Evening Star Newspaper, August 28, 1921, Page 44

TOWNSHIPITIS BAR TONATION'S ROADS Arthur H. Little Takes Up Matter of Vital Concern to All Autoists. ‘Writing under the caption, “A Cure for Townshipitis,” Arthur H. Little, in Business, says, in part: “Townshipitis is the disease that has affiicted the highways of America ever since the men of America—or some of them—began to realize that ® road is something more than a scratch across the landscape, along which fences have to be built. Town- shipitis is responsible for the fact that every mile of reasonably per- manent road in existence in America today has cost us Americans just about $240.000. Road just as good can be built for $30,000 to $40,000 a mile. That discrepancy of about $200,000 a mile represents the toll that townshipitis has taken—the toll of nation-wide waste that has come partly from the disjointed, disasso- ciated, disorganized effort that is con- ceived by narrowness of mind and partly from the mistakes that have been born of sheer, downright igno- rance of the science of routing and building roads. The trouble has been not that there were too many town- ships, but that the townships and the counties, and even the states them- selves, have had too many notions and bunches and ideas and half-baked g:lns concerning where roads should built, and how Definition of a “Stub.” “Do you know what a ‘stub’ is? ‘Stub’ is road-engineering parlanc for a segment of improved highway- probably expensively improved—that starts nowhere and ends in the same :ln:e. You know of a stub within ve miles of your store or office. You remember it, because the last time you drove over it, just after you emerged from the undercut under the interurban tracks, you encoun- tered a wooden horse sprawled cross- wise of the road bearing a sign that read, ‘Road closed—detour.” They were repairing the ‘permanent’ road again. The country over, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of just such stubs as that. They are the rash of townshipitls. “But for four years America has been taking something, nationally, for its townshipitis. are convales- cing; we have passed along the road of improvement beyond the stage at which the attending physicians con- fine themselves to the bulletin ‘The patient is doing as well as can be ex- ted. “On July 11. 1916, what is known as the federal ald road act became a law. Primarily that act of Congress transformed the bureau of public roads_of the Department of Agricul- ture. The federal aid road act trans- ferred the bureau of public roi from the academic to the active class, save it a couple of barrels of money and equipped it with the necessary human machinery the way of a nation-wide organization to apply that money to the planning and buil ing of a national system of highways. System of Highways. “To the bureau a national system of highways means ‘h arrange- ments of improved roads as will fit mast accurately into the existing ar- rangements of the centers of produc- tion and of the facilities of distribu- tion and will functiop most efficiently in the process of transporting the ne essities of life from the farms, tI mines and the forests to the existin, centers of distribution and of carry- ing the products of manufacture to the markets and to the ultimate con- sumers. Such a conception may mean, in certain rather exceptional s, an interstate highway crossing two, three or maybe even four states. But in the great majority of instances it means the improvement of the shorter roads, the main market routes that radiate from such centers of population and of distribution as New 'k, Chi ‘Toledo, Kansas City 1 means just what it says— federal aid. And therein lies the crux of the whole matter. Federal road- bullding effort, as it is applied under the terms of the act, permits of no federal {nterference, no federal tatien in the road-building affairs of any state. The federal government may not initiate. It may only co- operate. A state may start & project and ask federal ald. The bureau of public roads. if it approves the proj- ect and considers it in harmony with that broad conception of a national! system of highways, will help in the | building of that road to the extent of paying one-half its cost. A!l that the federal government asks in return is! that the state permit the bureau of public roads to supervise, in an ad- visory capacity, the actual building of the road. .“At the end of last fiscal year 2,935 coad-building projects, involving a to- tal of 29.319.3 miles of road. had been approved under the terms of the act. The preliminary cost of these projects has been estimated at $384,916,819.53, of which $163,841,503.93 was to be the share of the government. On that same date 2,116 projects, Involving 15,944 miles of road, had been com- pleted or were under construction. The estimated cost of the projects then actually under way was $20 000,000. Hew Money Is Spent. “And new where is this money be- ing spent, and how? There are in America some 1, 000 miles of road. Two or three or even four hundred millo: llars spread over those 1.500, miles of road over the course of & year would scarcely keep cut the weeds along the edges. But the sav. ing fact is that, of all the traffic tha moves ever all the roads In the coun- try, 85 per cent confines itself to 20 per cent of the highways. In other words, of all those 1,509,000 miles of road that the maps show, anly about 20 per cent, or 300,000 miles, needs to be fmproved in order to benefit 85 per cent of all our road traffic. And of those 300,000 miles of road that carry 35 per cent of the traffic, the states already have under main- tenance 200,000 miles of improved highways. Thus, from that point of view, it is seen that the job of eradi- cating townshipitis from the national .v.o‘mnultr 1s, 80 to speak, about two- t still o S Sany by the states. s eutting ints uu: remaining .tgn one-third of lo the. rate of 13,000 to of the read a year.” This Week’s Touring Sugges! = _:nAvf‘l):u‘l.ufim-n-ll.l TRIP 1S OUTLINED BELOW: e There is no particular destination in this tour so that you don't have to start from any particular place. Merely start from your garage and turn to the right at the first corner. Keep going until you get out in the country. When you are on s good country road drive straight ahead for five miles. If you come to a turn in the road don't pay any attention to it. The directions say to keep straight ahead for five miles, 80 keep right on going. In this five miles of driving you will pass several large cornfields on the left and a large woods. on the right, and if you've got a pretty good car you'll probably pass everything in front. A map of this beautiful trip will be sent on application. New Regulations in Effect Regard- ing Flivvers. On _meeting a horse-drawn vehicle on the highway the flivverist shall immediately dissemble his flivver, and conoealing the parts in the graes, shall send up three roman candles as a signal for the driver of the horse- drawn vehicle to proceed. After he has passed and is well out of earskot, the motorist shall reagsemble _his flivver and get quickly out of the neighborhood. At each street intersection the fliv- verist shall be required to have his driver’s permit examined by the cros ing policeman. Should the car be torn or solled the owner shall be liable to not less than ten years in the pen- itentiary or a fine of $500 or both. Remarkable Gasoline Mileage Re- ported. A remarkable record was reported by the I. O. U. Automobile Association yesterday on a Chokeanstop touring car. The report states that the car went from 4:30 p.m. to 15th and Main atreets on one gallon of gas. This, we are told, beats every record since 1915, when Tony Oilcan drove from New York to San Francisco, put- ting in gasoline only now and then. Regardless of the year it was bullt, every man who owns an automobile has the.best car that that particular company ever put out. Mr. Henry C. Numbskull, the latest “Gasless Sunday” advocate, is trying to get a bill through Congress to pro- hibit the use of automobiles on Sun- hat he is sure that the gasoline st tion dealers will be in favor of his plan when he explains how they help to disturb the public peace. Mr. Numbskull, it is rumored, re- ceived a letter from one of the deal- ers this morning. The letter stated that the dealers would be glad to have him come around to their next meeting. and try to gek in. Questions and Answers. Dear Ed.—You are sypdosed to know all about automobiles t'makes & Ford go? SAM LISH. We bite, Sam; what does? Dear Ed—As I am about to pur- chase an autemobile and don’t know very much about them I would like your advice. What car can I buy that will have good lines, be economical to run and yet have plenty of power. Roadster and Bearcat Models $3,250 5 THE Covvmene wai. DERSE ITHAPPENS. In other words, what car is the best buy for the money? ‘00D B. OWNER. Any automobile salesman that you might get in touch with will gladly tell you what car is the best buy for the money. . How to Clean & Spark Plug. First remove the plug from the cyl- inder, taking particular oare not to break the thread. Take plug apart and clean thoroughly with gasoline and water. It is advisable also to shine up the ints with the best nickel polish obtainable, using a soft downy cloth. Set the points with a thin dime; if you haven't got a dim l;orruw one from your nearest neigh- or. Now throw the plug into your ash can and ?nt in a new one. If your motor still misses, the trouble is with some other part of the engine. PROPER CARBURETOR ADJUSTMENT NEEDED Fuel Economy Obtained in’ This Manner Rather Than Through Articles Advertised. Automoblle owners who are having trouble getting mileage out of their gasoline consumption may find that by having their carburetors adjusted carefully increases in fuel economy can be obtained. This is the advice given by the As- sociated Advertising Clubs in a bul- letin issued by its vigilance commit. tee reporting investigation of claf made for a carburetor advertised sure to save one-half to one-third on fuel and to increase the power of any motor from 30 to 50 per cent. The buketin states that tests made by the United States bureau of eand- ards was to the effect that the ex- travagantly advertised carburetor showed no marks of superiority over others, and that the government bu- reau stated great numbers of auto- mobiles are being operated with a considerable excess of fuel under av- erage conditions and ecareful read- Justment of the carburetors would in many cases bring about worth while economy. The government bureau also pointed out that the apparent gu- \periority of some carburetors for which overdrawn claims are made due to the care with which they ai adjusted, says the bulletin. The Retort Feminine. From the Bostoa Transcript. Miss Oldun—Are those men follow- ing us? Miss Bute—One of us, Installed You Wait. Taranto & Wasman 1017 New Yotk Ave. N.W. Four and Six Passenger Models $3,350 Motor Company of Washington 24th & M Sts. NN\W. Phone West 710 Show Room: Conn. Ave, R. I. Ave. and M St. ‘Bonrtag Car (000 Suadoter (05 Sxfen 617 Coupo 01HD Bassl Bestuses Cor 01185 Bovesn Bualncss Cac $538 7. O. B. Fostecy SEMMES MOTOR COMPANY Donse Bromiers MOTOR CARS Teicphons Main 6660 in thi ‘{cars for the fall and winter se: AUTOMOTIVE BRIEFS | C. C. Kellar, sales engineer of the Ray ttery Company, was a visitor city last week for a few days and h returned to the factory at Ypsilanti, Mich. B. C. Mackey, formerly of the New York branch of the Exide Company, has been appointed manager of service of the local Exis Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company will add a group of four new inclosed n, according to reports from Buffalo. ‘The new models will include & coupe, a four-passenger, four-door sedan and ablolven-pnlunnr sedan with a ves- ule. Pyke Johnson, Washington, repre- sentative of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce. will deliver an address at the opening session of the Michigan Good Roads Association, Flint, Mich., August 30. The topic of the address will be “Is the United States Safe?” ‘Word from New York is to the ef- fect that Mercer Motors Corporation will completely divorce frem the Hares Motors, Inc., during the next few weeks and will continue in the manufacturing fleld on its own behalf and operated by its own stockholders. Hares Motors, Inc., will retain the Locomobile Company. Reorganization and refinancing of the Mercer factory, located at Trenton, N. J., it is stated, will be possible by the entrance of new interests. Durant broke ground for their new “EBONITE” garage, office and salesroom at Lans- ing August 19. The ct of the build- | ing will be approximately 330.000 and | will be the property of the Durant Motor Sales Company, a separate cor- poration from Durant Motors, Inc.. The death ot Col. Colt, chalrman of the United States Rubber Company.! has made it necessay for the execu- tive committee to cail a special meet- ing for this week to consider import- ant matters. It is rumored that a man now not connected with the com- pany will be made president, and that the president will be made chairman of the board to succeed Col. Colt. E. W. Edgarton, formerly with the Harper-Overland Company and the Lambert Hudson Company. has join- ed the sales force of the George E. Rice Auto Company, 1317 H_street northwest, local distributors for the Apperson, Stearns-Knight and the Cdlumbia, Henry J. Sterzer, manager of the Automotive Accessories Company, an- We Teach AUTO DRIVING s AND Traffic Regulations 1921 Ford Gear-Shift Cars. Kquipped With Double Oomtrol. AMERICAN MOTOR SCHOOL 9th & O Sts. N, Phane N. 10-400 =g IS THE NAME Whenever the thought ‘of lubrication for your transmission or differential occurs to you, and you want perfect, safe and satise factory results, “EBONITE” is EBONITE adds to the joy of motoring, it clings in all sea- soms, and at speeds. Heat it break it w It preven friction, wear teo parts, saves repair bills. the Name! There is no other lubricant ke One filling of a transmission rential is enough for all seasnon “EBONITE?” is the name when Yyou want the best. do to your favorite dealer, ask for EBONITE, be safe, write us if he cannot supply you. Bayerson Oil Works Manufacturers, Erie, Pa. Pennsylvania Petroleum Products, Motor Oils and Cup Greases F.0.B.FACTORY The Test of Merit - Experience of owners is the final test of merit of any automobile. Velie owners are enthusiastic about their car because it does everything that any automobile can reasonably be asked to do. In addition owners are proud of the distinctive style of their car, not to men- tion its economical performance. UNGERER MOTOR COMPANY 1138 Commecticat Aveaue Telephone Main 8233 We leave the estimate of the 1921 Buick entirely to you. Ride in it and you will appreciate its rugged power, improved comfort- able seating arrangement, the acces- gibility of its mechanism, the beau- tiful body lines. own conclusions. And draw your Built in eleven models and in both four and six cylinder types. [ ‘Authorized Buick Service makes | ' Buick travel doubly dependable. Since Jonuary 1, requler equipment on all models includes ,Cord: Tires _STANLEY H. HORNER 1015 14th Street Retail - Dealer = nounces the establishment of three branch agencies for Globe certified tires, as follows: The Automotive Supply Company, 21st street and Pennsylvania avenue; F. Hagan, Mount Rainler, McCuddy Bros., 3730 Georgia avenue. Mr. Ster- zer's company i distributor for Globe tires In tnis section, with headquar- ters at 10th and E reets. R for the past ten J. Jamenon, years connected with the” Harper- Overland Company in various sales positions, has joined the Oldsmobile Sales Company ‘of this city. Mr. Jame- son entered into his mew position as general mansger immedigtely. D000000000022022222222222 000000000 0000000000000000060000000000000000022222222¢ SONARD GREEN SPRING LUBRICANT Sonard is unexcelled for removing squeaks of all kinds—in springs, shackle bolt, body, fenders, top, etc. Just locate the squeak and touch it with Sonard. It penetrates between the leaves, removing rust and depositing a thin layer of grease between the entire length of each leaf. This gives perfect spring action. The removal of rusted and frozen screws, nuts, bolts, etc, a simple matter when Sonard Green Spring Lubricant is applied. SOUTHERN evalue - SOLE DISTRIBUTORS AUTOMOBILE SUPPLY CO. 1324 14th St N.W. Wholesale Exclusively you buying ‘ of today or the reputation of yesterday ? 410 Eighth St. N.W. $338383383883838838388388383383888883883883883838883838 Main 8778 CAPITAL CITY GARAGE " Carroll's Garage CE Mt. Jackson, Va. Territory Shan, County ~ RN émumnuniiii Open for Sub-Dealers Write or Wire BRISCOE MOTOR CORPORATION, Jackson, Michigan <The.mos? completely. equipped .car in Amevica in iis price class Up and Over the Toughest Grades 'LIGHTINING MOTOR FUEL —always the same dependable fuel—giving big power when needed— freedom from carbon and knocks—and increasing mileage from 26 to 869,. thm(ay%ds The best of its class, ask any mechanic. Ask any one of of motorists who use Lightning Motor Fuel. It is not unusual to hear a motorist remark that he can climb this or that tough hill with Lightning Motor Fuel in his tank, but. cannot take that same hill It is simply a question of power—big, count on when you have Lightning in your fuel If you haven't tried Lightning you haven't chance. /Join the crowd and metor with a smile. PENN OIL COMP GASOLENE, KEROSINE, ‘LUII-ICATING OILS AND Phone with gasoline, WHOLESALE DEALERS mr@—&nmm given yout-gotw a fair