The Key West Citizen

INSPECTOR ON STATE TAGS FOR AUTOS ARRIVES

ALL NOT HAVING PAID UP RUNNING TO COVER; CHAUFFEUR WITH PRIVATE LICENSE FIRST CAUGHT

Automobile owners are on the run because the state tag inspector is in the city and has already started the work of rounding up those who have failed to procure the necessary license.

About 14 owners were notified last night and this morning that they had until 2 o'clock to procure licenses from George Gomez, tag agent for Monroe. If at the conclusion of that period licenses had not been bought warrants for the arrest of the delinquents were to be issued.

Of the number notified several were taxi-drivers, whose licenses approach the $100 mark and more than that when is added the 25 percent additional for not purchasing within the prescribed time. The balance were private cars.

W. E. Van Loon, who was chief deputy sheriff in Dade county under Sheriff Henry Chase, is the state inspector and came in yesterday unheralded. He quietly made his appearance for the reason, as he told The Citizen, that if advance news of his arrival had been given his trip would have resulted in failure as there would not have been one unlicensed car on the street.

As it turned out he hired a car at the station and this car was being operated as a taxi under a private license. The owner was the first captured by Mr. Van Loon. The others were found later.

Discussing the matter the state agent said that he realized that it was hard, that the depression had made it mighty difficult for many people to get the money to purchase the license, but it is the law and he must carry it out.

Citing the distribution of this money, the major part of which goes to the upkeep of the schools, Mr. Van Loon said that lack of money, mostly due to the small number of tags purchased in all parts of the state, was the cause of all schools in Hillsborough county, in which Tampa is located, closing yesterday.

All of those to be arrested for the non-possession of tags face a maximum penalty of $500 or six months in the county jail. Imposing any penalty in these cases is left to the discretion of the judge before whom the cases are tried. There is no minimum penalty prescribed by the law.