Newspapers / The Alleghany News and … / Dec. 27, 1945, edition 1 / Page 3
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TODAY tad TOMORROW Bj DON ROBINSON'J TICKETS’ .... fixing The man who knows how to get traffic law violations “killed” has always been looked upon by many Americans as a man worth know ing. Actually, however, he, and the policeman and court officials who work with him, are guilty of con tributing to a mass murder scene which is being enacted on our highways every day of the year. Studies made in' various towns and cities make it clear that ’‘ticket fixing” has reached the stage where it is a serious men ace to safe driving. In some towns practically all violators go free, in others all local residents seem to be immune to penalties, and in many, many towns tickets are fixed for friends of police of ficers and politicians. In one city where ticket fixing had reached the stage where the citizenry demanded reform, the annual “take” in fines had aver aged $50,000 a year. When ticket fixing was abolished the traffic court revenue jumped to $500,000. In a medium-sized town, exam ination of the traffic court records for a six-month period showed that only one local resident (an unfortunate who apparently did n’t know any of the right people) had paid a fine for a traffic law violation but of several hundred who had been summoned to court. But in the same town over 200 non-residents had had to pay fines and several had had their license revoked. This mockery of the traffic laws, which has led careless driv ers to sneer at dangers of pun ishment, is believed to be one of the major causes of our alarming increase in fatal automobile acci dents. LAWS .... ridiculous In addition to the disrespect for traffic laws which has been en couraged by ticket fixing, another important factor is the ridiculous ness of some of the laws them selves. A .friend of mine was arrested and had to pay a fine for going through a small southern town at the horse-and-buggy speed of 15 miles per hour. It was pointed out to him that a sign on the out skirts of town set the maximum speed at 10 miles per hour. In one mountain state, on dangerous, winding roads, signs tell you that the maximum speed is 55 miles an hour. On many parts of those roads it would be suicide to travel that fast. Those are two extremes, but any driver who travels at all is familiar with the hundreds of signs, even on super highways, which attempt to limit speed through one-store towns to 15 or 20 miles per hour. Motorists naturally will not show respect for traffic laws if they consider them out of keeping with the times, anymore than will if they know they can get tickets fixed. Before the automobile stampede which is expected to crowd our highways next summer, gets un derway, it would probably save many lives if all the states and all the towns would review their traffic laws with the aim of mak ing them reasonable and at the same time “safe” and enforceable. JUVENILES . accidents My study of the accident prob lem also reveals the importance of doing something to curb juven ile drivers. The best proof I have seen of the need for this is a study made in Connecticut which showed: Over a period of six years the to tal number of persons killed by 100,000 drivers 46 to 50 years old was 66; but during the same peri od, the same number of 16-year old drivers killed 201 persons, the 17-year-olds. 166, the 18-year-olds 148, and those between 19 and 28 about 215. With juvenile drivers killing people at a rate over three times as great as adults, it is apparent that they should not be given the freedom of the highways enjoyed by more matured drivers. It also is evident that if they do continue to drive, they should be given more training in safety, either through the schools or through the requirements necessary to get a license. One solution would seem to be to issue all licenses to those under 21 on a probationary basis with The Season’s Best To All Our Friends! GREETINGS aiicT ^ ^ WtM Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and board the mag ic carpet for the Land of Bet ter Days. There are 365 of them “in the bag” for you in 1946—if we have our way about it— and every day will be better than the one preceding. A thousand thanks for past favors—and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! Sparta Bus Terminal SPARTA, N. C. UN f ^ j ROMAN BATH—Not the luxury of olden days, but this youngster of' ' Rome splashes contentedly, unmind ful of the turmoil throughout Italy. YULE TILE GREET INGS!—Here’s a bright miss with a bright idea:" tile Christmas cards! A shining tile, dash of paint, and off to friends can go “Season’s Greet ings,” which converted to hot places and coasters— will last not one, but many seasons. COLD RECONVERSION—Hal Brown (left) and Alan Kuntz of NY Rangers Hockey team, are so glad to get back to the game they kiss the cold stuff. Both spent moie than three years in the armed f . ^ . - ? win Oaks News j CARI, IRWIN Staff Correspondent < Mr and Mrs, Troy Irwin and son, Harold, Cambria, Va.. visited relatives in Sparta, Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Shores and son, Winston-Salem, spent the! week end with relatives at Strut- . ford. Woodrow Richardson, assistant | county agent, in Watauga county, | spent Sunday with relatives in I Sparta, Floyd Brady and Clark Sheets .left Sunday on a business trip to , Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. J L. Bare spent Sunday with relatives at Laurel t Springs. Mrs, Frank C. Atwood and son. spent Sunday afternoon with Mr and Mrs. Will Atwood. Mr. and Mrs. R. L, Soothers. Jr., have moved to the Homer Smith residence which 'they re cently purchased. Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Douglass and Mr. and Mrs. Talmadge Doug lass, Piney Creek, have moved to the new residence near here re cently built by R. L. Southers, Jr. Miss Rausa Rector returned to her home at Whitehead, Sunday, after spending three weeks with the understanding that the li censes would be revoked upon evidence of careless driving. An other solution would be to make tests much more severe for ju venile drivers and require a writ ten test to prove their understand ing of the need for safe driving. Murder on the highways is go ing to break all records in the next few years unless' effective steps ’ are taken immediately to outlaw all forms of careless driv ing. First Complete Pipe Factory of the South Sparta, N. C. D. & P. PIPE WORKS Pioneer Briar Block Factory Boone, N. C. We pay well for good ivy and laurel burls. You may well be proud of the reputation our fireproofed pipes are earning. Burls turned into pipes, not fireproofed, insure* the recapture of the American market by foreign briai* By supplying us, you help yourself. I Write oi Boone 194 We are and will keep buying all good ivy and laurel burls. D. ft P. Pipe Works Write or Sparta 18 I the family of “Uncle” Man Wil liams, Stratford. Mrs. Jack Napier spent Satur day night with her mother, “Aunt” Alice Atwood. Mrs. R. A. Retd is■ spar'di i" 'he holidays with relatives in Dan ville. Va. Mr. and Mrs. Porter Collins Conservation Farming News By T. R. GREENE Eugene Hampton, of the Strat- j ford community, has asked for a conservation plan on his farm. Mr. Hampton has some land he plans to plant in white pines and wants his soil analyzed so he may get maximum results for money spent for fertilizers. John R. Halsey, of Piney Creek, has improved his land very much. He still thinks he can do more and plans to have his soil ana lyzed before another cultivating season. J. L. Greene, of Ennice, is planning to strip crop next sea son. The Soil Conservation serv ice will assist Mr. Greene by stak ing contour lines for divided lines of row crops and close grow ing crops and also the fence that is to be velocated. W. F. Irwin, of Sparta, was in the soil conservation office this week to get reports from soil samples the service sent to the State laboratory. W. C. Evans, of Ennice, came in for his reports of soil samples this week and asked for assis tance in planning his farming, j “Two heads are better than one if one is a sheep’s head,” says Mr. Evans. The progress and peace of the world Will be stimulated mightily if we demonstrate that an econ omy of abundance is not idealis tic dreaming, but a practical, workable, common-sense way of doing things . . . Secretary of Ag riculture Anderson. have moved to his farm at Glade Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Judy Womble j have moved to Mrs. Porter Col- j lins’ residence at Green Gables. | Lonnie Southers and son, R. L., Jr., made a business Hip Aus- j tinville. Va.. Saturday. Mr, and Mi's. Curtis Horton and children, Galax, Va., spent Sun day with her relatives in Ashe county. Rex Cox, Roanoke, Va., spent i Suiidav with his parents, Mr. and j Mrs. Joe Cox, Stratford. AND IT WILL BE IN THE PAPER a i '{imiff/My & ATTRACTS ^ ATTENTION*^ Phone This Newspaper And You'll Get Attention ,4 I Everyone is included in our wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year —wishes Which are drawn from the deep, pure wells of hope. You have helped make the past year a mest pleasant one for us. Mindful of this, we have but one thought as we enter 1946 ... to be fully worthy of the confidence you have reposed in us. Judy’s Service Station SPARTA, N. C. HAPPY NEW YEAR With the weight of war clays passed, we can truthfully wish you a “Happy New Year!” for 1946. We appreciate your patronage in the past and are looking for ward to serving you during the New Year. Smithey’s Store “THE PLACE FOR BARGAINS” SPARTA, N. C.
The Alleghany News and Star-Times (Sparta, N.C.)
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Dec. 27, 1945, edition 1
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