Evening star., 1941-01-16
Mahon Subcommittee
To Study Traffic
Needs Of District
Representative Processes
Open Mind on Means
Of Achieving Sofety

A special study of traffic needs
here will be made by the House
subcommittee in charge of the 1912
District appropriation bill, it was
announced yesterday by Represent
ative Mahon, Democrat, of Texas,
the newly appointed subcommittee
chairman.
"I am sympathetic toward any
effort made to prevent traffic cas-
ualties in Washington, he declared.
81 have an open mind as to the
need for additional policemen, ad-
ditional traffic lights, or anything
else that may be necessary to make
the streets safer for both motorists
and pedestrians"
Schultz Cites Need of Police.
| Mr.. Mahon made the statement
after Acting Chairman Schultz of
the House District Committee. at
conference with police and traffic
officials earlier yesterday, had
stressed the need of an increase OF
at least so in the traffic enforce
ment squad of the Metropolitan
Police Department.
"I do not know how many addi-
tional policemen are needed" he
said, 'but I do want to provide
Washington with the things it
needs"
Mr.. Mahon will be invited to a
second round-table traffic clinic"
Representative Schultz will hold in
his office next Wednesday.
A. A. A. Studies Toll.
Meanwhile, the board of the
American Automobile Association
announced it is making a study of
means of meeting the wave of
traffic accidents and deaths and
will submit proposals to the Com
missioners within a week.
The proposed appointment of a
committee of 100 prominent citizens
to aid police in reporting traffic vio-
lations in the District was strongly
condemned by the automobile club
in letter yesterday to the Com
missioners.
"Any scheme which would involve
the possibility of one citizen spying
on another is unsound in principle
and dangerous in practice" the
letter said.
In addition, the motor club OBJ
served that this idea was tried in
Washington about five years ago and
did little or nothing to reduce ac-
cidents or to help the police in the
enforcement of traffic regulations. s."
Fatality Signs Critized.
The A. A. A. also criticized the
placing of signs at the scenes of
traffic fatalities, saying that this was
imposing an overdose of morbidity
on our bad traffic situation"
The signs, part of safety pro-
gram sponsored jointly by The Star
and by the Traffic Department, bear
the following inscription, Death
Struck Here" and the number of the
particular fatality. They are placed
at points nearest the exact spot
where the traffic victim was killed
and remain there month.
Washington I. Cleveland, repre-
senting the A. A. A., and Whitney
Leary, head of the Commissioners
Traffic Advisory Council, conferred
briefly with the Commissioners at
their board meeting yesterday on
the possibility of a joint meeting
between the council and the city
heads. The Commissioners felt that
it would be more convenient for
the A. A. A. to draft its proposals
and submit them directly to the
Commissioners. This may be done
tomorrow or next Wednesday. The
Commissioners indicated they prob
ably would refer the A. A. A. pro-
posals to the Traffic Advisory Coun-
Gil, a committee of which is ready
to submit ideas for meeting the
situation.