Evening Star Newspaper, August 4, 1929, Page 57

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON. D. STRGEBATER INAUTOESSENTAL Use of Current in Starting, {: Lighting and for Other ¥ Purposes Given. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW. | Automoblle Technical Adviser. | When a motorist gets into his car, | bent on going somewhere, he expects | to have no difficulty in getting the machine to start. When he operates the zelf-starting device he has faith in its ability to function. This is based on | successful past experience. All goes well usually as long as there is elec- trical energy in the storage battery. | Let this important part of the automo- ! bile lose its pep and the motorist can | try to exercise the self-starter in vain. Or suppose he wants to drive at night | and needs the electric headlights. He | will get them if the battery is healthy. If the battery is all run down from ! too much drain on its system, the driver is out of luck as far as proceeding in the darkness is concerned. The auto- mobile’s storage battery must be looked after. The storage battery is a device for storing electrical energy which may be needed for various uses. It should not be concluded from this that the stor- age battery -actually stores electrical current. What it really does is to gen- erate electricity chemically and when the chemical action has run its course the battery is in a ‘“discharge” state. It ean be restored only by reversing the chemical action. This is done by passing a current of electricity through ihe battery in a direction opposite to that in which it was withdrawn. With- , out a storage battery an automobile ! would be quite helpless. It is used for | cranking the engine, operating the igni- | tion, lighting, the electric horn and | sometimes the windshield wiper, cigar | lighter, etc. Consists of Three Cells. Fortunately it is not necessary for the | motorist to understand the compli- | eated structure and chemical action of the battery to obtain good results from its use. It may be of interest to know that the battery generally consists of three cells placed in a single receptacle, each cell containing a number of plates of two different types, grouped to form the positive and negative elements. + These elements are kept from contact with each other by wood or rubber sep- arators and they are immersed in a solution of sulphuric acid and water, called the electrolyte. ‘The battery provided in the average automobile is of approximately 100- ampere hour capacity. It must be this large to supply the large volume of cur- rent required to operate the electric motor which cranks the engine over in starting. A battery of this size also can store enough energy to operate the ignition, lights, etc., for several hours without being recharged. To keep the battery in a charged con- dition an electric generator is provided. ‘This gegerator, when driven by the engine of the automobile, sends a cur- rent of electricity through the battery in the opposite direction of that from which it was withdrawn to operate the varlous electrical devices. In this way the engine while running replaces in the battery that which was taken out of it to set engine in motion. Describes Starting Motor. Tt must be borne in mind, however, that the starting motor draws current from the battery at the rate of 150 amperes or more, while the generator sends back a current of only 10 to 15 amperes; therefore, to restore the bat- tery to its original condition the en- gine must be operated 10 times as long as it took to start it. This indicates the reason for the battery becoming discharged frequently in cold weather when engines are often hard to start. Because of the very high amperage drawn for operating the starting motor it is necessary to employ a large con- ducting wire between the battery and the motor, and the terminal at the bat- tery must be of ample size. This terminal and its mate on the other end of the battery is made of lead, as this metal best resists the action of the acid in the battery. How- ever, the acid will sometimes creep up the post from the inside of the battery and form a sulphate in the joint be- tween the post and the connector, shut- ting off the flow of current. When this occurs the starting motor becomes half- hearted in its action and even the lights may burn dimly when the engine is not running. But if the condition is very bad the lights will get excessively bright ‘when the engine is speeded up, and if the engine is run too fast they will burn out. Perhaps one of the most important items of battery care is to keep these terminals clean and also tight, as a locse connection gives very much the same effect as a corroded terminal. If conditions are normal the terminals probably will not need attention more than once or twice a year, but when they require it the need is urgent. Where Care Is Needed. ‘The point which requires regular at- tention is the matter of keeping the plates covered with liquid. Water is Jost from the electrolyte quite rapidly in warm weather and particularly when the car is used for long runs. It is, therefore, necessary to remove the plugs from the tops of the cells at from one to three weeks' interval, to determine the level of the electml_vte If thé plates are not covered distilled water must be supplied. There are three sep- arate cells in the average battery and each must be inspected. And once a week is not too often to inspect them in the Summer time. In the Winter time there is some danger of the battery freezing if it is left standing in a discharged condition. ‘This danger is increased if water is| g added to the battery without running the engine to mix it into the electrolyte. In general, a battery that will operate the lights will not freeze until the tem- perature gets below zero, and freezing «does not harm unless it cracks the jar of the battery. The battery, like most of the other units of the modern automobile, needs very little attention to keep it in satis- factory operating condition, and for this reason the owner should be on the alert to provide the care it does require, either through his own efforts or those of a service station. U. S. COMPETITION HITS FRENCH AUTOMOBILES American Product Feared as Rival That Will Make Life Diffi- cult for Makers There. By the Associated Press. PARIS.—The French automobile in- dustry is lagging behind in the face of American competition. The American car is feared as a rival | that will make life difficult for -the French makers, It is accepted, finally, as a fine machine, equll nr :upenor to French ” cars, better and . backed up with more ulumlmhlp and service. “The Americans work while the French sleep, or seem-to,” says Charles Faroux, editor of one of the principal trade magazines. One of the chief ents for m— the A ‘That argument, concludes Faroux, is ‘useless because the man who buys & car ‘wants the most for his money. CAR REGISTRATION UNIFORMITY URGED A.M. A Advocates Standard- ization of Systems by States. Standardization of various methods of automobile registration throughout the United States is to be urged by the American Motorists’ Association on all State Legislatures meeting this Fall. A comparison of the manner in which the 48 States compute the license fees for motor vehicles shows that there are 16 different methods. 16 Methods in Use Listed. Following is a list of the 16 methods used in arriving at the motorists’ regis- tration fee: Horsepower—14 States, Net weight—10 States. Net weight and horsepower—5 States. G"x;oss weight and horsepower—3 tal Gross weight—5 States. Net weight plus times registered—1 State. Net weight plus a flat rate—1 State. Gross weight plus a flat rate—1 State. Net weight and value—1 State. Net weight, horsepower plus factory price—1 State Net weight, horsepower, factory price plus times registered—1 State. Manufacturers’ list price—1 State, Cost price—1 State. Flat rate—3 States. Cubic-inch displacement—1 State. Value based upon 10 per cent depre- :l{sflfl; each year up to eight years— The primary reason for a standard- ization of the States’ registration fees, it is pointed out by Thomas J. Keele, general manager of the association, is based upon the fact that there is no 2:] necessity for 16 methods of compu= "The best argument for standardiza~ tion of registration methods, however, is found in the fact that the present sys- tems mean discrimination between mo- torists of various States. “Discrimination” in This Area Cited. “In the District of Columbia, for ex- ample, the registration fee is based upon a flat rate of $1. In adjecent Maryland ithe fee is based upon horsepower, the average last year being $10.50 per hicle, or more than 10 times the re tration fee in the District of Columbia, and illustrates clearly the discrimination between the motorists of the District of Columbia and Maryland. “Another example of discrimination may be found in Minnesota between motorists of the same State. The regis- tration fee is based on value each year, the law allowing 10 per cent deprecia- tion up to and including the eighth year. ‘The owner of a new car pays 2.4 per cent registration fee on its value, while the owner of an old car of the same make and original value would be al- lowed to register his at less cost,” Mr. Keefe points out. Concerted action on standardization by the States, the association declares, would be possible, though hard to ob- tain. The plan of the national organ- ization is to “sell” the standardization registration fee ldea to the States much in the same manner as the model mu- nicipal traffic ordinances and the uni- form State traffic code of the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety is-being “sold” for adoption by State and municipal lawmakers. REMOVAL OF SIGNBOARDS URGED TO BEAUTIFY ROADS States Fail to Take Advantage of Fund Authorized by Congress for Improv- ing United States Highways. *The tremendous growth of motor traffic in recent years has emphasized the importance of making America’s highways more beautiful and nowhere in the United States should a greater effort be made to beautify the high- ways than in the vicinity of Washing- ton, according to Thomas J. Keefe, genenl manager of the American Motorists’ Association. Recognition of this fact has been made by the National Capital Park and Planning Commission in Washington, which vigorously opposes the erection of any billboards within the metropoli- tan area of the Nation's Capital. Un- fortunately, the commission is without authumy to enforce its recommenda- jons. Co-operating. however, with the Maryland Legislature, the regulation and control of billboards and sign- boards in Maryland is sought in a bille recently introduced in the House of Delegates by Kent R. Mullikin of Laurel, Md. Would License Signs. The bill provides for licensing by the commissioner of highways of all such signs, permits to be issued only after written application, giving the proposed location, size, distance from a grade crossing, if within 300 leet. mwflll w be used and distance from the highwa; The license fee is fixed in the bill .t 25 cents per square yard, measured around the outside edge of all signs, the fee to be an annual one. Issuance cf the license is made mandatory, unless it is deemed to be a hasard to tramic. If, after erection of ign, complaint is made that it is a hazard to_traffic, the bill tgrl)vldes for & public hearing and if hazard' is found to exlat, notice must be nven to the owner remove it. Failure wfllfln days would then pemu t.ho Btad 'u authorities to remove the ‘The National Capital Pu'k Ind l’un ning Commission, however, goes fus in its recommendations as to '.he re- moval of hillboards adjacent to the highways of the Capital. The commis- sion favors elimination of all billboards —a proposal which the American Mo- torists’ Association has indorsed. Hundreds of large signs mar the " | scenic beauty of practically every point of vantage on every highway leadin, out of Washington, while thousands o! small hand-painted boards or stamped tin signs are promiscuously nailed to trees and telegraph poles. Highways Are Playgrounds. The highways have become Ameri- playground, where millions of mo- torlsf.s spend their leisure hours in search of restfulness, beauty and charm. The necessity and demand for combin- ing beauty with utility has become more pronounced with the growth of tourist traffic in recent years. The tppllution of purely utilitarian standards in highways construction meets engineering and economic re- quirements, but the motorist who seeks recreation in his automobile is cheated out of the natural beauty which belongs to him, Mr. Keefe declares. ‘There is & growing and insistent de- mand for beautification of national highways. California, Massachusetts and Connecticut have demonstrated how much can be done, at small cost, to By the Assoclated Press. LONDON.—The motor cycle, rather than the automobile, is getting the most of the traffic scoldings in England, Deadliest of British pleasure vehicles, i,lt injures more people annually than all other classes combined, and safety- first advocates who, if they were in the United States, would be urging sterner action nzflnst reckless automobile drivers, here use some of their strongest lungum on “the motor cycle peril.” Actually the motor cycle, as a puce of mechanism, does not appear to be any more deadly than the aummnblle. in England the family automobile | half the time is not an automobile at all. Tt is a motor cycle. So the traffic problem here is largely a motor cycle problem. In the Un{ud States there are more cars, but there are 7 In other words, al the 2,000,000 motor cycles in the world ;;l' traveling highways in. the British les. British reluctane to pay the high horsepower tax on automobiles is one reason back of the multitude of motor cycles here. The tax a motorist here has to pay on a small second-hand car of inexpensive American make is about $115 annually, or more, sometimes, than the car itself would bring if sold “as is” in New York. aturally the Englishman living on a lun a year tax. family ride on a motor cycle. TomAmeflunmumibd, capacity of a motor cycle to be too much of a dra here necessity breedl invent Sunday afternoons the highways over England are full of family motor Best for Your Car ’ LOVEJQY Hrirautic Shock Absorbers Distributors CREEL BRQS. ' 1811 14th St. NW. Motor Cycle Traffic Problem Causes Much Anxiety in Great Britain cycles, some of them carrying as high as seven passengers. Father usually drives, mother sits in the side car with the smaller children, and the other and more athletic perch wherever they can. And they all seem to enjoy themselves ‘just_as much as Sunday flivverists in the States. Accidents Shown Only 5 Per Cent Blame of Women nwunuoroundmtonmnw mm'cm-ndrlvmbflnzhfi:eh‘eul intervals mechanical | Its performance and en- durance add a unique and distinet improvement to any motor car or truck. Nothing is more important than thorough. ludu!lu. beautity the roadsides by judicious planting of native trees, shtubs and perennial flowers. Congress already has res ized the need for highway beautification by au- thorizing ex) nditure of Federal funds, in co-operal with the States, for roadside tree planting. This law was approved May 21, 1928, more than a year ago, but to date the.Bureau of Public Roads, which has charge of the fund, has not been asked to authorize an expenditure or to co-operate in a single roadside planting project. ‘The beautification of the Nation’s highways could be materially enhanced by the pllmlng of trees and elimina- Mfln of roadside billboards, Mr. Keefe . Co-operation of the States, how- , is essential as the Federal author- inunn for use of Federal funds in tree- planting provides that the United States Burelu of Public Roads, only when re- empowered to co-operate vith the sutu in this mgect Now that the funds are available the States, according to Keefe, should immediately include roadside tree planting in their annual highway programs. O (Title registered U. 8. Patent Offies.) * AUGUST %, 1929-PART % —By James W. Brooks (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) hed_ Capliol g: id becan HIGHWAY SAFETY STEPS TAKEN IN MARYLAND Drivers of Trucks in Convoy For- mation Instructed to Remain 100 Feet Apart. Spectal Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, August 3.—In an effort to prevent accidents resulting from motor trucks traveling over the State highways n close convoy formation, Austin Baughman, commissioner of motor vehicles, yesterday sent a re- quest to all owners of truck fleets to in- struct their drivers not to openw them closer together than 100 feef A large number of wcldmu have re- sulted from the practice of four or five trucks running along the road so close together that motorists desiring to pass the slower trucks are forced to go around the entire line with no space to turn in should & vehicle approach from the opposite direction, the com- missioner said. Dealers in used cars also were’asked to keep their assignments to used motor vehicles scattered when being trans- ported along the roads. In several of the States there are laws which pro- hibit trucks or busses from operating closer than 100 feet. An effort on the part of Mr. Baugh- man several years ago_to have such a law passed " by the Legislature was turned down. Every one who can, ri mobile. What every one right. willb tooem One Twin Cities to Put Traffic Under One Set of Regulatlons MINNEAPOLIS, (). — Minnesota’s twin cities are dissatisfied with their different traffic codes and seek to re- xtl‘uce them to a uniform set of regula- ions. Although St. Paul and Minneapolis form a sl E. | spects and to the tourist appear as one | metropolis, the fact that two are separate political units is reflected in driving rules. Willlam F. Kunze, new| elected mayor of Minnes a con- PR ference to unify traffic regulations. PLAN TOURIST CAMPS. Texas to Spend $2,000,000 in Next s Two Years. ANTONIO, Tex. (/).—More '.hln $2,000,000 is "slated to be spent for new tourist camps in Texas dur- ing the next two years. More 700" camps have been established in the Lone Star State since 1918. The Texas Cnnp ‘Owners’ Assoclation, the largest organization of its kind, has a membership o! 165 of the State's most modern camps. Their range from $1.75 to $5 a day. Officials estimate that more than $1,250,000 already has been spent to build and equip camps in dozens of the State's larger cities. le economic unit in many re- | TEXAS-TO-CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY IS PLANNED | 818,000,000 Military Road Con- struction Aided by “Big | Bend” Country. | By the Assoctated Press. SAN ANTONIO, Tex—The “Big Bend” country of Southwestern Texas has organized in support of an $18,000,- | 000 military highway from Brownsville, 1Tex.. to San Diego, Calif, the entire | length of the United States-Mexico boundary. The Military Highway Association, lrepreunu:ng 400 miles of the stretch, has been formed by four Texas border counties. Its purpose is to aid a bill introduced in Congress by Representa- tive Claude Hudspeth, who has asked authority for the War Department to contruct such a road. In his bill Hudspeth urged that a border highway would be a means of enforcing prohibition, narcotic, customs and immigration laws. He characterizes it as “a purely military proposition of national defense,” and adds that much of this semi-arid border country would not otherwise be developed. Citizens living near the border, the bill points out, have suffered “many indignities and raids by lawless Me'll- can bandits, losing much property and & number of lives.” | | 1 As a life-saving device, the automo- blleh’hu no rival save wireless teleg- raphy. - BOULEVARD STOPS 10 BE ENFORCED Maryland Police Warned of Provisions of Law on Through Traffic. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, August 3.—State police were ordered this week to rigidly en- force the provision in the trafic law making it mandatory for motorists to stop before entering or crossing desig- nated through-traffic roads. The boulevard law and the accom- panying provision have been in effect for more than a month and the State Roads Commission has erected signs to warn motorists at all points where stops at approaches to boulevards must be made. Despite the law and the signs, ‘how- ever, many motorists have been dis- obeying the law, sccording to E. Austin Baughman, commissioner of moter vehicles. Policemen Are Notified. Every member of the State police force has been notified of the comnu.- sioner's intention of having the pro- vision enforced. The men were told to for short periods at boulevard en- trances and to arrest all violators of the law. Mr. Baughman said he had received numerous complaints of violations and that he had been given the license numbers of more than 400 automobiles that had been driven on to a boulevard in Anne Arundel County at one inter- section illegally. One of the most difficult traffic problems confronting the commission- er is.the congestion at Glenburnie, where the Annapolis Boulevard meets the Crain highway and the Baltimore roadway. At present each of the four ap- proaches to the intersection are treated as though it were an approach to a boulevard and bears a sign warning motorists- to stop before entering. Disregarded by Motorists. These_signs are disregarded by mo- torists, Mr. Baughman said, and he is endeavoring to work out some method of relieving the situation. ‘The condition at Glenburnie, Mr. Baughman asserted, would be aggra- vated if motorists obeyed the present | stop signs and especially would this be true on Sunday nights when the traffic congestion is at its worst. He said he believed it would be better, or at least no worse, if the present signs were removed. Automobile dealers and distributors of Shanghai, China, have just formed the first_assoclation of their industry ever In the city. Atfter all everybody is watching CHRYSLER Rumors about Chrysler's plans are flying thick and fast. The man in the street is ;cyins; something up its sleeve” H —y Ty “Chrysler has Widespread gossip insists that Chrysler will soon make an announcement Fu“‘y as sensational as its dramatic debut of five years ago. Everywhere you hear that Chrysler is going to write another thrilling page of automotive history. from Chrysler, is waiting in anticipation . 2 ] The public, which has long expected the unexpected Chrysler greatly appreciates the splendid compliment expressed in this nation-wide belief that something important impends — that whatever Chrysler does is of vital interest and tangible \value to the motoring public. It is particularly gratifying right now, in the face of the announcements: recently mede or promised by - other manufacturers, to have American motorists thus reit, te their implicit confidence i;l Chrysler's ab ity to stay ahead—and go even farther ahead 3 The highest possible tribute to Chrysler prestige is this fact that, asfter all, everybody is watching Chrysler. WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK Executive Offices and Service 1612-22 You St. N.W. _ Skinker Motor Co., 1216 20th St. NW. Chevy Quu Moton, 6701 Wise. Ave. N.W. ¢ H. B. LEARY, JR., & BROS. 1321 Sdmoomn—lGMYwStNW—&nmtAw.mdQue St. N.-W. lfldlfl!hnndHSu N.E. ankH.Rmu 3309 M St. N.W. Benjamin April, -.o.’ Used Car Salesrooms 23 Fourteenth Street N.W. 10th and K Sts. N.W. Fort Strong Motor Service, Clarendon, Va.