YOUR CAR
LAW
a n d th e
"T4
R E G O N D E P A R T M E N T O F M O T O R V E H IC L E S
YOUR AUTO’S PASSPORT
tain the title is accurate and re
Just as a deed is vital to prove presents the true ownership.
home ownership, a certificate of
(Next week: Protection for Car
title is essential to prove owner Buyers)
ship of an automobile.
Without a title, you cannot sell
An Oregon State Police car
a car, and if you move to another rolls onto a main Portland thor
state you may have trouble obtain oughfare that looks like ‘‘automo
ing a registration unless the title bile row.” It moves past several
is clearly in your name.
showrooms of new and used cars,
Oregon’s title law has been a then swings into a gas station and
part of the motor vehicle code for comes to a halt behind six parked
many years. One of the most im cars of 1958 vintage.
portant parts of the law is the
After a brief interrogation, the
section dealing with transfering station owner is informed he can
ownership of a vehicle.
be prosecuted for selling cars
Basically, the law requires any without a dealer’s license.
one, other than a licensed dealer,
The state has a two-man team—
who buys or acquires a motor ve a state police officer and an in
hicle from another person to trans vestigator for the Department of
fer the title within 10 days after Motor Vehicles — employed full
the purchase or acquisition.
time enforcing Oregon’s dealer li
What happens when the buyer cense law, and helping insure that
fails to transfer title can involve Oregon title documents on motor
both the former and new owner vehicles are worth more than the
in a series of sometimes costly, paper they’re printed on.
sometimes embarrassing, and of
Enforcement of the dealer law is
ten frustrating encounters with impotant to the would-be motor
license officials, courts or law en vehicle buyer. All dealers must be
forcement agencies.
licensed by the Department of
Take the case of a man who re Motor Vehicles and post a $15,000
ceives a municipal court warrant surety bond.
for failure to pay an overtime
parking violation involving a car
he sold three months ago.
His first reaction is to blame the
By Charles A. Sprague
city police, but the real blame Editor, The Oregon Statesman,
lies with the person to whom he
Salem
sold the car. Police departments Former Governor of Oregon
obtain information on vehicle Honorary Chairman, National Re
owners from the Department of
tarded Children’s Week
Motor Vehicles. When the new
Marked progress has been made
owner fails to transfer the title, in the study of causes of mental
the information in the file natural retardation and the development
ly shows the previous oKvner’s of ways of treatment and of train
name and address.
ing those who are retarded. Ac
The shoe can fit on the other companying this has come a mark
foot, too, if a buyer who has fail ed change in parental and social
ed to obtain a new title showing attitudes toward those thus handi
him as the owner is stopped by a capped. Scientific knowledge helps
police officer. He may be hard put to drive out the guilt complex
to prove his right to be in posses which often oppresses parents,
ion of the car, should the question particularly mothers. Also, it has
arise.
pointed ways to overcome the
Sometimes an estate can be af handicap to the extent that thou
fected by failure to notify the de sands of persons mentally retard
partment of a change in ownership ed find doors opened for useful
status, even though the outright employment and happy living.
sale is not involved.
But only a start has been made.
For example, Mr. Y and his To spur further progress, Presi
wife owned two cars with a right dent Kennedy has appointed a
of survivorship. Mr. Y divorced special panel whose instruction is
his wife, and ownership of the to work out a national plan to
cars was awarded the husband, but combat mental retardation. Its
he failed to notify the Department members include leading scien
to change the ownership titles.
tists, educators, public health offi-
A short time later, he died and ials, and distinguished citizens.
his brother was named administra The announcement makes particu
tor of his estate. The assets of the larly significant the week of No
estatee were to be disposed of, vember 11-22 in which this prob
with the money going to the man’s lem is brought prominently to
children.
public attention.
Meanwhile, the ex-wife was not
We are informed that there are
idle. She submitted a form show 100 known causes of retardation.
ing proof of Mr. Y’s death, and Some derive from circumstances
the titles were immediately trans nt birth, or physical deficiencies
ferred to her name. To resolve which may be identifed and ov
this entanglement and get the ve ercome. Some derive from physi
hicles, the estate was forced to go cal diseases which affect the brain
to court.
To trace the causes and seek out
If you sell or buy a car, always corrective measures, men of sci
be certain that all the necessary ence are probing the very secrets
papers are signed and forwarded of life and physical and mental
to the Department of Motor Ve development.
hicles to insure that the title re
Lay citizens perforce leave such
cord on file will be accurate and studies to those who are qualified.
that the correct owner has clear But there is much for ordinary
title. Never make complete pay people to do, using knowledge pre
ment in cash without obtaining sently available. First is the op
the title to the vehicle at the time. portunity to promote better un
A registration card signifies only derstanding of retardation; that it
that you have paid the fee neces isn’t a mental illness, but a failure
sary to use the vehicle on public to attain normal mental develop
highways and is not proof of own ment. Parents should not keep the
ership.
retarded child concealed out of
Records based on the title are shame, nor over-indulged with af
used for many purposes and you fection in an attempt at compen
can save yourself or your estate sation. Instead, there should be
much red tape if you make cer early counseling with doctors and
educators to insure prompt and
proper care and treatment. Sec
ond. lay persons should support
4
THURSDAY, NOV. 15, 1962 the agencies- public and private
which arc committed to work in
this field. Often they can give di
rect aid to retarded, enabling them
to become adjusted in an environ
ment suited to their level of ca
pacity
Oregon has, through Fairview
home and now through the Colum
bia Park Home, met state respon
Plugs, Points, Tinting, Set
sibilities in this field. Effective
work is being done in special
Carburetor
schools and classes. And organiza
tions, linked together at state and
national levels, are working earn
estly to inform parents of retarded
children and enlighten the public
to the importance of special care
and training.
Atlas Tiras
No longer are mentally retarded
CHEVRON
Batteries
all doomed to empty existence,
Accessoria*
and their parents denied hope for
Motor Tune-up
them. Progress is being made
Auto Parts
With further effort in and out of
HAsel 9 6691
government, additional advances
will be made in rescuing talents
formerly left in blight
Guest Editorial
Oregon law provides that an in
dividual has a right of action
against any licensed dealer and
against any surety on the bond if
he suffers any loss or damage by
reason of fraud, fraudulent repre
sentations or violation of any of
the provisions of the dealer li
censing law.
This affords protection to a cus
tomer if he finds, for instance,
that he’s bought a stolen car from
a disreputable dealer. He loses the
car, of course, but can recoup his
investment from the bonding com
pany.
The individual who buys from
a “curbstone” — slang for unli
censed dealers—may lose the car
and his money, too.
The state team assigned to deal
er enforcement and protecting the
value of the Oregon title also make
frequent visits to wrecking yards
to see that titles and license plates
for vehicles that have been wreck
ed are turned in to the Depart
ment of Motor Vehicles.
There have been cases where
title certificates on wrecked late-
model cars have been improperly
used as security for loans.
One loan company in Oregon
was more than surprised to learn
that it had loaned $86,000 on cars
that had been wrecked out, and
that their collateral actually
amounted to only a few pieces of
paper.
The law specifically requires
that when any person wrecks, dis
mantles or disassembles any ve
hicle, or substantially alters its
form, he must submit the registra
tion card, title and license plates
to the Department of Motor Ve
hicles within three days.
Although every effort is made to
insure compliance with this law,
lenders would do well to inspect
the vehicle as well as the title, be
fore actually loaning any money.
(Next week: Why You Need To
Know The Law On Uninsured Ac
cidents.)
Stonn Damage May Be Deducted
As Casualty Loss on Tax Return
A. G. Erickson, District Director,
Internal Revenue Service for Ore
gon, announced today that resi
dents who suffered losses to their
property as a result of Typhoon
“Frieda” may deduct the storm
damage as a casualty loss on their
1962 income tax returns.
The overall loss in fair market
value is the best measure of the
loss; and appraisals of the proper
ty immediately before and immed
iately after the casualty by a qual
ified appraiser is the best evidence
of the property if; (1) they are
Mr. Erickson further stated, that
costs of restoring and cleaning up
after the storm is acceptable as
evidence of the decrease in value
this great voice die, as it were, on
necessary to restore the property
to its pre-casualty condition; (2)
the amount spent for restoration is
not excessive; (3) they do no more
than take care of the damage suf
fered; and (4) the value of the
property after restoration is no
more than its value before the
casualty.
Mr. Erickson stressed that im
mediate steps should be taken by
property owners to document the
extent of damage from the storm
by photographs, appraisals, re
pair estimates or other perma
nent documentary evidence of the
storm loss.
“Fortunately,” said Mr. Erick
son, “most property owners are
insured and may recover damages
from their insurance companies.
In such cases, the amount claimed
on tax returns must be reduced by
the amount for which the insur
ance company is liable. For exam
ple, in the case of a $50.00 deduct
ible policy, the homeowner would
be limited to a $50.00 deduction
for damage to his house in excess
your
THE PEOPLE
SPEAK .
of that amount.
"In the case of uninsured trees
and shrubs the loss is to be con
sidered to the extent that the loss,
or damage, to such trees or shrubs
reduces the fair market value of
the real property as a whole.
“Concerning losses of foodstuffs
and perishables contained in home
freezers, the cost of such items
damaged would be deductible.
“Costs of photos, appraisal or
other evidence of the loss is de
ductible as a miscellaneous item
ized deduction on Page 2 of the
Federal tax return.”
Mr. Erickson said that Internal
Revenue Service Document 5174,
which is available at no charge
from the local Internal Revenue
Service offices, gives detailed in
formation on computing, docu
menting and deducting storm loss
es.
Any person needing assistance
or additional information may
either write, telephone or call at
To the Editor:
I want to express my thanks for
the coverage given my race for
Congress. I believe you gave me
fair coverage—particularly when I
personally campaigned in your
area.
If I may, I would like to use the
columns of your newspaper to say
a heartfelt thanks to all among
your readership who worked in
my behalf and who voted for me.
Sincerely,
Blaine Whipple
Democratic Candidate for
Congress Firsts District
the nearest Internal Revenue of
fice.
More information will be issued
on this subject at a later date.
Don’t expect happiness to come
to you—go out in the world and
create your own.
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Truthfully, now, did you give any thought to
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Flameless electricity is the safest way to heat
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Demonia Eagle
Fall Motor
Tune-up Time
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