ARKANSAS

The earliest automobile registration appears to have occurred in Little Rock, with licensing verified as early as August 1903 and registration (and plates) on May 18, 1905.  Other cities followed the lead and were issuing plates from 1909 to 1911, the year the first state law was passed providing for statewide registration.  This 1911 state law prohibited local registration and plates except in the case of for-hire vehicles, so private auto city plates ended with the 1911 issue (or the expire JULY 1912 plate in Fort Smith).

Fort Smith (23,975)

Porcelain plates are known from four years, two of which have different color combinations within the same year, possibly indicating different uses or types of vehicles such as private and for-hire such as was done in Little Rock.  Known plates are listed as follows:

      JULY 1909 Black on Orange  #18,                           no name

      JULY 1910 White on Black   #39, Black on White  #86 - 90, no name

      JULY 1911 White on Red      #5, Black on Yellow #38,      "F-S"

      JULY 1912 White on Green  #113,                           "F.S."

It is believed that the July dates represent the month of the plates' expiration, and that the JULY 1912 series was issued in July 1911 just prior to the state law taking effect, possibly in mid-August of 1911.

Hot Springs (14,434)

An undated embossed plate #33 is known with the words "Private Auto".  This must date from 1911 or earlier, as no private vehicles could be licensed by cities after 1911, as evidenced by a 1915 porcelain plate with the legend "Public Auto".

Little Rock (45,941)

Ordinance #863, passed on July 11, 1901, provided for a vehicle tax and for licensing of all vehicles using city streets except for bicycles.  This included several types of horse-drawn conveyances, but no automobiles yet.  Small metal discs or tags were issued as evidence of payment of the license tax, to be mounted on the rear axle.  By August 28, 1903, when the Daily Arkansas Gazette reported that 11 automobile licenses had been issued, it is apparent that automobiles had been added to the list of vehicles required to have licenses, and were issued a disc like the horse-drawn vehicles.  During the fiscal year July 15, 1903, to July 14, 1904, 19 automobiles were licensed, while for the corresponding fiscal years of 1904-04 and 1905-06 fiscal year, 23 and 31 were issued, respectively.

At some point, the discs issued to automobiles became distinct from the other types issued.  The Arkansas Democrat reported on June 28, 1908, that "City Collector Fred Kramer has received the new vehicle tags, which he will begin to dispense July 15.  The automobile tags are of keystone shape..."  It is believed that these small tags continued to be issued through 1911, in addition to the full-sized plates which were also issued in the later years.

The first automobile ordinance, which provided for speed limits only, was passed on December 7, 1903.  But, in addition to the licensing provision which had been in effect since at least 1903, Little Rock added a registration requirement in 1905, with no fee charged.  It sounds as if city-issued rear plates were assigned for identification purposes only, but it is not certain they were annual issues yet, nor do we know what they were made of.

Ordinance #1192, was passed May 8, 1905, and took effect May 18, 1905.  It specified:  "That no automobile, whether used for pleasure or business, shall be moved or propelled over any of the streets of the city without having a sign suspended on the back end thereof, showing the number of the vehicle, which number shall be designated by the city collector.  Said numbers to be in white letters on a black background, said figures to be not less than 5 inches long.  Said collector shall register said numbers and names of owners in a book kept for that purpose."  On May 23, 1905, the Arkansas Democrat issued the following announcement:  "City Collector Kramer calls attention to the fact that the new ordinance requires the owners of all automobiles to secure numbers from him to be suspended conspicuously from the rear of their vehicles.  This has nothing to do with the vehicle license."  The Daily Arkansas Gazette reported on June 7, 1905, that "Only 19 numbers have been given out for the horseless vehicles, as prescribed by the recently passed ordinance..."

Confusion continued three years later.  According to the Daily Arkansas Gazette on August 7, 1908, only 26 license tags had been issued out of the 50 automobiles estimated to be in the city.  The article went on to explain:  "Some misunderstanding has arisen regarding the numbering of the license tags and the numbering of the machines.  The custom is to register a machine under a certain number, regardless of the number of the license which may cover that machine.  The number carried on the rear of the machine is merely for the purpose of identifying the machines in case of accidents, scorching and the like, and not to indicate that a license has been paid on that particular machine."  This indicates that both discs and large plates were still being issued but that the numbers were unrelated.

A brief article in the Daily Arkansas Gazette on June 27, 1909, mentioned that 127 private and 11 public automobiles had been licensed.  Another article on May 26, 1909, carried the headline "To Ask Bids On License Tags" and reported that "Blue prints of specifications for the vehicle and automobile license tags to be used by the city collector's department during the fiscal year 1909-10 were yesterday made by the Department of Public Works and arrangements are being made by Collector Kramer to get bids.  It is planned to purchase 3,600 vehicle and 250 auto license tags and 250 automobile numbers."  Further details were reported on June 17, 1909:  "City Collector Kramer has ordered 250 automobile tags, although the books now show only 164 cars in the city.  Twenty tags for public machines were ordered and the collector expects to place a further order, believing that the number of automobiles engaged in public hire will go above that mark.  The regular tags will be an enameled blue sign with white numbers.  The tags for those in public use will be an enameled white sign with blue letters."  Separate fees for automobiles used for hire began with Ordinance #1370, passed June 17, 1907, providing for a $15 annual license fee for them, compared to $5 for private automobiles.

Continuing the practice of issuing reverse-color plates for automobiles for hire, the Arkansas Democrat of June 21, 1910, stated that "The new automobile tags will be delivered within the next few days to the city collector.  The public tags are red numbers on white background, and the private numbers are white letters on a red background."  Another article in the same paper on May 3, 1911, relates that "Additional automobile tags have been received by the city collector.  The numbers now run from 301 to 350, and it is thought this supply will be enough to last until the new fiscal year begins on July 15.  The city collector has asked for bids on new auto tags for the coming fiscal year...It is estimated that 500 tags will be necessary for the private autos and about twenty-five for the public machines."

The Arkansas Democrat reported an interesting new detail on July 24, 1910, which explains a third category of license plate issued in 1910, but it is unknown if regular or different plates were used.  The article states that "Automobiles owned by non-residents pay no license, but are furnished with a tag so as to assist the officers in keeping record of those who have failed to pay."  For 1911, the non-residents were issued a separate block of numbers.

Despite the passage of Act 134 by the state legislature on March 24, 1911, the city was undeterred in planning for issuance of its own 1911 plates to expire July 14, 1912.  The Daily Arkansas Gazette issued this report in an article on June 13, 1911:  "That the city intends to continue to collect a license tax is indicated by the fact that City Collector Kramer has ordered 499 private tags and 40 public tags for the ensuing year."

It appears that all 1911 plates were the same color scheme, and that different number blocks signified the different types, based on the existence of #533, a "public" automobile plate, in white on black like lower-numbered 1911 plates.  The Arkansas Democrat of July 26, 1911, explains:  "The city collector has issued up to date 232 automobile licenses, of which 17 were issued free to owners living out of the city.  All private numbers are numbered from one to 450.  Owners out of the city are issued tags from 450 to 499, and the public autos are numbered from 500 upwards.  In taking a number of automobile, care should be taken to see what kind of tag is on the auto.  The city tags are black background with white numbers and letters."  The last two sentences are in reference to the 1911 state license plates which were just beginning to be issued, and were black on white, not different kinds of Little Rock plates.

Ordinance #1485 was passed July 12, 1909, and amended by ordinance #1562, passed on March 28, 1910, both effective immediately.  These ordinances required motor vehicle owners to be licensed annually with the city collector by July 15 each year, pay an annual fee and display an annual city-issued tag.  Fees were $10 for private vehicles, $20 for vehicles for hire, $5 for motorcycles and $2 for operator's licenses.  Non-residents were required to obtain a permit at no charge which was valid for 15 days.  All portions of these ordinances relating to private vehicles were repealed by Act 134 of Arkansas state law in 1911.  It is believed that the Little Rock 1911 plate was used only from July 15, 1911, to August 13, 1911, when the state law became effective.  However, the "public" automobile plates, those numbered over 500, probably continued to be used until July 15, 1912.

Numbers 1 to 150 were reserved for the owners who held them the previous year if they renewed by a certain deadline.  The highest known 1909-11 plate issues, all porcelain, are listed as follows:

      1909 White on Blue   #236        (250 ordered)

      1910 White on Red    #293        (350 ordered)

      1911 White on Black  #343, 533   (Over 500 ordered)

A 1909 motorcycle plate #1 is also known in white on blue, with "LITTLE ROCK" at top and "1909" over "CYCLE" at left.

It is believed that license plates continued to be issued only to motorcycles and for-hire vehicles after 1911, since smaller porcelain plates are known for 1915 and 1916 which are much rarer than the 1909-11 issues.  None are known for 1912-14, yet there is evidence they were still issued.  According to the Daily Arkansas Gazette on July 10, 1913, "City Collector James Lawson has received the vehicle tax tags, to be used on all vehicles, public autos and motor cycles."  The Arkansas Democrat reported on June 16, 1915, that 80 public automobiles were licensed by the city.

Pine Bluff (15,102)

The Pine Bluff Daily Graphic reported on July 19, 1911, that "City Collector A.G. Russell...yesterday announced that he had collected the tax on eighty-eight machines in this city for the fiscal year beginning June 1."  This matches very closely with the numbers on known 1911 plates.  Fees were $6 for one-seat automobiles and $10 for two-seaters.

Two years of porcelain plate issues are known, as follows:

      1910 White on Blue   #6

      1911 White on Red   #87