1912-1918

1912

By 1911 it was becoming clear that New Hampshire needed to alter its automobile law. The process of maintaining the state's roads was becoming more complex and more costly and additional revenue was needed. It was also becoming difficult to determine which vehicles were properly registered as the undated first issue license plates which now expired annually gave no outward indication of their owners' payment of registration fees. The matter was taken up by the legislature during the 1911 session.

An article in the February 9, 1911 Nashua Telegraph states that:

"The crudeness of the existing automobile statute is well recognized throughout the state and the inequity of the present flat rate registration fee is everywhere admitted. The automobile portion of the (Representative) Emerson (of Fitzwilliam) bill very closely follows the Massachusetts statute and appears to be an adaptation of the best features of the automobile laws of Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont. Upon the question of registration fees the bill squarely meets the requirements suggested by Governor Bass in his inaugural. Governor Bass’ recommendation was as follows:

“Automobile traffic is the chief source of the destruction of our state roads; consequently I recommend that automobile fees be increased in proportion to the weight and horse power of the machines and that the money so derived be applied to maintaining our state highways.”

Chapter 133 of the Laws of 1911, approved on April 12, 1911 and effective as of midnight, December 31 , 1911, repealed New Hampshire’s 1905 and 1909 automobile laws and replaced them with a new statute. Motorists still needed to apply to the Secretary of State to register their motor vehicles and obtain a driver’s license and still received a registration certificate and pair of license plates that would expire at midnight on December 31 each year. What did change was the fee structure for registrations and the standard for license plate design.

Under the 1909 law, every passenger car cost $10.00 per year to register, regardless of its size, power, or other factors. A number of new systems, all based on vehicle horse power, were considered for the new method of assigning registration fees:

Representative Emerson proposed a system which borrowed from the Massachusetts automobile law:

1 to 20 horse power: $5.00

21 to 30 horse power: $10.00

31 to 40 horse power: $15.00

41 to 50 horse power: $20.00

Over 50 horse power: $25.00

Representative Richardson proposed a charge of $0.75 per horse power with a $10.00 minimum, Representative Walters proposed $0.75 per horse power with no minimum. Yet another measure proposed by Representative Haskell of Concord set the fees as follows:

1 to 16 horse power: $3.00

17 to 22 horse power: $6.00

22 to 30 horse power: $10.00

31 to 40 horse power: $20.00

Over 40 horse power: $30.00

Ultimately, the new law based the annual cost on the horsepower of the vehicle as follows:

Up to 15 horse power: $10.00

Over 15 horse power to 30 HP: $15.00

Over 30 horse power to 40 HP: $20.00

Over 40 horse power to 50 HP: $25.00

Over 50 horse power to 60 HP: $30.00

Over 60 horse power: $40.00

While individuals could theoretically pay four times as much for their registration fees as they had the previous year the bulk of registered vehicles fell into the $15.00 category. In the event that there was a dispute as to how horsepower was to be determined, the Secretary of State had the final say. Motorists would only owe 50% of the outlined fees if they registered their vehicles after September 30. Registrations still expired with the sale of a vehicle and motorists would then need to return their license plates to the state. Motorists could retain their registration number if they purchased a new vehicle during the year and would only need to pay a $2.00 fee as long as the new machine did not qualify for a higher horsepower bracket.

The law also changed the standard for license plate design:

“Said secretary shall furnish at his office, without charge, to every person whose automobile is registered as aforesaid, two number plates of suitable design, each number plate to have displayed upon it the register number assigned to such vehicle, the letters N.H. and figures showing the year of issue...”

The addition of the year of issue rendered the undated first issue New Hampshire plates obsolete. New Hampshire would need to issue new license plates of a new design to all registered motorists in the state and new plates or some sort of date indicator would need to be issued annually. The need for a date designation likely arose from the difficulty in determining whether or not a motor vehicle was currently registered as those with expired license plates looked no different than those with valid plates in 1910 and 1911.

The new license plates for 1912 were green on white embossed painted steel. The edges of the plates were folded back to provide reinforcement. The reverse color scheme was chosen to immediately distinguish the new plates from the old undated ones. The bill initially put forward by Representative Emerson would have mandated that license plates change color each year, a provision which was ultimately dropped from the final bill.The state abbreviation appeared vertically before the license number and the date appeared vertically after the number echoing the format adopted by Massachusetts in 1909. The plates were also substantially larger than the first issue plates with all plates measuring 13" X 6" regardless of the number of digits. The plates continued the previous design of four corner holes and two top strap slots for mounting.The plates were manufactured by the S. G. Adams Stamp and Stationary Company of St. Louis, Missouri. The best evidence for this is the maker's mark of this company which can be found stamped onto the backs of some plates (Most frequently found on Non Resident plates) and the following line item in the New Hampshire Auditor's 1912-1913 annual report: "S.G. Adams Stamp & Seal Co., St. Louis, Mo. plates ............$311.00." This was one of the first contracts for license plates awarded to the S.G. Adams company. It would soon become a major supplier of plates throughout the country. At this stage in their business, Adams manufactured plates in the basement of their store, with paint sprayed on by hand before baking. The selection of non-porcelain license plates was a decision that was out of step with the rest of New England at this early date. Vermont, Maine and Massachusetts did not issue non-porcelain plates until 1916, Connecticut in 1917, and Rhode Island in 1918. New Hampshire may have drawn its inspiration from New York which had issued annual steel plates in 1910 and 1911 or Maryland which had issued crudely made embossed plates in 1910. The likely factors leading to the decision to adopt steel plates were price (it seems reasonable that thin steel plates cost less than similar porcelain plates) and the decreased need for durability for plates only intended to last one year.

The August 31, 1912 report of the Secretary of State indicates that passenger plates started at number 1 and that plates up to number 5697 had been issued by that date. A privately produced listing published by the Auto List Publishing Company indicates that plate number 5935 had been issued by April 1, though numbers issued are sporadic indicating that most numbers issued at that point were likely renewals retaining their numbers from first issue plates, a practice which appears to have been widespread. This is interesting in that in order to fill these requests it appears that New Hampshire ordered 6000 sets of passenger license plates at one time. There is little variation among 1912 New Hampshire license plates, making it difficult to determine if the plates were ordered or produced in batches but the issuance of plates near number 6000 early in the year indicates that all of the plates were ordered in one batch or multiple batches early in the year. Some plates have white backs while others have black backs, but there does not appear to be a pattern to this variation. The Federal Highway Administration lists 5420 automobiles registered in 1912 while the 1922 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica states that 5764 vehicles were registered in the state that year.

The number 1 registration was maintained by the estate of former governor John McLane who had died in North Carolina the previous year. The current governor Robert P. Bass recieved plate number 4581 for his 48.6 HP Buick, so it does not appear that he reserved a special number.

A Nashua Telegraph article from February 1 describes the 1912 plates as follows: "They are huge white tags made of a flimsy sheet iron and are enameled white. The letters and numbers are raised and are enameled green and the tags bear the initials N.H. ... and the year 1912. The dealers (automobile dealers appear to have been issued plates first) consider them rather cheap and flimsy as compared with those issued in years past in this state and those issued in many other states."

It has long been accepted that this experiment with painted steel license plates was a failure due to the inability of the plates to remain in good condition over the one year period for which they were needed. It is difficult to find an example today with good original paint. The state reverted to porcelain license plates in 1913.

1913

At midnight on December 31, 1912 all 1912 New Hampshire license plates expired and motorists were required to re-register their motor vehicles and display new dated 1913 license plates. The new plates approximated the design of those issued in 1912 being 13 1/4" long and 6" tall with the letters "N H" stacked before the registration number and the date stacked after the number. The same arrangement of four round corner holes and two top mounting slots was maintained though the plates all include white metal grommets in the corner holes. The major distinguishing features of 1913 plates are the reversion to porcelain and a white on green color scheme. The Baltimore Enamel and Novelty Company, which had produced New Hampshires license plates from 1905 to 1910, once again was awarded the contract to produce the 1913 plates. The plates all include the company's seal stamped on their backs. The plates were produced using the same manufacturing process as first issue New Hampshire license plates with green porcelain applied over a white base coat and the use of stencils to wipe away the green before firing, exposing the base coat to form the letters and numbers. It is generally believed that porcelain plates were chosen due to the deterioration of the steel 1912 plates while they were in use.

The July 1, 1913 Secretary of State report indicates that passenger plates started at number 1000 and that plates up to number 7481 had been issued by that date. The Federal Highway Administration lists 5970 registrations for 1913, obviously a number taken before the end of the year. Plates beginning with number 0001 were issued to commercial vehicles and those issued to non residents started at 8000. It seems likely that the state envisioned a continuous numbering series with no overlap for different vehicle types and numbers 0001 - 0999 designated commercial, 1000 - 7999 passenger and 8000 and up non resident. This indicates that the state believed that under 7000 passenger registrations would be issued in 1913, an increase of 1000 over their estimate for 1912. Unlike the previous year, surviving runs do not indicate that motorists were given the option of retaining the number from their 1912 plates though a 1916 article hints that this was still an option for motorists. It is likely that the Secretary of State found it difficult to balance requests to retain numbers with the need to issue registration numbers to new motorists. The new numbering system starting at 1000 may also have been a factor.

1913 plates expired at midnight on December 31.

1914

The New Hampshire legislature met in 1913 and again altered the state's automobile laws. Chapter 81 of the Laws of 1913, approved on April 15, was the act passed that year which included regulations related to passenger vehicles. The regulations became effective at midnight on December 31. Changes included the requirement that every vehicle be equipped with "suitable lamps" and adjustments to language related to operating vehicles without a license and noise in thickly settled areas. There were no changes to the rules governing license plate design.

1913 New Hampshire license plates expired on December 31, 1913 at midnight at which time motorists were required to display the new 1914 license plates. The 1914 plates were identical in every way to those issued in 1913 with the exception that the date stacked to the right of the registration number was changed to "1914." The plates were once again produced by the Baltimore Enamel and Novelty Company and have that company's maker's mark on their backs. As with the 1913 plates, passenger plates began with number 1000. Again commercial plates were assigned numbers 0001 to 0999 and non resident plates were assigned number ca. 8500 and up indicating that the state expected about 7500 passenger registrations. This time, the number of registrations exceeded the allotment and plates numbered into the 9000s are known to exist. The Federal Highway Administration lists 8410 registered automobiles in the state for 1914 as does the Secretary of State's report for September 1, 1914. Adding 1000 to this number gives us plate number 9410 having been issued by that date. The February 25, 1917 issue of the Automobile Journal lists 10596 vehicles in the state for 1914, but this may include more than just passenger registrations. The May 1, 1919 issue of the Automobile Trade Journal lists 8,680 automobiles, again adding 1,000 gives us the high number of 9,680, which is in keeping with observed numbers. It is likely that the state needed to order license plates in more than one batch, but the plates were consistent in appearance throughout the year.

The most remarkable feature of 1914 New Hampshire license plates is the fact that they are nearly identical to the plates issued the previous year. It is assumed that 1912 plates used the reverse color scheme from first issue plates and that 1913 plates used the reverse color scheme from 1912 plates to make it easy to determine if a vehicle's registration was up to date. The ordering of nearly identical plates for back to back years would make this determination more difficult.

The state legislature did not meet in 1914, so there were no changes in the motor vehicle law that year. 1914 plates expired at midnight on December 31.

1915

At the New Hampshire legislature's meeting Chapter 129 of the acts of 1915 was passed amending the existing motor vehicle law. The law eliminated the references to commercial vehicles, merging that type back into the general category of "Automobile" as of May 1. Other amendments include a requirement that motorists dim their electric headlights when passing other vehicles (this section would go into effect January 1, 1916) and the requirement that automobiles slow or stop near pedestrians or street cars loading or unloading passengers which was effective May 1, 1915. Interestingly, the state also passed a regulation stating that the Secretary of State could "issue certificates of registration for motor vehicles and licenses to operate the same to the President of the United States and members of his executive staff without the payment of fees therefor."

In addition to the minor changes in rules governing the use of motor vehicles there was also a substantial change in the administration of vehicles in the state. With Chapter 154 of the laws of 1915, approved on April 21 1915 the legislature created the Office of Commissioner of Motor Vehicles with responsibility for the registration of automobiles passing from Secretary of State Edward N. Pearson to the first Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, Arthur L. Willis on May 1 1915. Willis had served as the Deputy Secretary of state since 1907 and it was therefore likely that he was highly familiar with the regulation of motor vehicle under Secretary Pearson.The Commissioner was appointed to a five year term at the salary of $2000 per year, paid in monthly installments. The act reads in part: "All the duties now devolving upon the secretary of state with respect to the registration of motor vehicles, the licensing of professional chauffeurs and private operators, and the carrying out of all the provisions of the motor vehicle laws of this state, shall hereafter be performed by a commissioner of motor vehicles under the supervision of the governor and council." While there was no discussion of a Department of Motor Vehicles in the statute there was provision for "suitable quarters in the state house" and it appears that the department was referred to as the Department of Motor Vehicles from the beginning.

According to a January 6 1915 Portsmouth Herald article the Secretary of State had received a shipment of more than 16000 sets of license plates, 10000 sets for passenger vehicles, by that date. It appears that the state purchased a supply that was believed adequate for the entire year in a single order with the 21 tons of plates shipped in 18 freight cars.

All New Hampshire passenger license plates from 1915 were manufactured by the Ingram Richardson Manufacturing Company of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the same company that produced New Hampshire's 1911 license plates. The plates include the company's mark on their backs reading:

"ING-RICH MFG. CO.

PORCELAIN AUTO TAG

BEAVER FALLS, PA."

The new license plates reversed the color scheme of the previous two years. The Portsmouth Herald noted that this change would preclude the misuse of the previous year's plates, a likely problem in the previous year due to the similarity of 1913 and 1914 license plates. In addition to reversing colors the 1915 license plates also used a thinner stroke and boxier font for the registration numbers. The plate design also moved the state name abbreviation and date to the top and bottom of the plate from their previous location before and after the registration number. This may have been done to prevent the date and abbreviation from being mistaken for digits in the license number.

In addition to the changes in layout, 1915 license plates were also manufactured differently than those of previous years. While the plates were still porcelain, the way in which the figures and ground were produced was reversed. A dark undercoating was fired onto the steel sheeting first, then the white background was applied and fired. Finally, stencils were used to apply the numbers and letters over the white background. This results in the numbers and letters appearing to be slightly raised above the surface of the plate unlike the process used in previous years which resulted in recessed figures.

The September 25 Motor Vehicle Registration list states that passenger registrations began at 1000, as had been the practice the previous two years, and had reached 12740 by that date. Once again Commercial vehicles were assigned numbers starting at 0001 (Though there issuance was presumably discontinued on May 1) and non residents were assigned numbers starting at 15001, apparently an effort to supply ample room to prevent the numeric duplication of the previous year. The March 1, 1917 issue of The Automobile states that New Hampshire had 10269 registered automobiles in 1915. This number appears to be too low as passenger plate numbers as high as 13480 have been confirmed. The state must have placed a supplemental order for license plates late in the year as numbers exceeded the 10000 sets from the original supply.

While 1915 plates were intended to expire at midnight on December 31, they may have been used for a short period of time into 1916.

1916

1915 ended with concern over the arrival of New Hampshire's 1916 license plates which were expected on December 15, 1915. A December 22, 1915 Portsmouth Herald article reads as follows:

"The motor vehicle department has been for several days awaiting the arrival of its supply of automobile number plates for next season. A first shipment aggregating about thirteen tons was started from Baltimore, Md., sometime since and is expected within the next few days, although the prevailing freight blockade may delay the delivery. The motor vehicle department already has on hand applications for the registration of hundreds of automobiles and if the plates do not arrive during the present week the work of sending out the plates will be more or less complicated."

The statement that the license plates were being shipped from Baltimore is strong evidence that 1916 plates were once again produced by the Baltimore Enamel and Novelty Company (The J.F.W. Dorman Company, also of Baltimore, was a minor producer of license plates during the early 1910s). There are no known 1916 New Hampshire plates stamped with he Baltimore Enamel and Novelty Company seal or any other maker's mark. The "blockade" mentioned was a serious congestion of railroad freight traffic on the east coast, especially around New York, with thousands of loaded freight cars unable to deliver their goods. There were frequent embargoes against certain types of goods moving into New York or New England in an effort to ease the backup.

The Portsmouth Herald article further states that:

"It is planned to begin the forwarding of the new plates this season on December 27. The shipment is held back purposely so that persons who desire to retain the numbers carried by them in previous seasons may make application for the same. Originally reservation was possible up to January 1, but now owing to the very much increased business at New Years, it becomes necessary to get the plates under way some days in advance."

This statement is interesting as it is believed that motorists could not retain their number from year to year after 1912 and before 1922. This article implies that it was a practice for multiple years in the porcelain era and that the state had a system in place to allow early renewers to retain their numbers.

By December 29 the shipment of license plates still had not arrived. The initial shipment of 6000 passenger and 125 dealer plates was believed by the commissioner of motor vehicles to be "somewhere in Boston and Maine territory" meaning that the shipment had made its way to the rail lines that reached into central Massachusetts. A December 29 Portsmouth Herald article states "Of course, until the new plates reach Concord, cars in New Hampshire will have to carry their 1915 numbers."

The plates finally arrived on December 31, with a Portsmouth Herald article reporting:

"They were hurried to Concord, arriving there on Friday evening, and Commissioner Willis had a band of job teamsters on hand to cart them to the state house. Commissioner Willis has been busy unpacking the plates, preparatory for distribution and he hopes to have them ready for shipment by Tuesday. There are 2,000 or more pleasure car sets, besides the dealer's plates and it is no easy undertaking to get them off. All of the plates except those for Manchester will go out by parcel post."

The 1916 plates were white on green and reverted to the 1912-1914 format of placing the state name and year designation vertically before and after the registration number. The plates were also longer than those issued the previous years, measuring 6" by 13 1/2" in size.

The delay at the beginning of the year was not the last of the problems in 1916. A May 10 Portsmouth Herald Article states:

"The state motor vehicle department is this week issuing license plates bearing numbers under 1000 owing to the delay in the arrival of a shipment of three tons of plates which was due the first of the week. Another shipment of three tons will follow shortly...So far this season the department has ordered over 20 tons of plates."

1916 New Hampshire license plates started at number 1 rather than the practice of the previous three year of beginning at number 1000. Specially designated plates for commercial vehicles were discontinued. The May 10 article indicates that the state actually started issuing plates at number 1000 as in previous years though they had plates number 1 to 999 on hand. The rationale behind this is unclear. If the intent was to issue these numbers to commercial vehicles one suspects that the state would have done so by May 10. They were not likely intended for non-residents as the state would have known that 1000 plates was an inadequate number based on previous registration totals. If they were intended for new registrations to ensure that renewing motorists could retain their old numbers, they also should have been issued, at least in part. It is possible that the state received these plates in error having requested plates starting with number 1000 and simply set aside the unwanted plates until the shortage forced the state to use them or that the intent was to issue low numbers on an as needed basis to politicians or other individuals of note.

This article also sheds some light on the way in which plates were received by the state with an order of 13 tons of plates received at the end of the previous year and a number of smaller shipments around 3 tons each spread throughout the year.

The September 1, 1916 Registration List lists numbers issued up to 15999. Interestingly, numbers 1-5 and 13 are listed as unissued.

Also on September 1, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Arthur L. Willis died of Bright's disease. He was succeeded on September 12 by Olin H. Chase of Newport. The new commissioner decided to discontinue the practice of allowing motorists to retain the same plate number from year to year due to the complexity of that system of plate distribution.

The March 1, 1917 issue of The Automobile and the Federal Highway Administration stated that New Hampshire had 15508 registered automobiles in 1916. This number may have excluded vehicles registered as passenger cars in New Hampshire by out of state residents or may be a typo based on the number's similarity to the figure published in m ultiple sources which state that 17508 plates were issued in 1916. The later number is in keeping with observed numbers and may be an actual year end total. 1916 license plates expired at midnight on December 31.

1917

Passenger registrations began at number 100 in 1917, a change from the previous systems of beginning at number 1 or 1000. It is not at all clear why the state chose not to issue single and two digit numbers starting in 1917, but it continued this numbering system until 1944. The state reverted to the format used on 1915 plates with the state initials at top center and the date at bottom center.

The June 2, 1917 registration list lists the highest issued number as 17170.

By the middle of June the state had become unable to keep up with the rising demand of new registrants for new license plates. The manufacturer was not able to produce the plates as quickly as they were needed. According to a June 13th Portsmouth Herald article "many are running on paper number plates and the license certificate which has been allowed until the order can be filled." It is not clear if these paper plates were supplied by the state or if motorists supplied their own.

By September 11, 21130 automobiles had been registered. Commissioner Olin H. Chase was confident that an additional 1000 numbers would be issued by the end of the year. This was a slightly low prediction as number 22267 was the last reported by December 31, and higher numbered plates have been observed.

The change to a green on white color scheme was described as a "decided improvement" in a January 2 Portsmouth Herald article.

Chapter 229 of the laws of 1917 replaced language in the existing motor vehicle law referring to the Secretary of State with updated language referring to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Presumably the Commissioner was responsible for vehicle registrations from the point at which the position was created in 1915 and this was simply the earliest opportunity to correct the language. The law also expanded regulations regarding vehicle lights, including a requirement that the Commissioner inspect vehicle lights annually and provide a certificate of the lights' suitability (This provision took effect on January 1, 1918).

The extralegal grace period for obtaining a new registration and license plates provided by local authorities had been greatly reduced by this time. Marshal George A. S. Kimball of Concord gave only a 5 day reprieve for motorists after which he stated he would bring before the court anyone who's automobile did not have current plates. There does not seem to have been any delay in receiving the 1917 plates as a January 4 Portsmouth Herald article notes that the new plates were beginning to make their appearance.

1918

1918 was the final year of porcelain passenger license plates in New Hampshire. Passenger registrations began at number 100, and extended to number 19540 by May 18. The plates continued the format of the previous year, with the state's initials at the top center and the date at the bottom center. The plates bear no maker's mark, and no evidence has yet been discovered to identify a manufacturer.

It is assumed that the state placed orders for 20000 pairs of passenger license plates, which were exhausted some time in late May or early June. This is approximately the same time that the state ran out of plates in 1917 and motorists resorted to the use of paper plates. The need for steel to support United States and Allied efforts in World War I was diverting materials away from consumer porducts and towards military manufacturing. On June 6, 1918, according to a New York Times article, the War Industries Board, a United States government agency established in 1917, took control of all distribution of steel and pig iron in the United States. This would allow the government to ensure that all war needs for steel and iron would be met before surplus materials were distributed to other industries. As shortages had reached the point where government intervention in the industry was taking place in June it is likely that the manufacturer found it impossible to secure the steel needed to produce additional plates when New Hampshire sought additional plates a month or so earlier. As a stopgap measure the state acquired approximately 4700 pairs of stenciled pressboard license plates to be issued after the porcelain plates had been exhausted. While the plates are similar in size and format to 1918 porcelain license plates they lack corner holes and a center mounting slot, use a different and somewhat awkward font for the registration numbers, and generally appear hastily constructed with misaligned numbers and poor quality stenciling suggesting that the plates were produced quickly with little quality control.

At some point the state's license plate supplier secured adequate materials to produce porcelain license plates once again. It is unclear how this was achieved, as government control of the steel industry continued to the end of the year and projections in October indicated that the country would be short of the amount of steel needed for the war effort by 3 million tons by January 1, 1919. None the less, the manufacturer produced plates numbered from 20000 to approximately 24800. Those who had recieved pressboard license plates were issued porcelain replacement plates. There are a few examples of matched sets of porcelain and pressboard plates in collectors' hands. It is possible that aproximately 100 registrants late in the year were issued porcelain license plates without first having recieved pressboard plates. Porcelain New Hampshire license plates numbered over 20000 are often found in remarkably good condition indicating that the plates were supplied very late in the year. There is also a great frequency of high numbered home made license plates from 1918 indicating that the pressboard plates did not hold up well and that state supplied replacements were not available.

Registration number 24489 was issued on October 3, 1918 according to a surviving registration certificate.

A National Tax Association Bulletin from March of 1919 states that approximately 24800 registrations were issued in 1918. The May 1, 1919 issue of the Automobile Trade Journal lists 24917 vehicles registered in 1918.