The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-03-14
SENATE HEARS
 VEHICLE CODE ACT OUTLINED
Hesse and FoIta Air Pro- visions Before Con-
 mittee of Whole

Sitting in a brief Committee of the Whole session yesterday after neon, the Alaska Senate heard the framers of the proposed Motor Vehicle Code outline the benefits of the act.
 Territorial Highway Engineer William A. Hesse and Department of the Interior Counsel-at-large George Folta, took the stand in l, that order to make brief general statements and answer questions !, put by the solons.
 In his statement, MT. Hesse de- clared the Code had been drafted | to meet a serious need in the Ter , ritory There is at present, he said, no automobile registration act in Alaska Soon the Territory's high l ways may be open to travel from the States-with a danger that Alaska may become a haven for stolen automobiles
 Ninety per cent of the proposed Code, he continued, has been taken from the best thought developed during 25 years of experience in seven states Vermont, Maryland, Iowa, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. The other 10 per cent of the bill mainly load limits and license fees, is controversial matter which is in the province of the Legislature to decide.
 Code Highpoints
 Highpoints of the Code which were aired at the hearing are:
 There is no special set-up for administration of the act and minor mechanical details of administra- tion are left to authorized regula- tions under the act. Delegations of authority to administrators have been made only for specific pur- poses;
 The fees set up in the Code are expected to bring in more money during a tWo-year period than the Territory spends per biennium on all it's roads. Under present laws, the Territory receives revenues totalling s66,0OO per year-the Code is expected to increase them to $150,000 per year from private car and carrier licenses alone. Annual needed road maintenance by the Territory at present are approxi- lnately $l60,00O.
 Licensing Fees
 Licensing fees as set by the act would amount to SIS to S20 on the average private automobile; the maximum license to be charged for any commercial carrier would be $500 per year. Fees are gradu- ated on a overweight basis; the Territorial fee on private cars now IS $10, with cities leyying an addi- tional $5.
 Almost entire jurisdiction of motor vehicles would be taken over by the Territory cities would no longer issue licenses and would be empowered to enact only minor traffic rules (such as parking . Twenty-Five per cent of revenues lcollected in cities, under the Code, would be refunded to the cities the Code would eliminate confusion now existing from dual control by the Territory and the cities;
 Public Liability
 Proof of financial responsibility such as public liability and prop eity damage insurance coverage- would be required of vehicle oper- ators. Sixteen years would be the minimum age for obtaining an Operators license. Nonresident ve- hicle and operators permits would be good for 90 days, or until the owner became gainfully employed within the Territory;
 Thirty-five miles per hour would be the maximum speed limit per- mitted for the duration of. the war, in conformity with Presidential de- cree; drunken driving would be rated felony under the Code.
 MT. Folta explained that it was thought far better that the Terri tory enact a complete Code now, rather than go through the long drawn process of adopting one by piecemeal legislation.
 Following termination of the Committee of the Whole hearing, the Senate plunged into second