THE COMMISSIONER OF MOTOR
VEHICLES

Guilford Avenue and 21st Street, Baltimore.

(Term Expires May, 1939.)

Name. Postoffice.
Commissioner:

Walter R. Rudy ... . ... .. Mt. Airy
Deputy Commissioner:

D. Marshall Schroeder .. , Baltimore
Registrar of Titles:
Michael A. Noppinger .... .. Baltimore

The Commissioner exercises, subject to review by the Courts,
entire Jurisdiction over titling, registration and licensing of all motor
vehicles owned or operating continuously with the State. He has
jurisdiction and, subject to review by the Courts, sole authority in the
examination, qualifications and licensing of all persons operating motor
vehicles continuously within the State. Reciprocity with other States
gives to owners and drivers of cars coming into Maryland a period of
grace before they become subject to car registration, car licensing and
driver's permit regulations as provided in the Maryland statutes.

All licensing fees, both for titling and registering cars, and regis-
tering drivers, as well as all fines for violations of the traffic regula-
tions and motor vehicle statutes, are collected and accounted for by the
Commissioner. The judges of the Baltimore City Traffic Court and the
police magistrates in the towns and rural sections make return to the
Commissioner on all fines collected. No part of the costs of arrests or
prosecutions goes to the State officers operating under authority of the
Commissioner, where these officers make the arrests.

The system of licensing all pleasure vehicles on a horse-power basis,
commercial vehicles and trucks on a tonnage basis, and public service
lines, both freight and passenger, on ton-mile or passenger-mile basis,
which had obtained for years in arriving at licensing charges, was
changed by the Legislature in 1922. Under this new system, a gasoline
tax became operative in Maryland on January 1st, 1924. This tax is
in addition to a reduced horsepower fee and adjustments tinder the
other types of fees.

Administration of the detail of collecting the gasoline tax is vested
in the State Comptroller, the Motor Vehicles Commissioner retaining,
however, his former duties in the issuance, at a nominal cost, covering
cost of tags and clerical work, of the licensing and registration of cars.
The gasoline tax is imposed as an additional charge upon public service
vehicles. Their ton-mile and passenger-mile ratings and charges will
continue to be computed and enforced by the Commissioner.

All fine and fee income collected by the Commissioner, above the
costs of administration of his office and field forces, goes into the State
Highway Maintenance fund of the State, thus putting back into the
highways built by other means by the State what the motorist is
assumed to have taken out in depreciation of surface and base.

While trials, with either dismissals or convictions, carrying fines
or jail sentences before magistrates furnish a part of the machinery
of the enforcement of the motor vehicle statutes, control of all drivers'
permits to operate cars or motorcycles is vested solely in the Com-
missioner. He not only controls issuance of licenses and can refuse
to permit an unfit applicant to operate a car in the State, but in addi-