Evening star., 1951-12-21

llaSL year S unusually nlgn levels,
but few cities reported gains
over 1850.
Traffic
| Continued From First Page.)
in the making at the American
Automobile Association.
The supply angle was one of the
foremost arguments presented.
Washington has approximately
10000 registered vehicles and ex-
lperts estimate less than half have
tire chains.
Tagging in Demands.
One of the eight chain manu-
Ifacturers. the Mckay Co. of Pitts
burgh. told The Star today that
| t, fill such a demand-were the
regulation to go into effect-would
require the plants full production
for 80 days.
A virtual week of icy going in
and around the District has prac-
Itically stripped wholesalers and
retailers of chains and supplies
are trickling in in lesser quantities.
The Mckay Co. said it was two
weeks behind in orders.
One distributor here said he
lsold $4,000 worth of skid chains
tat prices up to S12,50) last Fri
day and Saturday and that rush
orders were sent to his supplier
He received only one-tenth of the
order. These weather condi-
tions are Nation-w wide" he pointed
out There Just aren't that
many tire chains to be had"
Another said his present stock
Iof chains, ''iS virtually nil. Two
, truck-loads are on order but
haven't arrived"
/ AAA Editor Protests.
! A third distributor said he sold
$4,000 pairs last Saturday-and
from recorders has only 100 pairs
left.
i Sharpest protest came from
) Walter Hubbard, editor of AAA's
American Motorist magazine.
:. ITS a ridiculous thing to try
ito compel people to put chains on
;Itheir cars" he snapped. Wash
Iington has only one or two storms
ia year"
! He deplored the proposal also
from the standpoint of steel short
ages and questioned the constitu-
Itionality of such a law should it
go into effect.
), One distributor declared that
making people use tire chains
wouldn't solve the problem, but it
might increase absenteeism. Many
won't drive with chains and if
people knew how to drive on snow
and ice, they wouldn't need them. +"
] Enforcement Seen Problem.
Enforcement of such a regula-
Ition would present unlimited diff
f1culty. most of the dissenters
pointed out, particularly on the
snow-tread tire provision.
! During yesterdays meeting
which approved the proposed law,
Police Inspector John j. Agnew
'lpointed out that the average po-
lliceman would be unable to deter
mine whether a moving vehicle
was equipped with snow-tread
tires.
And motorist added-"and if
the vehicle is moving on ice and
snow it obviously doesn't need
chains or snow tires anyway"
| Traffic Director George E.
Keneipp, chairman of the advisory
lcommittee on the snow emergency
program, voiced hope the list
would be approved today.
i Draft is Approved.
i A rough draft won tentative ap-
,Iproval of the Public Utilities Com
mission and Capital Transit Co.
Representatives last night. Both of
these groups believe the city
should keep open all streets on
which the streetcars operate, be-
.cause in severe storms, streetcars
will carry the heaviest tranSporta-
I tion loads.
Under the snow emergency plan,
police will have authority to
divert any vehicle from the limit
Ied-use streets unless they are
Equipped to keep moving. Auto
mobiles that show signs of slip
ping and sliding will be required
to use lesS-essential thorough
fares.
Ten-Day Waiting Period.
Chairman Keneipp said the list
probably will be made public upon
being approved, although the
Commissioners viii be unable toI
adopt it until their meeting next
Thursday. After adoption, a 10
lday period must elapse before the
Hist can be written into law.
The committee members concede
there will be some difficulty with
enforcement, since it will be i'm
possible to station enough police
men along the $50 miles of streets
ito require full compliance. They
believe, however. that the Wash
lingtori plan is more workable than
lone adopted Monday in Baltimore.
In Baltimore, during snow
emergencies, all public transpor-
"a