Evening Star Newspaper, March 14, 1926, Page 78

INSURANCE TREND SEEN AS HAZARD TO INDUSTRY Yolume Selling With No Selection of Risks Will Cost Motorists Money in Higher Rates. BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. Is motordom about to be harassed by a new evil? many believe that the impersonalization of insurance, now A great sharply throughout the country, holds this unalluring prospect. The matter has been brought vividly into focus through the eroup idea as practiced by automobile manufacturing companies hat are insuring car buyers under various blanket forms. Motorists are being led to believe, it is feared, that insurance is entirely Many forec Public liability and property group matter, instead of a personal consideration. asts are made as to where the situation will lead. damage insurance still is in the nands of the car owner, but statistics show that a very large per- centage of motorists do not carry this form of protection at all. Fire and theft insurance is the cheapest and the simplest. nd most popular because it is the With the simpler forms of coverage etting out of the motorist’s hands, however, some concern is felt »r the more complex forms which must come in for consideration next. Comes With the New Car. s for his insurance in . The proc- to him as a conven- irnce, though it is not denied that uch plans a selling weapon and ne of the methods resorted to in an fort to arrive at lower s for time payments. There is a certain amount f convenience in ing insurance come with the car, very much as ac- s come with it, but many are ng whether it is a good thing for the motorist to have so little to do rtant a part of his motor- ess Qs offered Ing as Regardless of one’s views on insur- ince, it is generally conceded that the experience of the old line stock insur- ance companies is of value in consid- ing present and future insurance 2onditions, and the experience of these nsurers stresses the importance of a . onal interest in insurance a ce risks. For several y these companies have persistently sized the im- portance of car owner interest in pro- iection. Rates are based entirely upon experience, and the experience of any ‘nsurer obviously is the aggregate of ®hat of its patrons. The moral haz- ard has been a constant factor in eeping insurance high, and these premiums have been kept from =oing higher only because of the dis- Crimination exer S| surers in selecting their risks. > he idea of selling insurance with ery car and to every one who can pe up enough money to make the payment on a car the belief that every one is worthy of ing insured. This is contrary to ex- perience. C up life insurance has made great strides because it is pos- cible to base rates upon simple mor- 5. Selling insurance, pat- r owner cannot be reduced to such simple terms. & Applicants Turned Down. Conservative insurance ‘companies constantly are turning down applica- tions for automobile insurance. They subscribe to credit services which keep them posted on the reliability of their risks. Their long experience has taught them that the owner who doesn't care is little better as a risk than the man who out to de- fraud. B Automobile clubs operating recipro- ral insurance exchanges are especially in that their risks are s Jected, the insured in each ins fide club member and usually a person who has been in- dorsed for membership by reliable in- dividuals. But the motor clubs, by making the car owner conscious of his obligations to fellow motorists when joining the organization, auto- ailv stimulate a personal interest ance feature club member u keep iroub); nt to weaken the club by putting an avoidable drain upon its insurance department. The motorist who goes out into the insurance market should feel obligated to avold a I to the insurer, for he must realized that the fewer the losses are the lower the rates will be. But what if everybody is taken into the insurance fold? What if the mat- ter of obtaining insurance s so simpli- fied as to occasion the motorist to give no thought whatsoever to it? What if loss adjustments are so au- tomatic that a motorist—any kind of motorist—has but to make a claim to receive indemnity? Conservative Men Worried. These questions are beginning to worry conservative insurers, and con- servative car owners alike. Car own- ers who know the facts want insur- ance rates lowered with safety and security. They fail to find any prom- ise of this in what seems to be the growing fad of insuring everybody. While experiments are being made in the idea of submerging the moral hazard through the volume of insur- ance business written, the automobile club reciprocals and the conservative insurance companies have found suc- cess only through covering carefully selected risks. Quality lines have taken preference over ‘“spread of business” by those who know their business. The idea is favored by mo- torists who see that insurance on cars never can be safely and consistently low unless those who own and operate cars take a personal interest in insur- ance matters. The unscrupulous car owner who has profited by making unjust claims against the Insurers, as well as those who have kept rates high through their own carelessness, are having an increasingly difficult time obtaining policies through favored clubs and insurance companies. But what is to hinder them from following the easy path of buying their insurance as an accessory to the car? Apparently the very thing all intel- ligent motorists have been fighting for is in jeopardy. Personal interest in insurance is being submerged and it 1s feared that with it will go the feeling of personal responsibility which experience has demonstrated plays such an important role in lower- ing Insurance rates through cutting down on the number and amount of claims. (Copyright. 1926.) Wiy Use 01d Clothes. The sleeve of an old coat or worn- out pair of overalls is nandy as a means of protecting the arm when doing some small job on the car that requires reaching into a greasy local- ity. It doesn't take but a minute to slip on such a sleeve—right over your regular shirt and coat sleeve—and it saves a lot of laundering and cleaning. et L Choking Last Resort. ‘Whenever the engine stalls in traffic never pull out the choker until the starter has been tried. If the choker is used too soon, the engine may flood, and the driver will be unable to decide whether the engine originally stalled through choking or starving. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, l\rfARCH 14, 1926—PART 3. Get a Tow, Avoid |[FAILURE TO ORGANIZE EARLIER A Ticket System Proves of Merit Motorists have developed so many tricks In avoiding arrest for park- ing regulation violations that it takes a good one to get attention these days. One of the newest is that of a Wiscorsin man who came out of his office in time to see his - car in the process of being tagged. Did he go up and tell the officer he Was Sorry or to fix it up? No, indeed. Instead he rushed over to a friend & few yards away and to- gether they backed up to the tag- ged machine and began to attach a tow rope. ‘The officer, watching the perform- ance, apologized, removed the tag and left. The car owner removed n;:: tow rope and did the same thing. BUS MAKERS LAUNCH WAR ON RESTRICTIONS Unite to Oppose Legislation to Re- duce Size of Vehicles—Seek Standardization. A drive agalnst restrictions which would cut down the size of motor busses and an effort to seek national standardization of bus specifications has been launched by the motor truck members of the National Au- tomobile Chamber of Commerce. A committee to direct this joint move- ment soon will call a conference of all interested parties. Matters have been brought to a head by the proposed action in a number of States which would re- quire different types of construction for each State. George H. Scragg. who directed a survey of bus legisla- tion, has submitted a report showing that Massachusetts proposes to short- en the wheel base of busses. North Carolina and Florida now require six inches less width than other States and Connecticut demands special des- tination sign lights, the report also revealed. “Regulations for public protection and service are, of course, entirely proper,” Mr. Scragg's report con- cludes, “but it i1s important to reach some basis of agreement among the various States if low-cost transporta- tion is to be continued. We belleve that conferences with public officia@ the American Electric Rallway Asso- cfation, the bus division of the Amer- ican Automobile Assoclation, the So- clety of Automotive Engineers and other interested groups will result in specifications which will be both uni- form and reasonab! Harry J. Dooley, secretary of the Motor Coach ILeague of New Eng- land, pointed out that more than 200 busses have been forced off the roads in Massachusetts owing to the pres. ent law, whereby any one town or city can veto a bus line. A. E. Hutt, president of the Westchester County Bus System, spoke on the possibifi- ties of the bus in suburban develop- ment. H. J. Cupper of General Mo- tors expressed the belief that truck merchandising will be revolutionized through better data on vocational statistics. s Keep Chains Tight. In snow chains are less than 50 per cent effective if not held tight by side springs. Loose chains in a snow bank ! simply remain stationary while the wheels spin within them. The chains must turn with the wheels to provide the necessary traction. If none of the regular chain tighteners are available, 1t is a simple matter to tie sides of the chains with criss-cross rope or wire. - — Don’t Overlook Grease Lead. Before screwing down a grease cup that has been refilled be sure to fill the grease lead with lubricant, since this will save a double refilling of the cup itself. The lead often holds as mych grease as the cup, and when it is pot packed the first turning down of the cup merely fills the lead, a second re- filling being required to furpish enough grease to force the first batch through to the bearing. ToGet Ybu Where You’re Going, Always On Time! Quicker Get-a-way on Every Start Penn Oil Company, Rosslyn, Va. West 166 BLAMED FOR Thomas P, Henry, A. A, A. AUTOISTS’ WOES President, Cites Effective- ness With Which Motorists Countered Attacks Against Federal Aid Policy. Manifold woes of the automobile owner in these days are the direct re- sult of his failure to organize earlier, and this fact {s becoming manifest to an increasingly large number. This statement was made by Thomas P. Henry, president of the American Automobile Assoclation, commenting upon the continuance of the heavy burdens lald on motorists and the tend- ency of legislators to increase the load. The effectiveness with which the organized motorists have countered the attacks against the Federal ald policy of the Government was cited by Mr. Henry to show the value of a united front. His statement follows: Influence of the A. A. A. “It was the organized motorist, op- erating through the A. A. A, that 8pONSo! the Federal aid plan at its birth, and it is the organized motorist who is putting up the real fight for its continuance. The significant point, however, is that the delay in Federal ald and the efforts to spike it are largely due to the motorists’ long pe- riod of incomplete organization. If the motorists in all sections of the country were organized, there would be no talk of abolishing Government participation In road ‘building. The need for it would be universally taken for granted. “Those who motor are now paying the penalty for their tardiness in be- coming properly organized. But it is never too late to mend. Progressive motorists realize this. They are or- ganizing against the possiblity of im- position of increased burdens and in the hope of undoing much of the evil which they have allowed to creep into motoring.” Progressive Citizens. Mr. Henry emphasized the impor- tance of proving to the Nation at large that the man who owns an automobile is a progressive citizen, who has in- vested in civic betterment and who should not be confused with the “easy mark."” ou have given legislators the im- ression that you cun shoulder any burden they wish to impose,” declares Mr. Henry, speaking direct to the car owner, 'You have allowed them to confuse your willingness to invest in progress with the possibility of your being a handy source of revenue. This is clearly demonsgrated by the delay in lightening ®he burden of the Federal exclse tax. If the motorists who pay this tax were as well organized as the car manufacturers, for instance, there is little doubt that all the au- tomobile taxes would have been wiped out in the new revenue bill.” He pointed out that the situation as regards the Federal excise tax is duplicated in a hundred ways in the field of State and municipal tax levies. Penalty for Tardiness. “These discriminations,” he said, “are the measure .of the motorist's fallure in the past to appreciate the importance of local and national or- ganization from the standpoint of pro- tection, apart altogether from the standpoint of service. “Looking back over the burdens that have been imposed upon car own- ers the only explanation one can offer is that the motorist wasn't strong enough to resist. The motorist thought he could get somewhere alone, although he was frank to admit ®hat It was co-operation and organization that made it possible for him to enjoy low-priced cars, good roads and service everywhere on the supplies needed to operate his car. He could see that the force that was clearing away the mud and the ruts was co-operation, but he was not 8o quick to note that co-opera- tion could have been clearing away the burdens of taxation and harmfui ictions at the same time. he only’ course left is to intensify organization now so that what has been done through lack of foresight can be undone as quickly as possible. More than 800,000 members of the A A organized in nearly 800 motor clubs, have caught this idea alread and are spreading the thought th the cost of being organized now against the possibility of additional imposition of burdens and a continua- tion of the old ones is ridiculously small compared with the cost of being unorganized, which has been met by wevery one who ever owned a car.” Cleaning License Tag. Enamel polish, such as would be used on the fenders, is best for clean. ing the license p es. Water should be used sparingly, us any breaks in the enamel will rust and start spread- ing. Don't use nickel polish or house: hold cleaners. The plates nowudays stand little abuse. Waiting Cures Slipping. Whenever the clutch “burns out" through hard driving, as in snow, mud or sand, the best immediate remedy is to walt until it cools off. Heat causes the slipping, and waiting removes the cause. COACH OR COUPE ‘825 BODIES BY FISHER panion Six—$975 to $1295 factory All prices at THE LUTTRELL CO : at Rhode Isl. SHOW ROOMS: 14th St. e ‘P :nd m one Assoclate Dealer—~ADAMS MOTOR C€O. 2015 14th St. N.W. “Hootch, Hugging And Haste” Cause Of Most Crashes A great many persons have une dertaken to discover just what are. the main reasons for automobile accidents. Many official and un- official surveys have been con ducted. One of these investi tions {8 that conducted by the public safety department of tbe Automobile Club of Maryland. One man, with a penchant fo alliteration, in a lettar to the de- partment sums up the matter terse- ly. He writes: ““The three H's cause 75 per cent of the motor accidents—hooch, hugging and haste.” SKIDDING SYMPTOM OF “SPRING FEVER” Relaxation of Automobilists’ Vigilanee Against Slivs Held Evi- dence of Season’s Influence. Spring fever manifests itself in other forms than plain lassitude and one of these is the relaxation of the :llxtomobfllut'u vigilance against skid- ng. Automobile dealers attribute this to the fact that the motorist who has been drving all Winter over icy and snow-covered roads s inclined to discount the dangers of a wet pave- ment. Having been through a long period of exercising the utmost caution, drivers naturally are in- clined to forget the need for con- tinued vigilance. Spring roads are deceptive. A patch of snow or ice that has not quite melted sometimes spells dis- aster. Tires are being manufactured to provide a maximum degree of trac- tion under the most difficult condi- tions. Driving with present-day tires is many times safer than it was in the earlier days of the automobile. But the best tires in the world can- not guard against skidding dangers if common sense caution and care are not a part of the driving code. In the Summer after a shower of rain and the highways are water- covered, it is interesting to note the safety first spirit which is displayed by car drivers. Curves and corners are approached with a considerable slackening of speed and it is notice- able that the average speed has been reduced to a safer figure. This is in sharp contrast with the driver in the Spring, who In an excess of « uberance at the first balmy days, is inclined to step on the gas and turn corners at a speed in accord with his own increased energy. OLD ‘WHY’S' OF MOTORDOM FINALLY ARE ANSWERED 'Why Not Five Cylinders,” Why Not This and That Seem Simple When Ex- plained by Expert. BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Why not a five-cylinder automobile? Many a car owner won- ders why some enterprising manufacturer doesn’t strike this happy compromise between a four and a six. It’s a sensible speculation to indulge in, but the query does not always receive a satisfying explanation. who wants to know too much. Too often the inquirer is treated like the small boy If there were as little light cast upon the highways as there is upon many of the facts which determine motor car design motor- dom would be just struggling out of the ditch. It is logical for any motorist to rea on that a five-cylinder engine would have certain advantages, but unless he is told that because the impulses on the crankshaft would be uneven in an engine of five fixed cylinders, and that a rotary engine is the only type that uses and must use odd numbers of cylinders, he will continue to worry over the mat- ter and accuse the manufacturers of being behind the times. Roller-Bearing Motors, A motorist who had been figuring out ways and means of eliminating some of the excessive friction which claims 8o high a percentage of encrgy from every gallon of fuel once asked garage man why the engineers didn’ design a motor with roller bearings. The garage man hadn't thought of the idea before, and it interested him to a point where instead of giving the mo- torist a sensible answer he, too, fell to speculating. Together they pictured a power plant so flexible that after it had reached a certain speed the driver could switch off the ignition and go a mile or so on the mere momentum of the flywheel. To the automotive engineer such a suggestion {s met with a smile. But the average car owner who dabbles in occasional speculations of this nature is certainly entitled to an ex- planation. 1If it isn't being done he would like to know why. Consider the roller-bearing proposi- tion. Visualize a crankshaft which, instead of being cradled in three or four babbitt-lined bearings, is sup- ported by four strong sets of roller bearings. The engine is satrted. It is raced. The ignition is suddenly switched off. The observers sit down to rest while the engine runs for an hour or so, but are surprised—if not amazed—to find it stopping in very much the usual way, for they have overlooked the natter of compression. In traveling upward on its compres. sion stroke each piston has a certain job to perform whether the engine is running under its own power or as a result of the momentum of the flywheel. This tends to stop it from rotating. The extra smoothness given to the bearings by means of the rollers doesn’t help matters materially. Might Be a Detriment. In practice, roller bearings in au engine might be a positive detriment is doubtful whether they would endure the hammer-like blows of con necting rods under strain or acceler: tion. Wheel bearings are subjected (to heavy blows, but the tires and the springs’ dissipate this force. In the engine the bearings would have to absorb all the strain. A car owner who wanted to run his car as economically as possible once asked why it was that so very few cars had ever been equipped with i means of adjusting the carburetor from the instrument board. He con- tended that with such an arrange- ment on his car it would be possible to change the mixture to suit con ditions and that by doing so he would be able to run his car more efficiently It was a sane question and one which many other motorists have asked or will ask. Had he been able to view the matter from another angle, however, he would have found the answer. The truth of the matter is that manufac turers are wary of instrument board adjustments because so many people cannst be relied upon to do the right thing at the right time. One manu facturer who occupied the position of an exception to the rule for a (Continued on Eighth Page) Buyers Long Demanded in Vain! With a swiftness that borders on the sensational, the new Pontiac Six is achieving a position of commanding leadership. Everywhere, and instantly, motorists saw in this new General Motors Six these definite tangible qualities that they have always —a big, powerful engine, with the largest piston displacement of any six below. $1000. CHIEF OF —a superior Fisher Body ex- pressing a new order of beauty, smartness, and color contrast. ~—an element of comfort and that encourages relaxa tion over any road. —a stamina inherent in ality desi & y design And finding a have not hesitated to quality these so low t!:atotflmlme'Gelmnl't could achieve buyers the Pontiac Six a valuem not Pot. 1742 S SIXES MPANY SERVICE STATION: 1444-6 P St. IX