Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1923, Page 51

LA LFORCRENTER US RESARGHFUN Motorists Saved Much Ex- pense by Government, It Is Pointed Out. . Believing that the research work ‘ the automotive section of the Tnited States bureau of standards is ©f EBreater value to the automobile owners of the country in proportion 1o the amount of federal money ex- Pended than any other activity of the government in behalf of mo- 1orists, the American Automobile As- soclation is urging Congress to in- crease the appropriations for 1924 from $15.000 allotted in the budget 1o $50,000, the minimum amount es- timated as required to carry on the work on a scalo cqual to that of the past vear. The automotive section in the study nade for the Motor Transport Corps the behavior of brake lining ma- terials alone made possible the maving of $10,000,000 annually for the motorists of the nation. The an- Tual brake lining bill was $20,000,000. Through experimental work carried on the life of brake linings was doubled without extra cost to the consumer. Origin of Many Savings. Many of the savings for motorists ave been the result ests con- uoted for the Army, Navy, Motor TARSPO Post Office Degart- ment and general supply committes on problems involving aircraft and automobile power fuels, 1 bricants and acce: The tot expenditure of the automotive se tlon was approximately $125.000 an- nually. Unfortunately, a large part of the work for the government de- partments has been completed, s0 that the support for the laboratories from other governmental sources is reduced s he_public will be de- prived lars vy 0% these by-produots. Thero is also an urgent demand for the extension of investigations di- reetly beneficial to the public. Thi demand ca met o in a verv limited way. it is pointed out, unleas the appropriation is materially - creased A project recently undertaken and ich only limited support is as vet available, i{s the development of ethods for tesing the braking abil- y of automobiles. This Is a que: tion now actively before the various state and unioipal agencies for the control of traffio and has come to be recognized as the most vital element in the sccuring of safetv in high- way transportation. Apparatus and iest methods already devised and demonstrated to many state and mu- nicipal authorities have shown the practicability of simple and effective teets of brake equipment, which are matisfactory to authorities and the oar users. Requires Appropriations. Without the direct support of con- mressional anpropriations this most important work cannot be carried on, as there is no outside agency which can support it. Moreover, it i3 one of the direct services which the na- tional government owes to the states. cities and citizens in its fostering of highway transportaton. The value . this work to the country is rep- resented not in doilare, but in lives. Another similar project has been undertaken in connection with the adjustment of head lights and the enforoement of regulations therefor. While this work would be done only partly under the appropriations re- farred to above. it a part of the £ame ge al undertaking of serving the automobile-using publio. Another project of perhaps equal fmportance is an Investigation to de- termine what is the most economical grade of motor fuel for use in exist- ing motor vehicles. The results of this rescarch. while not yet com- pleted. indicate that the total sup- DIy of motor fusl can be increased mome 30 per cent without sacrifice in the mileage. Possibilitles of in- creaged economy of fuel have also teen developed. This project prom- fses further economic saving to the lio of many millions of dollars, in addition to fuel saving to the gov- ornment itself, which would pay many times over for the cost of the entire automotive program of the bureau of standards. GIVEN BIGGEST ORDER. Gardner Cars to Be Shipped to Japan Soon. On the heels of the heaviest volume of export shipments that the Gardner Alotor Company, Inc, has made in one month comes the largest single export order that has ever been placed with the factory—from Yoko- hama, Japan, the center of the Japanese disaster. The Gardner factory is located on the banks of the Mississippi within a half block of the newly erected modern government wharf, and as a consequence this large order will be shipped via government barge down the Mississippl to the gulf and there transferred to an ocean-going steamer. With ~connections established in nearly every foreign country of any conseguently, export shipments are rapidly increasing, and, states Mr. Fowler, head of the export division of the Gardner Motor Company, Inc., “if there are any improvements at sll in the Buropean situation 1924 will be by far the best year Gardner has ever had." S — CHOKING THE ENGINE. Saves Battery, But Wisdom Is Questionable. Most experienced drivers know by mow that to save the battery the strain of cranking the cold motor af- ter the machine has been standing a few hours it is only necessary to pull out the choke for an instant just be- fore the engine is switched off. But few motorists know for a certainty whether or not this process results In any loss. Experiments show that the practice fs justifiable when trying to save complete battery breakdown, but that it is better to buy a new battery than to pamper {t all winter. In any motor this loading up with raw gas in prep- eration for a quick start will dilute 1he crankcase oll, and in the L-head 1ype of engine it will occasion stick- In{lof the vaives. Clearly a case of striking a happy medfum. If the car was to be left in the severe cold for an evening the saving on the battery would undoabt- «dly make it worth while to prechoke the engine. Just to facllitate ordi- ary starting the plan is certainly not dvisable. —_— EASY WITH THE JUNK. The motorist who is always going ¢hrough his side pockets with a view io throwing away everything that doesn‘t seem to have any particular ~valus I8 simply throwing money in the gutter. Sometimes the most use- less articles are the most valuable in an emergency. Nothing that will stop & leak, stop a rattle, tie a broken part_together, reach into an inac- cessible place, or do the work of a wpecial tool should be thrown away. 3t may come in handy some time, omewhere. This is usually ten miles rom the nearest garage. SPARE THE JUICB. ‘When using the self-starter at Ellht it saves the battery to switch ff the lights. Throw out the clutch to save the starter the trouble of cranking over the transmission gear and pull the choker out before touch« ing the starter button, so as to make every moment of the count. The juice saved in the ordi- nary start may be a thousand times more valuable should the engine stal when the car is in a precarious.posi: +iionm, of ! Motorists Find Extra Care Pays As Winter Comes Now s the time to get out and get under if you're ever going to see that everything under the car it im ship-shape. The worst drawback about winter is not the extra work the car must do, but the lack of attention it re- < owing to the owner's natural relu ince to contract pneumonia. One enters upon the winter era easy conscience, knowing that each brake rod clevis is firmly held by its cotter pin, that the body bolts are tight, the transmission drain plug screwed up tight, the stop signal switch and wiring intact and the spring clips and bolts given a few turns for good measure. PLAN REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN IN CITIES Auto Dealers Say Traffic Density Is Greater, However, Where Big Buildings Are. That the next step in the mer- chandising of motor cars is to plan for a greater fegistration In the larger cities will assuredly come as a surprise to the motorist who imag- ines that the density of auto regis- trations is greatest in those places where the skyscrapers echo the rum- bling of traffic “The density of traffic is greatest in the big cities,” says Capt. Harry M. Horton, local automobile dealer, “but that of registrations is radi- cally lower than in_ smaller clties. The greatest demand for cars is likely to come from the very section where the motorist would least expect it but the fulfiliment of this demand awaits the improvement in trafic and garaging conditions. “Small cities, ranging i popula- tion from 5.000 'to 25,000 have as high s 150 automobiles per thousand popu- ation, and this is due not only to greater per capita spending money for transportation and recreation pur- D but wider streets and pro- vision for cheaper storage of cars right on the owners’ premises. “Cities over 100.000 population, on the other hand, show but eighty-four machines per thousand. There the merchandising expert finds even a greater desire for car owners, but too many obstacles in thhe way of its attailnment. The average salary or wage is invariably higher, but there are more expenses to be con- sidered before the family can ar- range to own a car. Storage is high, trafg complicated and the use of 4 machfne restricted “The problem is to minimize these obstacles. And as conditions in the larger cities improve the density of registrations will be found to be in- creasing without in any way result- Ing in those, traffis complications so frequently feared by those who do not know the facts. NET GAIN OF 683,751 IN CARS AND TRUCKS Figures From Compilation Up to July 1 in All States and D. C. A net gain of 683.751 passenger cars and trucks was shown in regis- tration up to July 1, 1823, in figures compiled by the Miller Rubber Com- pany. Thirty-seven states registered a total gain of 739.078, while twelve states showed a total loss of 55,327 This includes all of the states in the Union plus the District of Columbia. The increases and losses are given over the total registration of cars and trucks as of December 31, 1922. Judged hy the size of the losses for each state for six months, it is almost ocertain that every stats in the Union as well as the District of Columbia will show a gain on Deocember 31, 1923. The largest gain by any state. up to December 1, was shown by Ohio, with 115.496. The next largest was Penn- sylvania, with 92.325. California was third, wtth 69,305, Up to Jjuly L no state had shown a registration over a million cars, although New York, Pennsylvania and California were close to it. New York had 991.883. Ohio had_575.000, California had 931,610 and Pennsyl- vania had 922,062. Illinois had 883,- 92! 'ew York was ths only state in the Union to exceed one million fn 1922, the figurs being 1.002,293. Call- fornia had 861,805, Ohio 859,504 and Pennsylvania 329,737. Nevada, with 12,647, showed the smallest registration ‘for 1922, al- though even with that small number there was one car to every 6.1 per- sons. California led in 1922 in this was next, with one car to every 4.4 persons. ' The District of Columbia was next, with one car to every 4.1 persons. ITowa was third, with one car to every 4.8 persons. The total registration on July 1, 1923, was 13,048,128. The total reg- istration on December 31, 1922, was 12,364,377 —_— POINTERS ON PARKING. Inflated Tires Regarded Aid During the Process. Steering in and out of parking spaces is made easler by keeping tires inflated to the maximum: that is, If the car Is being used for city driving. With the well paved stredts even an old tire will stand full pres- sure, and may perhaps benefit by it. In’ rainy weather one should be careful not to park so close to the curb as to keep the rigt wheols standing in the water of the gutter. If the water s high enough to reach the rims, as it ofttimes is, water is likely to get fnto the shoe and rot the tube. This leakage may occur where the rim splits apart or where the valve stem goes through the rim and wheel felloe. A washer {s al- ways provided to keep the valve stem watertight, but it is often loose or doeswnot fit properly. ADOPTS FOUR-WHEEL BRAKES Moon has adopted four-wheel hydraulic brakes. That is the inter- esting announcement made this woeek Dy the engineering department of the Moan® Motor Gar' Company. who tp 1o this time have mot mede known their position in the matter of quad- ruple braking systems. Through the Ryaraulio principle the brakes are equalized perfectly and automatically on all four wheels at all times. Radiators and Fenders . E OR REPAIRED. Oeres ixstellad 12 any maks WITTSTATT’'S R. and F. WORKS 319 13th. F. 6410. 1488 P M. 7843, WHOLESALE AND RETAIL RIMS FOR ALL CARS SERVICE TIRE CO. 1336 14th St. NW. . AUTO GLASS FOR WINDSHIELDS OR BODIES. ‘While You Wait. I i ' 1 I THE SOUND PROSPERITY AHEAD, 1S BELIE Prophecy on Business Pros- pects by President of Motors Company. BY C. W, NASH, President the Nasl otors Company. From every indication it would ap- Pear that the sound prosperity which this country has enjoyed during the past twelve months will continue at least throughout the first six months of 1924; the last half of the vear is too remote at this time to judge. As & manufacturer of & product that has country-wide distribution it is naturally a part of my business to make a constant study of conditions in general. When the new year rolls around it is very necessary to know with the greatest Dossible degree of accuracy what the immediate future holds forth, so that we may make our plans accordingly. During the vear just closed, and particularly in the past three or four months, I have found It necessary to travel about the country a great deal and have been in a position to get a real picture, first hand, of conditions as they exist in various sections. . Conditions Very Gratifying. It has been extremely gratifying to note in almost every section of the country how sound our present pros- perity has been. The experience of 1921 séemingly has had a very good effec n merchants and manufac- turers in general, with the result that since then business has been con- ducted on a basis that is fundamen- tally sound. By this I mean closer study has been made of market con- ditions, buying of raw materials and of finished stocks has been more wisely and more carefully considered and, in fact, everything that enters into the conduct of a business has been maintained on & sound basis In the cities there is every indica- tlon of real prosperity and in the rural districts the farmers have harvested very satisfactory crops. Throughout the great COLtON-Erow- ing states of the south and south- west banks report healthy deposits, due to the good prices on cotton In the wheat-growing states and throughout the corn belt prices re- ceived by the farmer were not o high, but this was' offset In large measure by the splendid condition of those crops. Merchants in rural communities. mail order housts and others who sell to farmers, including the automobile Industry, all report satlsfaction with business' in those sections, particu- larly in the past six months of 1923, and are optimistic over the outlook for the farmer during the present vear. Cites Bullding Operations. Bullding_operations, both with re- spect to industrial plants and dwell- ings, were resumed during the past year in practically all sections of the country and have been carried on along ~ conservative Wnes; pri of building material have been on the whole more satisfactory than for the past few years, which, together with the natural demand for building ex- pansion, has made possible stabilization of this' important branch of industry. Apparently there is plenty of money flable in this country today to build nd to buy, provided the expenditure in _the mind of the buyer be wise and sound. By that I mean banks, under the steadying influence of the federal reserve system, are in a posi- tion to help whers help {s needed, and ordinary observation will convince any man that the tendency all along the line is for advancement of industry on a xafe and sound basis. We are just entering on a presiden- tlal year and, cxcept for a fow chronic essimists, there is a_ feeling of con- dence almost throughout the land. This is quite a contrast to “presidential years” of the past, when It was almost taken for granted by men in all lines of business that the inevitable *“slow- up” was naturally to be expected. Our banking system now is 8o sound that it will not permit of the slow-up of industry unless conditions arising from a natural cause become serious enough to make advisable a general period of liquidation. 1924 Buwiness Horison. Nothing like this appears on the busi- ness horizon for 1924. Industry is going forward, merchants are selling their wares; farmers, on the whole, are in 0od shape and there is money in the Banke. Presidential year has rolled around to find the country moving for- ward with every confidence in contin- ued business activity; presidential can- didates are opening their respective campaigns and Congress, in session, is planning to give business In general added momentum by serious considera- tion of reduction in taxation. So it would seem, looking only as far ahead as July .1, that the first six months of 1924 wiil be a period of con- tinued sound prosperity. TIME TO POLISH TRIMMINGS. About the best time to pollsh the nickel trimmings of the car is when the machine has been brought In out of the wet. Even where motorists are careful enough to wipe off the trimmings with a dry rag some of the moisture remains overnight and appears as rust the next morning. It the polishing job is combined with the dryisg process, the motorist can 80 to rest feeling that he has killed two birds with one stone, and made a good job of it, too. SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. € Any one standing in the bronze traffic tower at 424 strest and Gth avenue, New York, watching the continuous stream gf motor vehlcles enger cars, taxis, buses and trucks—which go up and down the avenue, seemingly moving at the touch of a great common lever, would have difficulty in comprehending the fact that the automobile industry has not yet absorbed the buasiness cycle of one generation. In fact, many of the men who made the first cars are still in the prime of life; and the big auto show in the armory at Kingsbridge road and Jerome avenue will have some of the same exhibitors as the first little display held twenty- four years ago. The development of the automobile from erratic little freaks (they were often referred to as “toys of the wealthy”) to a smooth running, eas- ily controlled necessity can be fol- lowed easily in the automobile shows which have taken place yearly since the opening of the century. The au- tomobile was not a new idea in the nineties, for a philosopher of the thirteenth century, while watching a chariot race, had predicted the day when self-propelled vehicles would travel as fast as a horse; but the actual spectacle of snubby, snorty, horseless carriages brought fear to the hearts of timid pedestrians. First Auto Show. At the first automobile show in Madison Square Garden, November 3-10, 1900, pedestrians e well taken cars of. Above the flat oval track around the floor, where the speed of motor cars was demon- strated—ten miles an hour—a bridge had been bullt to enable the visitors to pass In safety from the Inclosure to the booths on the outside of the track. There wera thirty-one ex- hibitors of complete motor cars and twenty concerns showing parts and ac- cessories. On the roof was erected an inclina designed to show the hill-climb- ing _capabilities of the machines. About that first show there was no particular optimism, no prediction that the day would come when more than 11,000,000 motor vehicles would bo speeding over American roads; nothing but a vision by a handful of enthusiasts that here was something that somehow or other would make £00d. Gasoline autos were not even in_ the majority. Steam-propelled rehicles and electrics predominated, and the gas buggies which were ex: ribited wera considered rather amus- ing innovations. Exhibitors Increase. the time of the second show, ember 2-13, 1301, the Infant in- Great New York Auto Show Sprung From Humble S Institution Begun 24 Years Ago With Few Cars of Poor Design and Very Little Power or Speed. dustry had grown to such propors tions that the total number of ex: hibitors was almost doubled, increas. ing from fifty-one to ninety-three. The track was omitted at this show, but visitors were given trial runs around the block. and in the bases ment of Madison Square Gardes: Several owners of foreign care loaned them for exhibition purposes, thus adding & bit of international flawor to_the show. It is little wonder that the New York of 1300 and 1901 eagerly wei. comed the idea of self-propelled vehicles. There wers no subways no tubes or tunnels under the river: except for slow ferryboats, Brookl bride was the ecle trafic link bes tween New York and Brooklyn, and cable cars that moved deliberately— when they moved at all—representsd rapit transit in this largest of Amer- ican cities. The hors carriage. crude though it wai promise of shortening dlstanc Although there w in 1902, the third Square ‘Garden, January 17-24, 1903, boasted 150 exhibitors, with the maker of & forelgn car among them. With the organization of the Na- tional Association ~of Automobile: Manufacturers in 1901, the {ndustry had found a stabilizing (nfluence, and the onward sweep of the automoblle was registered each vear in the n- creasing number of exhibitors at the automobile shows. By 1905 there were 250 booths, five times as m: as at the first show five years lier. no auto show Two Shows Held. Each vear saw more exhibitors The sixth show held in thes Garden, January 13-20, 1906, had 50 exhibitors of cars and 170 exhibitors of parts and accessories. The 1907 show had 42 exhibitors of cars and 202 of ac- cessories. During that year there were two shows, one in November and tho other in January, with 68 exhibits of cars, a number of com- mercial vehicles and more than 225 exhibits of accessories. Motor cycles had coms into favor by 1810, and the show, held January §-15. numbered 23 motor cvcles among the exhibits, besides 54 cars and 246 displays of ac- cessories. In 1911, the show was given In two sections—passenger cars and com- mercial vehicles. Part ono had 383 displays, with sixty-seven care rep- resented. There were twenty-seven trucks_and wagon layouts in part two. By 1913, when the shows were divided between Madison Square Gar- den and the Grand Central Palace. more than 845 exhibitors took part in the displays, including passenger cars, trucks, motor cycles and ac- cessories. uring the period of the war, as could be expected, the num Whichever You Choose —You're Right Willard Wood-Insulated Bat- teries originally established Willard reputation, and are today the finest moderately priced batteries made. Willard Threaded Rubber Batteries are the biggest single’ improvement in battery-mak- ing since the early days of the automobile, and the outstand- ing choice of car-builders. ington-Battery Company Main 180 Or Any Authorized Willard Service Station Wil B8 Washi l i 1621-23 L Street N.W. | ar¢ Make the Motor “Snap Into It”"— Fill Up With Lightning! } There’s a Filling Station Near LIGH 17.25t035% Mur 141 MGRE POWFR MORE MILES i MOTCR TNING FUEL Makes Starting Troubles, Carbon Deposits and Other Cold Weather Troubles Disappear Your motor seems more willing when you burn LIGHTINING MOTOR FUEL. It seems more willing to get into action, judging from the quicker start you to pull you over power that is genera get. It seems more willing thed‘hills, judging from the te - Why not fill up with LIGHTNING and laugh at cold weather and hard pulls? s You—Look for the Sign PENN OIL CO. Rosslyn, Va, _ _ Phones West 166, Main 6608 DECEMBER: 23, 1923—PART 3. ber of displays fell off, but they have been teadily increasing ever since. The Assoiation of Lincensed Au- tomobile Manufacturers took the reins in 1905. This was succeedod a few years later by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, under whose auspices the annual shows in New York and Chicago are now held. Each successive show has brought greater success and greater public intgrest, and progress has , exbept during the up- heavals due to the war. But the motor car of today and 1900 are brothers; the shows of that year and this s0 closely related that without one the other would not be repre- sentative of an industry on which arly 3,000,000 persons depend for a living. With “the growth of New York northward, the automobile shows have been' going farther and farther -7 —_————eee—————— north. Until 1913 Madison Square Garden had housed the growing dis- play, but that year part of the show was taken up to Grand Central Pal- ace. Subsequent shows have all Dbeen held in the palace; but this year marks another march northward, to the 258th Field Artillery armory, the biggest armory in the world, Once more, as in the early days of the Industry, it becomes a pne-floor show, 8o far as cars are concerned, feature that will enhance the gen- eral interest in the display. FRANKLIN CAR DELIVERIES. SYRACUSE, N. Y., December 22.— Retail deliveries of Franklin cars during November set up a mark never before equalled for that month, ac- cording to H. H. Franklin, president of the Frankiin Automobilé Company. ONE CHAIN INSUFFICIENT. If Used, However, Should Be on Right Wheel. The custom of driving with only one rear wheel chain-equipped in the belief that this is satisfactory protection for a mild snow storm is, of course, foolish. But where the driver is forced by efr- cumstances to get home on but one chain he is right in deciding that the best place for it is on the right rear wheel. If the car has been parked, for instance, the resistance offered by the chained 'wheel will encourage the dif- ferential to transfer the power to the outer wheel. As the position of thie one s more likely to bo where the snow or ice is less likely to give trouble, nearer the traveled portion of the street, the car should start in nine cases out of ten. Three Cars in One! A Wwonderful business car for dad—big loading space for samples, grips, tools, anthing—by re- moving rear seat and upholstery! A wonder- ful closed car for the whole family—both seats adjustable forward and backward to accommo- date everybody, tall and short! A wonderful vacation car for next summer—seats and upholstery make up into full-sized bed! More service at less cost! Come and enjoy a free demonstration. NEW CHAMPION ~ OVERLAND-WHEELER CO., Inc. 1821 14th St. N.W Phone North 9819—North 10318 ODG6E BROTHERS A SEDAN There’s an air of refinement about the interior that you would naturally expect in a car as beautiful and substantial as the “An sedan. People of taste frequently com- ment on the richness of the interior color scheme, and the obviously fine quality of every fixture and appointment. $1385 4.0, b, Detroit—$1510 delivered SEMMES MOTOR COMPANY 8 Dupont Circle. 14th & Monroe Sts. N.W. Main 6660 Columbia 5179 ol i |