Evening Star Newspaper, January 9, 1927, Page 66

MOTORING BY WILLIAM ULLMAN but i OTORISTS make the best, H most intelligent and safest | pedestrians. Even though 1 they get the unofficial, if { not always the official, blame in most ; traffic mishaps *ey know more i about the safety Than the scornful, { embittered walker® This is the flat reply of leaders of { automotive thought to the unthink- {ing host that immediately rallies to the other side when a motorist is finvolved in an accident from the most trivial to_the most serious. It i may seem, at first, to be based upon i pure prejudice. Tt is not. There is ! a mass of evidence to substantiate it. * ok k% Here is a question for the skeptic. Where, in any community, does the best developed recipe for safety lie? An honest answer to this question will- result in a considerable Jeaven- ing of one's skepticism. Tt generally is agreed that there is no other formula for safe walk-| ing and driving than that set forth| in the traffic code of any city, town or hamlet. Who knows best what | is in this code? The answer, in-| evitably, is ‘the motorist.” Then. who knows more about safety? Again the answer is “the motorist. A simple deduction that may serve to break down a few prejudices. Therein lies the answer to all who would question that motorists make the best pedestrians. Those who ad- vance this theory make no effort to deal in paradoxes. Their point simply is this—that the motorist—every motorist—has experience as both driver and pe- destrian while the pedestrian has the more limited expetience of the man who walks only. The motor car owner is called upon to know two safety techniques rather than merely one. By mastering that required for safe driving, he is doubly master of that necessary to walk without dan- ger to life and limb. Traffic accident surveys certainly lend support to this theory. . They show that in a majority of automo- bile-pedestrian mishaps the pedese trian certainly is not a car owner walking from his parked car to the office, store or bank. He apparently is a walker who is without exper- ience as a driver. * X % * The advantage that the motorist enjoys when he leaves his machine and” begins his . trek through the tangled mass of automobile traffic is easily illustrated. For example, he knows his rights as a walker in no uncertain manner and he knows them as a result of being a driver. The pedestrian is not compelled to read or study the traffic regulations. He has one or two rules to follow, he belicves, and even if he fails to follow them there is no legal penalty in a majority of communities. Traffic satety. for him, too often is a matter of “muddling through.” Not so the motorist as a pedes- trian. He knows not only his own rights but the rights of thegman be- hind the wheel. While takes what is justly his, he yie When the other man has the right-of-way. . Result: A clear understanding on both sides—and there are few traffic accidents when both parties clearly understand a given situation. * X X ¥ Take the case of the motorist-pedes- trian at a policed street intersection. The motorist is accustomed to obey- ing the signals of the officer. When the traffic is moving east and west, he knows that line of traffic has the right-of-way. He does not have the temerity of the average walker. He does not force his*way out into the middle of the moving traffic stream merely because h@® knows there is no penality other than a possible contact with somebody’s bumper. He waits because He is accustomed to waiting when the signals are against him. The same is true, of course, in the case of the automatic traffic light gvstems. Red, green and yellow | fights often mean little to the walker who never dri They mean defi- op” to the motor- he _is awheel. Thousands of accidents happen at such intersections. It is rare that the victim is of the motorist-pedes- trian variety. This is just one case in point. There are hundreds of others. For instance, hand signals are regarded as a primary factor in safe driving. A motorist knows these signals whether he is in or out of a car. When he sees an arm extended from a passing machine he dees not be- come hysterically confused trying to figure out its meaning. 1f it is a stop signal, he knows the driver is going to stop and governs his walking accordingly. If it is for a turn, right or left, he understands and does not walk directly into the| path of the car. * % k% The motorists’ failure to show con- fusion, resulting in getting his rights, is nowhere better illustrated than in the case of the safety zone. The actions of the average walker within the lines where he is theoretically safe have been the cause of many | motorists running through these zones even when their intentions were to respect them absolutely. The uncertain gestures of the pe- destrian toward leaving the area first onc way, then another, con- fuce a driver. and frequently it is a case of stopping or having to run through the zone. While it is not to the credit of motordom that a “They shall not pass” may have been a good slogan at the Marne, it is not so good on American highways. | sonable explanation for their action | in _many instances. When a driver, now afoot, walks into a safety zone, he stays there| until there is an opportunity to leave | safely. He does not believe that | safcty zones are the unsafest places | in the world and that motorists, as a class, delight in running through them. He is a driver himsglf. He understands. | As a result, he reflects a complete understanding of his rights and is | accorded respect. * k% X | A factor in this definite manifesta- tion of decision, naturally, is his | knowledge of motor cars—their in-| herent capacities to stop, start and | swerve. This knowledge has a very | definite role to play in making the | motorist a better pedestrian’ than | the pedestrian himself. In connec- | tion with his acquaintance with an automobile’s capacities in these re- spects, the motorist enjoys a big| margin over the pedestrian in his | more highly developed sense of speed | and distance. | He does not, for instance, step from the curb when he sees an au- tqmobile bearing down on him at high speed. He knows it cannot stop and acts accordingly. | There is another point dealing with a cause for hundreds of acci- dents. On a wet, slippery street, the motorist knows the additional troubles that are being encountered by drivers. He never forces a mo- torist suddenly to jam on his brakes and skid. Every driver knows that thousands of pedestrians do. Many of them know from personal expe- rience that it is a frequent cause of serious accidents. The evidence seems to show that those who believe motorists have learned the lessons of safety better than pedestrians have a great deal of familiarity with their subject. * ox % % With mechanical innovations of the year coming to light in the form of vacuum gear shifting, low pres- sure hydraulic brakes, auxiliary oil- ing _for starting, single sleeve-valve engines, new springs, cam and lever steering and other features, motor- ists are asking “what is next in bodies?” One answer is to be found in the increasing popularity of the con- vertible coupe. The chief objection to the present convertibles seems to | lie in their failure to seat more than two persons in the inclosed portion. The rear-deck seat is left without protection. Many observers of automotive | trends are looking for the victoria | tvpe of car to meet this objection. ! They expect to see the victoria | given convertible treatment in the | near future. This model seats four | persons in the inclosed portion and has no rumble seat. Instead, it car- ries a luggage trunk in the rear. The victoria, as many see it, is the ideal coupe model. All it needs to become both a sport and family car for all kinds of weather .is to be given convertible treatment, they say. “This-may offer the body designer a little stiffer problem than usual, but he has yet to fail on a problem. | The odds are against failure here. | (Covyright. 1927.) : ireihed CITY TRAFFIC FORMS ENGINEERS’ NEXT JOB Automobile Industry’s Leaders Give Views on Most Pressing Prob- lem of Future. Solution of city trafic problems is the next important task ahead of the highway engineer, according to Pyke Johnson of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, who sets forth some of the major problems confront- ing the engineer in an address before | the Highway Research Board. | Opinion of the automobile industry was sought by the highway engineer- ing group with respect to the prob- lems which seem to be most pressing for the immediate future. Mr. John- son's answer was based on a compila- tion of views of leaders in the busi- ness, who stated their ideas of the chief opportunities for research, as follows: 1. “Further safeguarding the lives of those who use our highways’— Roy B. Chapin. 2. “More scientific management of trafic’—A. H. Swayne. 3. “Outstanding problem is parking of cars in downtown areas"—Alvan Macauley. 4. “Relating size of office buildings to street capacity”—H. H. Rice. 5. “Appl g production methods to highway building to lower the cost’— Fred J. Haynes. 6. “Research into headlights, fuel economy and elimination of gear shift”—John N. Willys. 7. “Trunk line roads which by-pass congested centers'—A. J. Brosseau. 8. “United efforts of city executives, city engineers and property owners” —Edward S. Jordan. Downtown freight terminals and yards of the railroads are a source of congestion today, Mr. Johnson indi- cated. Research into the relationship of street traffic facilities with thoce of the railroads and the waterways can bring about a more efficient flow of traffic at lower cost to all, he asserted. s i iy Brakes Are Skid Factor. Slippery pavements are in season with the ever-present chance for a skid. Unequalized brakes are a con- tributing factor in many skidding ac- cidents. It will pay car owners to check their brakes before they are great many drivers resort to the lat- ter course, there is, at least, a rea- compelled to use them excessively on Winter highways. Auto Bus Lines Continue to Increase Faciliti_es for C Big things are happening in the bus fleld. Since the bus and passenger car long have interchanged successful features, the present advances being made by the former may be’portentous of greater comfort for the average motorist at an early date. Busses were the first motor vehicles with six wheels. Now they are the first to use eight. One new model uses eight balloon-tired wheels. Its wheel- base is 201 inches. Comfort! Many persons have noticed that high speed is more comfortable in a omfort of Passengers trucks. The air brake is the most popular type. In the case of the eight-wheel bus, these brakes apply to_all eight. Many motorists see a valuable tip for the makers of passenger cars in the gas-electric type bus. After a ride In one of these busses which start and operate so smoothly, the motorist may question the correctness of the con- ventional passenger-car transmission. It has remained for the bus to make car ventilation a reality in motordom. One of the newest types has the air cleaner in the driving compartment. modernized motor bus than in a great many passenger cars. Power brakes are a feature of several busses and The passenger car has picked up many ideas from the bus in the past. It may adopt others. " THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 5, 1927—PART 3. DOWN THE ROAD—Homeward Bound. i) 1922, by Mesropotien Newspaper Service PIEY TFHE POOR PEDESTRIAN. ATOFATALTES HEH INEVENN 5 to 6 P.M. Most Dangerous Hour, Survey Shows—Sun- day Toll Great. More automobile fatalities occur be- tween 5 and 6 o'clock than at any other hour of the day or night, figures compiled by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce show. The computation is based on newspaper reports in 1,107 trafic accidents which resulted in death. Of the total cases tabulated there were 116 occurring at 5 to 6 p.m. and 109 at,7 to 8 p.m. THhe next hours most frequented with trafic fatalities were 4 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m., the total being 87 and 86, respectively, for these hours. The 1,107 caseés do not represent the volume of fatalities for the vear, but constitute a total on which complete enough facts were reported to tabu- late the fatal accidents with respect to the hour of the day. Sunday and Saturday are the days of greatest motor fatalities, yet as far as the average accident per car is con- cerned it is probable that the risk is no greater on these days. Sunday, for instance, has a fatality total onlv 23 | per cent higher than Monday, the low day, which is an increase probably not as great as the extra volume of traf- fic on Sunday. The hour in the week which regis- tered the greatest number of fatalities in this survey was Thursday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., when there was a total of 29. It is belleved, however, by those making the compllation’that the data available do not give conclusive evidence as to the particular hazards of the given hour on a given day. Fatigue, however, is adjudged to be a strong element in the situation, since after 3 p.m. on through mid- night each hour registers a larger traffic total than any morning hour. While for some hours afternoon and evening traffic is heavier than in the morning, vet the hours of 7 to &, 8 to 9 and 9 to 10 a.m. all have a better record than any of the afternoon or evening hours. The most dangerous morning hour is 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The reason for this is stated to be carelessness, with the thought that the driver may have the attitude that because the morning rush is over need for caugion is not as great. il CALIFORNIA WILL FIX ROAD WITH ROCK GOLD Yosemite Highway Will Be Im- proved From Famous '49 Dig- gings of Mormon Bar. Motorists who have dreamed of driv- ing their cars over roads of beaten gold, shimmering in the sunlight, now actually may experience that highly novel situation as a result of recent action taken by the California High- way Commission. A contract has been let to improve the Yosemite all-vear highway into the Yosemite Natlonal Park with crushed low-grade gold-bearing rock from Mormon Bar, famous gold aig- gings of '49, upon discovery that such rock makes excellent road-surfacing material. There is historic interest in this re- cently discovered paving material, as the Mariposa mine, at Mormon Bar, was one of the rich properties of the early days. It was so much in liti- gation that it gave to California some of its leading cases of mining law. The mine has not been worked for some years, but now its dump is being put to practical use. This interesting situation is pointed out by the Automobile Club of south- ern California. Now You Have It! (Answers to“last week's questions.) 1. If the compression ratio of an engine in increased, fuel consumption remains the same. There is a marked increase in efficlency and brake horse- power. ¢ 2. In the conventional engine, all the expanston of ignited gases is not utilized. Exhaust valves open before the end of the power stroke and be- fore the gases are back to at- mospheric_pressure. 3. “Straddle mounting” is the term applied to the arrangement ‘of sup- porting a working part between bear- ings. A pinion gear supported in this manner is a good illustration. 4. The chief impurities of steel as ruled down to rigid limits by the auto- mobile industry are sulphur and phos- phorus. : v 5. Either “wrist or “piston pin” is correct. “Wrist pin” is the older term; “piston pin” is growing in popularity. The latter probably is the more logical because it is more consistent. AUTO LEADERS LINE UP FORCES IN STRUGGLE FOR SUPREMACY Thrilling Industrial Battle Looms for 1927 Between Giants of Motordom. - Consumer Joins in Harvest. BY HERBERT S. HOLLANDER. A field which bids fair to be the scene of stirring action during the #ear 1927 is that of automobile manu- facture. Two glants have girded themselves for what promises to be one of the most thrilling give-and-take contests the American automotive or any other industry ever has witnessed, and lead- ers in all lines of endeavor through- out the country are watching develop- ments with the keenest interest. Naturally, an industry so great, which draws its raw materfals from &0 many varied sources, becomes the center of intensified attention when its most powerful units are engaged in competition which seeks and gives no quarter. Such a struggle, obvious- ly. will have its effect—already has had a decided effect—in all phases of the industry itself,®and [n other di- rections as well. The consumer has reaped enormous benefits and will continue to do so as a result of developments in the auto- mobile industry. Profit margine are smaller, and prices have been reduced—all to the gain of the ultimate consumer. Profits Not Reduced. And yet, so vigorous is this ene deavor, that despite lowered selling figures, earnings per share of stock have shown up In a highly gratifymg manner, and at this time there is every reason to believe that,: notwith- standing the outlook for still keener competition during the current vear, profits will continue wholesomely ade- quate. N Fifteen years ago there was much talk of a “saturation point” in the automobile industry. Today, with 22,000,000 cars in operation, that theo- retical place appears further off than it did when econamists first discussed sales limitations. A luxury then, the ‘automobile now is ‘an indispensable unit of transpor- tation to these 22,000,000 men and women in the United States. Because of certain inexorable human factors Which are involved, the task of re- newing these units is, in itself, a The Old Me There's a great hig lesson for all automobile owners in the business of breakin' in the repair job, but first of all better explain what I mean by this “breakin’ in" process. When a car comes in here for some major repair work we upset it a lot. When the job is finished we say to the owner: “Now, take It easy for a while until the parts get to workin’ in properly. 1f she’s a little nolsy, don’t worry. The noise will work out a short”while.” m!n other words, we ask the car owner to be patient and to put up with a little noise, a slight loss of power or a little tightness until the new job reaches a good runmin’ con- dition. It can’t be otherwise, you know, when vital parts are removed from the car and revamped. This fakes me wonder why motor. ists are willin’ to put up with this sort of annoyance and yet are so un- willin' to stand for a little regular trouble now and then. Isn't it a case of jumpin' out of the fryin’ pan into the fire? Here was a man who complained he- cause the clutch gear of the trans- mission made a clicking noise when the engine idled with the clutch en- gaged and the gears in neutral. He worried and worried ahout it. He felt that he was risking a breakdown as long as he did not get rid of the trouble, even though we told him that it was nothin' but a slightly worn bearin’. And what did he do? Well, he went to another repair shop, where they not only replaced the bearin’, but added a new clutch gear. Of course, that hums because it is meshed with an old gear. Now the owner has a hum instead of a click, ; Iv'il wear out in time, yes. But often your ordinary troubles will wear away, too, and without costin’ you a cent. 1t always strikes me as a pity that modern methods demand that car owners be forbidden to browse around service stations to observe their auto- motive property on the operating table. 'There is so much owners could learn about repairin’ and the reasons for the frequent high cost of it if they could just see what the re- pairer is up against. Thank goodness,.my shop still is small enough, and inefficient enough that my customers can see just what makes their bills what they are. As a matter of fact, 1 encourage them huge one, without even considering the. remainder of the vast potential domestic market. Of the most vital importance is the exploitation of foreign flelds by American manufacturers of motor cars. The rest of the world is far be- hind this country in the use of au- tomobiles, and now makers here are putting forth unusual efforts to blaze new automotive trails in the remotest sections of the world. Competition May Extend. This latter phenomenon is -of such significance that it cannot be over- emphasized, because, with the in- creasing _development of European and world taste in favor of American motor cars, will come, naturally, broadened activity for domestic pro- duction plants; longer employment lists and so on. The competitive struggle of Ameri- can manufacturers, then, will take place not orly on this side of the At- lantie, but its reverberations wil be felt in every corner of the globe; the New Zealander will benefit from im- proved processes, lowered costs and bettered equipment quite as much as the New Englander, the Southerner, the Middle Westerner or the Far .Westerner. From the point of view of all indus- try, developments within the automo- tive trade loom larger than ever be- fore, for in ne other year and in no other period has the automobile been such an integral part of industrial, individual and coémmunity life. That which affects the automotive industry affects literally scores of other lines of business endeavor; the automobile now occuples a business and financial niche of the utmost importance. Of course, it is impossible to say with accuracy precisely what the vear will bring forth, but it is evi- dent that the major trend will be in the direction of strengthening the fundamental position of the industry by bringing to the final consumer an increasingly impressive measure of .value. Stimulated public favor then will be the other and the inevitable link {n the chain. (Copsright. 1927.) 6s = == =42 ) CAPTALDEALERS TOATIEND SHOW Tradé Delegation Will View Autos Being Exhibited in New York. The local auto trade's delegation to the National Automobile Show, which opened. in New York City last night, will leave Washington this morning. Headed by Rudolph Jose, veteran Cad- illac dealer and chairman of the show committee of the Washington Auto- motive Trade Associaticn, the dealers are attending the naticnal exhibition to obtain a comprehensive view of the latest developments in motor cars and accessorigs, to be better equipped for bringing the industry’s achievements to the National Capital. Mr. Jose especially is keenly inter- ested in -the visit to the show in the metropolis, because he plans to bring back with him numerous ideas for the annual presentation of Washington's motoring review. As director of the local automobile show, he views the national exhiblts as holding great pos- sibilities for improving the demonstra- tion to be staged here. “The shows this vear should be of* unusual interest, not only to us who are engaged in supplying the needs of motordom, but to the millions of motor car owners who are alert to improve- ments being accomplished continu- ally,” said Mr. Jose. ‘“There always are talked-of features at every annual event, but this year there are indica- tioms that a few surprises, which have been kept well under cover, will provide automobilists with something to enthuse over. “In almost every respect, the motor industry will pass its 1927 annual mus- ter with virtually every department contributing something new. There are to be several new cars on display for the first time. Mechanical refine- ments will be numerous. Body lines will be shown as modified, together with color blendings that make the 1927 car a possessicn much more de- sirable than any other example of the handiwork of the automotive industry throughout its history. “Washington motorists can look for- ward to their own exhibition with every reason to expect many features that will hold their attention, and with the belief that every effort is being chanic Says: to hang around. of explainin’. I always lure them into stayin’ at least long enough to see what a job I have removin' a brake band, if they #re figurin’ on havin’ the brakes relined. When they see what a ter- rible time I have removin' a rusty pin they don't ask any questions when I present the bill and they are tipped off to, the importance of puttin’ a little oil and kerosene on the pins before bringin’ in the car. One owner who watched his car, saw us linin’ up a ring gear. We use Prussian blue for this purpose. Smear it on the ring gear and then note ‘Wwhether the pinion makes the right contact all around. Well, if this owner hadn’t been hangin’ around he never would have known that the ring gear supplied by the parts de- partment happened to be a little warped. We, had to send it to be heat treated and lined up. The owner saw all this. Result: Greater satisfaction with his repair work; a little better understandin’ of the difficulties under which we work. T swear I have spent more time gettin’ a good tappet adjust- ment than I have rippin’ off a cylinder head. You just can't figure on the time element, unless you allow such a margain that the owner always has to pay more than a job is worth. - Safe driving is the most efficient driving in the long run. Reckless, un- even spurts, actually cut running (time. Maintain an unruffied, steady tp‘uce for greatest mileage in shortest ime. HAWKINS MOTOR CO. Conveniently Located It saves me a heap made to expand and improve the show in every detail.” DRUNKEN DRIVERS ROUSE MARYLAND AUTHORITIES Severe Prosecution. of Offenders Promised in Hit-and-Run Fatal Accidents. Aroused by the number of drunken drivers involved in_hit-and-run fatal accidents recently, Maryland law en- forcement officials are planning severe prosecution of future offenders. State's Attorney Herbert R. O'Conor announced that he would move to 1{““ tll'lxl l¥§-nnd~nm cases transferred 'rom the Traffic Court to the o e Criminal The most severe penalty a poli magistrate can give a hit-and-ran cacy is one year in the city jail. h)lr. fld0'!C|7mn" wants the charge chang 0 manslaughter if . tim dies. . th.a N Growing exports, allowing for greater production and reduction of manufacturing costs, account in some measure for lowered car costs to th, ultimate consumer. » ! Repaint Now! Avoid the early Spring rush by turning your car over now to our splendid Duco shop for refinishing. You can spare the car bet- ter at this time than when the weather turns warm . and the open road beckons. You save money as well as time when ish = we refinish your The Washington- Cadillac Co. 1220-28 22nd St. N.W. Tel. Franklin 3900-01.02 e Tt ieen on Fourteenth Street 1333-37 14th St. Main 5780 John Smith and His Car John Smith is a character whom BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL every motorist should welcome. He is not selfish; rather he is a motoring martyr, a chap willing and glad to have exploited, in an interesting way, his experiences for the benefit of the other 20,000,000 or more members of the motor clan. Keeping Rules Modern. Like all good car owners, Smith follows certain basic rules in the be. lief that he saves himself a lot of ex pense and trouble and assures him- self of more satisfactory motoring. But he makes the equally common mistake of forgetting to keep his rules up to date. He still buys gasoline in small quantities when he is not planning to use the car so extensively because of “evaporation.” He pictures his fuel supply diminishing when the car is standing. That was the picture, it is true, in the old days when gasoline was more volatile The trouble with all rules In con nection with motoring is that when the motorist discovers they have gone out of date he drops them like poison, never realizing that he has been so tardy they again may he coming back into style. This is the case with gaso. line. A lot of it is now of far bet- ter quality—drier, more volatile, high er test. Naturally, evaporation will be coming back into style and owners who keep the car in the garage for any long period should not buy so much gas at each filling. That First 1,000 Miles. T didn't tell Smith abont this eva poration business hecause he probably would swing to' the opposite extreme and it s a foregone conclusion that he would be several years getting around to applying the old rule again One thing T did suggest, however, and that was a little light upon that old rule about_keeping under 20 miles an hour for the first 1,000 miles. “Some of these days you'll he driv- ing home with a new and super-mod. ern car,” 1 said. “You will baby it along with the idea that by doing so you will prolong its life. When I ask vou to step on it for a second to see how it accelerates and what the en- gine sounds like at 35 you'll give me a story abont the fool and his satis faction with the car soon being parted. Then I'll laug! “You wouldn’t laugh if you could see me with that new car two years later,” Smith countered. *“Then vou'd find that T had the right idea follow- ing the ancient, but honorable rule.” “!All of which proves how little you really know ahout their lubricating system,” T came back at him. “Ap- parently you do not know that a little spurt of speed with a new engine is quite a help to it—with the newer ofl ing systems.” T was refering to full pressure lubrication, where oil is forced through the hollow crankshaft and sometimes up into the connecting rods. This oil moves rapidly and is under such high presure at high speed that it shoots up to the cylinder walls and the piston pins, lubricating them generously when they need lubrication very badly. Now if the new car is driven along at just about 20 miles an hour with its engine turning over at a compara- tively slow rate the oil does not shoot up to the cylinder walls as much as it should. Now if the driver will just step on the gas for a few minutes occasionally during . the breaking-in process, the cylinders will getga good bath of oil. Besides a little accéleration in the oil flow brings into the system a greater quantity of lubri- cant, which is another way of saying that the quelity is momentarily 1aised. “‘Ofl pressure on one car,” I added, “is controlled by the position of the throttle. In this case it is mainly a ICY STREETS EASIER 'ON TIRES THAN DRY Rubber, However, Declared to Be More Likely to Puncture on Cold Day. Snowy, icy streets and roads are frowned upen by motorists generally. They have a virtue, after all. According to ‘tire engineers, auto- mobile owners actually get more wear out of their tires during the Winter months than in Summer. ‘With the temperature near freezing or below, it has heen found that the rate of tread wear is less than 50 per cent of the rate over the same road during hot weather. It the road happens to be covered with snow the rate of wear will be reduced to only a fraction of that during hot Summer months. Driving over the same road the rate of tread wear will increase from 50 to 100 per cent with an increase in temperature of from 40 to 80 degrees. Although tread wear is less during the Winter months, rubber will cut and puncture more. easily when it is wet. For this. reason motorists should use greater care in Winter to provent spinning the wheels and cut- ting the tread and sidewalls of the tire on sharp stones, bottles and against curbs. ‘A tire test fleet averaging 500 miles per tire per day is authority for the statement that tires driven over roads in cold weather show almost no tread wear as compared with the Summer months. Sections of the fleet are now operating throughout the country. Tt is neces. sary to keep the cars on the road day and night to find the actual perform- ance of tires under operating condi- tions, where load and road surface may be taken fully into,account. dededeodedeoededdobdeddok L. P. STEUART | motoreycle policemen whe | motorist as against matter of opening up the throttls now and again to get the pressurs neces- sary to flush the cylinders. This can be ‘done by starting to climb a hill slowly in high. You see, it makes a difference with your rules what de- sign Is incorporated in the car.” Old Rule to Modernize. Smith admitted, “but T'm thinking of the bearings more than of the cylinders. I know a man who was just running at 30 with his new car when one of the bearings burned out. T'm not going to take that chance.” “Well, that's one more rule you'll have to modernize. Some of the new est engines use such high ofl pressura the bearings are actually separated from the crankpins by a tough film of oil. 86 long as the ofl pressurs is right there will be oil to keep these hearings from burning." I showed him, too, that he be careful not to let in the latest clutch o gently as to sip It. He still is going by the old rule that it Is necessary to supply the power very gently to prevent stalling the engine and damaging the universals and pinion. What he is doing is warping the plates of his clutch by applying it too gently “Look over ‘vour rules occasionally and keep up to date,”” 1 warned “Some of them may be the worst kind of troublemakers Shop Trick Appli:d‘ to Wrenche: TUnless one resorts to filing. it isn't possible tp make a small wrench fit a large nut, but by means of a simple shop trick it is an easy matter to make a large wrench fit a smaller nut When you haven't got the right size wrench for the occasion, select ona that is too large and fit a flat, small plece of metal between one side of the nut and the inside of the wrench The effect is the same as making the wrench smaller. (Copyrizht has to 1927, DRVERS DECLARED NORE CO-OPERATIVE Favorable Reaction in Inter- est of Safety Reported by A. A. A. Manager. Willingness to co-operate with any reasonable form of traffic regulation is becoming Increasingly manifest on the part of the motorists and is re- acting favorably in the interest of highway safety, according to Ernest N. Smith, general manager of the American’ Automobile Association. In voicing thi: i r. Smith declares that 1926 aving seen traffic control reach a scale that amounted to over-regulation in some parts of the country, now is recording a trend toward simplication of the rules that govern the motor vehicle flow over America’s highwavs, Automatic control devices have given a most adequate answer to those who maintain that the mmly way to keep traffic in order is to place they can check the unruly driver. On the whole, the increasing adoption of the automatic traffic control system has reacted very favorably toward the motorist Surveys Show Co-operation. “Surveys conducted in every city in the country where this system is in operation show virtually 100 per cent co-operation on the part relatively co-operation by the pedes: ures gathered by the American Autc mobile Association reveal that, in one large center, where but one or two motorists had the temerity to run counter to the lights, literally thou- sands of pedestrians paid no attention to them. “Safety sermons are having their ef- fect. This is noticeable in the defi- nite trend toward creating higher speed limits in a great many of the large centers of the country. Motor club official everywhere have paid particular attention to the effect of this_change. o “Their observations reveal drivers do not regard the establishment of higher limits as giving them a right to drive at the more rapid rate re gardless of street conditions. This is obvious to any one who notices the situation. It has been found, for instance, on one heavily traveled boulevard in one of the Eastern citles where the speed dlimit is 30 miles an _hour that not one driver in 100 will attempt to make legal speed when the streets are wet and slip pery. Reasonable regulation—greater co-operation is the reason.” —e— Be Careful of Rust. The bendix starter drive pro tected from external dirt and water on most of the cars, but not a guarantee that the thr shaft will not rust. Condensation will produce rust in a part that supposad to be protected. It the gine tends to overheat, the drive m rust when cooling and condensati follow. The remedy is a faw drops of light oil on the threaded shaft. ' G. T. STEUART New Low Time Deal Prices on the C /> STUDY THE PRICES BELOW-—THEN PHONEUSFOR A DEMONSTR 122.52 Down [$161.92 Down [$239.12 D, 30.55 Ea. Mo.| 26.85 Ea. Mo.| 20.00 E:wl\'d‘o. 29.15 Ea. Mo. Service 141 12th S'.TN. ‘The above time plent includes Lock Wheel, nlurnce. all Interest Charges, Gas, Oil, etc. STEUARTS.MOTOR 1 620 H St. N.E. phones, Lincoln 6200; Main 3000 ATION Bal. 12 Mo. CO. Trucks & Tractors 346 Pa. Ave. N.W. i ] 1‘