Evening Star Newspaper, September 8, 1929, Page 56

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. : ISTRICT, OF COLUMBIA €C] ) tags, $5. Wny pay ' mare?” - ; - Down in 'Florida; s for the “flivver”. cost gt e et on e ve cars higher, there is little doubt tha such a sign would attract an ' unscrupulous automobils owner. And, mdglnx from recent reports from Miami, Washington is led to believe that while such signs may not actually exist, there is a bl{ demand there for the District tags. In fact, the reports declare that a new “racket” has developed in the State—that of “bootleg- ging” the District tags. The op- erators are said to be waxing wealthy. It is quite possible that such a situation exists, but certainly not on tHe wholesale scale as the re- ports from Miami indicate. It would be difficult, indeed, for any ency to keep the Florida tag ootleggers” supplied with a Jarge number of tags without dis- covery in the office of Wade H. Coombs, superintendent of li- censes, where the tags are is- sued. Reports Disturb Coombs. Nevertheless, the reports com- ing up from Florida have been disturbing to Coombs. affic Director William H. Harland also read them with grave concern. Now both of them are investigat- ing to determine if the reports are true, and, if so, how the flow of tags into Florida can ecked. Florida would be the loser and the District the gainer by such a practice. It would mean the loss of thousands of dollars in revenue annually to the State in license tag fees, and, conversely, an in- creased income to the District. ‘Thus, it would seem that the re- sponsibility for stopping the re- {)orted “bootlegging” of District ags rests with the proper Flor- ida officials. But Harland and Coombs are not looking at the sit- uation from that viewpoint. It is their opinion that if the tags are going to Florida through irregular channels, then some one in Wash- ington must be them under “false pretenses— either through the falsification of names and addresses or through utter misrepresentation, and that those fstlx"fl'ay should be caught and pun- ed. Low Price Is Explained. Automobile tags in the Distriet, unlike those issued by the States, are not designed to produce rev- | Fourteenth enue. Hence the low. price of $1. They are issued for the purpose of identification, and the fee merely pays the cost of the tags and a portion of the expenses of distribution. As a result, when a car operates with tags issued on the basis of fictitious names and addresses, the tags no longer serve their purpose. Primarily, this is the reason Mr. Harland is S0 deeply concerned over the Flor- ida situation. ‘The problem of preventing Dis- trict tags from being used on cars not legally entitled to them has long perplexed the Commission- ers and other District officials. In the past, however, motorists liv- ing in nearby Maryland and Vir- ginia have caused most of the trouble. It is believed at the District Building that the new law to be- . come effective Janu: 1, requir- ing the payment of the personal };roperty tax on automobiles be- ore the tags are issued, will, in a large measure, aid in solving the problem, sinee it will make the actual cost of the tags nearer a parity with the price in other States. Closer Check Is Needed. But that is doubtful. If a mo- torist is shrewd enough to procure tags through falsification of in- formation, then he will surely find some way to evade a heavy e;}rlaonal property tax on the car. at would prevent him, for in- stance, for applying for tags on an old model on which the per- sonal property tax is listed at the 50-cent minimuym? . The situation in Florida mer‘e.}s serves to re-emphasize . the ne of a closer check on the informa- tion given by applicants for ‘Why not have applications re- ferred to the Police Department for investigation of the accuracy of the names and addresses be- fore the tags are issued? ‘The longest continuous link in Washington’s éver-extending net- work of traffic lights was put in olperation last week, but indica- tions are that completion of the current signal control program, be the K street al e mew extension runs Seventh and K streets morthwest to Fourteenth street and Florida avenue northeast, a distance of nearly. two miles. Since the vol- ume of trafic on the cross streets is nearly as great as it is on K street, the lights have been timed in recognition of this far_behind ‘the m«&.un‘umtm'fig B B e There are yet light lnn' allation fil‘m program arland hopes to have in opera- tion before ter comes, but his schedule is dependent entirely on the arrival of the poles. These in- clude als for Maryland ave- nue northeast from Second to Fifteenth _streets, Massachusetts avenue from Mount Vernon Square to New Jersey avenue, K street from Thirteenth to Eight- eenth streets and Eighteenth street from H street to Massachu- setts avenue. Independent installations also have ~been planned around Thomas and Iowa Circles, at_the intersection of Georgia and New Hampshire avenues and the in- tersection -of Connecticut avenue and Albemarle street. Aside from umn&nto service ts, trafic de- rtment last week also. removed he ll’hthouzellke signal which stood for several years in the cen- ter of New Hampshire avenue where it crosses teenth street, xnld replaced it with corner sig- nals. Harland had long objected to that signal in the center of sueh an important street intersection because it constituted an obstruc- tion and confused drivers on ac- count of the angle at which it had to be placed, He is pleased over the change and so are the residents in the neighborhood, who are not kept awake b[,x screeching brakes of glars coh 5 tge a !n’t: .’gor the "old Tml o operation all night, otherwise motorists would not have seen it in the darkness. The new lights are turned off at midnight. ‘The marked improvement in the traffic situation on Pennsyl- vania aveniue between Ninth and BB e T 2l parking an| paralle pten&mz cthe| {:‘no'll of "h:; m)c'u of the Capl Traction Co. has convinced some officials at the Unvise 1o FeClrs o Sugle pesting unwise to return to angle g when the work is completed. Traffic officials admit that the movement of traffic is smoother and duns have been few under gnru el parking, kely to come from them a rec- ommendation in the near future that angle parking be prohihited entirely on at least that section of Pennsylvania avenue between DOWN THE ROAD—Popular People. ALNVAYS RAN: QUT QF GAS ENTERS AN ENDURANCE RECORD ATTEMPT AS A FUEL. CHECKER . MUCH T0 BE SEEN INWEST VIRGINIA Great Network of Hard-Sur- face Roads Awaits Travel- ers in Interesting Field. is 30 ait- ‘North-central West all of the Ohio, uated as to draw heavily touring centers in N and Pittsburgh and lvania A veritable network of hard. rToads opens in every and splendid graded roads, not yet hard-sur- Taced, open still other gateways. ‘Thus U. S. 80 (Northwestern Turn- and there is| Bik®) Ninth and Fifteenth streets. Such | Wa¥ to its & a recommendation probably would receive the approval of the Com- missioners. Although a target of consider-| sutton, leads able criticism, traffic officers sometimes receive the com- mendation of an appreciative mo- torist. One of these rare cases occurred last week, when Inspec- tor E. W. Brown, in charge of the Trafic Bureau, was requested to extend the appreciation of a Vir- s}nh driver to an officer who was rec traffic at the intersec- ennsylvania avenue and treet. Suffering From Teeth. According to the driver, he was suffering intense g:in, having just left a dentist's chair after losing a couple of abscessed teeth, when he crossed Fifteenth street and Pennsylvania avenue, en route home, and, unconsciously, under the circumstances, disobeyed the officer’s signal, The Bo{lcemm stopped the machine, heard the driver's explanation and some- what sympathetically told him to 80 on his way. " u ‘That was a case of discretion ovoked tion of Fifteen! it tags.|the lack of which has pr 30 much criticism of the police force. The driver could have B g, e, Pols sl ang e for the violation, but that would not have relieved his suffering. Instead he was allowed to home, where sedatives and an ice . 2 ¢ Spencer is being hard-surfaced and t: :om: interesting route. State ahort route o Grafton by o Pru State Route 7 leads Alta and Oakland from Morgantown through & mountain- ous yegion, nowhere excelled for beauty or charm. Decker Was First in Town. ‘To Morgantown first came Thomas Decker, for whom Deckers Creek was named, but “’B&"fin Inn'lt the m'tmut-‘ tors TEAoid home ot Sackwel Mor- gan, built in 1774, still stands on Uni- versity avenue at its corner with Beech- hurst avenue. The Stal and experiment station are here. Cheat River is a noted Summer mo:mw B treat power daim on ihe State 1ne, al er on A AL s S e Da 3 z 'll::;'“fllg att ed his chil- ‘The site Prickett =tk roceed | m, ck did provide relief. The mo- | tions—) orist was grateful and wanted Inspector «Brown to know it. Gear Shiftless, Clutchless Auto Is Made for Col. E. H.R. Green & o Special Dispatch to The Star. SOUTH DARTMOUTH, Mass., Sep- tember 7.—A new-type pleasure auto- mobile with no ¢lutch or gears to shift, and capable of quick pickup and fast speed on the hills, a combination 60- E. H. R. Green, son of the late Hetty Green, world’s richest woman. It is the first auto of its kind ever bullt, and is the result of combined e; ‘The emergency brake ted. pr button are the same as in other starting cars. 83 gaiaas ir il 4 is ] E. i f i §=E ik i i £ 2 itk e ol gl i, MILADY’S MOTO By C. Russell G ;;S ‘When to drive overy e gfiz&f 531!3-5 gsf te University | por j i i L ] i } g § : i il & EEd 3 ; 5 g H i B HF a0 i i ¢ £ § I i s ¥ i £ £ i i £, § 31 i £ i i i ! i it | Eiz | : 4 ] B » H i f b £ 2 £ 2 £ i 1] : i i £i ; L : s i % 8 i £ B § ] 43 i £ 3 ¢h Z £ il i dof ifl g E s g ii E b ; pf g i I ; 13 i i 14 zi?fg ; it Woman Motorists As Disgraceful READING, England (#)—Its a atrange and sometimes tragic east of characters that hurries up and down the highways of England en bieycles, tricycles, meoter eycles, limousines and coaches. J. Launcelot Martin, the Reading coroner, has classified them rather caustically as follows: s e while driving. lhydhh-‘l":fly l'ld: '::;I" abreast %":;;uu%m with no 8 g £ Mr. Martin didn’t say. have for their es usually hmeul:.r .wtuu'uad:. ble people on mm by unloading inferiar oil at higher prices. The price serves as a baiter. (Copyright, 1929, by the Russell Service.) he in | This OPERATION OF TRANSMISSION OF AUTOMOBILE EXPLAINED Care Must Be Used in Shifting Gears to ‘Relieve Clutch—Care Should Always “Be WellA Lubricated, Expert Says. PY H. CLUFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. One of the inferesting discoveries generslly made some time in life is that , when it comes to considerable expendi- necessary and at @ slow rate of speed. In t‘h:‘:uh'nnhm m- demand a nrdl.. chine not only will carry us ra) on the smooth level roads, but will emnx the steepest hills and pull through the ud or sand without question. treme requirements could be our cars with very , but such motors build, their weight | mesh eostly so great that it would require b‘.’n’ut ear to carry them and most of the time they ‘burning up gasoline in a very J ner. ” ‘To previde all the speed it is practical to use and all the driving power that is necessary to carry the car over the steepest hills without emplo; an en- gine that is too cumbersome, t! is motor uipped with a transmission or speed gear. u&a gears usually are transmission to give selection of three dif« forward, with the en- gine running at a constant speed, and slso pravide for means of reversing the £ar. A greater range of car speed may be obtained by varying the speed of the engine through the use of the accelera- tor pedal. How Moter Performs. When a car is traveling along a smooth level road in high gear with the throttle of the which the engine is capable of driving it. If & down grade is reached the car will increase, because the foree of gravity adds its power to the power of the engine. If an up grade is en- countered, the foree of gravity becomes oppesed to the power of the engine and this added causes the engine to slow up through overwork. When the hill becomes steep enough the engine is overpowered and stops entirely unless something is done to relieve it. . ‘This is where the transmission zears ceme inte use. The operator hefore the engine has slowed too much, shifts the ars from high to second. The engine speeds up, but the car proceeds at a cumpmgve slower rate. The power of the engine is new being utilized for pulling force rather than for speed. ‘The transmission gear case contains two shafts, upen each of which several 78 are placed. On one of these shafts the gears are all fixed rigidly and they must all revelve with the shaft at the same rate of speed. The gears on the other shaft must revelve with it, but they may be slid back and forth along its length. The shafts are placed rallel; and threugh the aliding of the T e o ar sl lever, the operater may different combinations of sizes into ¢ which has 20 teeth, the engine will make two revolutions while the driving shaft is making only one. and deubles the pulling power of the car over what it weuld be if no gears were employed. More ;ower 1s required to start a car fzom & standstil’ than is keep it in motion after started. It is also desiral minute. Therefore, when start- car the lever is placed in the position. This into of such sizes that en- ake approximately four one of the driving shaft. As the car speed is increased the lever is shifted to high. In this position there are no gears in and the drive shaft turns one revolution for each revolution of fl: the engine power from speed to pulling force by shifting to the lower gears, which provide the greater leverage, Care must be used when shifting gears to relieve the strain from them by releasing the clutch, otherwise the edges of the teeth may be torn off as they alide out of or into mesh. It is also necessary to learn speeds the shifts can be made without cuts the driving speed in half | causing a grinding, due to unequal speeds of the gears being brought into mesh. When these points are mastered so that their observance becomes auto- matic, the only attention the trans- mission will require will be in tge matter of lubrication. transmission case should be filled up to a certain level with a heavy oil unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. The proper level is gen- erally determined by the opening in the side of the ease through which the lubricant is injected. (Copyright, 1929, New York Tribune, Inc.) BALTIMORE TRAFFIC TOLL RISES SHARPLY Nearly Twice as Many Are Killed in August, 1929, Than in 1928 Peried. Bpecial Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, September T.—~Nearly twice as many persons lost their lives in traffic accidents in Baltimore this August as in August a year ago, ac- cording to police department statistics, ‘Twenty-one persons died as the re- sult of accidents this year and twelve died in August, 1928. Of the 21 fatalities, 18 were caused by autos, 1 by a hicycle, 1 by a street car and 1 by a train. Last year in August 9 persons met deaths by auto accidents and 3 by railroad accidents. State-wide figures available show 35 ‘fi:wns were killed in Baltimore and ryland during last month, as com- pared to 25 deaths in August, 1928. The total number of fatalities for the r to date is 100. Last year it was 7. Of the 109 deaths this year 87 were caused by autos. Tesulted from auto accidents in the first eight months of the year. * When you buy Pennzoil \at%perqnart you are - getting the best and most ‘economical lubrication available today. as long as ordinary oils. pENNZOIL HIGHEST QUALITY PENNSYLVANIA OIL Best—because nothing can equal its Pennsylvania quality. Most economical—because it lasts fully twice «The best motor oil in the world” msnmumn' SOUTHERN WHOLESALERS, INC. 151921 L St. Phone Decatur 0130