Evening star., 1940-05-06
Women S Safety Unit
Asks Three Additions
To District Bill
Wants Funds to Solve
Porkine Problem and
Extend Driving School

In an effort to secure addition of
three amendments to the 194l Dis
trict Appropriation Bill, members of
the Women's Safety Committee of
the American Automobile Associa-
ton today expressed their deter
mination Ito keep after" the Senate
Subcommittee on District Appropri-
ations, until they have achieved
success. The group met in the Sem
ate minority room in the Capitol
The recommendations, which were
acted upon favorably by the District
Division Of the American Automo-
bile Association at recent meeting,
are:
l. Inauguration by the District
Commissioners Of survey looking
to the solution of the Washington
parking problem through establish
ment Of municipality -owned or
street-parking facilities.
2. Extension of the drivers train
ing course at Abbot Vocational
School to a white high school,
colored high school, and a colored
vocational school,
3. An increase of the bonus given
members Of the motorcycle corps of
the Metropolitan Police from $40 to
$40 q month.
Parking Is Chief Headache.
Describing the parking problem as
the mo. headache Of motorists
in the District" Mrs. George
Thorpe, chairman of this committee,
said that although 10000 cars cir
ulate daily throughout the down.
town area of the city there are
parking facilities for only 1880.
This latter figure, she said, includes
parking in garages, packing in park
ing lots and parking at the curb.
The obvious solution" Mrs.
Thorpe continued is municipality
controlled parking areas"
Thirty three cities in II States
have introduced this form of parking
and only three of the cities charge
fees, Mrs. Thorpe declared.
Wherever possible the cities took
Government property. In Detroit,
where no Government property was
available, the city officials are con-
sidering the establishment of under
ground parking areas.
To illustrate the expense to a city
OF curb parking, Mrs. Thorpe cited
the case of Pittsburgh. There, she
pointed out, the city spent 81 200 900
to widen a street, but this addi-
tional space could accommodate only
IA automobiles 50 that the average
cost for parking space to the city
amounted to $4,000 carr she added,
In asking for an additional ap-
preparation in the bill of $1,000 to
cover expenses for teachers and
other incidentals in the extension
OF the drivers training course, the
speaker said that graduates of the
course have demonstrated the value
OF 1t by not being involved in an
accident or, convicted for a trafic
violation.
She asked that the course be
placed in the Phelps Vocational
School and Armstrong High School
for colored, and in the Mckinley
High School for white.
The extra hazards encountered by
motorcycle police was advanced by
Washington I. Cleveland, manager
Of the local American Automobile
Association Club, as a reason for
the addition Of SO a month to the
present bonus of $40 monthly re-
ceived by motorcycle policemen.
Last year, Mr.. Cleveland recalled,
although funds for 81 additional
motorcycle policemen were provided
by Congress, none of these officers
became q motorcycleman. Mr.. Cleve-
land explained this by saying that
they did not volunteer for this duty
and 50 were not assigned to it.
There would be no increase in
the police budget If this extra bonus
were given, Mr.. Cleveland said, since
there Is also an unextended balance
in the budget which would cover the
addition.
Among those who attended the
gathering were Mrs. David Nc
Coach, jr., wife of the District En-
gineer Commissioner; Mrs. Morris
Sheppard, wife of the Democratic
Senator from Texas, and Miss Vera
Bloom, daughter Of Representative
Bloom, Democrat, Of New York.