LOUISIANA

The earliest registration by local authorities was begun in the city of New Orleans on November 17, 1903.  From then through 1914, cities and parishes (the Louisiana equivalent of counties) issued plates.  Even after the state registration law became effective in 1915, some cities continued to license vehicles and issue plates.  Alexandria, Monroe and Ponchatoula issued plates in 1915 and perhaps later years as well, but New Orleans apparently ceased after the 1914 issue.  In Shreveport, a legal case in 1915 struck down the city license because double taxation was found to be unconstitutional.

Acadia Parish (31,847)

The (Crowley) Daily Signal published under the headline "FEW AUTOMOBILE LICENSES ISSUED" on September 3, 1910, that "Car Owners are Slow in Complying With the New Ordinance."  The article included the statement that "...At the sheriff's office it was stated today that only fifteen auto owners have taken out licenses...The auto license ordinance went into effect September 1 and it requires that all auto owners shall procure a license from the parish tax collector and each owner shall be given a registered number for his car, which number shall be conspicuously displayed on the car...It is estimated that there are about 100 autos in the parish.  The license costs only $1..."

An earlier article from August 12, 1910, provided more details:  "...the sheriff will issue the required license and present each owner so registered with a numbered tag, which shall be fastened...on the rear of each automobile."

Alexandria (11,213)

The Town Talk published an automobile ordinance in full on December 9, 1909, which had passed two days earlier.  It required private-owned automobiles to pay an annual $5 fee (and public autos $15) and display a rear city-issued plate which was to be white on black.  None of the known years of plates match that color scheme, but perhaps it refers to the 1910 issue, which is unknown so far.

A Town Talk article on February 8, 1911, stated that "The city has received and given out the new auto numbers for the year 1911.  They have been renumbered from one to one hundred.  Formerly the numbers began at one hundred and up.  There are about fifty-seven machines in use in this city."  Another article on August 1, 1918, reported that "Mayor Adams states that the new 1918 automobile license tags have been received...The tags run up to No. 1300."

The earliest known plate is from 1911, a black-on-white porcelain #3.  A 1912 black-on-white porcelain plate #4 is known, as well as 1913 black-on-white porcelain plates #25 and #101.  A white 1914 enamel tag #436 was reported in a 1932 news article.  Porcelain city plates are also known from 1915 through 1918, and 1920.

Baton Rouge (14,897)

The (Shreveport) Times reported on October 29, 1909, that "The automobile owners of Baton Rouge seem to be under the impression that the city is going to furnish the automobile numbers," said Louis Ricaud, city treasurer.  "We have received a number of letters asking when we will get the tags.  The city is not going to furnish these tags at all.  The owners must come here, have their machines registered, and a number assigned them, and order their own plates.  Every automobile must be provided with a number and be registered by December 1, when the ordinance goes into effect."

There have been three vague reports of possible plates from Baton Rouge, two of which might refer to the same issue.  An undated plate with the letters "B.R." has been reported, as has a 1912 plate and a porcelain plate.  None have been verified.

Houma (5,024)

Undated black-on-white porcelain plates #H133 to #H145 are known.

Lafayette Parish (28,733)

A Lafayette Advertiser news article on August 9, 1905, published an ordinance to levy a road tax on all vehicles.  The annual fee for automobiles was $2.50, payable to the sheriff tax-collector by September 1 in 1905, and by March 1 in all subsequent years.  All vehicles were required to display a parish-issued metallic plate with the words "Road License Tax", the license number and year, on the "left hand side of said vehicle."  The Secretary of the Police Jury was in charge of ordering an adequate supply of tags.

Monroe (10,209)

The Weekly News-Star of April 13, 1911, reported that "The automobile tags have arrived and already some of the owners have secured the numbers for their machines.  All automobiles must be numbered and owners should provide themselves with tags right away as the new ordinance will be rigidly enforced."  The description of the ordinance as being "new" suggests that 1911 may have been the first year for issuance of plates.

The oldest known plates from Monroe are dated 1911.  The following plates are known:

     1911 Black on White porcelain #247 - 296

     1913 White on Blue porcelain  #368 - 388

     1914 White on Blue porcelain  #239

     1915 White on Blue porcelain  #316 - 393

The Monroe News-Star of February 4, 1913, reported payments made by City Hall, which included two entries as follows:  "S. G. Adams Stamp & Seal Co. $15.00" and "The I. F. M. Dorman Co. $21.00."  Both companies are well-known manufacturers of automobile and motorcycle plates in this era.  The 1915 was the last issue in Monroe.

New Orleans (339,075)

Ordinance #2059 was passed October 6, 1903, and effective November 17, 1903.  Section 1 states:  No automobile...shall be propelled or driven...unless said automobile...shall bear in a conspicuous place a white metal five (5) inch number on a six (6) inch patent leather background, to correspond with the number of the aforementioned permit, a record of which shall be kept on file in the office of the chief of police, and said numbers shall have a series beginning with the first letter of the alphabet running to the last letter and numbers running from 1 to 50 in each series, preceded by a letter of the alphabet..."  There was no fee for the permit, registration or plate.

The Times-Democrat published an article on May 29, 1904, describing the process:  "How does an owner of an automobile secure a permit?" said Superintendent of Police John Journee, repeating a question that had been put to him.  "Easy enough.  He first goes to Charles Kennedy and secures a tag, brings that tag to my office and is then given the permit." "Why does an automobile owner have to go to Mr. Kennedy for the tag?" was asked.  "The automobilists have agreed among themselves that Mr. Kennedy shall attend to the matter of the tags.  The tags run in series of fifty.  Series A has been exhausted and B has reached fourteen, I believe.  I require that the automobile owner first secure the tag from Mr. Kennedy so that I shall know that he will get the next in rotation."  Reference to the city ordinance regulating automobiles will show that neither Mr. Kennedy nor any one else is empowered to furnish automobile owners with tags...The law states that permits shall be secured from the superintendent of police, but does not require that a tag first be secured from Mr. Kennedy or any other dealer in automobiles or any other person."

Another Times-Democrat article on September 1, 1908, reported that "Since November 1903, when the first automobile license was issued, to date, there have been 532 licenses and plates furnished.  Under the terms of Ordinance No. 2059, N.C.S. [New Council Series], all automobiles must carry a plate bearing a number.  During the past year, from September, 1907, to Aug. 22, there have been 132 licenses issued."  This should mean numbers were up to about #K32 at this time.  Undated leather plates #E22, O10 and U23 are known.  Plate #X24 was listed on November 23, 1910.  It is unknown if #Z50 (representing 1,300 plates) was reached, and if so, what number sequence was issued after that.

A new ordinance was passed on January 31, 1911, requiring an annual $5 fee and annual pairs of city-issued plates.  Bids were advertised for the plates, but all were rejected for not following the specifications.  New bids had to be called for, causing further delay, so it was decided to start issuance on January 2, 1912.  Owners were allowed until March 1st each year to obtain their new plates.  The Times-Democrat announced on December 27, 1911, that "Comptroller Kennedy yesterday received from the contractors the supply of automobile license plates...which are to be issued in 1912.  The licenses will be issued beginning Jan. 2."  (This was in fact the same Charles Kennedy who was supplying the plates back in 1903-04, now acting in an official capacity!  He was the city comptroller in 1892-1900, then re-elected for two more terms in 1904-12.  We would conclude that the 1903-11 plates were all city-issued plates, even though Kennedy was acting more as a contractor in 1903-04 when they were first issued.)

Motorcycles were included for the first time in the 1911 ordinance, but were not initially required to display plates.  After a complaint from the police department in July 1912 that motorcycle speeding was hard to enforce since they were not numbered, it was decided to order and issue single plates to the motorcycle owners.  The Times-Democrat published an article on July 23, 1912, with the headline "Motor Cycle Riders Must Display Numbers." stating:  "John P. Boyle, acting inspector of police yesterday issued instructions to all members of the department to notify motor cyclists that in accordance with a recent ordinance passed by the City Council they will have to procure license plates to be carried on their machines, each plate numbered, such as those automobiles carry.  These plates are furnished by the City Treasurer on the payment of the motor cycle license fee...The ordinance goes into effect Aug. 1..."

Another article on August 2, 1912, bore the headline "Motor Cyclists Protest Against $5 License", reporting that "...Mr. McRacken stated that he would not insist upon the ordinance being enforced at this time.  It was also said that Comptroller Kennedy has no license plates for motor cycles, but is waiting upon a local firm to complete an order for 200 of them."  Finally, on September 18, 1912, it was announced that "The committee received a communication from the Mayor recommending the reduction of motor cycle licenses from $5 to $2.50, and acted upon it favorably."

As of July 19, 1912, the highest 1912 automobile plate issued was #1343, and on December 22, 1913, 1,756 plates for 1913 had been issued.

The first dated city-issued plates debuted in 1912, and the following issues are known, all porcelain:

     1912 Blue on White     #74 - 2081                       [1,500 and 200 M/C ordered]

          Type 2 - 1913 font     #2345

     1913 White on Blue    #586 - 1969, Motorcycle #35 - 354 [2,000 and 200 M/C ordered]

     1914 Black on White   #176 - 1892, Motorcycle  #6

Ponchatoula (1,055)

A 1915 blue-on-white porcelain plate #108 is known.

St. John Parish (14,338)

The full name of the parish is "St. John the Baptist".  On May 16, 1914, the local newspaper, Le Meschacebe, reported on passage of an ordinance on May 7, 1914:  "The following ordinance was offered by Mr. Songy and Second, by Mr. LeBrun.  Be it ordered by the Police Jury for the Parish of St. John the Baptist in regular meeting assembled that for the balance of the current year 1914 all automobiles of every description shall be liable to pay a License of One and 25/100 Dollars.  Be it further ordained etc, that the Sheriff of this Parish be and he is hereby authorized to get license plates to furnish to the various owners of automobiles and he is hereby authorized to collect the within License.  A vote being called resulted as follows:  (all Yaes, no Nays)"

A 1914 white-on-blue porcelain plate #2 is known, with "1914" sideways at left and "ST.JOHN, PA." at bottom.

St. Mary Parish (39,368)

A 1914 white-on-blue porcelain plate #33 is known.

Shreveport (28,015)

An automobile speed ordinance was passed on June 20, 1904.  The first ordinance providing for automobile registration and city-issued rear plates was passed August 13, 1907, and effective August 27, 1907.

The Times published an article on September 4, 1907, with the headlines "THE AUTOMOBILE TAGS", "CITY COMPTROLLER RIVES RECEIVED FIFTY YESTERDAY" and "Police Soon to Begin Enforcing Ordinance - Only Eighteen Out of a Hundred Owners Have Applied."  The text reported that "Within the next few days, after the arrival of the last assignment of automobile number tags, the police will begin the enforcement of the new ordinance relative to machines bearing these large numbers...Yesterday morning Comptroller Rives received fifty of the tags and the other fifty of the one hundred ordered will soon reach the city.  The tags, while rather small, are made of leather with aluminum figures...These tags are sold for $2 each...Mayor Bernstein took the first tag, No. 1..."

According to additional articles, #203 had been issued as of October 11, 1910, with the highest reported number of 1910 being #225 by November 12, 1910.  The lowest and highest 1911 numbers reported were #236 as of January 7, 1911, and #380 by October 24, 1911.  For 1912, reports indicate that #441 was issued as of June 1, 1912, while numbers had reached #536 by August 25, 1912.  Finally, #880 was the highest issued as of November 9, 1913.

A new ordinance was passed on November 28, 1913, providing for annual plates issued in pairs.  The Times announced the headline "NEW AUTO TAGS" on December 6, 1913, along with the text:  "Commissioner of Finance C. G. Rives yesterday issued an order for 1,000 pairs of automobile license tags for 1914, to be delivered before January 1.  There are nearly 900 tags already listed for 1913...The tags will be numbered from 1 to 1,000, the figures being in white on a red background.  The color scheme will be changed each year in the future...Two tags must be carried by each machine in the future..."

The only known plates are 1914 white-on-red porcelains #199 to #923.  1915 plates were issued but none are known, as all had to be turned in to receive the refund due after the ordinance was declared unconstitutional.  Surviving plates may exist since 7 owners had not returned their pairs of plates, and the city secretary was considering giving away the 205 pairs of turned-in plates and/or the 788 unissued leftover pairs!  The 1915 plates were white on blue, but the material is not known.

On January 16, 1915, the Times announced that "S. D. Price has the distinction of having purchased the first 1915 automobile license, having bought license No. 1001 at which number the licenses this year begin...The license tax this year will be based on the horsepower of the automobile, that is, 15 cents for each horsepower.  No license will be issued for less than $5.  The new licenses are almost similar to those which are being sold by the state, being blue with white numbers.  Commissioner Robt. H. Ward...has purchased one thousand licenses..."

The Times stated on June 26, 1915, under the headline "Autoists to Get Refund of Money Paid to City", that "Autoists presenting their automobile tags next Monday [June 28] morning at the office of the city secretary, will receive refund for the money paid the city earlier in the year under the ordinance taxing motor cars by the city, which measure was recently declared illegal by the supreme court.  Two hundred and twelve refunds are to be made, aggregating $1,437."

Another article on October 12, 1915, reported that "Although about $1,400 due automobile owners who paid the city license tax has been refunded...there were still seven auto owners who have not called for the refund...The license plate must be turned into the city treasurer before the money is refunded.  The plates cost the city in the neighborhood of $350 and this outlay is a dead loss.  Secretary Lilly says that he has failed in several efforts to sell the plates as old junk and is thinking seriously of giving the plates to some deserving person to use as shingles on his house."

Surprisingly, Shreveport once again began issuing city license plates two years later, this time legally.  The Times article on January 30, 1917, stated that "After being delayed for several weeks, the auto license plates to be issued by the city in accordance with an ordinance which became effective January 1, reached Shreveport Monday [January 29] and the first license was issued to Mayor John McW. Ford...The numbers of the tags run from 1,000 to 2,500.  Under an ordinance which passed the council several months ago, all automobiles in Shreveport must bear a city license number as well as a state number, for the purpose of identifying machines.  The ordinance provides for a tax of $1 to cover the cost of the plate."

(Vivian (826)

 A leather plate has been reported but not verified.)