Evening Star Newspaper, January 3, 1926, Page 63

HEADLIHT GLARE PROBLEN I TOPE Device to Permit Dimming of Left Light Only Proposed at Hearing. Will the problem of headlight glare eventually be solved by a device that will permit dimming of the left light y pproaching another car? made during a recent dlight probler vehicle comm; Y., was acc ny other introduced. ms for relief from a con- is evoking interest evel were laid before the commi: sion by car makers, engineers, legi: Jators and motorists. While there was unanimity of opinion, the ma- ity s med to favor the type of ht that could be adjusted to throw strongest rays on the right side e road. flort Made to Educate Public. This p le solution of the prob- lem w ed by Henry M. Crane, ‘who pointed out that efforts were be- in wade to educate the public th important saf motor chester, rt than 1gges not merely & f the car. Manufac to seri that has been bi ~hang declared. t the legislatures will not manutacturers shall in the headlight Mr. Crane, “because oblem can be solved It is the result 1 be interested is obtained. me by force. cation En- ven to the tem with out by sile design, that resu vements cannot will come working to ngeable bea perfec eater s ety Modern Car Deseri is two feet lower of 10 years ago and low as to but four feet between his eyve d the roadway. This gives null radius for headlight deflec- a changes in_spring de- ch vield at least 50 per cent exibility, tend to complicate e further. v psychology governs the enotorist’s titude toward s which puts him in the po- objecting to the general t taking no steps to rectify o as it applies to his own o modern ca chinc is seated so Shows Movable Spotlight. spresentative of a manufactur- company displayed a movable t which he believes will sup- the ordinary headlight. The t, which is being used ex- tensively, it is said, in some States in the West and Middle West, is adjusted to the left side of the road and throws its beams diagonally over the front car to illuminate right the highway. If the light properly adjusted "there of its glaring into the the driver of an approaching the demonstrator said. eves o vehicle, AUTO MERITS TOPIC OF MOTOR EXPERT Question Not How Well Car Runs But Starting and Stopping, He Says. Automotive folk will have a difficult tine trying to find a more novel view- point on the modern automobile than offered recently by Os president of the Pa on Motor Car Company, no longer car runs. and stop. stopping one bu have in- within the last few an points out. Pre- the main test of a car was 13 abil he explain: performan ince the early ing has success along progress tendency s increase ind s by biles. The starting stopping s come on with many manufacturers unprepared and with the motoring public unac- with need for judging its starting and stop- as well as by its running motor: to of done insure the 1 mileages are increas- tours are the rule, it also rowing propor- due to increased s for all purposes, conge: arking restrictions and the like. ¥ motorists are finding they have that run well enough when t are handicapped by slow , noisy and hard shift- stiff clutches, and in the stopping process by cars that skid or brakes that grab and chatter T'wo « the most important con?® sderations in buying cars toda artin, md stopping. The e 5 of the car nowad CARV CALEANING VHl‘NTS. Rock Machine Few Times Before Rubbing Off Water. I'he hood should be the first part of the car to dry with the chamois when bringing the car in out of the wet. It helps to make a good job of the windows if the dome light in the car is turned on. Rub the body of the r with the chamois gently and as sible. Rock the car a few aving water drip off the hen the body is dry. Use two one for the windows and body, one for the fenders, bump- wheels and aprons. RUBBER TASTE DIFFERS. Hawaii Buys It in Tires, Alaska in Boots and Shoes. Geography plays an important part i the use as well as in the growth of rubber. In October Hawail took more rubber shoes for automobiles than for humans. Tire casings valued at §95,615 were exported to the island. The situation, as it applied to Alaska exactly the reverse. Alaska ught $14,479 worth of boots and shoes as against $4,148 in auto tires. Changing Tires for Ice. S0 long as the rear tires are going 1o be chain-equipped when the car is to be operated over ice and snow why not trausfer the best tires to the front, so that when trying to steer out of a rut the front wheels will grip hetter? The skidding of front wheels §s a nuisance which can be largely eliminated by transferring the non- siid rear shecs to the froat. Taxicab Builders- Have ‘Newest Note’ In Cars for Hire Having exhausted all possible color combinations, taxicab makers have tackled a design to provide the newest note in vehicles for hire. The latest is the motor cycle cab now in service in Baltimore. Two of these machines, the vanguard of a fleet of 100, and the first of their kind in the United States, already are on the streets. They are at- tracting a great deal of attention. To a standard make of motor cycle is added a sedan-type side car which seats two passengers. Cheaper and more flexible trans- portation is claimed for the new vehicle. NEW DEVICE TESTS DRIVER'S AGCURACY Judgment of Speed in Safe Operation Is Graded in Trials. Judgment of speed and distance, perhaps the most vital factor in safe automobile operation, has at last be- come subject to thorough and accu- rate test. Special apparatus, devised by the University of Pennsylvania vchology ~department, makes —a rapid and comprehensive appraisal of the would-be motorist's capacity to think and act quickly and records his behavior in emergencies. The test, adopted by a taxicab com- pany with excellent success, has ellcited favorable comment from traffic safety experts. The principal apparatus used fn the tests includes a mintature electric rail- way, a projecting camera, a signal light system and a “driver's seat” flanked by levers approximating those used in controlling the mechanism of an automobile. Two Electric Cal The first phase of the test involves the operation of two cars on the elec tric rallway. One car runs continu- ously at varying rates of speed. From his “driver's seat,” which commands a view of the entire railway system, the person taking the test operates a small lever which controls the move- ments of the second car. The tracks are so constructed that the paths of the two cars are certain to cross at various intervals. In ad- dition, there are a number of sharp turns to be negotiated. The success with which the person taking the test meets these various traffic hazards is measured entirely by the judgment he shows in stopping and starting the car he controls and in increasing and diminishing its speed. Thus this phase of the test provides an excellent basis upon which to judge a prospective chauffeur’s ability to measure distance and estimate the speed of moving objects, as well as his tendency toward “‘recklessness. In the second phase of the test the driver, with certain hand and foot levers at his command, faces a bat- tery of electrically controlled signals, all of which call for a different move- ment on his part. In the third phase photographs pic- [ turing an automobile in various traffi- situations are shown, and the driver, assuming himself to be at the wheel of the car, indicates as rapldly as pos- sible the course he would adopt under the circumstances. Emergency Action Tried Qut. The signal light phase is designed to show an automobile driver’'s reac- tion to suddenly projected situations while the series of photographs is em- ployed to determine his reaction under actual driving conditions. The entire test is given in six min- utes, but before it is taken an appii- cant is given ample time to familiarize himself wfth the meaning of the vari- ous signals and the operation of the apparatus controlled by him. Possibillty of error in grading the subject of the tests s virtually elimi- nated by the fact that every move- ment he makes is automatically re. corded by impressions made on a roll of paper inserted in a recording ma- chine. At the conclusion of the test this paper record is removed and the record compared with another show- ing a perfect score. BERLIN THEATERS SEEK DULL BUSINESS CAUSES Diversified Taste of Post-War Period Partly Blamed for Low Receipts. By the Associated Press. BERLIN, January 2—Something more than the economic difficulties of the people is the matter with the Ger- man_ theater, in the opinion of lead- ing producers and playwrights inter- viewed by the Brsen Courier con- cerning the theatrical crisis in this country. Leopold Jessner, director of the state theaters, believes the chief diffi- culties lle in that post-war patrons are too diversified to make it possible to please everybody. Ernst Toller, revolutionary dram- atist, insists that the managers lack the courage to produce plays appeal- ing to the broad masses and are still trying to please the “tired business man.” Klabund, author of *“The Chalked Circle,” pleads for simplicity of plot instead of the problem plays recently in vogue. COLD TIGHTENS SPRINGS. Car Will Ride Less Confortably During Winter. If the car rides hard in Winter just blame it on the cold. Spring control devices of the coil type are subject to slight contraction in cold weather. Even if they have been tightened, several days of moderately low tem: perature will serve to give the im- pression of flat tires. In contracting, the control devices take up a certain necessary clearance and hold the springs taut. If the car rides hard after the cold weather begins, the de- vices probably have been too tight all along. It cold ‘weather makes no difference, it indicates that there has been too much clearance before. TEACHING AIDS TEACHER. Autoist Can Gain Proficlency by Helping Others. Teaching others the fine points of motoring enables one to become fa- miliar with the things already learned. It a driver will show others how to get a quick start in cranking a cold motor, he will not only become pro- ficient in the art himself but also be prepared to learn some other tricks himself. The thing that keeps so many drivers back is their inability to remember the things they have learned. Attempting to teach what they have learned helps to fix the facts in mind and makes the accumu- FOR AUTO TRUCKS Expert Sees Day When Traf- fic High'vays Will Rival Train Service. A glance into the future, which forecasts trains of tractors controlled by air brakes and operating on a regu- lar dispatching service over special trunk highways built above the tracks on railroad rights of w was por- trayed by Maj. Elihu Church, trans- portation authority of the port of New York, in an address delivered recently before the Society of Automotive Engi- neers in New York. These trunk highways will be toll roads, he said, and will be laid out with the same care as to grades and curves as the railroads. They will be lighted, will be provided with tele- phones” at frequent intervals, and there will be a regular wrecking and repalr service. Trailer trains and convoys of trucks will be dispatched on regular schedules, largely as the Army transport was handled in France Quring the war. Except where the roads enter cities on a_second level above main railroads, they will pass around cities and towns as belt roads, that the traffic on them will not pass through dense local traffic, and they will be carried over or under transverse roads. They will be built with capital invested by farmers and others interested in the development, as toll roads formerly were built. A Traffic Necessit The necessity for such roads will grow out of the increasing traffic con- gestion on the present highways and the inadequacy of the present high- ways to accommodate the light, fast pass es and the slow, cum- bersome 5 at the same time. Congestion on Manhattan Island is causing a loss of $500.000 a day, and the horse is coming back, said Maj. Church. Seventy-three out of every 100 trucks in West street are horse drawn, because waits to load and un- load at steamship and rail terminals are t0o long. A motor truck costs ¢ cents a min- ute, whether it is moving or standing, and a trucking company charges by the hour and not by the miles traveled. Owing to congestion, the average speed of motor trucks on the island is only 4 miles an hour, and the average running time in an 8-hour dav is only 3 hours, the other 5 being spent in waiting, loading and unload- ing. Cost of Handling. | These conditions make haulage in New York City tremendously ex- pensive. In many instances the cost is from 10 to times the amount paid to the railroad for the rail haul. As a solution, Maj. Church proposed union freight stations located in the centers of 1u districts into which the city would be divided, at each of which freight for all transportation lines would be received and sorted, and then hauled in full truck loads des. tined for each railroad or steamship terminal. The railroad terminals should be in the outlying parts of the city. As Manhattan does as much busi- ness as 10 ordinary cities, he said, each of the 10 freight districts would handle an_ equivalent amount of freight and the distance that the trucks would have to haul goods to and from the district union stations would be relatively short. TRAFFIC DIVISION HELD MOST VITAL Protects Life, While Other Police- men Guard Property, Balti- more Official Says. Life is the most valuable possession of the citizen, and is more deserving of protection than his propert This the conviction of Commt. Charles D. Gaither Police of who adheres to it strictly sioner Baltimore, {in keeping the traffic division of the police department constantly full strength. There are 1330 men on the city police force and 200, or one- seventh, are employed in traffic di- rection in busy downtown sections “The work of these men explains why Baltimore ranks high in the list of citles where the streets are com- paratively safe,” declared Commis- sioner Gaither. “We have a very small accident toll here and a record of no lives lost where traffic officers are statloned on street corners. Pro- tection of property is secondary to the protection of human life. Traffic po- licemen play a much larger part than is thought generally in the protection of property while still performing their chief function of protecting life. “Every day thousands of Balti- moreans drive into the central section of the city and leave their machines along the curb. These machines rep- resent probably $1,000,000. The traf- flc policemen protest these machines, and the number of automobiles stolen in Baltimore is small. “One thing we know is that no lives are lost at a corner where a policeman is on duty. . The same can- not be sajd of property on a police- man’s beat. A man may be robbing a house, but the officer walking by outside seldom has any way of know- ing it.” at fts AVOID EXCESS 6F OIL. Winter Weather Can and Does Play Tricks on Indicator. Next to making the mistake of thinking that the engine has plenty of oil because the indicator registers “full,” the biggest lubrication error in cold weather driving is to assume that the engine needs oil just because the indicator does not register ‘‘full.” Often the oil has not had a chance to drip back into the crankcase and act upon the indicator float. This is usually the case when a driver starts a cold engine, backs out of the garage, and switches off the engine. The con- gealed oil drips or flows back to the crankcase so slowly that for a few minutes the register will not show “full.” At this point, most car owners rush for the gallon oil can and add too much oil. NASH Conveniently Located on_Fourteenth Street Hawkins Nash Motor Co. Sales and Servic 1337 14th St. Main 5780 o Youll quickigtrade for | Studebaker' Power Durability-Finish An Abridged Magazine for Car Owners. EDITED BY WILLIAM ULLMAN Advtnlflnfi safety in motoring Is not 80 much a word to the wise as several words to the weak-minded. Up to the Motorist. A man's motoring is exactly what he makes it. Many people never have time to take care of their cars because they never want to be bothered with any task that might benefit the car. That explains why they seldom reach the class of car they desire to own. The motorist who makes his motoring first class, regardiess of the grade of car he owns, stands to make such savings in depreciation as are necessary to enhance the value he will have to trade in as part payment for a new car. Motoring is as the motorist does. It can be all confusion and conges- tion, or contentment and simplicity— whatéver one wants to make it. Some drivers experfence great diffi- culty finding parking spaces. These are the people who find Iife in general hard. Parking spaces are limited very much as there is a limit to happiness and fame. The people who make their own happiness seem to know how to find thelr own parking spaces. The road hog thinks everybody else is roadhoggish. The speeder thinks everybody else is courting trouble. The sort of motoring one indulges in depends very largely upon one’s state of mind. Motoring is healthful, useful and economical to a large number of peo- ple. These are the people who make it that way. 4 Help in Night Hazards. Glaring headlights and insuflicient illumination on the highways at night may be hazards, but Robbins B. Stoeckel, Connecticut commissioner of motor vehicles, ralses a new question. At a recent gathering, Mr. Rtoeckel raised the interesting question as to what the situation would be if auto- mobile lighting were 100 per cent per- fect. He even went 8o far as to spec. ulate as to what night driving would be like if lighting were so perfect that the streets and highways would be as light as day. Mr. Stoeckel was of the opinion that conditions would be a lot worse than they are now. The psychology of the situation, as he sees it, is that the hazards of night driving serve as a warning to the average driver not to repeat the mistakes of daylight driv- ing. If the highways were a flood of per- fect light night travel would increase at an alarming mate. Drivers would be tearing over the roads at top speed. Traffic would be as hazardous as it would be heavy. Perhaps, as Mr. Stoeckel suggests, inability to see at night the way one would like to is something of a safe- guard. In this connection there is a valuable parallel. Four-wheel brakes, for Instance, while providing for free- dom from skidding and quicker, surer stopping. have not encouraged the insurance interests to reduce collision rates. * The brake situation is the reverse of popular predictions. If comparisons are not too odlous, perfected night lighting may not bring the hoped-for benefits. Power at th_e Peak. Just to know that an engine de- velops 60 horsepower does not mean anything to the experienced motorist when car shopping. He always asks "At what engine speed does the en- gine reach its peak power?” This tells him whether the engine is a high-speed or low-speed type, and he can use his judgment as to whether the car is one that can offer a_high- speed engine with assurance of long engine life, Cause of Brake Screech. Screeching brakes are evidence of dirty brakes, provided the brake lin- ing still is in good condition. If the brake lining is worn, it often hap- pens that an exposed rivet will scrape against the brake drum. It is well to remember that it is not always possible to determine the condition of brake lining by looking at its edge. Wear takes place more to the center and if the bands are not concentric with the drums wear niay be very irregular. Let the Engine Do It. Very often when the radiator drain cock is opened water will not run out at the start. This is due to the collection of sediment at the drain. Of course, this sediment can be dis- lodged by inserting a match stick or nail up the drain opening, but the handiest way of starting the water running is to run the engine fast for & few minutes. Follow a Good Driver. Sometimes it doesn't pay 1o get ahead of the other fellow. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in pass- ing a chauffeur-driven car. A good chauffeur 8 a good man o follow. He drops dozens of tips in the course of a short run down the avenue, but these are lost when one is running ahead of him. It is good practice sometimes to get behind a good driver and watch him. It is worth trying. One’s mistakes in driving thus become pronounced. An Extra Reduction. When an automobile price reduction is announced, the public is apt to over look a second saving which the re. duction brings. This is in the war . 1f a car is reduced In the amount of $500, the saving is greater it appears on the surface, fc saved on war tax also. For Those Wfio Forget. A spring attached to the choker valve at the carburetor is the remedy when cranking the engine by hand is it necessary to have the choke remain out of its own accord, and then it would be a simple atter to remove the spring temporarily. Most of th> new engines require but a few seconds of choking. Yours for the Asking. Many a car could climb hills to better advantage if its accelerator were ad,usted to permit a wider open- ing of the throttle. How about yours? Have you noticed that when your ac- celerator is all the way down to the floor the hand control for the gas is capable of opening the “throttle still farther? Where accelerators are ad- Jjustable: they are sometimes set to a point where they do not open the throttle wide enough for steep hill work The effect is as though the engine lacked pep. Try using the hand throttle control some time if you suspect the accelerator adjust- ment There may be a difference. Sign New, at Least. This sign was seen on the rear of a dilapidated car driven by boys en route to a foot ball game: low us and get your Ford parts free. Did You Know That— The use of carbon removers in an engine that is filled with carbon tends to cause poor seating valves? The carbon particles, when disturbed and loosened from the cylinder head, must find escape somewhere. In passing through the exhaust valve ports they have a habit of catching and lodging around the valve seats. A carbon preventive used in the engine when it is clean is the better bet. Care must be taken in attaching radfator fronts to cellular radiators in order to uvoid cutting the celis and causing a leak A tubular radiator does not require such considerate treatment. The b clean and on the car are properly adjusted if the engine starts promptly, provided how- ever that the carburetor is not set for an extra rich mixture? Bad starting is always a cue to inspect the points. Conversely good starting is a tip to leave them alone Three Traffic Tricks. Never stare at a tra taking one of those la past him after he has swung the slen into the stop position. If the driver isn't looking at the sign the cop will be more inelined to take it as a natural oversight. When the driver stares at the cop, however, the semi- olation looks more like an effrontery In traffic congestion leave some clearance hetwebn the front of your car and the rear of the car ahead. The car ahead may have to back up | in order to pass around a stalled car. | The driver of the car behind invar. fably will run up to within a few \ches of your rear bumper an excellent plan to signal with arm_even though © view »r tells very plain ere is | nothing behind. 1t is better to get Into the habit of signaling all the time than to fall into the habit of fo e ting. The latte sually occurs ju the wrong time iker point flic cop when minute dives Right Off the Hood. for forgetting to push in the choker after the engine has started. Or in Illinois objected to run trunk highways ear. No tin Seven towns tourists and transcontinental speede; for these folk! Several automobile clubs are inves- tigating charges that bootleg gasoline is being dispensed from tanks bearing well known labels. There is little ado about it, but the long-heralded carburetor that would gasify kerosene is aiready at work on some 18,000,000 automobiles. When plans for the new model went wrong the Ford factory found its pro- duction limited to 10,000 cars in August. How the machinery must have enjoyed its vacation! A new six has taken, the place of a famous four. A new straight eight supplements a bigger straight elght. A new six is outselling a V eight that was unique of its kind. A lighter six, together with a current six, will cali for the demise of another famous V eight. A manufacturer of sixes fis cleaning up with a new four. How restless these manufacturers be! What's the Answer? 1. Why should the car be run for a while after water is added to the stor- age battery? 2. What is the fdler gear in the front-end drive? 3. What is the advantage of offset cylinders? 4. What s the main requirement of any ofl or chemical used as fuel for an automobile engine? 5. How many crankpins has the crankshaft of a V-eight engine? (Think these over during the week and look for the answer next Sunday in this department. You may be wrong). (Copyright. ACTUAL DRIVING BEST TEST FOR CHAUFFEUR Maryland Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Declares Experience Is Main Requirement. 1926.) Practical experfence—in other words, actual driving—surpasses laboratory tests designed to determine a chauf- feur's ability to drive an automobile safely, according to E. Austin Baugh- n. Maryland commissloner of motor vehicles. The commissioner made this state- ment in commenting on the special laboratory tests devised by Dr. Morris S. Viteles of the University of Pennsyl- vania's department of psychology, to determine a person's ability to drive safely, and given under conditions ng it unnecessary to jeopardize nd prepert Cests us proposed by Dr. Viteles, into operation at this office, would necessitate the employing of an | additional office force and also take up too much time,” said Commissioner | Baughman, “At present automobile operators’ licenses are issued to all| persons physically able to give a satis- factory demonstration. Particular at- tentior aid to the examination of the eves of applicants. Skill in driv- ing motor vehicles develops from practice. Different situations con front drivers every day on the streets and highways. They require quick | thinking to avold collision.” | S Sy | Approximately 1,000,000 more auto-| mobiles than telephones are now in use. In 1923 the automobile and telephone were “‘ni nd nec! ower Prices “Grealey Unlues | enefiWOIl] by both AUTO DEALERS JOIN INWAR ON RUBBER 50,C00 Enlist in Campaign to Break British Monopoly, Is Report. Fifty thousand automobile dealers are Leing enlisted by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce in the campaign launched by Secretary Hoover to break the British monopoly of rubber. Car and truck manu- facturers are calling upon their local representatives to nssist in the “stretch your rubber” movement, and special instruction on the better use of tires will be included with each vehicle sold. Twenty-five per cent more service can be secured from tires, in the opinfon of Mr. Hoover, if the public will adopt more care in their use This modification in the demand f rubber will combat the present British control, which has forced rubber up to $1 per pound. The present prices of rubber are ex torting $700,000,000 annually from the American public sbove what would be a fair price to permit tho planta tions to operate profitably. Opposi tion is not to a proper price for the rubber planter, but to governmental control, which artificially raises prices. America uses 70 per cent of the world's rubber supply and the growth of motor transportation has made possible the high prices of the East Indian rubber combine The decline of 25 per cent in demand s expected to have a strong effect in alancing the rubber market. There are four ways in which the motoring public can get more service from its tires: 1. Maintain proper alr pressure. Make tire repairs promptly. 3. Anticipate stops by using brakes gently, hence reducing sudden friction 4. Round corners slowly. A further virtue of these instruc tions is that when® observed the car will be under better control and the careful driving will have a favorable effect upon safety. S s Assembled automobiles exported during September, 1925, totaled 22,814 as compared with 13,816, for Septem ber, 1824, according to Census Bu reau reports. AUTO REPAIRING Expert service and repair- ing for all makes of cars FLINT & GARDNER SERVICE A SPECIALTY T. J. CAMFIELD 17th and V Sts. N.W. Pot. 5446 Tires and Accessoril Dodge Brothers, Inc,, are able to make a tremen- dous reduction in prices because they are practically doubling production. They believe in passing on to the buyer the full benefit of savings effected through greater and better facilities. The completion of a $10,000,000 expansion pro- gram puts them in a better position than ever before to meet the enormous demand for a prod- uct that was always exceptionally good and is now better than ever. New prices, to be announced January 7th, apply on all purchases since midnight December 15th, You can therefore buy today, enjoy the immediate use of your car, and still benefit fully by the sweeping reductions. SEMMES MOTOR COMPANY Raphael Semmes, President 8 Dupont Circle ; And 1707 14th St. N.W. Main 6660 ODGE BROTHER LMOTCR CAR