Evening star., 1937-02-07

they should not have been doing at
the time of the accident. Traffic Bu-
reau records cite careless walking.
Eight were crossing the street in the
middle of the block. Four were cross
ing against the red light. One was
walking down the side Of the street.
OF course there is no excuse for
driver to collide with walker just
because he is in the wrong. But any
one who drives knows that in the ma
jority of cases it is impossible to see a
walker in time to avoid hitting him
If he darts out into the street beWeen
parked cars at the curb. The driver
may be going at the rate of % miles
an hour or 4, the result is the same.
People even have been injured in
walking into the side of a Slow
moving vehicle. No one could hold the
driver responsible for that accident.
So, something must be done to help
the pedestrian to protect himself
against himself. This is urgent.
Warnings and educational drives ap-
parently do not suffice. The Com
missioners must put some regulations
into effect and see that they are en-
forced The courts will do well to do
their part in melting out fines. The
fatality tolls must be reduced. Other
large cities have seen the necessity Of
pedestrian control. Washington must
realize it.
The wonderful art collection gift of
the former Secretary of the Treasury
is hailed by all residents of the Ma
tional Capital 1t is to be hoped,
however, that if the gallery is to be
erected on the suggested site of Con-
stitution avenue that it will not neces-
state the closing of Sixth street to
traffic. This need not be done If an
underpass is made underneath the
proposed building.
This underpass can be accomplished
without harming the beauty OF the
building itself It can be done much
easier before the building is erected
and at a considerable less cost. Con-
gress in approving the plans for the
pass be made.
Sixth street is one of the few
through streets running north and
south from Pennsylvania avenue to
the Potomac River. It carries more
traffic than any other street except
Twelfth. 1t would cause great con-
gestion and inconvenience to thou
sands If 1t were closed. There is no
necessity for it. Many citizens have
protested the closing of the street.
The underpass plan will eliminate all
difficulties.
It is to be desired that the new plan
to eliminate parking on certain main
arteries throughout the Winter will
be found legal. 1t is not New Deal
conception. Its purposes are to re-
1ieve congestion, allow access to gut
ters for snow removal and make the
streets more safe.
It would seem that Congress has
given the Commissioners and traffic
director power and authority to say
what streets and at what time park
ing is to be restricted. A Police Court
decision believes otherwise. If this
belief was carried further there would
not be any traffic regulations enforce
able throughout the entire city.
A court in California ruled a short
time ago that police could not legally
put tickets in car. To be legal they
had to be handed to the driver, and
then only if he was seen by the police
man in the process of violating reg
ulation. That decision, If carried to
the extreme, would allow man to
park his car on street-car track and
be immune unless policeman actually
saw him doing it. An apepal Of this
California ruling Is expected.
For the benefit of motorists labor
ing under the annual duty of figuring
income-tax returns, the following Is
published:
Explicit information for the motor
1st with respect to deductions under
the Federal income-tax law Is given
by the Keystone Automobile Club in
statement prepared by Harrison G.
Kildare, counsel for the club, and
made public recently.
Subject to ironclad restrictions
and possible review by the collector
of internal revenue" said Mr.. Kildare,
''owners and operators of motor We
hicles may deduct taxes paid, uncom-
pensated loss to theihr vehicles, inter-
est on financed loans and expenses
incidental to the actual business use
of vehicles
Specifically, full deductions may be
made for:
"(a) Registration fees paid by the
taxpayer (under Taxes paid which
IS item 8, schedule H, on form 1040A).
"tb) Operators license fees paid by
the taxpayer, both for himself and
members Of his family If he foots the
bill Gtem 81.
"(c) Gasoline and oil taxes paid in
States where local laws impose these
taxes directly on the purchaser and
not on the dealer. Deduction may be
made for fuel taxes paid in Connecti-
cut, Delaware, District of Columbia,
Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts,, Michigan, New Hamp-
shire. New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Virginia and West Virginia This
group Is also deductible under item
8 (form 1040a).
mo such deduction is allowed, how
ever, in Pennsylvania. Ohio. South
Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida,
Mississippi. California, Colorado, Ne
braska, Washington, Utah. Wyoming
or Alabama. The Federal tax of l
cent on gallon of gasoline cannot be
credited. As long ago as 1881, the
Keystone Automobile Club asked for
q liberal construction of the Pennsyl-
vania fuel act to permit deduction.
This year the club has announced
its determination to seek new legis-
lation on this subject at Harrisburg
or in Washington, so that the motor
1st may take credit for the gasoline