The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-23
BY BOB
Staff Writer

More than 500 persons have
graduated from the WPA Safe
Driving School in Wilmington
which has been in operation since
May /, 1889, under the direction
of George w. Smith.
Lieutenant Thomas A. Early,
state safety specialist and director
of the safe driving schools in North
Carolina, assisted in the organiza-
ton of the local school.
Statewide sponsors of the pro-
ject are the adult education de-
partment of the Works Projects
administration and the state high
way safety division, of which Ron
aid Hocutt is the director.
Local safe driving classes a r e
also co-sponsored by the city de-
partment of public safety, which
is under the direction of Mayor
Thomas E. Cooper.
In its beginning, the local school
had many obstacles to overcome
as it was compelled to depend on
local cooperation of automobile
dealers for the instruction cars and
gas dealers for fuel.
Aided by City
instruction cars and gas were
secured through the combined eff
forts of those persons most in
terested in the promotion locally
of the safe driving school move.
ment. They included: George w.
Smith, director: Bert Newton and
Earle King, driving instructors:
Police Chief Joseph c. Rourk, and
W. H. Hancammon, Jr., secretary
to Mayor Thomas E. Cooper.
Local automobile dealers CO.
operating were: Howell Motor
company, Macmillan Pontiac and
Buick company, Westbrook a n d
Brown, Mauldin Motor company,
Roberts garage, Marks Machin-
cry company; and the following
donated gasoline: the Standard Oil
company and Macmillan and Cam.
eron.
At the present time and for the
past several months the city de-
partment of public safety has been
furnishing gasoline for the instruc-
ton cars which are provided by
the WPA. ALI repair work for the
instruction cars is done at t h e
local WPA warehouse.
The New Hanover county board
of commissioners has allowed the
school to use the recorders court.
room for the classroom instruction
work. Each unit of the school lasts
for three weeks, with eight days
OF classroom instruction and sever
days of actual driving instructions
for the beginner.
Regular drivers receive only the
classroom instructions. The schoo.
is open to any white person in the
city and county above Is years Of
age. The two daily classes a r c
limited to IS beginners for each
unit. Glasses are held daily Mon
day through Fridays, from 4 to
O'Clock in the afternoons and from
z to 9 o'clock in the evenings.
The first class was started May l,
1889, with 80 students enrolled. Oh
this number, 60 completed tt {
course and included IS male ano
% female or Is regular drivers
and AZ beginners.
Summary of Units
A summary of units completed
to date includes: second class
started May %, 1899, with u
students enrolled, 40 completed the
course, 20 male and 20 female,
were regular drivers and 80 be-
ginners; third class started June
IL, 1889, with 81 students enrolled,
At completed the course, 10 male
and 81 female, three were regular
drivers and a. beginners.
Fourth class started July 8, 1889,
with 60 students enrolled, AZ com
pleted the course, 10 male and "a
female, five were regular drivers
and 81 beginners; fifth class start
ed July 81, 1889, with 45 students
enrolled, 80 completed the course
10 male and % female, one re-
gular driver and 80 beginners.
Sixth class started August q,
1899, with 30 students enrolled ~
completed the coure, 3 male any
18 female, four regular drivers n
20 beginners; seventh class STAR
ed September l 1889, with 80 stu-
~ F.-..11.I oc cononleted the