Henderson daily dispatch., 1943-12-27
Ration Effect
Upon Motors
Is Surprising
III the Sir Waller Hotel,
Daily Dispatch bureau.
BI LYNN INSECT

E"ieiEh. Dec. 21.-Wnrn the Gen
cE"I Assembly last winter had an
drl considerable" appropriations To-
valt.uS Stale departments and
agencies. the cIuns sought 10 anti
Hp"tc needs as they might be en-
iargcd OF decreased due to the war.
Some departments were known 10
need far larger SUI ns. which were
PROV !dGd. Others we're thought 10 re-
qune less because Of restricted ac-
.ivIty.
One department that everybody
agreed wuuId need less money WAS
the highway commission. Another
that almoS, everybody agreed would
nave less la do wus the motor yc-
hiClCS department.
Reports ui activities of that de-
pafiUcnt Tor the first ten months OF
1913. prepared by Commissioner
huGdIC Ward. indicates that despite
r"tI"nInG and scarcity of new cars
there has been more. rather than less
activity IN the department. During
JANUARY and February. registration
OF automobiles was about 20 per cent
under the same period III 1912. The
legislature WAS IN session those two
months md had III. object lesson be-
fore Them. Beginning with March,
however, md continuing through the
!C>t of the year. registrations each
month exceeded the record of the
cumparaDI" month the previous year.
Total registrations iOr this wear
I'm ou9h December Is. amounted To
6G6.3%I. which WAS less than five
per cent below the go. 10 total Tor
all of 1912. Through November 80.
only 3,3i2, new cars had been reg
lStCrCd. compared Ia G.I62 for all of
1912. and G3.3Uj for 1911. last year
before the sale OF cars. fuel and ac-
cCSsurics was restricted. Sale of sec
Ond hand cars increased during the
year, going up to $1,000 that came
IN from other states. Many of these
states have no title laws or the laws
arc greatly different from ours and
the extra work attached 10 registrar
lion bUrdCnCd the department..
Most surprising item in the dc
parlmCnIgl report is this:
"AluICuVcr. there have been aD-
prONimatCly 2OO.OOO transfers of
titles on vehicles that were previous
~ registered in this state. This is
an average transfer of almost one
puI 81 every three vehicles register
cd in North Caroilna-an unprcCc-
dcntcd increase over any previous
year.
The highway patrol. division in
the motor vehicles department, is
credited with its busiest year since
, It was first established. Notwith-
standing much lighter traffic on the
highways. the patrol reports that it
investigated 1851 accidents during
the ten months from January | TO
October 81.
Further surprise IS noted i'm the
number Of drivers licenses issued by
the safety division. During the first
eleven months Of the year there were
Issued 1926 drivers licenses. an
increase of 81 percent over the to-
tai Tor 1872. The report indicates
that more cars arc bcir Z given appli-
cation Tor driving permits. since II is
stated that 10 out of every hundred
applicants were turned down on
their first test.
Commissioner Ward rate. as the
outstanding achievement of the safe
ty division the prC-InduCtiUn driver
Cl@SsC> conducted in cooperation
with the department of education in
ihC public schools This idea. first
suggested by the army. appealed TO
Ward and he got the governor and
other officials interested As result
more than $4,000 school children
have had basic training IN safe driV-
ing and over 5000 have been CERT
.u.d - .thgy. Eus dIer