Evening Star Newspaper, July 25, 1926, Page 61

NEW BRITISH RUBBER CURB TO BOOST L. S. TIRE BILL $136,000,000 Increase Looms in Face of More Drastic Puoduction and Export Policy, Firestone Warns. - American motordom, already paying enormously for its auto- mobile tires, is facing an addition of at least $136,000,000 to its rub- ber bill for next year, unless steps are taken to combat new British production and exportation restrictions, which, undoubtedly, will go into effect on August 1. This is the warning issued by Harvey S. Firestone after a thor- ough study of the situation, which, he says, reveals that the one successful way of forever removing the British monopoly’s grip lies in the production of rubber in the tropical possessions of the United States. Pointing to the Philippines as the ideal spot for developing vast American rubber fields, Mr. Firestone declares that the islands could be made the most prosperqus country in the Far East if they would but turn to rubber growing on a scale sufficient to meet the needs of the American motorist. The text of Mr. Firestone’s statement, which shows in detail the effect of the British restrictions that soon are to become effec- tive, follows: “‘On. August 1 the British govern- ment will unquestionably adopt a new and more drastic restriction of the pro- duction and exportation of rubber, and I feel I should bring to the attention of the American car owner the full import of what this means. “The minfmum price of rubber under the. new restriction is to be set at 42 cents per pound. The Stevenson restric- tion act as originally adopted November 1, 1922, fixed the minimum price at 25 cents per pound. One of.the argu- Swents for the adoption of this act by %he promoters of the scheme was to stabilize the price of rubber between 25 and 30 cents per pound, but instead of fulfilling this function, it not only increased the price beyond all reason- able limits, but also through resulting wide fluctuations made a very un- stable, speculative and hazardous con- dition for the rubber manufactyrers. “Rubber was selling around 14 cents per pound when the Stevenson restriction act became effective. The act allowed 60 per cent of normal pro- duction to be exported and called for quarterly revisions, according to the price of rubber. That is, if the price of rubber fell below an average of 25 cents per g.aund for.any quarter an additional 5 per cent restriction would be placed, and if the price of rubber for any quarter averaged above 30 cent an additional b per cent would be released. In this way, it was claimed, the price of rubber would be stabilized between 25 and 30 cents per pound. Price Quickly Advanced. “Immediately upon the adoption of the restriction act the price of rubber advanced. The first quarter’s average ‘was above 25 cents per pound and sold as high as 38 cents per pound, with practically the same available rubber stock in the world as existed in the previous quarter, when rubber was 14 cents per pound. It was not until the second quarter of 1924 that the aver- age price of rubber fell below 25 cents, at which time an additional 5 per cent was restricted. Next quarter rubber was still below 25 cents and a further 5 per cent was restricted, thus allow- ing only 50 per cent of normal pro- duction to be shipped from the British colonies. “These additional restrictions ad- vanced the price; in the last quarter of 1924 the price of rubber averaged above 30 cents per pound and 5 per cent was released. The price con- tinued above 30 cents—in fact, sold as high as $1.23 per pound in 1925—and, according to the provision of the act, 100 per cent of standard production was released on. February 1, 1926. These additional releases of rubber brought the price of rubber down from over $1 per pound during the last quarter of 1925 to an average of 60. cents- per-pound -in Aprih-1926... - “Oh APril 26 of this year, the British colonial office: announced that if the price of rubber for the next quarter, bsginning May 1, did not're- main above 42 cents per pound for the quarter, it would place a new re- striction on rubber allowing only 80 per cent-of normal production to be exported in the following quarter, starting August 1, 1926. Rubber continued to decline rapidly until it reached 42 cents, and now the aver- age price for the quarter is around 42 cents. As -there are over 26,000 tons Estimated Tmport value, valus per | T sl ““These importation figures include wild and plantation ‘ rubber of all grades. You will note that the first year after restriction we only received TURNING MAY- NOT WORK. Fan Belt Often Gets Out of Shape . From Use. The plan of turning the fan belt in- side -out, if it is-slipping and you do not have the tools with which to make an adjustment,:does not always solve the problem. 1In fact, it may aggra- vate it. A .flat belt. often becomes concave after being used for a time, this being due either to the shape of the pulleys or to the fact that the middle ‘of ‘the belt may. stretch:more than the edges. When you reverse such & belt, its inner side is then somewhat convex, with the result that it-tends to ride off the pulleys. of rubber in London under the control of powerful interests whose purposes are best served by having this new re- striction, and as the act calls for the price to be fixed for each day by the last sale at 3 p.m., it should be very plain to Americans that this quarter’s average is more likely ‘to be a little under 42 cents than a little over, and that on August 1 we will again have British rubber production and expor- tation restricted to only 80 per cent of normal production. Minimum Price Higher. ““This being so, I want to call par- ticular attention to the fact that the minimum price of rubber fixed by the new restriction is 42 cents instead of a minimum price of 25 cents fixed in the Stevenson rubber restriction act of November 1, 1922, or 17 cents‘a pound higher. One cent a pound advance cn rubber imported into the United States in one year means over eight million dollars. It is very easy to figure that American automobilists have an additicnal minimum fixed charge on their transportation of $136,000,000 per year. “It is unthinkable that Americans will sit idly by and allow a commodity 50 vital to our welfare, transportation and.commerce to be held in the tight grip of a foreign monopoly that tells us how much rubber we may receive and how much we are to pay for it. In January, 1923—two months after the . Stevenson rubber restriction act was announced—I presented figures and statements to officlals in Washing- ton showing them the seriousness of the situation, and succeeded in April of the same year in having Congress appropriate §500,000. to investigate new sources of rubber supply. This investigation and personal investiga- tions that I have made show there are many tropical countriés where rubber can-be grown profitably. “On account of the enormous capi- tal required for the growing of rubber, and as investments are without return for several vears, Americans are not keen to make these investments un- less they are in countries under the control or protected by our own Gov- ernment, no matter how large the re- turns on the investments may be. The Philippine Islands hold out great opportunities for America and also for the Philippine Islands itself if proper legislation is enacted to encourage capital to invest there in rubber grow- ing on a substantial scale. Soil and climatic conditions are ideal, and rub- ber in a small way is befll‘ls‘ffflwn on the islands of Mindanao and Basilan. These islands could be made the rich- est and most prosperous country in the Far East. It is estimated that Great Britain now has over $600,000,- 000 invested in the growing of rub- ber, which gives big returns. There CATBE O YUEStion " that today its rub: ber-growing industry is one of the most valuable possessions the British Empire has. This fact is borne out by the significant statement of Winston Churchill in referring to the Stevenson restriction legislation that ‘one of the principal means of paying the debt to America is in the provision of rubber.” Tmports Into U. S. “The following statistics show the number of pounds and involce value of rubber received in the United States from 1920 to June 1, 1926: - - New York market rice per Ib. e TRR ; 3 0 . .00 "0 : 8 27.62 5376 7372 8,000 tons additional rubber and Amer- ica’s rubber bill was $84,000,000 more in 1923 than in 1922 and by 1925 our rubber bill had.increased $328,000,000, with only 95,000 additional tons.” ROAD OILING FINISHED. Maryland A.unmmeéq Only Two Highways Remain to Be Worked. Motorists in this section may enjoy their touring trips through Maryland for the remainder of the Summer without running into olling operations, according to announcement by the Maryland State Roads Commission. The 1926 olling. program for Mary- land highways has been completed, 6732 with the exception. of two stretches— one, the York road from Piney Hill road to Western Run; the other, the B&:‘Ir' Road from Belair to Church- ville. ...for DUCO: " when it begins to dull The rich DUCO finish will alwa; look its few times each season with :lat:t year by thunf-nd- “?.( owners. And due ti common sense form: 54 pucpo th‘:l. a:hn:me Cleanser. Which the finish, but sol that coats over the kub your car “beautiful ... safely,’ from 'ees @ fact proved purpose of goact, not €lsfiguring " 'To best...and wearlon&er, if cleaneda mmon Sense. 2 is upon the dull, year toyear, use nothing onit but the Cleanser for DUCO an: From your nearest dealer 50c—3$1.00 Thew‘Wushington DMMONEISENS Auto PoLisk THE GREASFLESS Jobbers Can-Supply;You - - all fine finishes CLEANSER SOUTHERN AUTO SUPPLY CO. * 1 THE ( ) ',3"//' o't ,/{\‘W,— A\ {‘/// %',1%““ i, SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €., JULY AN = “5 ,u]%’ml Ul fre ) 25, ATOMIZING IMPROVED |19 Miles an Hour Is Most Dangerous IN CARBURETOR JET|Speed, Says Mackall, Asking Higher Rate New Finer Spray Tested by Burean of Standards Found to Xeep Mixture Uniform. An atomizing fuel jet used instead of the conventional carpuretor jet will assure quicker engine starting, experts of the Bureau of Standards have found after thorough tests. This fact is revealed by J. O. Eisinger, as- sistant mechanical engineer of the bu- reau, in the current issue of the Jour- nal of the Soclety of Automotive En- gineers. Mr. Efsinger explains that in the tests an ordinary throat spray was used for atomizing the fuel, air under slight pressure being passed through a small orifice in the center of which was located a small fuel jet. The fuel was discharged vertically and in the direction df the air flow, but some ex- periments were made in which the Jet discharged in the opposite direc- tion to the air flow, and even under these conditions the atomizer gave distinctly superior starting. The quicker starting with the finely atomized fuel probably is due to a more complete diffusion of the fuel in ‘the “fuél-aff mixture, which produces | a charge of more uniform quality. ‘With the atomizing jet the sound.of the first explosion is very faint, and at times almost inaudible. With a uniform mixture, when the fuel con- tent of the charge at the spark plug is just sufficlent for the charge to be fired, the mixture throughout the cylinder is equally lean. On the other hand, if the mixture is not uniform, as is the case with the ordinary jet, the average fuel content required for ignition is higher, as the mixture must be richer in other parts of the cylinder in order to have a sufficient- 1y rich mixture at the spark plug, and the first explosion is correspondingly stronger. These tests indicate that better atoriization of the fuel at engine cranking speeds will facilitate starting and save fuel. AUTO THEFTS INCREASE IN BALTIMORE IN 1926 113 More Cars Were Stolen in First Six Months of Year—All But 34 Found. Automobile thefts in Baltimore in- creased 113 .during the first six months of 1926 over the correspond- ing period of last year, according to police records, which show that 1,133 cars have been stolen since January 1. Of this number 1,099 have been recovered. From January 1 to June 30 last year 1,020 cars were stolen and 997 . The total -number of au- tomobiles stolen in Baltimore during 1925 was 2,206. Only 53 of this num- ber have not. been recovered. NEWS:2eev FERRY Motorists to the Seashore AVOID DELAYS—save 60 miles and several hours. Avoid traffic in large cities. Cross the Dela- ware River on the big, new Fer- ries at upper end of New Castle, Del. Four modern, big capacity boats.” Frequent service, no wait- ing. ) EBstra Service Weok-ends and Holidays WILSON. LINE’S NEW FERRY NEWCASTLE, DEL. PENNSVILLE, N. J. - The Upper.Ferry in New Castle The Shortest Route to South Jersey Summer Resorts . ‘When the automovile speedometer hovers around 19 miles an hour, it is the most hazardous pace at which a motorist can travel, in the opinion of John N. Mackall, chairman of the Maryland State Roads Commission, who asserts that 95 per cent of all traffic accidents occur while cars are proceeding at this speed. He said: “Ninety-five per cent of the auto- mobile accidents occur as a result of a speed of 19 miles an hour, as sta- tistics show on the sworn testimony of those who figured in the accidents. “T am not interested in speculations as to the most comfortable rate of speed when a crash occurs. What I am interested in is to avoid the crash by regulation of traffic at a uniform and reagonably rapid rate of speed. I cannot 'say definitely what is the most desirable minimum. That must be decided by tests. “It is certain, however, that a rate of 25 or 30 miles an hour would tend to eliminate the jockeying for position in line which results when one auto- mobile ¢reeps along at 15 or 20 miles an hour in front of other machines which want to get somewhere. “With a rate of speed sufficiently rapid to obviate the necessity of one machine getting cut of line to pass another, the greatest cause of auto- mobile accidents would be removed.” The Old Mechanic Say If people sought medica] attention the way they seek repairs on their cars the country would need twice as many doctoys. And these doctors would be spendin’ all their valuable time tellin’ patients whether or not there was anythin’ the matter with ‘em. : Imagine goin’ to a doctor-and tellin’ him that you're not sfire whéther you've got acute indigestion or whether you're perfectly well! Sounds foolish, doesn’t it? Yet that's exactly the sort of thing I have to put up with. Every day I have to listen to a dozen engines just to tell their owners whether the blame things are runnin’ all right. People have got to spend a little Composite Engine Has Six Cylinders And L-Head Valve ‘What are the specifications of the composite American.automo- bile, 1926 model? Taking one ex- ample of each make and seeking the average, one finds one's self confronted by a five-passenger sedan which features a six-cylin- der engine, L-head valves, 250- inch piston displacement, peak horse power of 61, dry clutch, cool- ing system characterized by a water pump and Boycé motom- eter. The wheel base of this average car is 121 inches. It has Alemite lubrication, four-wheel brakes of which the service brake is me- chanical, semi-floating rear axle and semi-elliptic springs. The price of the car {s approxi mately $1,635 and, more than lik ly, it was bought on the install- ment plan. more time studyts”’ their cars. They're ‘wastin' too much time gettin' opin- ions from mechanics. This time might be used to better advantage havin’ repaired those things than any- one with half a mind can see need attention. I even have been asked whether I thought a front wheel was too loose or too tight! All the owner had.to do was jack up the wheel and spin it. It it did. not.turn freely it was.too tight. and if it was loose the nut needed tightenin’. I don't see why a motor- ist needs a mechanic to decide such points. Yesterday I was asked to take a ride with a man who appeared to be intelligent. He wanted to have me pass judgment upon his engine which he seemed to think - was goin’ to the bowwows. Upon approachin’ the first big hill he pressed way down on the accelerator and never even took the trouble to retard the spark. The en- gine knocked badly, of course. But there“was no “of course” with him. He preferred to worry over his own ignorance. The situation was no different than if he had demonstrated to his doctor that while swallowin’ prunes whole, and one- right after {another, he suffered a feelin’ of dis- tress, AUTO REPAIRING ALL MAKES Flint, Hudson and Gardner SERVICE A SPECIALTY T. J. CAMFIELD Rear 1118 13th St. N.W. Main 5917 Tires and Accessories PAINT TODAY—DRIVE TOMORROW Steelcote dries and one coat does the work. Tt is ideal for ‘smoothly, is eelf- overnight man who wasnts te paint his own car.- Flows on peels, cracks or andieaves no brush marks. Never ~ Sold by 1. Turville 5538 _Gonmeeticnt Ave. 1819 ingylvania Ave. o5 Ninth o inth - St., W Battery, 1322 Tire S ORI S & 1801 14th Si. N.W. 0. W. Banson 5008 _Ce i Ave. o Auto ve. finte " P oo N . Sogerpn Tuel 308 H 8t NE. Herman 3328 Ga. Ave. NW. . 3 2788 Niors Krer s E. Other ler: 1 "l 008" T ";n;&w BB‘Q Ave. and So- SN Wlw‘?)‘ P St. N.W. rite for Attracti Dist. Rep., L. E. Edgecumbe, 29&1' DETOURING DECLARED ALMOST NEEDLESS A. A A. Official Says Alternate Routes May Be Taken to Nearly Every Destination. Automobllists are taking too many detours this season, in the opinion of Ernest N. Smith, general manager of the American Automobile Association. “At least half the detours can be avoided by taking alternate routes,” Mr. Smith explains. .“America. is past the single route stage in its motor touring. Today there are two, three and sometimes four waysjof reaching one’s destination via highways. If any one route is being rebuilt the motor tourist should take an alternate route and not the detours. “Taking detours i{s a relic of the earlier days in motoring. Detouring today is evidence of ignorance of routing. The people who take the dotours almost invariably are motor- ists who dre not familiar with their touring - grounds. “There is no excuse for being un- familiar with any section of the coun- try. Highway information is com- plete. By following the example of over a million organized motorists the tourist has sifply to consult the auto club experts on touring and have his route mapped out for him in advance. “Eyen transcontinental touring has ceased to be ‘in the one-way class. There are several different routes from coast to coast. It is typical of the multi-route trend of the day. “When road building is under wa: take another route. If you are a mod ern tourist you do not have to'go the detour way.” TOURING BRINGS MANY - NEW PROBLEMS TO DRIVER Road and Traffic Conditions Often Lead Inexperienced Motorists Into Difficulties. BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. Because an outing with the automobile means surcease from the daily grind of city traffic is no reason to conclude one:is equipped to tackle the different types of out-of-town driving with assurance of complete success. So say tourists who have had experience with many kinds of driving and who find that the greatest obstacle to a successful motor outing is in being a poor pilot. Experience seems to demonstrate that while the camping fea- ture of the vacation may appear to be the all-important objective, more than half the waking hours of the tourist’s vacation are spent in the car, driving over new roads and through new environment. In view of this it would seem to be an advantage to bear in mind that knowledge of ways and means of meeting varying driving conditions is as vital a part of the preparations for the trip as pro- visions for comfort, sanitation, safety and shelter. Most camping is done in out-of-the- way places. The camp grounds may be only a stone’s throw from the road, but it doesn't require many ditches to rattle a driver who has guaged his ability entirely on his skill in getting about the well paved streets of his home town. Unusual Conditions Found. The annual outing brings the high hills, the awkward situations on the detours, the highly crowned roads, the oiled roads, the slippery roads, strange traffic systems in cities passed through en route, narrow roads and frequent turning. Almost any kind of driving can be expected on an extensive motor out- ing, but few pilots bother to anticipate any such conditions. Fog, heavy rain and hail are all on the cards and must be encountered at one time or another. In addition, there is back- ing, considerable gear shifting and contingencies which make it essential to have the car under especially good control. How mapy motor campers and tour- ists are preparing themselves for driv- ing contingencies? Why do they carry a first:aid medi- cal Kit and yet give no thought to what to do when faced with a driving predicament? Why are they so parti- cular about carrying along sufficient clothing and yet overiook the fact that they are traffic lubbers when it comes to driving the car? Inexperience Is Blamed. Inexperience seems to be the only answer. Extensive outings with the car are of comparatively recent origin A number of successful picnics with the car lead to the conclusien that a camping trip is just one step farther. Too many motorists forget that they usually select ideal days for the pic- nies and travel along roads only with which they are familiar. Successful motor tourists and camp- ers contend that driving is the most essential feature of the whole outing, since the comfort, enjoyment and safety of the whole party hinges on transportation and since many of the car's defects can be covered up through skillful manipulation of the controls. Here are some suggestions along these lines: Never coast when driving over a strange road. The road ahead may look safe enough for a coast, but if you never have been over the road before you never can tell. Have the car under control at all times when the course ahead is not clear. Don't be misled by detour condi- tions. Much time and trouble can' be saved by making inquiry of other drivers or of the natives. Sometimes detour signs are out of date, the new highway having been completed. Other times one may be léd into think- ing the road is open just because some other driver takes it, hot realizing that the other driver may be going only part way and that the road is not open to through traffic. Inspect Camp Site. Do not drive the car into the camp- ing site until you have walked around and surveyed the ground. You can't afford to get stuck in the mud or get a wheel in a ditch. Shift into lower gears at the bot- tom of steep climbs, not during the climb. - Give the engine more gas through a richer carburetor adjust- ment when traveling through the mountains. Do not be surprised if the engine loses power, stalls and refuses to keep going at some time during the moun- tainous trip. There are many places known as “pockets,” wherea different carburetor adjustment is necessary if the car is to run at all. Consult your carburetor man -before leaving and learn how to make these simple ad- justments when and if they are neces- Always remember that when turn- ing around on a narrow road it is essential to keep the rear wheels on the paved or dry portion. You can risk having the front wheel sink into the mud a little provided the rear wheels, the drivers, are where they can get traction. Keep on the crown of the road and drive slowly when the road has been oiled. When meeting another car, turn to your side of the road and stop. Don't try to swerve out and pass the other car as it passes you. To do so will. mean skidding, even with balloon tires and four-wheel brakes. Use Dimmers in Fog. Be especially careful when a light rain is falling on an oiled road. Since the road will not seem so oily under such conditions it is all the more rea- son why the driver should be careful. In a fog keep the dimmers and tail light on. Do not use the headlights, for that will create unnecessary glare. At night the maximum speed under such weather conditions should not be more than 15 or 20 miles an hour. Never try.to recrank a stalled en- gine on a railroad crossing. Place the gears in low, step on the starter and get off the tracks. It isn’t good for the battery and starter, but new batteries and starter-motors can be bo“ght. The same cannot be said of a life. Many suggestions have been offered to tourists regarding how best to ne- gotiate strange traffic, but one of the best ideas is to follow native drivera. This foilow-the-leader plan eliminates the annoyance of trying to digest the traffic system. . Whether or not a left turn is permitted usually can be deter- mined by looking for tire tracks on the paving. Intelligence goes a long way toward developing skill necessary to make the trip a success from the transpor- tation standpoint. Taking along & good assortment of ideas, and being well equipped through practice in gear shifting, backing, stopping and engine control, mean assurance of a better outing in every way. (Covyright. 1926.) WHEELS AND DEM. RIMS Rundlett Rim Co. 1336 14th St. N.W. | CORONADO Roadster Built to meet the youthful flair for spirited action, dash—individ- uality, companionship. Roomy, “snappy, speedy. Light enough for economy. Seats five. Built for today’s conditions. Parks it. Testitin and stcers as easily as the turn of “story. District Motor Company / IDIJ"TRIBUTORIJ' OF MOON SIX AND 930.932 14th St. N.W. Main 620 a door knob. Four hydraulic brakes that roll the car to 2 quick smooth stop. Andit’sa grey- hound for get-away. Seeit. Try your own way. Only actual driving can tell the whole . DIANA EIGHT L :