Evening Star Newspaper, July 21, 1929, Page 48

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. OMPULSORY inspection of motor vehicles in regard to proper brakes and head- lights has ended recently in Maryland. Other States have adopted such reauirements. In- cluded in this list is Massachu- setts, whose largest city—Boston | —now stands first in the percent- age column with the least number of traffic fatalities. The District of Columbia occu- pies second place, and Baltimore | is a close third. Unquestionably, regular inspection of motor vehi- cles will prevent many future ac- cidents, that might otherwise oc- cur. It is not unlikely that the Na- tional Capital could reduce many accidents and lead once again among the cities having the least number of fatalities, if such a reg- ulation were put into force. Officials of the Traffic Bureau are known to favor such a regula- ticn. Some time ago the plan was proposed, but later dropped be- | cause it was felt that graft might be practiced among some of the service stations. Few laws would | ever be placed on the statute| books if this fear were sufficient | to_table them. | Probably there are some service | stations that actually “sell” the| certificate of inspecticn without going over the machine. But a little police inspection from time | to time soon would eliminate these | places. A regulation of this kind is far ! too valuable to be lost cn account of this fear. Let the traffic direc- | tor propose annual inspection of | all motor vehicles in the ecity of | Washington and let the Commis- | sioners give hearty approval of such a worthy recommendation! A record was_established last Thursday when the Traffic Bureau cancelled or suspended 41 opera- tors’ permits. When the undesir- able drivers and the faulty brakes and poorly adjusted headlights are removed from the streets of the city, traffic accidents will take | an immense dgop. Stickers to Bar Vision. Speaking of undesirable drivers, there is a class not criminally in- clined, but of a very foolish na- ture, which persists in pasting | stickers of diving girls, etc., upon their windshields and the rear| glass of their cars. Police should | be a little more attentive to en-| forcing paragraph M, section 13, of article II, which states: “Drivers shall have an unob- structed view to the rear of their | vehicles by direct view or by mir- | ror. Windshields in front of the driver shall be kept clear of snow and ice or opened, so that the driver's view is unobstructed. Stickers shall not be placed on the windshield so as to obstruct the driver’s view.” Hoover Supports Uniform Laws. Uniformity in traffic regulations has a strong supporter in the per- son of President Hoover, who, when Secretary of Commerce, said: “The need for uniformity of laws as between States and uni- formity of traffic ordinances be- | tween cities of the same State is, | to me, so obvious as to hardly need any elaborate discussion. Lack of uniformity in traffic laws and regulations and the failure of many communities to benefit by the experience of others, have a large responsibility in the causes | cf accidents.” At the time of the calling of the first national conference on street and highway safety President Hoover was impressed with the lack of uniformity in trafic con- trol. “There is no uniformity in traffic regulations,” said Mr. Hoo- ver, speaking of the then existing conditions. What was hoped for as a result of the national safety conference was “a more universal extension of the best remedies that have been devised,” he said, and he expressed the belief that safety in use of the streets could be obtained through “the Ameri- can spirit of co-operation and widespread interest.” Coolidge Held Likewise. Former President Coolidge like- wise was impressed with the im- rtance of uniformity. In epen- ng the conference he said: “Uni- formity is of the greatest value and is highly advisable, so far as shifting local tonditions will per- mit.” The conference itself adopt- ed as one of its guiding principles that “uniformity of traffic regula- tions is essential. This varies from exact uniformity in the case of terms, rules of the road, signs, signals and highway markings, and rules for Eonsslng railroad §rnde-crosslngs, essential uni- ormity in such matters as reports of accidents, parking regulations, motor vehicle design, equipment, Inspection and maintenance.” The importance of uniformity was recognized by the National Automobile Chamber of Com- merce when it, in indorsing the model municipal traffic ordinance, resolved: “That it urge the adoption of this ordinance in all municipali- ties in order that laws may be uniform; so that motor transpor- tation may be operated with greater safety and efficiency.” When studies were first being made of the subject, the commit- tee on motor vehicles of the Na- tional Safety Council said: “It would seem to be unnecessary to argue about the desirability of uniformity in motor-vehicle regu- lation throughout the country, in view “of the fact that State and municipal boundary lines really mean nothing in highway traffic.” The committee of the American Engineering Council, in submit- ting- its report, also siressed uni- formity, saying: “The committee earnestly hopes that this recom- mended practice will rapidly at- tain general use throughout the United States, in order that the traffic in city streets may be made both safer and more convenient.” Left Turn Brought Up. The method of making a left | turn is one of the vital elements of traffic control on which it is essential there be uniformity, in the opinion of C. W. Stark, secre- tary, committee on municipal] traffic ordinances and regulations, | p National Safety Council. “Making a left turn safely and without in- terfering seriously with traficata busy intersection is often a diffi- cult feat, and it is highly impor- tant that motorists know exactly Bow it is done. The model munici- pal traffic ordinance provides a standard procedure for this, and selects as the standard that which is followed by the greatest number of municipalities and in- dorsed by the majority of the most experienced traffic engi- neers,” said Mr. Stark. Close on the heels of the launching of a movement in Maryland to ban from the State’s highways the unsightly roadside signboard, by the members of seven garden clubs of the State distributing pledge cards calling upon motorists to refrain from purchasing products advertised on the landscape comes the news of a similar movement starting in Nor- folk, Va., and threatening to be- come a State-wide project through its injection in the primary elec- tion to be voted in the Fall in that secticn. While the Maryland garden clubs, affiliated with the Garden Clubs of America, ask a vivual boycott of products smeared all over the rural countryside in ad- vertised in the landscape.” Nor- worded: “As a practical protest against the abuse of our country- side by advertising, I shall give special favor to products not ad- vertised on the landscape, Nor- folk Garden Club members do not ask a boycott, but do seek to get assurance from motorists that they will refrain, where possible, t{yorg. buying goods thus adver- ised. Stringent Regulation Is Sought. Into the Fall primary, the Nor- folk Garden Club has inserted as an issue which has gained some prominence in the matter of mqre stringent regulation of the road- side signboard, and the fight is waxing hot, in view of the failure at the last Legislature of a garden club-sponsored measure calling for about the same regulations that the garden clubs now are asking in Virginia. The new bill, which is being given its baptism of fire in the primary fight, would give the State, counties and municipalities wider latitude in permitting or rejecting roadside advertising matter. Virginia’s present roadside sign- board regulations call for permis- sion to erect from the owner of the property, include some rules about obstructing views at curves, and prohibit the placing of sign- boards on the highway right of | way. Despite the many loopholes in these regulations, some things al- ready have been done by the citi- zens of the Old Dominion toward cleaning up the countryside and providing unobstructed views of | the landscape from the newly de- veloped motor roads throughout the State. All over the State the villages, towns and cities have begun to take an active interest in their appearance, particularly the front they display to the passing motor tourist, and as a result some of the eyesores of the countryside, which used to line the highways of the State have been rtmoved, but still a great many others re- main to be removed. The villages are dressing up their tourist thoroughfares, the towns are cleaning up and planting along their approach roads and the cities are enlisting their citizens fn movements to mage their habi- taticn as attractive looking as pos- sible for the visiting motorist. They are all finding that for a |small investment they can secure results that not only redound to their merchants in the form of increased purchases and longer visits, but also provide in their citizens a pride in their abode that is a necessary factor in the up-and-coming American munici- pality. Interesting to D. C. Motorist. These movements in Maryland and Virginia are of especial inter- est to the motorist of the District of Columbia, for the greater por- tion of the motor #ouring, the week end driving and vacation tours of the residents of the Dis- trict is on the road systems of Maryland and Virginia. The avowed purpose of the gar- den clubs, composed mostly of public-spirited women, is first to have the unsightly signboards curbed and then to set about en- couraging nature to heal the gashes which have been necessi- tated by road building and main- tenance. . Their individual membership, too small to engage in the actual work of aiding nature, has set about enlisting the aid of the property owners along the high- way rights of way in their fight for beautification. They are ask- ing that permission for the erec- tion of signboards be withheld and that the property owners seek to maintain the natural beauty of their property along the road. The joint resolution now before Congress to create a United States motorways commission is hailed as an effective ally by the Amerl- can Road Builders’ Association fa its fight for betterment of traffic conditions throughout the Nation. The commission first would con- sider the question of a national system of express motorways. These would take care of high speed, through traffic. Propo- nents of the express highways would have lanes for fast traffic in the center, slower traffic on the outside, and have traffic on all intersecting roads separated into different levels. SRR LICENSE REGULATIONS MODIFIED BY MAINE Busses and Other Commercial Ve- hicles Allowed to Enter Without State Tag. Special Dispatch to The Star. e into effect and proponent further changes in the automobile laws see valuable resuits for various State romotion bodies. Under the Maine law, any passenger vehicle not operated on s commercial besis may remain in -the State indefi- nitely without a Maine license. This “open door” policy permits the owner of a car licensed in drive in Maine without & Maine license 12 months in the year if he cares to. I THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, \ \ i A | iy VAR, RUSH? RE NOT PICTURE OF A WANTS TO TURN RIGHT PETULANT PERSON WHO HAS BEEN BLOCKED BY A FLoCK OF CARS MAKING A WIDE TURN TO GO LEFT" WHEN THE LIGHTS CHANGE. MILADY’S MOTORING By Frederick C. Russell Women have discovered that when stopped by a traffic officer for some minor infraction of the law a smile | is the shortest distance between two points. If you are in the custom of letting the garage people fill up the gas tank and deliver the car to your door, and if the engine is of the high compression type requiring anti-knock fuel, it is a good plan to have the cap of the tank marked with instructions to use high compression fuel. One manufacturer already supplies caps marked in this way. A very foolish thing to do when de- scending hills is to figure that the down grade isn't very steep merely be- cause the car ahead does not gain speed rapidly. It is rather easy to be lured into such a situation if there is no warning from the other car’s rear signal, There is, to start with, the possibility that the signal may be out of order. Then there is the likelihood that the man ahead is using his hand brake. Or, which is often the case, his engine may have good compression, this serving to check the speed of the car. Just another point to consider is the possibility that the car ahead may not be as heavily loaded as yours. The supply of trouble is ample with- out borrowing more of it. That is why the experienced motorist glances at the floor under the car when leaving it at night in strange garages along the route of the Summer tour. Noting puddles of oil and water saves thinking the engine has been leaking vital contents. Remind your mechanic that as the car grows older it needs heavier lubri- cants for the chassis, especially in warm weather. If the oll-pressure gauge continues to show a lower average reading as the car goes ahead on the trip there is no need to assume that the engine is com- mencing to burn off oll. This gauge merely registers pressure conditions and shows by a lower reading that the oil is thinning out through heat. 1t is always & good plan to reason, however, that when the pressure is lower the oil can burn off more readily, because it is hotter and thinner. 1t isn't necessary for a woman to be caught in the mud to discover that one rear wheel can remain stationary while the other rotates. The discovery of the function of the differential can be made simply by observing cars as they turn corners. Always the inside rear wheel turns slower than the outside one. This is simply the old principle of marching utilized for motoring. The men on the inside of the line merely mark time for the period of the turn. Differential gears serve to enable the inside wheel to slow down or stop alto- gether during & turn, while the balance of the driving power is transferred to the other wheel. Its action is complicated enough, but its is simple. It also serves to protect the driving mechanism, since one of the wheels can slow up when it hits a rough spot in the road. As a result of the differential’s action the wheel with the lesser traction will spin, while the one that isn’t in the mud will stand inert. If you are caught in such a predicament the thing to is to block the spinning wheel in such a way that power will be transterred to the one that has traction. 1 Feminine daintiness used to be a stumbling block to successful manipula- tion of cars in the days when te force was necessary to get proper re- sults. Today it is an asset. Cars re- spond_quickest to the lighter touches. Note how you can accelerate best by pressing on the accelerator more gently .l‘:d shift gears easiest by gentle ac- tion, Nothing is more annoying during a trip than to return to the car after it has been stored in a public garage to find marks on the doors, where people have let them swing open into other cars. This, however, can be done away | eme with to a large extent by locking three | an armored tank coming toward you | at 50 miles per hour! What was it | Sherman said? hat's more, this 8-ton engine of destruction traveled 69 miles per hour over a measured course on a paved highway during demonstrations recently | made by the inventor and builder, United States Army at Fort George G. Meade, Md. The speed records were certified by the American Automobile Association, the time over the measured distances being recorded by an electrical timing device operated by Capt. R. A. Leavell of Detroit, officlal timer for the A. A. A. This machine prints automatically to the nearest hundredth of a second the time of passage of the vehicle over a wire stretched across the course at the starting line and again the passage over a similar wire at the finish line. ‘The speed over the proving ground, Capt. Leavell's reports to the A. A. A. show, was 42.55 miles per hour. “To one who had watched the heavy types of slow-moving tractors developed dur- ing the war lumbering along at 5 or 6 | miles per hour,” Capt. Leavell said, “the performance of this new unit seems un- believable. To watch it come 'flfinfi across a fleld toward an enemy at higl speed, followed by a cloud of dust, would surely inspire terror in hearts of men in a machine-gun nest. Zigza across a fleld toward an enemy at hig! speed, such a tank would be almost im- possible to hit except with machine guns, the bullets from which are unable to plerce the heavy armor. When operated in the fleld, this proved type of steel track which may be removed in less than 10 minutes and stored in lockers above the wheels to | fit the machine for high-speed travel on | highways. J. Walter Christie, the designer, has been well known throughout the auto- motive world since nearly a quarter of a century ago, when he constructed and drove front-wheel-drive race cars, which then established many new records both on the beach and on dirt tracks. Mr. Christie's early race cars are credited with inspiring the front-wheel-drive race cars, many of which have been entered in all of the most important speedway races during the last four years. It was a front-drive ear which established the American speed for speedways on a proving ground last Summer. Recently two manufacturers have announced front-wheel-drive pas- senger cars. Aside from stating that the tank is powered by a 12-cylinder motor, Mr. Christie declined to explain the details of construction. In an open field, over which a pas- senger car can travel at not more than 10 to 20 miles per hour, this tank at 30 to 40 miles per hour rides much like a passenger car or motor bus. Each axle or wheel climbs over any obstacle individually, without lifting the entire tank the way a car is lifted when one :IIE"‘ or axle travels over an obstruc- n. ‘The wide range of speed at which the tank was operated and the apparent ease with which the driver controlled do | it. both in the fleld and on the high- way, according to representatives who witnessed the trials, would convince any of the doors of the sedan. leaving only the driver’s door unlocked. I passed & car the other day on a steep hill. Things were not going well with the woman at the wheel and a glance out of the corner of my eye explained why. There was her h band reaching over to retard the spar] and to confuse her. If a husband thinks it's safe enough to ride with his wife he ought to be content to take a back seat and not meddle with the controls. A number of serious accidents have been caused by front-seat passengers pulling on the ergency brake at the wrong time. (Copyright by the Russell Service.) ANOTHER NATIONALLY ADVERTISED LINE GATES A Vulco Cord Fan Belts “STAI ‘When the fan gine, e plugs, burnt-out oil, any simply indicate a fan.belt that is worn, fra; NDARD OF THE WORLD” you see a hot motor—look to belt first! An overheating en. xcessive carbon, fouled spark- one of these , soal with oil er Replace that belt with the belt that really grips the pulley—the Gates Vulco, Soutnern W HoLesaLERs, Inc. 1519-21 L STREET N. W. DECATUR 0130 PHONE nsen: ommammse high-speed super-tank utilizes an im- | \ . O JULY 21 puLL LPY PULL UPY | WANT TO GET 1929—PART 4. Borntor Brsuep - High-Speed Tank Races Through Field, But Rides Much Like Passenger Car Here, doughboy! Imagine yourself in observer that the details of transmit- a trench or machine-gun nest with |ting the 400 or more horsepower from the motor to the wheels or tracks must have been worked out to a nicety. WATC;-I GAé Ifi béSERT! J.|A. A. A. Warns Prospective Tour- Walter Christie, before officers of the | ists About Western U. 8. ‘The question of running out of gaso- line, & comparatively minor matter in populous areas, becomes a serious prob- lem in some sections of the West, the American Automobile Association warns tourists. More attention should be given the car when an area of scattered popula- tion is reached, says the A. A. A. gasoline, oil and water checked, as well as tires. WORK GOES ON. Baltimore Boulevard Improvements | Are Being Pushed to Completion. | Special Dispatch to The Star. | BALTIMORE, July 20—The pouring | ! of concrete to form the new shoulders | | in the widening of two 3-mile sections | of the Washington-Baltimore boulevard | was started last week. The widening program for this Sum- mer includes & 3-mile stretch, beginning | at the already completed road north of | Laurel and terminating near ‘Trinity | Church. The other section which is | being improved starts at the Baltimore | ity 1ine and extends to Eikridge. |~ The widening of several smali bridges | and the large steel span over the Penn- | will be completed before the concrete | | layers reach these points. | | 'With the completion of this work the distan¢e between the two cities. AUTO PRODUCTION TO SET RECORD, REEVES BELIEVES Manufacturers’ Spokesman Pictures Great Strides of Industry, Especially in World Markets. Special Dispatch to The Star. DETROIT, Mich., July 20.—This will prove the greatest production year for the automobile business. This is the | “It is worth noting that more than | 1,000,000 cars traversed the Holland ‘Tunnel between New York City and New Jersey in June. This tunnel’s view of Alfred Reeves, general manager | capacity is certain to be reached in five of the National Automobile Chamber of | years, 0 plans are under way for an- Commerce and official spokesman of | other one farther up town.” the manufacturers, who has been in Detroit this week. | “According to officials of the contest | board of the American Automobile As- According to him, the first six months | sociation, the speed trials which have of the year has resulted in a total of | been he 3,422,000 car, truck end other units, making it certain that 1929 will estab- | next at Daytona Beach, Fla., for years are to be resumed Seagrave made his | two succes March. lish a new mark far above what any straightaway record of 231.36 miles an one contemplated at the first of the| hour there this ve year. The outlook continues excellent, in the bellef of Mr. Reeves, largely be- cause of the continued recognition of the value of highway transportation, along with the continued high purchas- ing power of the American people as a ployment. World Demands Equal, Bellef, Mr. Reeves added tha all predictions about the world demand for motor cars are coming true, and he pointed ou substantially in excess of the rate of 1,000,000, & year which has long been an objective of the industry as a while. Export, it may be noted, took 18 per cent of all the cars manufactured in the first flve months. The increase in car exports is calculated as 47 per ‘cent | over the same period of 1923. For the truck and commercial vehicle exports, it | runs up to 132 per cent. Mr. Reeves concedes that the high volume output of the first half of 1929 is not likely to be maintained for the rest of the year, but as in past years automobile building will maintain its leading position among ufacturing industries, and because ? its broad ramifications will con' > to spread prosperity through many other lines. Margin Is Heid Too Close. “Some economists express the view that motor car prices furnish too small a profit,” Mr. Reeves said. “They insist that the competition to give the public more for the dollar is reaching a point that should warrant a careful survey of future production plans. “At present, car manufacturers are supplying 735 models. offering 54 types, and all with unusual equipment and a variety of colors. An- other manufacturer is furnishing 225 color combinations on a single line of car during a 30-day period. “In so large an industry, there are mony problems which are being han- dled in fine fashion by leaders of the industry, who have learned that com- petition benefits. We are working to- ward adoption of uniform traffic reg | 1ations, participating actively in acci- dent, prevention, and urging improved service from the dealers. We are now preparing to oppose any increases in gasoline taxation unless the money is used solely on the highways. More Highways Needed. “We need more highw. and the motorist is willing te pay his share. The country also needs more bridges | prospective transcontinental automobile | sylvania Raiiroad is now under way and |and tunnels, such as in Detroit, and | while these ought to be built by the municipalities they are frequently built through private enterprise, which seems The | 40-foot boulevard will have been fin-|proper provided provision is made for should be'ished for more than 10 miles of the|them eventually to be taken over by th: municipalities. resufioot good business and steady em- t that the export total of 530,064 units in the first five months this year is| One maker is | and J. M. White's | glant triplex was wrecked and the | driver, Lee Bible, lost his life. Racing’s Value Is Cited. Answering criticism of speed trials and speedway fatalities—the death of Spence at Indiznapolis May 30, and of i ex far more than any other factor to provide the laboratory, | the crucible, out of which has emergec | the handsome, speedy, relatively simpls | and mechanically marvelous motor cac of today. And in attaining this result; automobile racing has been singularly free from deaths compared with ordi- nary street traffic, industrial exigencies and so on.” | *"1t *% *intimated that Maj. Segrave | 1s preparing for a speed record attempt | at Daytona next year. J. M. White aiso may train egain. according to reports. { The London Daily Mail said an order | had been placed for a car to be driven by Kaye Don, British pilot, and designed | by Louis Coatalen, for a speed exced- | ing_280 miles an hour. |~ Capt. Malcolm Campbell is said to | be preparing for another attempt, and | J. M. Sockwell, Miami, Fla., is mention= ed, also, as possible competitor. Other | builders said to be considering Daytona trials are Maj. Berhardi, Italy; the European Bugatti factory, Duesenberg Brothers, Indianapolis, and Harry A. Miller, Los Angeles. (Copyright, 1839, by North American News« i paper Alliance.) i - | Officers to Have Numbers. | Officers of the British army are to be allotted a “personal number” for rapid identification in any future national emergency. according to a recent an- nouncement. This will apply to all of- ficers granted commissions after mo- bilization is ordered and to all officers of the Regular Army, Territorial Army and Reserves. The men will at once be given numbers, but these will not be used in normal times. | AUTOMOTIVE BRIEFS Joseph H. Nicholson, president of Standard Accessories, Inc., announces the appointment of Leroy Livingston H manager of the newly acquired fill- | ing station at 2021 K street northwest. Livingston has been associated with the | automotive industry in Washington for a number of years and Nicholson has done business here for the past 17 years. The new station is in addition to the present location at 5013 Georgia avenue and will handle Cities Service products as well as United States tires and Delco batteries A car‘that wouldnt say "Give Up” A'r 6:30 p. m., Sunday, June 30, a Marmon-built Roosevelt straight-eight stock car concluded the most impressive non-stop endurance and dependability PLOUGHING THROUGH THE DARKNESS on its seemingly endiess rounds of the 24-mile brick oval. 4¢ Righi—Team captain A, RIGHT—RE-FUELING IN THE AIR—Prior to the Roosevelt run, the world’s record for non- stop operation was made in the air. The Roosevelt has brought this record back to the automobile, probably to stay for some time to come. A. C. Mo "33 Counties in Virginis, West Vi _ +1522 14th Street N.W, to be taken aboard, next Iap. the MARMON=-BUILT Vs THE WORLD'S FIRST STRAIG Sedan, $995, at factory. Group equipment extra. test in all automobile istory. Starting at 10 a. m., June 12, this car ran continuously over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 18 days).%he 440 hours, 30 minutes (over best previous automobile non-stop record was 162 hours. - e T T LRSS | During all of this time the motor was never once shut off—the car never stopped even for an instant. Sweep- ing rains, blistering suns, the punishing brick track of the famous race course—all were obstacles, but failed to stop this sturdy car, which steadfastly refused durin, all of these days and nights to show the slightest sign “giving up.”’ ‘The run was finally concluded—not by any failure of the car, but by a violent storm which swept away roofs of buildings and strewed the track with wreckage. (Run made under cfficial observation. Record subject to confirmation.) RE-FUELING “ON THE FLY’”"—The “mother” car comes alongside to pass its carefully measured gas ration to the Roosevelt ) OPEN EVENINGS SES MOTOR CoO. Distributors / is and Maryland —while one of the A.A.A. representatives looks on. HT-EIGHT UNDER $1000