OCR Text |
Show AUTOMOBILE THEFTS. Uncle Sam is about to stretch forth his long arm and comb out tho auto-mobilo auto-mobilo thief. A bill introduced in tho house by Representative Ih'cr of Missouri Mis-souri passed that body last week and is now in the senate, where favorable action at an early date is looked for. Tho bill provides for punishment by fino and imprisonment or both for transportation of stolen motor vclueles in interstate or foreign commerce. In urging the passage of tho bill, Representative Dyer said that there has been and now is a widespread demand for such a law. State laws have been inadequate, and losses to automobile owners reach hundreds of thousands of dollars - every year and are constantly growing. Sir. Dyer said that the total number of cars stolen in eighteen western and midwestern cities in 1918 was 22,273. Dotroit headod the list with 2G37; Chicago Chi-cago came second, with 2611, and St. Louis third with 2241. Only 54 per cent of the cars stolen in Kansas City wero recovered. According to Mr. Dyer's information, 797 cars were stolen stol-en in Salt Lake in 191S, of which all save seven were recovered. The fol-lftwing fol-lftwing list was offered by the author of tho bill as containing information regarding tho spread of automobile stealing: Recovery. Recov-ery. Stolon. erert. Detroit 2637 sG4 Chicago 2611. l!)f,4 St. Louis 2241 1C."4 Kansas City 1144 506 Denver iloi 627 Omaha 1039 G69 Culumbus, Ohio 4ot ;fi2 Cincinnati 348 291 San Francisco 1122 1082 Los Anseles 1629 1499 Oakland 595 s50 Seattle 1451 1376 Portland loss 990 Salt Lake City 797 790 Boston S56 607 Indianapolis 404 Oklahoma City 571 484 Cleveland 2076 ' 1810 There are approximately 6,500.000 automobiles auto-mobiles now in use in the United States, the estimated value of which is $7,S00,-000,000. $7,S00,-000,000. Mr. Dver said. The new measure provides that a fino not exceeding $5000 or imprisonment of l not more than three years, or both, may be imposed for the "wilful transportation trans-portation across state lines of a stolon automobile, as well as for tho reception recep-tion and disposition of the machine, and "anyone violating tho act may be punished pun-ished in the district in or through which such motor vehicle has been transported or removed by such offenders." The term motor vehicle' ' includes an automobile, automobile truck, automobile auto-mobile wagon, motorcycle or other self-propelled self-propelled vehicle not designed to run on rails. Motor car owners will welcome the passage and approval of the Dyer bill and especially will they welcome its enforcement. Automobile thieves have becomo bold, indeed, and locks and devices de-vices for safeguarding unoccupied cars appear to afford littlo protection against them. The authorities of Utah have been astonishingly successful in recovering stolen cars, but even that gratifying fact does not prevent expense ex-pense and annoyance to victimized owners. "While it is true that the Dyer law will not directly become applicable within tho various states, there is no doubt that it will help to break up organized or-ganized gangs of automobile thieves in : populous communities, a part of whose j operations is to steal a car in ono state ! and run it ncross the line into another, j Also, the law will have a wholesome j moral influence within the states them- selves, for if automobile thieves once I realize that the government is taking a hand to prevent their criminal practices prac-tices they will be less defiant. The Dyer bill is a good measure and a timely one. |