Governors

From a control device used on ancient windmills James Watt in 1788 evolved the steam-engine speed governor, a revolving spindle which works through centrifugal force. Most popular type of governor for gasoline engines, officially termed "hit-and-miss," shuts off the fuel supply at excess speed, is usually "jimmied" by impatient truck-drivers immediately after installation. Last week Massachusetts' 650,000 motorists had good cause to believe they might all become "hit-and-miss" drivers when State Public Works Commissioner Frank E. Lyman asked the Legislature to restrict the speed of Massachusetts motorcars by means of a governor to 50 m.p.h.

Already the owners of most of the State's 150,000 trucks and busses have installed governors. As in other states, some new passenger cars (notably Studebakers) have accelerator-governors installed by the manufacturer for the first 500-mile break-in period. But Commissioner Lyman's proposal was not to be adopted without a fight. Snorted General Manager William A. Thibodeau of the Automobile Legal Association: "The most preposterous and absurd piece of legislation ever proposed. . . . Most accidents occur at speeds less than 50 m.p.h."

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