Evening star., 1939-11-21
Trade Board
Told Fixing
|sSafetyFoe
Auto Manufacturing
Company President
Advocates Ban

company rreSIdent
Advocates Ban
Denouncing traffic ticket fixing"
as vicious evil that leads toward
general disrespect of all laws" Paul
Gray Hoffman, president Of the
Studebaker Corp. and widely known
traffic authority, last night urged
the National Capital to call halt
to the practice and to enlist in a
war against automobile accidents.
mo community can make decent
start toward real traffic safety until
there is no ticket fixing for any one,
any time or anywhere" Mr.. Hoff-
man, author of Seven Roads to
Safety" told members of the Board
of Trade at their monthly meeting
at the Willard Hotel.
"You can't do anything until you
have respect for the law" the
speaker declared. He explained
many communities have been able
to stop ticket fixing entirely with
happy results"
"And I hear you do have some
ticket fixing here" he added with a
smile. Maybe you, too, can find
some one to stop it,"
Cites Industry's Roll.
Mr.. Hoffman recalled how the
automobile industry took steps to.
ward more active participation in
traffic safety work several years ago
following publication of the now
famous And Sudden DEATH" by
]. c. Furnas.
After survey in 1886 had dis
closed 1885 traffic toll of $4,000, he
said, the Automobile Manufacturers
Association decided that if more
funds were made available to safety
organizations, the fatality rate per
1000 vehicular miles could be re-,
duced by one-third. The association
underworld a fund of S225 900, to
which was added another S175,0OO
| contributed by other groups in the
automobile industry, he explained.
Within four years, the objective
of a one-third reduction was OBJ
tained," he said, but this is not
satisfactory. 1t should be reduced
even more"
He said the reduction was brought
about largely by public officials and
at public expense, through the train
ing and education of police and
traffic officers in modern methods
of traffic control and with the sup
port of the public.
Public officials are anxious to 90
forward with safety plans, but they
won't go any further than the public
wants them to 90 because the job
costs money" he said.
Modernized Street Needs Seen.
Mr.. Hoffman declared that street
facilities in Washington as well az
in every other city in this country
must be modernized to meet the re.
quirements of this motorized age,
Much research is needed in the field
of highway construction before any
great progress can be made in the
war against accidents.
Unlike the European war" he
added, "the objective of our war il
to save lives, not destroy them"
P. Y. K. Howat, chairman of the
trade boards Traffic Committee, re.
ported that the committee is bend.
ing every effort toward reduction Of
child fatalities in the District and
disclosed that plans are under way
for an ambitious educational pro-
gram.
In this connection, Mr.. Howat paid
high tribute to the work of little
Knee-Hi, the canine traffic expert
now giving her traffic safety lessons
in Washington under sponsorship
Of The Star. He expressed belief
that the lesson taught by the dog
already has helped to reduce traffic
accidents involving children.
Constantine Brown, foreign news
writer of The Star, gave the trade
board members brief picture of the
situation in Europe today as he
sees it from this side of the At
lantic.
ASKED About Outcome.
Since the war began" Mr.. Brown
said, I've received numerous letters
asking me how long the war will last,
who will win and whether the United
States will get into the battle.
I have stock answer to these"
he said. ut consists of a mimeo-
graphed letter saying, I don't
know"
Mr.. Brown added, however, that
the answer to who will be the VIC
tor is not Germany, Great Britain
or France-"Communism or anarchy
will be the only winner" He said
the economic and financial collapse
of all the nations involved is in
evitable.
He pointed out that the French
national debt in March was about
three times its total national in
come and that Great Britain's ma
tional debt was about double its an
pual income in July.
When you add to this the fact
THAT Great Britain and France are
spending about $45,000, 900 a day for
fighting this 'sit-down' war, you can
begin to see the picture" he said.
"Of one thing I am sure" Mr..
Brown added, "the United States
will not get in the war. Every one
IN this country is convinced there
shall not be another trip across the
Atlantic to make the world safe for