
Meters Cost SIS to $85.
The meters range in price. as in.
stalled. from $55 to $85. If a s5s
brand were used, 1000 of them woulc
cost the District $4,000.
Van Duzer has suggested that the
ypt, u &c w al
this price would rent parking space
for one hour. But in other places
the time signals might be set for Is
or 80 minutes, depending on the loca-
ton. Time needed to park for a brief
trip to a bank, for instance, might be
Is minutes, while for use of shoppers
1t more likely would be an hour. But
these point are not yet settled
1t is calculated the meters would
collect an average of 80 cents a day,
If in use from 80 am. to pm II
they were used 800 days out of a year
on such schedule they would gross
Sl80,000 year.
The parking meter is the inven-
ton of Carl c. Magee, newspaper
editor, who played a part in un-
earthing the Tea Pot Dome oil scan
dal. He heads company in Okla
homa City which manufactures the
device. Since use of this device
started, other companies have pro-
duced other types Of timing and fee
collecting gadgets, and the campaign
for their use has been carried from
city to city.
Parking Spaces Marked.
Where the devices are to he used
parking spaces are marked along the
curbs of public streets They would
be about 20 feet long here. The
meters are affixed to standards near
the curb. The motorist parks his car
IN a vacant spot, drops a nickel in
the slot and flag is raised to show
the space is rented" The flag stays
raised until the clock ticks off the
paid-for time and then it drops. The
observant policeman then can stroll
down the block and ticket cars parked
where the flags are down.
Il believe the number O, policemen
needed to enforce parking restric.
tions would be but one-fourth to one.
third Of the number now needed,
Van Duzer states.
The fight against the meters ha.
been taken to the courts in some