Evening Star Newspaper, November 17, 1929, Page 73

5 IMOTOR COACH SEEN INFLUENCE IN AMERICAN MODE OF TRAVEL THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ¢, NOVEMBER 17, 1929—PART FOUR. DOWN THE ROAD—Recollections. THE FIRST COLLISION AS YOU REMEMBER IT--- Ry 3 f= FRANK BECK ‘ In the Motor World D traffic, cause. Indirectly, of course, the greater number of vehicles on the road- way makes driving less pleasant, because of the congestion which often ensues. But, in the opinions of many, it is increase of care- less and frequently reckless driv- ers that takes the pleasure out of motoring. Their percentage of in- crease seems to be considerabiy higher than the ever-growing number of automobiles. These drivers are to be found in all makes of cars and in all price fields. In Days of Yore. Once upon a time a motorist could take his family out and, even on Sunday, anticipate no trouble along the road unless his machine broke down or a tire AND AS & IT \WAS. ansportation by Means of Cars Has Grown Materially in Last Decade, According to Report. RIVING along the highways of the Nation is not what it used to be. This is not due to the increasing volume of at least not the direct any further the out-of-State driver knows he would have to remain over, go into court, endure a lot of delays, and maybe in the end receive no remuneration for his damages. A driver like that can color the truth very convinc- ingly. Ruefully, the driver of the damaged car surveys the situation, slowly gets back into the driver's seat and moves off, if he is that fortunate. His trip has been spoiled, and the only consolation is that it might have been worse. What has happened to all the laws that were enacted to protect life and property? Oh, yes; they are still on the statute books. A big help isn’t it? Approves Plan. The plan of Traffic Director William H. Harland to co-ordinatc the lights on Fifteenth street with those on Sixteenth street have been approved by the Commis- sioners. Instructions have been 2 . % - .o to The Star. 3 IO [QOTT Special Dispatch TORONTO, Ontario, November 16.— | For the first time an authentic record of the increase in population and pas- senger traffic on rail and motor coach lines in the United States has been made available to transportation ex- perts and others interested by the pres- entation at the transportation meeting of the Soclety of Automotive Engineers here last week by Frederick C. Horner of a 15-year survey. “It is evidenced,” said Mr. Horner, “that the advent of the motor coach has very materially changed the riding habit of our people. Figures indicate clearly the truly phenomenal growth of motor coach transportation in the United States during the last decade. “The short-haul, intercity and intra- state motor coach service is still more impressive in the volume of miles and assengers carried, the figures showing “The railroads are using mctor coaches in several ways, the most im- portant of which are: “In replacement of local train service. “As additional service auxiliary to local train service. “As additional feeder service to make local stops between zone points of fast trains. “As feeder lines. “In carrying employes to and from railroad shops. “As train connection service in ter- minal cities, as in New York City. “In touring service to Summer Tre- sorts, national parks, etc. “Service of the type mentioned has been furnished by the railroads for scme years. Train connection is best ex- emplified by the overation of the B:l- timore & Ohio Railroad motor coaches, whicl, take passengers from the com- pany’s rail terminus direct to hotels or motor coach stations in the heart of blew out. Today these troubles are most rare, due to the development and perfection of the motor car, along with which the tires have kept ace. What a pity it is then, with hese former troubles almost a thing of the past, that the motor- ist should face new ones, and ones to cause him much more alarm. No matter how careful a driver 1s nowadays, he is most fortunate to return from a trip of any dis- tance without experiencing some misfortune to his fenders, his bumpers, his radiator, his hub caps, if nothing more serious. Then all the narrow escapes he may have had from accidents in no way bring him any peace of What Price Care? ‘There is no wonder when one r!t.{s up the newspapers, especial- ly on Monday mornings, that one sees so many fatalities and in- juries. Itis, indeed, a wonder that there are not more. It would be bad enough if it were only the reckless driver that was penalized for his doings. Worse if it in- cluded occupants of his car. But how much worse it is when so often the victim or victims are in other cars—cars driven with the utmost care. It is said that service stations and repair shops do not make money in fixing up damaged cars. At times one would think this statement was a fallacy. Be that as it may, it would appear as a good investment for automobile companies to set aside some funds for their dealers to establish schools or courses where the buy- lnt%r‘ public might be instructed a little more about running a car and its obligations. Teaching a buyer how to start and stop a car and how to turn it around a cor- ner is not sufficient. this were carried out it might react to the advantage of the automotive world. There is still a lot more room on the highways for cars, but not for cars driven bg unexperienced or reckless chauffeurs. The teaching of the obligations of driving might curb recklessness. Situation Perplexing. Just what a motorist can do about an accident along the road in a State outside of his own is Yerplutng. All motorists cannot leave all details up to their insur- ance companies. The majority of drivers find that to be fully in- sured calls for very high rates At the best, he can afford only to carry certain policies that he con- siders necessary. In the event a motorist is struck and he is in no way to blame—just what can he do? Take an in- stance like which there are many. If the erring driver condescends to stop, the innocent driver gets out of his car and approaches the offender. Meekness or harshness bring generally the same result. ‘The two cars are examined. An excuse is offered as a rule, but how ludicrous often it is. There are no policemen around. The motor- ist responsible for the accident treats the collision generally as unavoidable—that is, if he does not try to place the blame on the other driver. Cars are blowing their horns behind to get by. No, the offending driver becomes in- dignant at the thought of paying for the damages. Seldom even it is said that he was sorry that “it happened.” given the Potomac Electric Light Co. to change the lights on the latter so the amber will overlap with the red and green. With this change a quicker timing on the through streets will be arranged. The change will allow also cross- town traffic to proceed across both streets without stopping at each intersection, as it is necessitated at present. This improvement will be made before the first of the year. Advance reports of the coming automobile shows are at hand The first and most popular exhibit opens in New York Saturday, Jan- uary 4. The Chicago show fol- lows. Another banner year in the llutomotive industry is nearing its close. Auto Developments. It has been thought that, except for minor improvements and re- finements, the development of the automobile would rest a while. This seems not to be the case, for| just last week came an an- nouncement of a new device which, if successful, will go a long way in making driving more com- fortable. A concern identified with one of the automotive fleld’s largest interests gives out a report from New York that after a period of seven years of research and ex- periments, a vacuum gear-shifting device has been perfected. This does away with the gear-shifting lever commonly used on automo- biles and enables the driver to do the shifting on the wheel by fin- ger-tip control. Experiments along this line have been made before, but have never made any widespread ad- vances either into practical lines or popularity. Unless the newly announced device prove otherwise, its beneficial advantages may be readily seen, especially among the woman motorists. Vacuum Gear Shift. According to reports, engineers have developed the vacuum gear shift, which requires a minimum of equipment and makes use of a natural element to shift the gears —the engine intake, used to create vacuum. Operation of gears is simplified and made easy. Shifting is quick- er, more accurate. Pre-selection of the gear in advance of the shift is a factor that has a direct bear- ing upon traffic speed. A touch of the fingers on a control lever mounted on the steering wheel makes the vacuum shift ready for an instant change when neces- sary. This, too, is accomplished without moving the hands from the steering wheel or taking the eyes from road or traffic. Greater safety, it is announced, is accomplished, while speedier acceleration is achieved. On an incline, it is only necessary to set the control for the second gear, await the time for shifting, then depress the clutch and the shift is automatically made. It requires only to remove the cover plate of the present trans- mission box and to apply a spe- cial one in order to place the new gear-shiting device on cars in use. This is done by attaching to vacuum tubing leading to two small vacuum cylinders mounted on a cross member at the rear of the transmission case. A simple H}le also runs to the motor intake pipe. Especially acceptable to women is this new advance in motoring, making it so much easier for them to operate cars. Nor do men ob- | l Poor Consolation. ject to anything which will save His name and license number | them a large portion of the effort are taken, but to push the matter formerly used in driving. Society Woman Invents Food Machine To Serve Motorists in Automat Style Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, November 16.—Auto- matic food machines to be installed along the highways for motorists and tourists and which will operate along the lines of the automat type of res- taurant have been invented by Mrs. Alice N. Parran, a Baltimore soclety ‘woman. Since receiving word from Washing- ton that her patent had been granted, Mrs. Parran has begun steps toward the manufacture and marketing of the device which keeps cooked food hot or | cold for 72 hours. According to her blueprints of the invention, it serves as cook, waitress and cashier. All one has to do is to put a coin in the box and be fed. Another charm of the food filling station is that all edibles in it will be cooked according to Southern Mary- land recipes. Chicken a la Maryland, beaten biscuits, Lady Baltimore cake and other traditional delicacies will be stored in it. From the outside it looks like a cone- shaped tank, with a coin box and a lever attached at the bottom. Inside, there are compartments for food and drink. A series of paper con- tainers, placed one on top of the other, hold the food. Liquids are in another compartment. In some cases, the food packages contain entire dinners. There is space for a chop or sliced chicken, a baked or roasted potato and a gresn vegetable. A knife and fork complete the outlay. The patented process in- sures the food will be as hot and whole- some at the end of 72 hours as when first placed in the box. Soups. hot chocolate, tea and coffee are in another part of the contawner. Glazed cups are provided automatically for serving the liquids. Mrs. Parran’s plan is to have the boxes refilled and Inspected every three days, s the food and drink will be fresh at all times. By controlling the boxes from a cen- tral office, the same recipes and service can be used for all of them. Mrs, Par- ran believes women's exchanges in | task of keeping the food supplied. Aside from the machines to be installed for public use, there is a smaller model which will be available for housewives. With a wageless servant in the house, wives can cook their husband's meals for two or three days ahead, seal them in the slot machine and then go on a vacation. . Susquehanna Trail Data. Tourists who are planning a late tour through New York, Central Penn- sylvania and Maryland should write to the Chamber of Commerce, Williams- | port, Pa, for the free Susquehanna ‘Trail booklet. every community can over | Automobile Purchasers Now Look (€. gt 1929 by Frank M Beck Trade Murk Reg U S Pov OF | FEDERAL ROAD AID POINTS CLARIFIED Distinction Between Rural “Post” Designations May Affect Appropriations. —— BY JAMES W. BROOKS, Director American Highway Educational Bureau. This false conception arises in the needs on rural free delivery mail roads threatens to confuse the public mind at the present session of Congress in con- nection with the usual Federal aid ap- propriation for highway work. ‘This false conceptionarises in the first place from the fact that there is not a proper understanding of the dis- tinction between the original term “post road” and a rural mail road, or “rural post road,” as it has come to be known in latter day legislative parlance. The first is the high road of “post chaise” days when taverns and stables marked the principal stopping places en route, while the second is in no sense a main road requiring equal treatment in the matter of improvement expenditures. The first has developed into the num- bered United States or State highway, while the second remains in its orig- inal classification as a by-road or com- munity connection with the main route. Viewed in the light of the original meaning of the word “post,” why the by-road is termed also a “post road” for mail purposes is perhaps no more explainable than the reason why steam- ship departures are still listed as “sail- ing tomorrow,” when, as every one knows, steam has long since supplanted wind in backing out of the harbor. Rural Mail Road. But the cold fact, so far as highway progress is concerned, is that the rural mail road, imporatnt as it is a com- munication link, does not share in im- portance with the main route, and any claim to the contrary is falsely based. For one thing, to attempt to set up & secondary Federal aid zone when work on the first and most heavily traveled zone is approximately but 26 per cent finished, as has been repeatedly stated before, would be to court disaster and endanger secondary road progress with unconstitutional procedure, since the Federal Government can deal only through State highway departments and not direct with counties and townships, in which the major mileage of rural mail roads is located. In a few States, complete State supervision in due time of all roads has been wisely provided for, but until this is done in all States, the Federal Government cannot be ex- pected to reach out to back roads, and certainly not before the main roads are much farther advanced in modern con- struction. It is claimed that there are 45,000, rural mail carriers using 1,270,746 miles of rural road, practically all of which need improvement, and that to improve this mileage no increase in taxation | or gasoline and motor license fees would be necessary, simply a broader use of present funds. Against this group of 45,000 may be set down that larger group of 25,000,000 motor car owners who are justified in their de- mands that major routes be completed | more rapidly and according to program. | Federal Aid Average. | For the past few years, Federal aid | appropriations have averaged $75,- | 000,000 a year for main route construc- tion. No road, even of the least ex- pensive type, can be improved at less than approximately $2,000 a mile, which | would mean considerably over $2,000, 000,000 on rural mail roads. Thereby would hang an almost incredible main- tenance tale, for bookkeeping on road | repairs already shows conclusively that the first cost is not the last, by any | means, particularly in the case of lighter-type construction. It has come to be an American habit of blithely talking about more money than there is, figuratively speaking, re- gardless of previous commitments or obligations, and this habit seems to be taking hold in the matter of road build- | ing, If there are any “hot chestnuts” to be pulled out of the fire for political or road material reasons or otherwise, motorists and other taxpayers are m'i the ones to get their fingers burnt in | having their highway capital spread out over too much mileage when it is not | yet sufficient to complete the main task. | COMFORT IS ISSUE. for Safety and Ease. The 4,192 persons who bought auto- | mobiles in 1900 were interested pri- marily in_knowing whether or not they | could get between two points with any degree of certainty. The more than 6,000,000 pur- | chasers of automobiles in 1929 are | interested primarily in what auto- mobile will give them the most safet and comfort between two points—will | operate with the least effort. In other words, the public no longer wonders if it can go somewhere, but its prime interest & in what manner it goes. l CLAIMS AUTOMOBILE TYPIFIES MACHINE AGE AT ITS HEIGHT H. Clifford Brokaw Classes Complicated | Vehicle as Most Readily Handled Instrument Ever Offered. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. ‘The machine age at its best is typified by the autcmobile. In the first place, the automobile, as a complicated piece of machinery in the hands of its owner, is one of the most readily handled in- struments in the world. When one con- siders the capacity of this vehicle to do violence in many directions and the comparatively small amount of violence over 12,000,000 of them in the United States do. one is justified in rating the l-uwmobfle as the machine par excel- ence. * ‘While the automobile is so skillfully constructed that operating the machine becomes a matter, in the main, of au- tomatic movements, it isn't yet practi- cal to produce automotive vehicles for general use that need no operators to run them. But it is possible to fll;oduee a car that can be operated entirely by mechanical means. No human hands need to touch it in order to make it go forward or stop, just as airplanes and submarines are thus operated. Constructed by Machinery. In the second place, it is of interest to note how nearly 100 per cent is this machine, the automobile, constructed by machinery. To a surprisingly great ex- tent is this vehicle built without direct contact of human hands. The trend in production is definitely in the direction of letting machinery do most of the work, Perhaps the day is not far off when a complete automobile can and will be constructed entirely by the per- formance of a number of different ma- chines. It is not unthinkable. What the scientists and engineers of the future will work out no one now dares to estimate, Perhaps the most significant indication of what is to come in this connection is the actual experi- ence which has been achieved in the construction of automobile frames. It is now possible to build 8,000 frames a day with only 120 men, so large a part does machinery play in the operations. In one plant it was found that there are 552 operations required on an ordi- nary automobile frame as it is built. On the basis of producing frames a day, this meant more than 4,000,000 operations, After simplifica- tion, standardization. elimination and condensation, one problem after another was solved. When these engineers can have time to complete the necessary studies, it is estimated that it may be possible to produce automobile frames entirely by mechanical processes. sually | In connection with the greater in- troduction of machinery to accomplish the manufacture of materials, a ques- tion often arises as to whether or not the finished product will be better or worse as the result of the lack of hu- man contacts with it. This, of course, must naturally vary with the product being produced. In the matter of auto- mobile framee it is believed that the | machine-made products are better than those made by former methods, espe- cially on account of the fact that the mechanisms must necessarily be exceed- ingly precise to insure automatic con- trol. ‘Things are so geared that the slightest flaw in raw materials or in machining stop the whole mechanism. Of course, it must be recognized, as far as the automobile is concerned, that there are many parts which cannot now be made entirely by the machine. In spite of whatever progress is made in the future there will always be a de- mand in the automobile industry for a large number of men whose physical and technical skill will be required for automobile manufacturing. Unemployment Phase Cited. Another question which arises has to do with the belief that the introduction of machineiy tends to increase unem- ployment. If work being done on an automobile by ten men can through the introduction of machinery now be done by one, what becomes of the other nine? Experience shows that the other nine are generally absorbed in other similar lines of work. For instance, the increase in the demand for new ma- chines to make motor cars calls for an increase in labor required to make the new machines. In spite of all the vast development in the use of machinery, the employment situation seems to be no more serious, and, in fact, the gen- eral prosperity of the Nation appears to be growing in an age of rapid develop- ment of machinery. Some of the lines of work pertaining to the automotive industry are highway construction and maintenance, adver- tising and selling automobiles, the used car business, garage management, con- ducting service stations, taxi drivers 0 | motor truck men, dealers in automotive accessories and others could be men- tioned. Perhaps some of these also tend to be conducted more and more by machinery. As the machine age ad- vances other new occupations will open and so the process continues, One thing millions of people have to thank the machine age for certainly is the automobile, CHANGED DESIGNS FEATURE CUSTOM-BUILT AUTO SHOW Special Dispatch to The Star. CHICAGO, November 16.—America’s national showing of custom-built motor cars, known as the automobile salon, has been in progress here during the last week. The exhibition indicates that style in automobiles is changing and that the familiar body lines on some of the oldest and best known makes eventually will be discarded. Modern design, so apparent in the architecture of buildings, is beginning to have its effect on the shape of the radiator and the cut of the body of automobiles. The enfineeu who shape the new cars are trying to imitate the new contour . of skyscrapers both in color and line, or silhouette, as some of them call it. They go in for effects that lead the eye to the bellef that the shape of a vehicle is rakish and fore- shortened, altogether out of proportion to actual mea’ urement. ese car bullders seek to convey the same kind of an impression as the drawings that make buildings look as if they are topheavy. In the cars it is done by setting the bodies lower than ever on the chassis, by pinching in the lower end of the radiators so that the slope is upward instead of downward, by fll:&,lng the windshield and doors backward, by flattening the tops and by squaring the corners of the windows here and curving them there in order to give the effect of length easy to translate into speed and motion In this year's designs the long hood is the badge of European style, and many of the American custom-built builders are copying it for convertible and sport body types. Other charac- teristics include the use of sliding roofs to let sunshine into some of the sport coupes. On the roadster, coupe and phaeton type the body panels are car- ried down below the chassis level and in certain models it has been possible to mount the door sills so low that run- ningboards have been done nwnf‘; As in other years, the distinction of exhibiting the highest priced car in the salon went to a foreign maker, although the, body design was by an American builder. This was the Rolls Royce town car, listing at $21,000, for which Brewster & Co. fashioned body and coach work, In this model the upholstery is Boyriven of France/ and it is said only enough of §t was "en for half a dozen P cars. The tonneau is embellished with wood inlay. said to have cost more than $2,000. It is by Orsenigo, an interior decorator of New York. The total value of the 95 cars ex- hibited in the salon approximated $1,000,000, and there were no cars listed lower than $9,000. The number of firms represented by chassis and body designs was half as large again as that of any previous salon. Five na- tlons were represented: England, the gn}led States, Germany, Belgium and aly. One of the oddities noted in the ex- hibition was the absence in some of the !amnrtesv. bodies of vanity cases which for years have been supposed to hold charm for milady. Now, however, it is | considered that most women carry their own cosmetic kits, so the makers do not mount them in the cars any more. Instead they have put in more and bet- ter cigarette lighters and ash trays, which it is thought will be of real con- venience in view of the increasing use of tobacco among women. One foreign- built car also has as a trick device a table that can be set up in the tonneau. When not in use it can be folded into { the back of the driver's compartment. | _ Rayon in interior trimming made its | first appearance in a motor car, as did Italian goat hide, which was used as the outer material in a car with a | fabric body. The snakeskin seen in the cars of former years was confined to only one or two models. Its use for upholstery and seat covering is being displaced by the comeback that leathers in novelty finishes and hues are making. The mechanical innovations were confined to two front drives, the Cord and the Ruxton, and two cars which were equipped with superchargers, the Stutz and the Mercedes (German). The Stutz supercharger was mounted in front and at the base of the radiator. It is controlled from the instrument board. A wire grill is mounted in front of it to keep out stones thrown up from the roadway. ‘The supercharger is of the low pres- sure, positive displacement type, run- ning at the same speed as the engin= shaft and is furnished as option: equipment. It is intended to function at any speed, in contrast with the super- chargers on the racing cars, which do not cut in until the car is traveling 65 by | miles an hour or more. ! (Copyright, 1929. by North American News- paper Alliance.) MOTOR VACATION REGORD EXPEGTED $3,500,000,000 Spent on Auto Touring in U. S. Alone in 1929. Citing the fact that $3,500,000,000 was spent on motor touring alone by the American people in 1929, the Na- tional Touring Board of the American Automobile Association declared today that the travel and holiday bill of the nation this year will exceed all previous records. Facts and figures bearing on the gigantic expansion of the national travel and vacation bill were brought out at the third annual conference of touring and travel experts, which con- stitutes the advisory committee of the National Touring Board of the Amer- ican Automobile Association. The purpose of the conference is to discuss ways and means for the more expeditious handling of travel a-wheel, a-wing and a-float, and in foreign parts s well as in the United States. Has Financial Significance. Willlam G. Bryant of Detroit, Mich., chairman of the A. A. A. National Touring Board, told the delegates that only one industry in America, namely, the automotive industry, now exceeds in expended on motor touring by the peo- ple of the United States. “The large expenditure of motor vacations,” sald Mr. Bryant, “has a financial significance to the whole country, in addition to the individual dividends it pays in health and whole- some recreation. There is no other business that is doing so much to dis- | tribute wealth and prosperity. vel, | in fact, is becoming more and more a | factor in national and international | stability. For this reason, governments, | statesmen, and travel agencies must possible way. “That the national travel bill—and this includes travel by motor, by - ways, by steamship and by airplane— should show such a definite increase this year is doubly significant because | of the large amount of capital that went into the securities markets. It goes to show the extent to which the travel habit has arrived and the part it is playing in the educational and recreational life of the masses.” Competition Now Keen. Mr. Bryant predicted that the next five years would see “an unprecedented increase in travel a-wheel, a-wing and a-float,” and stressed the importance of what A. A. A. clubs are now doing to expand their facilities into all fields ;)1( travel service and travel informa- ion. “Competition for the dollar of the traveler,” Mr. Bryant said, ‘“has_come the national and international economic arenas. This competition, while whole- some and friendly, is perhaps as keen as anything business or industry has witnessed in the history of the world. “Engaged in it is every form of trans- portation, and every country and region that has recreational and holiday re- sources ;to sell. Europe is competing with America and the tide of travel to Europe today would seem to indicate that they have stolen something of a march in salesmanship on the favored recreational areas in the United States. Perhaps it is because they were first to realize the importance of advertising | these resources. From the standpoint of the traveler this competition is all to the good because it will inevitably mean better service, more economic :rln!pomuon and better accommoda- ons. “While the American traveler is fast coming of age, our experience in han- dling millions of them at home and many Lhousands of them abroad, shows that he has yet much to learn. The thing that most frequently interferes with the pleasure of the holiday today is that it is not planned far enough in advance. This often applies not only to the actual tour but to the budget as well. With the facilities offered by A. A. A. clubs today there is no reason why our travelers should not have their plans developed long in advance of their actual departure. “These facilities are offered at home and abroad. Motor tours are arranged with dispatch, extending to all details of the trip—hotel arrangements and emergency service along the road. Ser- vice equally efficient is provided for the tourist abroad and includes arrange- ments for transportation of the car by skdlmh!.r,df‘l:lrlx'\ce "fl'u‘ough customs, an Ny g of entry uirements at international borders. s e i s MR Ready for Ache in Neck. Some drivers find that they can es- cape the ache that comes in the back of the neck after a long day at the wheel by holding the head a little to one side while running. Paris Has Rigid Parking Rule. dollars and cents of output the sum |0 | stand ready to promote travel in every | to be one of the keenest struggles in | Positio 2,055,390,000 passenger miles of trans- portation sold and 292,000,000 passen- gers carried during 1928. Some form of motor coach service is operated be- tween all cities and towns of any size, | Fe, and these services are continuously be- ing improved. Here I would point out that the more convenient and comfort- able we make any form of transporta- tion service, granted the traffic is pres- ent, the greater the riding habit will become. Transportation Figures. “According to the latest figures com- piled by Bus Transportation, as of January 1, 1929, slightly more than one- half of the 1,032 cities in the United States having a population of more than 10,000 had some form of local motor coach service. Of approximately 625 such cities regomn‘ bus _service 163, or 29 per cent, had no other means of public transportation than busses, taxicabs and private automobiles. In London the motor omnibus is such a big factor in the city transportation picture that nearly 5000 are in daily service and during 1928 carried more than 1,250,000,000 passengers. Although we have nothing in the nited States to compare with this operation, still our city service bus occupies a very im- portant place in our city transportation structure. It has made a real contri- bution to the new demands caused by changed conditions. New sections of cities have been opened, creating new transportation demands, which have been filled by the city type motor coach. Feeder lines, co-ordinated with electric railways and main line motor coach service, part of the transportation facilities of most of our cities as the streets on which the electric car, the bus and the automobile operate. “More than 300 electric railway com- panies in the United States and Can- ada are now operating approximately 10,700 motor coaches, covering more than 20,000 route miles, in conjunction with their rail service. fome 50 addi- tional companies have entirely replaced their electric car service, using more than 500 motor coaches for this pur- pose. The motor coaches owned by all these companies were operated an ag- gregate of 300,000,000 miles during 1928 jand carried more than 1,000,000,000 passengers. “In some cases in the railroad fleld the motor coach is limited to sparsely settled districts where there is not suf- ficient traffic to justify the operation of passenger trains, but in some other dis- tricts local passenger service can best be performed by motor coaches in con- junction with express train rail service. Motor coach transportation should be encoura by the railroads whenever it fulfills the public need, and the railroads should adopt it whenever it offers the most economical method of transporta- tion. If the public prefers to ‘ride on rubber’ it will do so, alf h in some cases part of the price it must pay must be a reduction in rail service. Some of our railroads are endeavoring direct the public’s ridi; habits along economic lines, suppo: {‘ inde- pendent highway transportation lines in their legitimate field, but not hesitating to provide their own motor coach serv- ice where it has proved to be the trans- portation tool that best meets the re- quirements. New York City and Brooklyn. have come to be as necessary a | O Notable examples of touring service are the services of the Boston & Maine, Santa , Union Pacific and other railroads to resorts and national parks. In general, the railroads have found it best to con- duct their motor coach operations them- selves, or through contract with exist- ing motor coach operators, or through a subsidiary company organized by the railroad company. Operation by a sub- sidiary company * *s become very popu- lar and is the most general practice. ““The steam ad electric railroads are making money in two ways by using motor coaches—first, by reducing losses on_unprofitable train “operations, and, second, through actual increase of pas- senger revenue from motor coach lines acting as feeders and supplementary to long-distance rail service. An excep- tional case is one in which a steam railroad is saving more than $25,000 per year where one motor coach replaced a dally train. e d companies’ solution of the short-haul passenger service problem in many places is to gve motor coach service by buying out dependent motor coach lines, by con- tract or through a stock partnership in well organized motor coach compa- nies tgl-t tlre‘nnacflnfl: “: necessary and convenient transpo: n service in their territories. 23,300 Companies Now. “At present 23,300 companies, includ- ing independent Tators as well as electric and :ml:?;‘nmud com] 3 are operating such service. During 1928 motor coaches of these companies car- ried more than 1,793,000 ngers. bviously the development of so vast a system of transportation is certain to have its effect upon the steam and electric railways. ~Since ~motor-coach traffic reached a great volume in 1925, passenger traffic on the railroads has steadily declined. This is due largely to the rflvnu automobile, as only a small portion of the railroad traffic was lost to the motor coach. The number of motor coaches operated by steam rail- roads increased from scarcely 200 at the end of 1924 to more than 1,200 in 1929 tain motor-coach service. The electric railway industry was not so slow to adopt this form of tion, and already more than 50 per cent of our ele.c_{_flc railways operate motor coaches, “To 25 or 30 cents "g:r mile for coach. For railroad, these are out-of-pocket costs only and do not include fixed charges, maintenance and the like. ratio is not far from 5 to 1 of the motor coach. For the average fuel cost is mile, while for the motor or rail maintenance, was $1.59; of rail cars, 72 cents, and of motor o el proweaes as Iready been made %, al N Ma in lpplyg:[ the motor coach -ordina portation facilities.” AUTO SHOW PLANNED ON RECORD SCALE| National Exhibit in Two Cities to| Be the Most Attractive. Ever Held. S. A. Miles, manager of the National Automobile Shows to be held in New York and Chicago in January, plans to make the exhibitions more attractive to | the public than ever before. To this end the displays will be augmented with features which will cover every phase of the motor car industry. Manager Miles announced recently that not only will there be more than 100 exhibits of accessory manufactur- ers at the New York show, but that 54 concerns have been allotted space in the shop equipment section of the ex- ition. The majority of New York show exhibitors will display their prod- ucts at the Chicago show. Interest in the accessory section has increased each year. Among the ex. hibits for the 1930 show will be new ideas in radiator caps, vanity cases, windshields, electric heaters, jacks, tire carriers, trunks, vacuum cleaners, radia- tor coverings and hundreds of other FOUR MILES OF HIGHWAY IN CALVERT COMPLETED Crain Road Extension Will Shorten Distance From County to ‘Washington. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, November 16.—Four miles of the Crain Highway extension in Calvert County have been completed, according to a report ot the State Roads Commission. This road will be 12 miles long, beginning at Hill's Bridge in Anne Arundel County and ending at Sunder- land in Calvert County. It opens up a large section of Calvert County which has been without any kind of improved highway and will shorten the distance from the southern section of the county to Washington. ‘Work will be pushed on the remain- ing two miles of the first six-mile sec- tion and it is expected that it will be completed and in use before Winter sets in. The second section of six miles will b: finished in the early Spring, it is said. Bridges to be erected over Lyons Creek and Halls Creek are in- cluded in this road project. WHERE TO MOTOR AND DINE things that add to motoring comfort. | Drawing for passenger car spaces for | both shows took place several weeks ago, | when 46 makers were allotted exhibition room. The New York show, which will | be held January 4 to 11, will occupy four floors of Grand Central Palace. | The Chicago show in the Coliseum will | be held January 25 to February 1./ American and foreign cars will be shown, RACING MOTOR EARNS | $150,000 PRIZE MONEY | Louis Meyer's Automobile Was Runner Up Twice Before Tak- ing Two Victories. The racing car with which Louis Meyer won the national official speed- way championship for 1929 has won prize money totaling $150,000 in four years and at the same time has estab- lished a record for speedway safety, according to the Contest Board of the American Automobile Association, A Henry Miller creation, the car is the racer which carried the late Prank Lockhart to runner-up position in the 1926 and 1927 battles for the A. A. A. championship. On Lockhart's death at Daytona Beach in 1928, Meyer pur- chased the car and drove it to victory in 1928 and 1929. “Only once in its entire career was it forced to retire from a race due to serious mechanical trouble,” says the A. A A Contest Board. Capitol Attracts Tourists. Harrisburg, capital of Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna Trail, its of ings in the United States. It fis PARIS _(#).—Thirty-minute auto- mobile parking in a downtown area a mile yere has been ordered by the police,’ gmkm will be tolerated in | Oekiey and with statuary by Barnard. adorned by paintings by Abbey and | An enormous can battle of Gettysburg is less wonder among depicting the t of end- et Sunday Chicken Dinner boast - one of the prettiest State capitol build- | Open "fi the year mtlo-.h u‘:l’ht further n. On Richmond Road 2 reeny yersndrs Homz CooKin ‘Luncheon or \Supper-’ 85¢~3100 Dinner $128 #3130 Phone Alexon ria el GRAY'S HILLINN On Old Mt. Vernon Estate Between Woodlawn and Fort Hum- phreys. Overlooks Potomae from dining porch. Phone Lorton 3-F. Lafayette Tea Boom 106 W. Patrick St. Frederick, Md. Frederick’s Smartest Tea Room Chicken & Waffl Fres Parking WARREN GREEN HOTEL e Dinners, $1 ice_In_Rear N, VIRGINIA WARRENTO! g2 o Ve M. RS’ FRED % L O s G. BER( . P el Telephone Warrenton 280 e caeen§128 M.~3:00 P.M. Sea Food Singing Pines Tea Fairfax, Va. Luncheon, Dinner, House Tea, e