Evening Star Newspaper, February 3, 1929, Page 60

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. automobile show has come and gone. The doors to the latest exhibition of the marvels of the motor world were closed last night, and the big ex- position was pronounced another success, both from an attend- ance standpoint, with all records » broken, and from a sales stand- point, which, after all, is the deal- ers’ primary viewpoint. There is a whole lot more car " for somewhat less money this year, it was amply illustrated by the sleek and graceful, well equipped and luxuriously fitted machines which were on display the entire week. The motor car of today cannot by any stretch of the imagination be compared with the motor car of past years, and even _ a marked advance over the mod- els of as recent a time as last year can be noted by even the most casual and least “motor-minded,” observer. There can be no more a matching up of the old horseless carriage, or even the first cars of the present era of the streamlined body and gently Eumn motors with the new creations of the mo- * tor manufacturers, than there can . be a matching up of chalk and -« cheese. These cars of today are different —all of them—from the cars of * yesterday, but there is a steady trend to be noted by the careful observer in the adoption of some sort of uniformity of body struc- ture, of engine construction and of performance goals. The automobile has gone through the stages of experiment, plaything of the rich, and luxury of the man of moderate means, and has finally come into the realm of necessity. It is almost as necessary today as the bathtub stopper.” Of course, there - are some people who walk. But they'd rather ride. Refinements Numerous. ‘There are numerous refinements to be found in the present-day car over the old cars. There has been a gradual elimination of the non- essentials. As the wood-turner takes his crude block and slowly gets rid of the rough edges, de- velops- graceful curves, gets the rossness out of his creation and nally turns out a thing of sur- passing beauty, so have the body makers of the motor industry re- fined, and eliminated, until today there is the graceful, trim_and powerful-looking motor car. These developments have been carried on by a great many different or- glnnat(om. but the& have led to he same end, and the result is a sameness of looks about the cars of today. Particularly is this true of the cars of the same price fields. Of course, the car in the cheapest price fleld could not be likened greatly in looks to one in the highest price field, but there is that gradual v:lopment. with of trim and grageful looking job, that has brought that seeming uniformity to the motor car. The cars of out-of-the-ordinary motor ruction are few. Most cars nowadays are sixes and straight eights. There are a few fours and a few v-type eights. Within the six and eight fields this uniformity of THE Capital's ninth annual roducing 2 |ting It is one of the last flelds of de- velopment opened up by the mo- tor manufacturers, and, therefore, the block is still a’bit rough, al- though the finished products of the manufactures which were on display during the past week look anything but rough. Nevertheless, there are still many refinements that can be made with the con- vertible style. Convertible Car Praised. One dealer suggested that there will come a time when the conver- tible car will be the only thing on the show floors. He predicted that from a rakish-looking open car, top out of sight and the whole passenger-carrying portion of the machine open, a press of a but- ton would transform the car into a luxurious limousine. In these days of refinement the idea is a highly feasible one, and more than one manufacturer is working on that same idea. When enough mental energy and expert work- manship is expended on the idea— and the demand becomes strong enough—it will come. It has been just the thing that has -brought the motor car from the experimental stage to the present necessity stage that has brought about refinements in the motor car. Quantity production is the answer to all of the develop- ments. It has shaved costs here and there in actual production, and it has allowed less profit to be collected on each car because of more cars being sold. It has brought to the manufacturer from almost every owner of the car he makes some personal suggestion for the betterment of the ma- chine—some good, some not worth trying—but in the aggregate they have had their effect. What the tarbuyer wants the manufacturer will try to give him. The automobile, due to the pres- ent’ flush condition of the Ameri- can pocketbook, rendered more flush looking, at least, by install- ment purchase plans and the other attractive inducements to buy, has gone far ahead of the facilities for taking care of it, however. The roads situation is improving every day and bids fair to catch up without much more expenditure of effort. Traffic Situation Bad. But this is not true of the traffic situation. The wheels of the law-{ makers have ground out law after law, and are grlndjng them out by the dozens daily, but there still remain a vast confusion and vaster misunderstandings to be ironed out. Only recently has thé idea of uniform motor laws, uni- form traffic regulations and uni- form signals gained anything like Nation - wide prominence, and there is a long, rough and crooked road ahead for it. Nearly all agree that some sort of uniformity in regulations for drivers should be adopted, but the problem of get- them before all the States and in force is one that is proving a serious factor for the various mo- tor organizatfons of the country. The Hoover municipal code is a big step forward in the proper direc- tion fgr the cities, where the need for uniformity of regulations is most evident. But the amount of travel that is being done today by automobile needs more than that. A well-worked Nation-wide plan [ THE- SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, GAS N. OYLE. HE CROSSE 50 MILES_AN KNOW THEY HAD TRAFFIC SIGNAL LIGHTS D Socks WITH ALL THE NEW TRAFRC, SIGNAL LIGHTS IN WASHINGTON GAS N.OYLE OVERLOOKS ONE CONGRESS STUDES CROSSNG SHFETY Device to Stop Motors as Trains Near Grade Cross- ings Demonstrated. Congress is giving serious con- sideration to the plea of thousands of motorists throughout the country for prevention of e-crossing accidents which take a of 2,000 lives annually, and which during the last two weeks of January resulted in the death of 126 persons, culminating with the accident in Ohio resulting in 19 deaths on Jan- uary 23, on which day 34 persons were killed at grade crossings by trains and electric trolleys. An automatic control device designed to prevent collisions between automo- biles and trains was demonstrated to the House committee on interstate and forelgn commerce recently by a Colo- rado inventor, and the American Mo- torists’ Assoclation, an advocate of eliminat! is studying ity of the invention. The entirely uniform. One nowadays Bl o e 1 o, o uy a sofa style. The yles have become almost as standard- ized as were the carriage styles of a by-gone day. The closed car of one maker is very much like that of another, and the same is true of the open styles and the conver- tibles. The convertible is a com- !nmflvely - new creation, and fore there is less uniformity. WORLD AUTO LIBRARY PLANNED BY l;HI\MBERI First of Series of Pamphlets to Deal With Street Traflio Problems. » A world ‘ motor transport library printed in four languages will be issued b by the National Automobile Chamber of "‘Commerce, it is announced in a report of the export committee of that body to the directors’ meeting of that Tt Street Traffic is the subject of the first pamphlet, which is being published this week. This booklet has been pre- under the direction of the street traffic committee of the chamber, of which John J. Raskob is chairman. “‘Go’ rather than ‘Stop’ should be the spirit of street traffic direction,” said John N. Willys, chairman of the export committee, commenting on this itial pamphlet. “The alm is to move vehicles safely and efficiently. The ‘wave' light system, underpasses and other modern facilities are coming into general practice. The United States has been progressive In providing successful modern facilities for motor travel. Other lands can be guided by achievements, such as the Holland Tunnel, which was used by 7,650,000 cars and 1,750,000 trucks during the past year, an opera- tion which yielded a profit of $5,200,000 in 12 months, after caring for all fixed charges and operating expense. “Europe and Latin America, on the other hand, have set an example in city planning, with much more ampie parks, plazas and similar necessary open spaces than are usually found in the cities of the United States. “Exchange of such among all countfies is expected to re- sult in improved transportation condi- tions throughout the world. These booklets, printed in English, German, French and Spanish, will be issued to all leading publications akroad, to Gov- ernment officials and to all commercial and automotive organizations as may wish them for permanent reference.” information New}rickmnkmg Method. According to the method now in vogue and which has been in use for untold number of centurles, brickmak- ing plants are of necessity built at thelof source of raw material. After the bricks have been molded and pressed they are placed on specially constructed cars and passed slowly through a tunnel oven, where they are baked, ready for ship- ment. A revolution in brickmaking has been promised by two Swedish engi- neers, who have developed what they call & dry methdd of manufacture. By the new process, the clay, before using, is dried at the point of production by heat or a vacuum, and is then pul- is a crying neceul%. Members of the Washington Au- tomotive Trade Association were aring in their praise of the work of the show committee chairman, Rudolph Jose. Ham- pered by illness of many members of his show force, Mr. Jose has stuck to the job of direct: the various details of showing off the motor car to the Washington pub- lic and has stayed for days at his desk, sending out for his meals. AUTO BENEFITS SEEN IN VOTE RESULTS Highway Bond Victories in Four States, Calling for 240 Millions, Cited. Four items of great importance to the sutomotive industry and to the promo- ion of American welfare in :Iml . jec- tion returns, according to W. S. Isher- wood, auto accessory sales manager. ‘These items, he says, told of the vic- tory of $240,000,000 State highway bond issues in four States—Iowa, $100,000,- 000; Missouri, $75,000,000; West Vir- 50“1‘),.. $35,000,000; Louisiana, $30,000,~ “In addition to this,” Mr. Isherwood says, “those American business men who held up construction projects in 1928 expecting lower prices because of the ‘presidential year’ now are releas- ing commitments and at even higher figures in some instances. “should enjoy its best year in 1929, From a replacement sales standpoint, 1929 should be outstanding, because two of the largest automobile production years were 1925 and 1926, when 8,736,- 135 cars and trucks were manufactured in the United States and Canada. These soon will be three or four years old, usually the age for greatest re- placement.” * {BOULEVARD BILL GOES TO MARYLAND GOVERNOR Ritchie Plans to Submit Arterial Measure for Commis- sion’s 0. K. BALTIMORE, February 2.—The boulevard bill, which is to be introduced at the present session of the General Assembly, has been submitted to Gov. Ritchie for his approval. Before having the bill sent to the As- sembly Gov. Ritchie plans to submit it to the State Roads Commission. The measure, similar to that defeated at the last session of the Assembly, provides for a system of arterlal highways throughout the State, traffic on which “The industry, as & whole,” he added, highways would always have the right i of way. | As the law now stands, traffic ap- proaching from the right nas the rlsgt way. The boulevard bill, it is contended, would do much to lessen accidents and would also expedite the movement of traffic. . Wotld registration of automobiles to- taled 31,725,000 on January 1, of which 24,750,000, or 78 per cent, were regis- tered in the United States, according to the statistical department of the American Motorists’ Association. The average retail price of the 4,044,000 pas- verized. ‘The product, known as “clay metal,” can be transported easily to suitably located factories, and there egain turned into a plastic mass by the addition of water. senger cars produced in the United States and Canada last year was $876, and the average retail price of the 586,000 trucks produced was $955. the device involves mms which would shut the Im:, ‘ot of a an automobile in grade crossing when & train is ap- year there is every indication ber of fatalities will approach the rec- ord of 2,062 deaths in 1926. For the first nine months of last year, grade- crossing accidents involving automo- biles caused 1,442 deaths. “From 1920 to 1927, inclusive, le- crossing fatalities numbered 13,161, said Thomas J. Keefe, general mana- ger of the American Motorists' Associa- tion, “and no one can question the ad- visability of abolishing dangerous e s. While it is doubtful if Con- gress will enact safety legislation dur- ing the present short session, it is grati- fying to know that the National Legis- lature is giving thought to this im- portant question. The association has always favored grade-crossing elimina- tion and will continue to do so, but any practical device which will mini- mize accidents to motorists is entitled to consideration.” HIT-RUN ACCIDENTS GROW IN BALTIMORE t | Decrease Is Reported in All Classes of Mishaps During the Year. BALTIMORE, February 2—There were 827 hit-and-run accidents last year, or 403 more than in 1927, accord- ing to a report of the Baltimore Safety Council. Fatal accidents numbered 147, against 169 in 1927, while those injured were 5,085, as compared with 5,287 in the preceding year. Of drivers in 22,820 accidents 1,078 were women. ‘The report shows a record of 69 cases of drivers under the influence of liguor, an increase of 18, while 189 were listed as “had been drinking,” an increase of 22. Reckless driving cases showed a total of 4,023, an inérease of 797. The total number of accidents was 13,701 in 1928 and 14,484 in 1927. Saturday remained the most serious accident day and the hour between 5 and 6 pm. WOULD REAPPORTION TAX. New Jersey Assemblyman Urges Bill Favoring Cities. TRENTON, N. J., February 2.—Reap- rtionment of the revenue derived rom the State gasoline tax so that the bulk of it will be divided among citles having a population of 25,000 and over is progoud in_a bill which Assembly- man D. Lane Powers of Mercer intro- duced in the Legislature. ‘This legislation is opposed by the New Jersey conference of American Automo- bile Association clubs. Bills that the conference is sponsoring, however, in- clude a bill in place of the compulsory liability insurance advocated in many States. It would provide that on con- viction for reckless driving, when the court judgment is not peid, the owner of the car cannot obtain another license for himself until it is paid, nor can the car be licensed, no matte” to whom it is sold later, until the judgment is paid; end another proj which would modify the licenss fees, basing them on wheel base instead of horsepowess D. C. FEBRUARY 3 —BY ONE AT A TIME-ONE AT A TIME-LETS GET THIS THING STRAIGHKT] Maryland Gas Tax Expected to Yield $5.744.932 in 1930, Gain of $534.107 Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, February 2.—As a re- sult of the increased use of automobiles in Maryland the State 4-cent gasoline tax will produce in 1930, it is estimated, $5,744,932, or $534,107 more than in the Fsc;l year which ended September 30 las! This means the State Roads Com- mission will be able to increase its. ex- penditures for highways approximately 10 per cent in 1930 as compared with thesmoney spent in the fiscal year of 1928. Roads in Maryland are built with State money derived from four sources —the license fees and fines from mo- torists, gasoline taxes, bond issues and the Federal contribution under the FLUDATIRBELON FAILS TO EXPAND Undbluted Radiator Glycerin - Is Given Test for Use in Motors. o Laboratory expertments with radiator nho:nn have revealed a characteristic which is most reassuring to motorists using this fluld as an anti-freeze. Un- like water, glycerin’ will not expand under any degree of cold, however low. One of the members of the Glycerin oducers’ Association made a test by uring undiluted radiator glycerin to & thin glass tube, sealing the tube and exposing it to a temperature of 98 degrees below zero, While the con- tents of the tube congealed the fragile container remained intact, proving that there was no expansion even at this extreme temperature. While this quality may not seem Sugh raalator giyeerin to proteet his enough radiator g prof cooling system uslflm extremes of cold in his home territory, it is an impor- tant safeguard in emergencies, as for example, when he drives to abnormally cold places, such as high elevations, without taking the precaution to put in more anti-freeze, or when a sudden cold snap catches him unprepared. Furnishes Sure Protection. ‘The tremendous expansive force of freezing water is everywhere demon- strated in cold weather by cracked tree trunks, masonry and concrete. The sturdy walls of the motor block cannot resist this force when water, unmixed with anti-freeze, hardens under tem- peratures below 32 degrees. But radia- tor glycerin combined with water in the cooling system furnishes a sure protection against cracked motor blocks and shattered radlators, no matter how low the thermometer may fall. ‘This is true even when the cooling system does not contain enough glycer- in to keep the radiator mixture in liquid form at unexpected low tempera- tures. While the water in the radiator may begin to freeze under such con- ditions, the result will be merely a harmless slush. It is impossible for the contents to become solid or to have the powerful expansive force of water ice. Causes No Harm to Cars. A slush of this kind, caused by ab- normal cold, has a slight expansive movement because of its water con- tent, but instead of harming the walls of the cooling system it will merely ush upward into the overflow pipe. he car will suffer no harm and can be_run as soon as it is thawed out. It goes without saying, of course, that the motorist should use the pro- portion of radiator glycerin recom- mended for the prevailing Winter tem- perature in his territory. Every up-to- date service station has charts which state the amount of glycerin required by every type of car for protection against the different extremes of cold. S An automobile insurance law hImsed by the French government prohibiting motorists from insuring themselves for a sum more than nine- of damage they cause is belhg analyzed by the legal department of the Ameri- can Motorists’ Association. Motorists under the law are required to pay one- tenth of the damage they cause. The French government believes that the law will promote more careful operation of automobiles and therefore reduce the percentage of accidents. —— Forty-three per cent of all arrests made in the District of Columbia last year were fqy traffic violations, accord- ing to statistics comflfled by the Ameri- can Motorists’ Association. There were 110,673 arrests meade, 47,384 of which were for trafic law violations. Eighty- one decaths resulted from the 5526 traffic accidents reported. Automobiles seized in connection with the 6,132 ar- rests for liquor law infractions nume bered 501, line produces, more than $1,000,000 & year. In the fiscal year 1027 1 cent produced $1,850,000 and about $1,300,- 000 in 1928. For 1929 it is estimated that 1 cent will produce $1,370,000; for 1930 $1,438,000 and for 1931 $1,510,000. Instead of the 1l:-cent lateral road tax producing $1,500,000 in 1928, the first year it was in full operation, it produced $1,948,011 and for the current year it is estimated $2,046,556 will be collected. The estimated collections from this tax in 1930 are $2,148,673 and in 1931 $2,256,108. The !4-cent in 1928 produced $652,- 330 and will produce. it is_estimated, $715,193 in 1930 and $755,152 in 1031 ‘The pest-road bond issue is $750,000 annually. The Federal Government contributes a like amount and_one- fifth of both sums are spent in Balti- more for building streets leading out of the city. The revenue of another lj-cent of gasoline tax goes for eliminating ~ crossings, the city recetving one-fifth of the sum. The grade crossing ant lateral road tax were enacted by the 1927 Legislature and became effective April 1 of that ye 1929—PART 4. .THORNTON FISHER | SAwW THAT BO2O HITTING \T S MARYLAND URGES BAD CHECK PENALTY Additional $5 Charge Would Be Imposed on Worthless_ Auto Tag Paper. BALTIMORE, February 3.—The meas- ure introduced in the State Senate pro- viding an additional charge of $5 on persons who give worthless checks to the Motor Vehicle Commission meets with the hearty approval of E. Austin Baughman, commissioner of motor ve- . Baughman, the ecks tendered his depart- ment have been increasing yearly and have now assumed such proportions that some step is necessary to relieve the situation. Hundreds of worthless checks are | automoblle,” sald LACK OF SPEED KNOWLEDGE CITED AS ACCIDENT CAUSE Momentum of Cars in “Feet Per Second™ Misjudged by Drivers and Pedestrians, Says Statistician. NEW YORK, February 3.— “Miles per hour” is one of the first concerns of the.purchaser of an automobile, but it better be “feet per second,” since most traffic accidents are a mat ter of seconds, or. -gm sooondsi declared Dr. Louis I. Dublin, life insurance statistician. But it is also up to the estrian, he says, to share in help- g to reduce accidents hy remember- ing to “stop, look, listen” before he 8 from a sidewalk into the road- way. “There is great need for ’concerted action on the part of the people of the entire Nation to cut down the frightful waste of human life that is due to the Dr. Dublin, who as statisticlan deals with the mortality figures of the more than 18,500,000 wage earners insured in the industrial department of his company. “Last year was a rercord year in motor car gx;oducum. more than 4,700, 000 cars being produced. The year 1920 probably will set a much higher production record and will ately increase the danger o There are two motor cars on the road of the country to every nine inhabit- ants, which give an idea of the chances for accidents. Distances in Second. “A second is & short space of time. Here are some of the distances traveled in one second by cars going different 5 2 “Fifteen mijes an hour means 22 feet per second; 20 miles means 29 feet; 30 miles, 44 feet; 40 miles, 57 feet; 50 miles, 73 feet; 60 miles, 88 feet; 65 miles, 95 feet; 70 miles, 102 feet; 75 miles, 110 feet; 80 miles, 117 feet; 85 miles, 125 feet, and 90 miles means 132 feet second. “A lestrian may seem & safe dis- tance away from the approaching au- tomobile, but when it means that with- in the next second the car will the spot over which he is k. are many chances for accidents. Brakes Need Attention. “Drivers and owners should consideration ive more brakes. 32" wugld;g ”t control the pro- great need of lling - Jectile force engendered by the higher E 1 In 1928 we had for the first time among 18,500,000 industrial policyhold- ers a lower death rate from automobile accidents than during “the year. The reduction, it is Was very smal small that. no s o cance would be attached to it if it re- lated to_almost any other cause of death. But the mortality rate from automobile accidents had increased continuously for two decades, up to 1928. Hence even & slight drop is important in that it gives rise to the hope that the peak has been reached. The 1928 decline is no small achieve- ment in a year, when more than 4,500,- 000 more cars increased the danger of accidents. We cannot determine at this time what causes operated to break the upward course of the death rate. But it is entirely possible that the rollcy followed by some States of rig- dly inspecting brakes and refusing to allow cars to be operated with unsat- isfactory braking devices may have been an important factor. Good Roads Film Dramatizes Story Of Old-Time Tollgate Keeper “Travelers' Toll,” & three-reel film just released for distribution by the United States ~Department of 1= culture, is & dramatization of the tale of an old-time tollgate keeper as told to two young transcontinental motor- ists. He tells of the discarding of the toll-collection and tax-labor methods of paying for road improvement and of the adoption of modern methods based upon property taxes, motor vehicle fees, gasoline taxes and bond issues, which is making possible the rapid im- provement of .the highways of the United States. The film was produced by the Office of Motion Pictures for the Bureau of Public Roads. ‘The old man’s yam begins in 1875, when he was a young tollgate keeper and when the only good roads were those built by turnpike companies and suj by tolls. The roads were well kept as long as traffic was sufficient to pay for repairs. One series of scenes shows the in- efficlency of the discarded system of maintaining public roads by crews of citizens, each working two or three days a year, with pick and shovel, in lieu of tax payment. Then follows the coming of a railroad branch line which eventually takes traffic from the turn- pilke and causes the toligate keeper e e mailed to the commission each year in g:ymen'. for sets of license tags, Mr. jughman said. In addition to upset- ting the financial records of the de- partment, the bogus checks tend to cre« ate additional work for his employes. much anxiety as to his income. With dwindling traffic, the pike goes fiom bad to worse, until it is taken into the State highway system. With the cm-ninioo{ the automobile, the keeper listens the strenuous ob- jection of drivers to the annoyance and bother of paying tolls, and with the taking down of the toll rate board ma thgmponl.:u t::kths Bt’:u wl;}ml notice, the old gatekeeper is out of & job. Unwilling to leave the hway, he erects a gasoline filling station on the site of the old toligate. And here the transcontinental motorists have their tank filled and listen to the old man’s tale of how the State, in order to build roads demanded by automobile traffic, levied a property tax and a small license fee, not e enough, however, to discos increased use of motor vehicles; of how automobile traffic increased so rapidly that the State was later compelled to up road improvement, and to obtain ready money issued road bonds and adopted the gasoline tax to pay the interest and principal thereon. The old keeper tells how he feared the gas tax would put him out of business, until he remem- bred there was no complaint of tolls as long as the road was well kept. said, he decided to support the bond issue. About 30 minutes are required for showing the film. Requests for it should be addressed to the Office Motion Pictures, United States ment of Agriculture, Was| , D. C. Transportation costs are to paid by the borrower. SMART : FASHIONABLE and Mechanically Sound OM the day of its appearance, the public has F‘:cchimed the new De Soto Six as a smart and fashionable car. And as its performance abilities became more widely known, through the experience of thousands of owners, faith in its mechanical sound- ness has been steadily and firmly established. On merit alone, and entirely‘nside from its herit- age as a Chrysler Motors product, De Soto has ‘been endowed with a public preference that sets Faeton, $845; Roedster it distinctly apart in the field of low priced sixes. MAYFLOWER 2819 M Street N.W. Moncure Motor Co. Quantico, Va. MOTORS, Ine. Espanol, $8453 Sedan Coche, $345; Cupe Busi- ness, $845; Sedan, $885; Cupe de Lujo, $885; Sedan de Lujo, $955: AR prices at foctory. Phone North 1104 Associate Dealers Moreland Motor Co. Waldorf, Md. Roney Motor Co. Frederick, Md. So10 S1X A CHRYSLER MOTORS PRODUCT e e Al |