Evening Star Newspaper, January 23, 1927, Page 66

J INSURANCE RATES UP TO MOTORISTS Depend Upon Percentage of Traffic Mishaps—Greater Caution Demanded. Automobile liability insurance rates are being put squarely up to the mo torlsts and pedestrians of individual cities and towns under the system of rate-fixing now employed, and the community that wishes to see rates lowered has only to prove its capacity to walk and drive ‘carefully. This trend on the part of insurance com panfes is resulting in more equitable to every one, according to Spencer B. Cur tional ington. “Motorists are hecoming more and more conscious that rates vary in dif ferent sections, and their curiosity on the subject is a hopeful sign for a re duction of traffic mishaps,” Mr Curry says. Motorists Must Help. As they learn that rates are based upon the company's experience in any community, a self-interest will impel motorists to achieve the same low rates that another city's car owners enjoy by driving with greater caution. walking with care and con- tributing in other ways to the reduc tion of the number of accidents, Mr. Curry points out In the writing of automobile liabil ity insurance, insurers first divided the country into 49 zones. These zones were fairly large. often includ- ing citles where accident rates were high and towns where none existed. Under the zone system, however, the man in the latter community paid for protection at the same rate that was asked of the man who was much more likely to figure in an accident Insurers’ were quick to sense -this situation and the result is a trend toward basing rates on State boundaries, further subdividing them by communities, Mr. Curry sa Insurance Company of Wash Los Angeles Lower. Per-capita ownership of automo- biles in any community, a feature generally regarded as the chief de- terminant in insurance rate-fixing, is but one factor, it is revealed. In sub- stantiation of this point, Mr. Curry points out that New York City and Los Angeles have approximately the same per-capita car registration, while the rates in the latter city are 20 per cent lower than those in the Eastern metropolis. Accident figures and insurance losses are vel active and vital factors In establishing rates. The commu- nity that can reduce these. by a bet- ter system of traffic control, strict obedience to the regulations, careful driving and careful walking can ob- tain lower liability rates, Mr. Curry says. PARKING SUGGESTIONS. Bumpers Often Allow Extra Space in Getting Out. ‘When caught between two other cars that have parked too close, do not jump to conclusions. Perhaps your bumpers will pass over or under the bumper of the car behind or the one ahead. Sometimes this will pro- vide the extra foot of leeway neces- sary to worm out of the parking space. Chauffeurs have a parking trick where spaces are limited on one-way streets. They stop on the “no-park- ing” side of the street and wait until there is an opening on the other side. ‘This is entirely legal, and while it may seem to complicate traffic, it is often preferable to driving around aimlessly, cluttering up moving traffic and en- dangering pedestrians. Season’s Hints ‘The real need for cleaning the points of a spark plug in Winter is to re- move the rust rather than carbon. Little of the latter gets on the points, ‘but rust may be plenty from the great deal of oxidization that is possible over a short period. The popping back in the engine heard at the bottom of a long down- grade on a cold day is not necessarily due to a valve holding open. The mixture merely is a little lean and the engine has been cooled by the descent made with the throttle closed. A quicker, surer start can be had on a cold morning by rubbing dry the porcelain externals of the spark plugs before using the starter. They are apt to be wet from condensation of water in the atmosphere and may be shortin Auto Show Jan. 29—Feb. 5—Inclusive Washington Auditorium 19th and E Streets N.W. Accessories and Shop Equipment Display Music Daily by Goldman’s Orchestra Admission, 50 Cents Direction of'the Washington Automotive Trade Association vice president of the Great Na- | | the accelerator. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL John Smith and His Car g hn Smith is a character whom e not selfish; rather he is a motoring martyr, a chap willing and He glad to have exploited, in an interesting way, ry motorist should welcoine. his_experiences for the benefit of the other 20,000,000 or more members of the motor clan. Opened by the Throttle. when Smith thinks he delved into every possible subject garding his car and his motoring, some simple thing suddenly dawns upon him as a subject thal he has completely overlooked. ~Recently he hannened to be sitting having a little fun by sort of absent-minded way. racing the engine alternately. of all things,” he thought am just getting acquainted with hrottle!” The throttle is itself. He could Just ha himself, in a idling and Well the in in a big not grasp it subject all lone but some o s he rates and the fairness of it is obvious | NS SItUNE, but some of the thinge h fussing are discovered as he sat there with the hand gasoline control worth recording “I' noticed for the first time that while the hand lever controls the ac celerator the latter does not govern the position of the hand lever,” he said when we were discussing it later “This is a very simple matter, vet it means, much. it means, for one thing. that if 1 take my foot off the accel: erator while the hand lever is higher than the idling position, the effect is the same as if I still held my foot on That might be dan gerous in a pinch “1 can see where to have a spring working hand lever as well as on celerator, so that if I should to push the hand lever back to the idling_position when about to stop or shift gears it would go back of its own accord, just as the accel erator pedal comes back to the ‘off’ position.” Spring’s Role Important. “While T think of it,” 1 interrupted, “one of the important things about the throttle is the rate of speed at which it closes. When you take your foot off the accelerator the spring attached to it almost instantly closes the throttle to the idling position. This is important when you want to make a quick stop, because, as you probably know, the engine can be an excellent brake. Its own com- pression is a means of retarding the speed of the car, provided you cut down the gas to a point where the engine would have practically no pow- er to drive the car. If vour throttle is sluggish in closing, naturally the engine is slower to go into action as a brake. “Your hand control of the throttle pulls down for speed and pushes up for idling, and is not equipped with a spring. In other words, it stays where vou happen to put it, and must be pushed back if you happen to have advanced it, which you might do if driving the car in some tight place where you meed your feet on both clutch and brake pedals. Where the hand levers work up for speed and down for idling the situation is a little better. The lever tends to drop or slide back to the idling position be- cause of the bouncing of the car.” Vacuum Tank Affected. Something that Smith hadn’t no- ticed before was that the throttle had a lot to do with the functioning of the vacuum tank, the vacuum suc- tion windshield. wiper, the lubricating system and other things as well. ‘When I told him about this he was astounded and wanted proof. So we started a demonstration. ‘With the windshield wiper going I showed him how I could stop it alto- gether by sudden opening of the throt- tle, as in acteleration. Opening the throttle diverted suction from the small suction pipe which is connected into the intake manifold just above the throttle. This was simple enough. Next I showed him how to speed up the wiper when, as it often hap- pens on hills, the device slows down or stops altogether. I simply lifted my foot from the accelerator for an it is advisable on the the ac- forget instant. This closed the throttle and created an intense suction through the wiper tube. The wiper went back into action immediately and with a vengeance. Smith decided that this was important when driving through the rain, even if it meant dropping back into second gear. The vacuum tank fills most rapidly when the throttle is closed and the engine is turning over fast. .That, as 1 explained to him, is because the air which the revolving engine sucks in must go through the suction pipe and the idling jets of the carburetor, rather than through the high-speed openings of the carburetor, which then are closed by the throttle. Tank May Go Dry. If conditions are just right, and if the car travels too slowly with the throttle rather far open, suction is taken from the vacuum and it may go dry. Such a condition occurs if one drives too slowly up a long, steep grade. The throttle has to be rather wide' open for such performance, and the car must drag. Next we shot the speed of th: 2 to 10:30 P.M. Alsq e | cation at the wheel | “Here 1' | new | registered 50 miles an hour ‘over a road it was perfectly safe to do so. engine now needs all the lubri possible, ' 1 said. ““What little oil has worked past the piston rings i being burned up at a rapid rate A dash of oil above the pistons would save a lot of wear and make it run a lot smoother. What's wrong, then with taking your foot off the accel erator for an in nt? Won't that cause the pistons to suck ofl up past the rings?" It's an old racing trick, but it was to Smith. And it was simply one of the many things that have to do with the throttle, (Copyrzht up to where “Your 1027.) ext 177 Safely AMERICAN-MADE CARS POPULAR IN ARGENTINA Ninety-Seven Per Cent of 200,000 Autos Product of U. S. Factordes. American automobiles are excep tionally popular in Argentina, where per cent of the 200,000 machines are the products of fac tories located in the United Statee. These figures are revealed by H. C. Schuette of the automotive division, | United States Department of Com merce, who also reports that automo- bile registration in Argentina has iIn-| creased at a rate of 50 per cent yearl since 1923, 1t is said in Argentina that the| turation point for automotive sales | is not imminent, and in support of | that statement it is shown that there | is only 1 car for every 55 persons| in the country the present time, | as compared with a ratio of 1 to every 6 persons in the United States, 1 to| 13 in Canada, 1 to 14 in New Zea- land, and 1 to 20 in Australia. The economic conditions in the three last- named countries are comparable in many respects to those of Argentina, a fact which demonstrates the possi- bilities for future sales in the Ar gentine. One of the greatest handicaps in the development of the automotive | market in Argentina has been the lack of good roads. Roads in Argen- tina have been both poor in structure and insufficient in number. This sit- uation is largely attributable to the! lack of road-building material and the small number of settlements in the outlying regions. In the past few years, however, a number of private organizations, as well as the govern ment, have made great efforts to im- prove the situation by building new highways and ' improving existing ones. GUARIj AGAINST SkIDDING. Quick Use 6f Brake Sure to Bring Trouble. The skid season Is reaching its height. Many formulae have been advanced for preventing and over- coming this danger. The simplest way is to avold slipping by using chains and_driving carefully. Skids once started usually are made worse by the driver's alarm. Having put on the brake, when the car begins to slip he increases the sliding by further application of the brake. This is wrong. The thing to do is to drive out of the skid. Release the brake, steer with the slide long enough to right the car, then bring the car back into its proper lane of travel. It can be done, but it is better far not to drive in such a way that sudden, severe application of the brakes is necessary. Hurrying Keep Battery Fully Charged. A fully charged battery never freezes. An excellent way to keep the battery from overwork is to keep the carburetor and ignition right. Exide¢ BATTERIES Service Sales AUTO ELECTRICIANS Juhus H. Rieley 656-58 Pa. Ave. S.E. Lincoln 7289 | to sell automobiles abandoned within | after accidents has become so | mon that it | cars in a garage or other inclosure to average United States Bureau of Mines reveal. The incomplete combustiofi i methane. | power and efficienc: Now Is Best Time to Overhaul Auto and Refinish Body Fastidious car owners who want to begin the Spring months with an automobile that mechanically perfect and spick-and-span in ap- pearance should take advantage of the present season have their cars overhauled and refinished. Repair and refinishing establish ments are less rushed at this sea son than at any other time of year. Cars put up for efther or both type: of work now will he given atten- tion that cannot be commanded when the demand for speed be comes great At no other time can an owner so well afford to be without his car. This is the advice of Rudolph Jose, veteran Cadillac dealer, who for 25 years has helped and guided thousands of Washington's most fastidious owners. SALE OF ABANDONED CARS PROVIDED IN BILL So Many Left by Roadside They Become Nuisances in Massa- is to chusetts. Massachusetts towns will be allowed their limits, if the State Legislature passes a measure now before it. Cities already have the privilege of dispos ing of such machines at auction. The towns contend that the practice of abandoning cars by the roadside com now is a nuisance. Towns now are forced to keep such await the owner, and the storage costs often amount to more than the car is worth. The towns want the right to sell such cars after a reasonable period of waiting. . e Save 30 Per Cent of Heat. Thirty per cent of the heat value of the fuel used is wasted by the automobile, tests by tne products hydrogen and rbureter ad- large are carbon monoxide, Improper c justment is responsible for a part of this waste. The carburetor set for maximum will show in the | car’s operation Costs. Vith D. C, JANUARY 23 MOTOR SUPPLANTS HORSES ON ROADS New Equipment Driving Animals from One of Remaining Strong- holds, T. Warren Allen Says. Rapid motorization of the equip- ment user in road construction is driving the horse and mule from one of their remaining strongholds and is forcing steam equipment into the background, according to T. Warren Allen, of the United States Bureau of Public Roads. Tractors are now used occasionally in connection with scrapers in grading work; blade graders are usually drawn by tractor and are sometimes even seif-driven by internal combustion en- gines; and motor trucks are increas- ingly used in hauling the materials excavated by power shovels and in delivering paving materials to the job. Today, rollers, shovels, cranes, mixers, crushers and gravel handling and washing plants are rather generally motorized, Mr. Allen declares. “The use of automotive equipment in this large field, in which upward of $500,000,000 is spent annually, is largely an adaptation,” said Mr. Alien, “and better equipment can and will be built. A satisfactory solution of the plowing problem as met in high way construction work seemingly could be reached by redesigning the plow and balancing its size against the power-developing capacity of a crawler type tractor of moderate size Some more direct means of transfer- ring power from a tractor to an ele vating grader to operate the elevating mechanism, or an independent engine for operating the mechanism, is needed. : “Motor shovels capable of moving long distances under their own power without undue wear of the mechan- ism, or perhaps mounted on low-hung trailers to be drawn by tractors, should be given consideration. For grading and cut-and-fill work, trucks capable of making very short turns and of withstanding much continuous backing are desirable.” & TO RUNDLETT RIM. & WHEEL CO. 1336 14th St. N.W. bare the CHRYSLER 50 otherFou, (and upwards) f. 0. b. Detroit Subject to Current Federal Excise Tax 1927—PART 3 CANADIAN EXPORTS | CHECK UP REPAIRS. OF CARS INCREASE |owners Urged to Be sure Work 1s Complete. Motorists Urged to Keep Check on Spring Clearance . A lot of trouble is caused by not First 11 Months of 1926 Show 2| knowing whether a repairer has com car, while one is jotting down : . pleted the job. Mechanics are sub Per Cent Gain Over Same Period | . Y by the various identification marks to lapses of memor s well as any of Previous Year. and numbers, it is a good plan to one else, and it sometimes happens | that in replacing a cylinder head a repairer will overlook the importance measure the clearance between | of 3 er he: i the centers of the springs and the Batuirts: of Pt AL B il frame just above. o e Ao e he car has been | tFucks from Canada during the first | 11 months of 19 mounted to 68,704, | During the inspection of the new passenger cars and per after the engine has warmed up. This is necessarily an expensive ¢ e proposition for the car owner who given a season or 50 of hard work, falls to check up on repairs, for it it wllu be found that the clearances | which is slightly more than meang that the cylinder head gasket HEeL s {ce crease over the cor likely to “blow.” sing all vi Tt springs have séttled more than | €Nt increase over the corresponding | is u-rr\ to “blow. " causing all vasie " . . period for 1925, according to a report les of water, ol an compression a quarter of an inch as indicated | 2 & P leaks. It is too late to tighten up tha by the variation in clearance meas- |made public by the automotive divi-|jois after the gasket has been. sube urements, the cap will (ot irlde | gjon of the Department of Commerce. | jected to strain. easily, no matter how often the ch = < | leaves are greased or how many |xports during November, 1026, to | i kinds of shock absorbers are used. |taled 8793 as compared with 9.323 : | during "November, 191 | Water Taxis Predicted - The exports during November were Nater s r predicted for New MOTOR BUSSES EXCEED |sreater than any preceding month of |y t'o (200 GVES 1or o0 | the year, with the exception of March, | 2,1 " i) “he ‘motor boats, capable of MILEAGE OF RAILROADS |if " veoriet. i as b spit o 2017 it bo mator toate, cipabie e p O ety OVeM- | Rates will be comparable to those of considerably in com Vaths A Plain Glass Lens Is Legal With Flatlite Reflectors SEE US TODAY CREEL BROS. 1811-17 14th St. NW. Pot. 473 Headlights Adjusted and Registered SALESMEN To Sell Dodge Brothers Motor Cars and Graham Truck On a Salary Basis Previous automobile experience not ahsolutely neces- sary. Apply in person to Mr. Ochsenreiter, Salesman- ager at 8 Dupont Circle. Semmes Motor Company ber declined parison with October. Australia still occupies the leading position in the foreign market for Canadian automobiles Increased Railroad mileage in the United | hipments of passenger cars were States now ie exceeded by motor bus|also made to the United Kingdom. mileage, figures compiled by the Inter- | the Dutch East Indies and the Straits | state Commerce Commission reveal. | Settlement, while exports of trucks| The survey was made in connection |to British South Africa, British West with the Commission's investigation | Africa and New Zealand increased of the development of motor bus trans- | considerably —over the preceding portation in its relation to.the rail- [ month. roads, Preliminary reports show that 22,368 busses are in operation as common car- riers in line and terminal service. The mileage they cover is placed at 352,800 which is considerably ‘greater than that of the railway lines. In making public the fizures, the Commission explains that they are not complete_in_every detail Commerce Survey Shows 22,368 Carriers Now in Operation Cover 352,800 Miles. Heaters and Radiator Shutters for all cars While You Wait ARMENTROUT’S Reliable Automobila Supplies 1710 14th St. & Tenth & Eye Compare the Chrysler “50” with the other four cylinder cars of large production and sat- isfy yourself how unmistakably the extra value of the Chrysler “50” stands out. Chrysler Standardized Quality gives you these outstanding features in the Chrysler “50” — Full size with ample family seating capacity; Beauty of line, finish, appointment and luxurious mohair plush upholstery; Amazing power, speed of 50 miles and more per hour; 4. Economy of 25 miles to-the gallon; « —all at an amazingly low price both for in- vestment and maintenance. If you will picture the four other cars in your own mind you will be able to make a con- vincing and conclusive comparison of values that can lead you to but one decision— Chrysler “50”. Coupe %750 Roadster (Rumble Seat extra)’ $750 Coach %780 Sedan %830 ARl prices 1. 0. b. Detrois, subject to curren Rederel excise tax. All Chrysler cars are protected against theft under the Fedco System. All Chrysler dealers are in position to.extend the convenience of time payments. Ask about Chrysier’s attractive plan. 1. 2 3. SEDAN (As Illustrated) *830 f. 0. b. Detroit H. B. LEARY, JR,, & BROS., Distributors Executive Offices and Service 1612-22 You Street N.W. Salesrooms 1612-22 You Street N.W. Connecticut Avenue and Que Street N.W. Branch Salesroom, E. R. Keenan, Tenth & Eye Streets N.W. Used Car Salesroom, 1321-23 Fourteenth Street N.W.