Evening Star Newspaper, March 9, 1930, Page 59

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. OCAL traffic fatalities total- ed four for the month of February, bringing the num- ber up to seven for the first two months of 1930. This total shows a decrease of two over the same period last year, as in' Jan- uary, 1929, seven occurred and two ih February of that year. From all indications the National Capital continues to lead the low fatality list among the cities of its size. Director of Traffic William H. Harland, is of the opinion that many accidents are caused daily b7 motorists making a right-hand turn from the center of the street. He points out that the motorist to the right cannot see a signal to turn even if one is made. Unorthodox Turns. Unquestionably this is true, an the reason that a driver shoul make such a turn is hard to un- derstand. The same situation exists at the various circles of the, city. No one can watch a circle for more than a few minutes and fail to see several motorist hug- ging the inside suddenly pull out to the right. In this case the driver is literally driving on the wrong side of the street. No one can pass him to the left as pre- scribed in the traffic regulations. To break up the dangerous turns on streets away from the circles the drivers can be charged with failure to give the proper signal when making a turn. No signal can be regarded as proper if it cannot be seen. Mr. Harland also is urging the motoring pub- lic to check up on their head- lights. According to him, there has been many cases lately in- volving collisions where the lights are out of focus or blinding. A free inspection bureau is main- tained at nearly all times in back of the Traffic Bureau. Installation of signal lights at East and West Executive avenues are awaiting the arrival of neces- sary materials. Mr. Harland still is desirous of having the posts removed between the State, War and Navy Building and the White House offices. A conference on the subject with Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, director of public bulldings and public parks, has been arranged. Although it was first believed that the offices in the Traffic Bureau would be moved to the new quarters on John Marshall place, south of the Municipal Court by the middle of this month, it is now thought likely that the change will not occur until the 1st of July. Necessary improvements in the new quarters are given as the reason for the delay. Responsibility Needs. Need for some law making the drivers in the National Capital re- sponsible is shown nearly all the time. Last week a case came up, not unlike hundreds, that sub- stantiates this need. A collision occurred in which the occupant of one car suffered injuries requiring a physician’s care. The car was damaged to an amount of more than $100. The driver of the other car, who was responsible for the lccident. was a soldier. His car was nine years old, for which he had recently gald $75. This amount was raised y several of his soldier friends “chipping” in. The car was in bad mechanical condition, to say the least, and its brakes might as well not be on the car at all. Responsible for the accident— ves. Financially responsible—no. He was making $30 a month as a soldier. His conviction, fine or jail sentence in no way helps the owner and occupant of the other car. Can any one say that this soldier and countless civilians in similar circumstances should be allowed the right to drive? The Washington Automotive Trade Association is trying to find some fair way to eliminate this menace. So should the Traffic Bureau, and, if necessary, Con- gress. Weekly auctions where cars can be bought from 50 cents up do not help the situation. Compulsory inspection of all cars once or twice a year would alleviate such deplorable condi- tions. Mr. Harland requested the enactment of regulations to this effect more than a year and a half ago. Other cities have such re- quirements and many States. Op- position to this plan is made on the grounds that a lot of graft would be manifest by appointed service stations for inspection and the issuing of certificates. This might be so, but better a little graft than the present situation. A check upon the places of in- spection by the Police Department | would take care of this condition. At a meeting of the Washington Automotive Trade Association last |week a pleasing picture was de- cribed over the local outlook. In- reased registration of automo- | biles over last year and an in- | crease of 350 used-car sales were the basis for the report. May this | prognostication be realized. | Factory heads may be pleased | with the following report: | Commerce Reports. Keeping pace with the gain of 8 per cent over the total export valuation for all automotive prod- ucts during 1928, shipments of re- placement parts, accessories and service appliances to our overseas lmarket.s were improved by 9 per cent during the 12 months ended | December 31, 1929, according to |the automotive division, Depart- |ment of Commerce. The actual export value under these three | classifications amounted to $88,- 1 864,764, or 15.7 per cent of our | total automotive shipments for the past year. Thus in the brief |space of five years our customers abroad have more than doubled their demand for American parts, | accessories and service equipment, their purchases growing from 1$43,257,018 in 1925 to the 88-mil- |lion-dollar figure in 1929. Since 1913 a gain of 1,314 per cent has been recorded over the total of $6,270,116 for the pre-war year. Replacement parts have in- creased their share of the ship- ments under these three cl. cations amounting to $71,490,803, or 80.6 per cent of the total, as against $64,252976, or 79.2 per cent during 1928. Canada re- tained its place as the chief buyer of replacement , with an im- provement of 51.8 per cent, or $3,839,618 in its purchases. Argen- tina’s growing tfemmd accounted for an increase of $1,776,772, or 418 per cent, advancing to the second position of importance, closely followed by Germany and the United Kingdom. Accessory exports were slightly improved in value over 1928, but accounted for but 10.6 per cent of the group total, as against 11.4 per cent in the preceding 12 months. Canada was again far in the lead as the leading buyer of American accessories, with a gain of $1,666,451, or 67.6 per cent over 1928. Argentina and Aus- tralia reversed their position as the next two markets of impor- tance, with the former in second place. There were no other major changes among the other markets, with Brazil, New Zealand, Japan, United Kingdom and France ad- vancing their takings, while Italy u':&l Germany were No change occurred among the first four markets for service ap- pliances. The total year's ship- ments under ut.hul ‘lgohmnm cation was 8] roxgn X er than g 19! lm:ly represented 8.8 per cent of the export valuation of the group under discussion. The United gdom has shown a steadily decreasing demand since 1927, and its purchases of service appliances for the year just ended were substantially un- der the figure for 1928. Canada, to the contrary, has been improv- |ing since 1927, and our exports |under this heading exceeded the million-dollar mark in 1920. Two |new markets appear in the “first 10” list, namely, Soviet Russia and Algeria-Tunisia. Auto Accidents Rai se New Problema For Law, Columbia Dean Declares The sutomobile has raised new prob- lems for the law, Young B. Smith, dean of the Columbis University School of Law, says in his annual to Presi- d!:x Nkholnwfiumytnu er. i coording to recent estimates, than 180,000 people were killed, and over 6,000,000 were injured in auto- mobile accidents in the United States during the last decade, declares Dean Smith. announcing the formation of a committee to study the whole lem of compensation for automobile acci- dents and methods of administration. The study is being carried on under the suspices of the Columbia for Research in the Social Sclences. Profs. Joseph P. Chamberlain and Noel T. Dowling of the Columbia Law School ere members of an executive commit- tee of five who are the work. The work is concerned with the pres- ent basis of liability and methods of ad- ministration, and also with proposed remedies “The annual toll of deaths and in- juries in the United States steadily in- creases.” Dean Smith continues. “Dur- ing 1928 alone, 27,500 were killed and 962,000 were injured. AS a result, there has been an enormous increase in lit- ‘The court calendars are clog- tort cases, most of which have arisen out of motor vehicle accidents. “The trial courts in the more densely DON'T COLLIDE WITH THE STATE WAR & ) E - THOUGH THESE PosTs May ANNOY YOU, TREAT THEM GENTLY; THEY MUST HAVE -"A FRIEND. AT 10 HAVE REMAINED STANDING 80 LONG ! =1 TOURIS mllnufl centers are one to two years d with their work. The situation Ihm become so bad in New York that in 1927 the special calendar committee, appointed by the appellate division of e Supreme , Arst ent, a_possible soll some form of compulsory insurance, similar to workmen's compensation, to be ad- ministered by an administrative board. In any event, existing rules of law ;_H‘du ;Xl‘le. rx;\lchn:‘ery for flu\rungnhh- oY inadequas cope | with the sithationss e TS’ AID ASKED IN WILD LIFE DRIVE Motorists Are Urged to Help Re- | duce Fatalities Among Birds and Animals. _An effort to enlist motorists in & Na- tion-wide campaign to reduce highway : casualties among animals, domestic fowl | and birds is being made by the Ameri- {can Automobile Association. In this connection the American Mo- torist, official A. A. A. publication, says: | “There still seems to be a difference {of opinion regarding whether animals think, but it is beyond question that motorists do, and for this reason the American Automobile Association has undertaken to enlist every driver in & Nation-wide campaign to reduce high- I~} | ¥ay casualties among animals, domestic | fow] and birds. “Thousands of animals and birds are victims of the automobile annually. Many of these fatalities are unavoid- able, but undoubtedly the number can be greatly reduced if every motorist will take 1t upon himself to exercise -Hdhflz (more than reasonsble care when hi path iIs obstructed by a dog, cat, rabbit, | squirrel or chicken. | When Windshield Wiper Fails. If your windshield wiper falls to operate xrupflrly. work the windshield back and forth from extreme . to closed position several times. Te 18 a possibility that the rubber hose con- nection behind the header board is kinked, and if so, this simple operation | may remedy it. If the trouble lies in & | leaky hose connection, then the best | thing to do is to stop in at your service | station and have it repaired. ‘":::u'u m-:em erowd‘e:. tmrmly 9 per of CArs are ol ‘excee: half & million, low the 1928 | o SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 9, THE DOWN THE ROAD—Recollections. THE GRAND FINISH OF THE TWO-MILE RACE----AS*YOU REMEMBER IT--- 1930—PART FOUR. —By FRANK BECK MILADY’S MOTORING BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. REVIEWS QUTLOOK IN AUTO INDUSTRY Cram Advises Care in Opera- tion Based on Trend of February Production. that there are two instruments in one) ‘The fashio: te wonders how the ol to mark off the 500-mile highway department knows there are sharp curves ahead. E It isn't enough for milady to know that to stop a skid it is necessary to steer in the direction the rear of the car slides. She must be prepared to do the job quickly. Cars travel faster today, with the re- sult that skidding is of the speedier sort. In a flash the rear end of the car may come around to overtake the front, so that at the first sign of trouble the driver must swing the steering wheel to the side the car seems to be skid- ding. This is doubly difficult for many, because the natural inclination is to steer the other way. ‘There is a thought for every motorist in the case of a woman who listened to the wrong salesman and purchased & car she really did not want. Imme- diately after taking the wheel she was dissatisfied with it and wanted to make a change. For months she has been shopping around for another car, trying her best to find some one who will take the other one off her hands at some- whete near the figure she paid for it. Time passes. Her dissatisfaction creases, while bids become lower and of miles trip dial. If the dial of the total mile- read 885. Leaving the stem of the trip- setting mechanism so that the trip mile- age does not , this number then stands as a reminder to have the oil 4,885. (Copyright by the Russell Service.) pesoticiis fempermien I0WA AS ROAD BUILDER. Reviewing the trend of production during February, the observer finds in- creasing evidence that the automotive industry’s condition, as well as the con- dition of nearly all business at present, is such that operations must be con- ducted carefully and with regard to the fundamental economic laws of supply and demand, as well as certain other factors, according to B. H. Cram, presi- dent of Cram’s Automotive Reports. That is, the slightest tendency to- ward recklessness in production, in- duced by a current satisfactory situa- tion as regards sales and the inherent desire of every manufacturer to in- crease business volume, may very easily unbalance the industry, with results more or less disastrous. Conditions in February Outlined. Many of the manufacturers opened the month with marked increases in dally schedules, although the majority fixed no tentative u@-\:g.lw the month | rage quick. and readily admitted that their output |as possible. The mere process of shop- would be regulated strictly in accord- | ping around in the car one wants to get ance with orders and sales. The heavier | rid of helps to wear it out and depre- hedules the output total con- | clate it. industry m« 0V the second week, tions apparent that this figures on the of every five miles are surfaced and of 1,000 miles of coi |of hard surface roads. upkeep costs, this in 10 yea In buying s car always take a dem- onstration in the exact model for final selection. Bodies make a surprising dif- ference in many cases. ‘The characteristics of the seven-pas- senger model of one make of car are 30 different from those of its coupe ver- sion one would hardly think it the same product. Especially for the driver who is sensitive to steering, power and brak- ing, the untried body model may g'rou to be a disappointment. Frequently the riding qualities are vastly different be- tween models. ‘Two-tone horns may be the vogue, but the woman who drives in a truly smart fashion will remember to use the “dou- ble toot” method of horning. In be- tween the toots she will have a chance to hear any warning that may be given simultaneously by another driver. There have been a surprising number of in- stances where one driver's warning has canceled that of the other, with a col- lision as the penalty. It is interesting to note that many women who drive very creditably when alone at the wheel become nervous when there are passengers, especially if a stranger has taken a position on the front seat. Psychologists suggest that in a case of this sort the best way to feel assured that the passenger isn't thinking of your driving is to ask her some question that calls for her talking about herself. 't ons came in, how- ever, it was evident that a change was . The change was the fre- quent reduction of daily output sched- ules, with the announcement by one or two companies who had fixed tentative tically. The week's total output was noticeably below that of each of the first two weeks. And now that the industry has closed the fourth week of February holding, for the most part, to these generally lower levels, it transpires that the accelerated rate at which the month was opened was hardly justified by demand. Such a level slm;ly was not warranted by the sales trend of the moment, as manu- facturers have learned, it is hoped, to their advantage. Halt in Activity Serves as Offset. The relaxed activity of the last two ‘weeks, however, has served to set things right again, and prospects for March point to good gains in sales and pro- duction. But February has disclosed that eternal ce and care must rule the manufacturers this year. The truck division has not been af- fected in this manner, simply because it has maintained a more or less even trend throughout the month. The final week disclosed producers operating at unchanged levels, although the rate at which incoming orders were gaining in- dicated that heavier production must come soon. Increases have occurred in both con- sumer and original equipment tire sales, but the gains have not been sufficlent to cause manufacturers to step up out- put yet. A policy of caution still pre- vails, but with the Spring upturn in the consumer market expected soon heavier production is near. SUGGESTS ONE METHOD TO FACILITATE PARKING Veteran Dealer Says Individual Mo- torist Should Correctly Utilize the Available Space. ‘The individual motorist can do much to relieve the parking problem by giv- ing more attention to correct utilization of the available space. ‘This point is made by Rudolph Jose, asse: par roblem can idered far less acute if drivers will carry courtesy into this phase of mo- toring. Slovenly parking, in Mr. Jose's estimation, is & mark of selfishness that should be obliterated for the wel- fare of all concerned. “There is very little excuse for it, under any circumstances,” Mr. Jose says. “It may take a little extra time to drive into such & way AND UP~F. O. B. DET! Being sensitive to noises and curlous to know their cause, women very nat- urally come to be acquainted with the front-end timing gears and timing chains, for these parts are notoriously bad actors. Their function 1s simple enough. The valves of a car and the spark ignition must be timed in harmony with the movement of the pistons. The cam- shaft, which operates the valves, is thus made to drive from the main shaft of the engine, either through gears in di- rect contact or through chain contact. Usually these gears or the chain also run the shaft to og:nu the generator, water pump and the distributor. They are hard-working parts, subject to con- siderable wear. Looseness results in whining noises, and where a chain is employed there is a possibility of jump- ing a tooth on one of the gears, thus throwing things out of time. Timing gears sometimes hum because they are ; not matched or are not properly .con- structed and chains become noisy if too loose or too tight. The service man is justified in making s mountain out of what may impress one as being just a molehill. Incidentally, should the engine sud- denly seem slow in action, assuming that it is well warmed up and the car is not overloaded, the chances are that the chain has allowed the timing to be- come “Iate” Usually this happens to the ignition timing alone and is corrected by any mechanic who knows his business. The main is for a space in as to use no more of it than is abso. lutely necessary, but certainly it is time spen t. The road hog is an old and le tordom, The driver began to look into his park- .I.n-d technique. If he is guilty of care- lessness or selfishness, he have no difficulty in neTmn‘ his faults if he will but take the trouble to conduct a self-inventory. Does he take more than his rightful share of the available space? In parallel parking, does he leave the rear of the car so far from the curb that backing into the space is impossible? The answer to these and similar questions an unequivocal ‘yes’ or ‘mo.’ “There is room for improvement in h‘:#ncourmy. and it is up to the m: ual car owner to correct his attitude in this vital respect. AUTOMOTIVE BRIEFS N. D. Hawkins, !m" president of the Hawkins-Nash Mo Co., announced last week the leasing of the show room at 1825 Fourteenth street northwest. This show room is in addition to the present location at 1520 Fourteenth street northwest and will be used en- present location will be devoted to new- car sales, service and general offices. GARNER MOTOR ' CO. Leonardtown, Md. period. With the red numerals which indicate tenths o there are three numbers on the age reads, let us say, 14,385, she turns the trip dial until the three numerals changed when the total mileage registers Ten years ago nine-tenths of owa's State highway system was composed of | unimproved dirt roads. Today four out when this year's construction program ! ncrete pavement is completed Towa will have 3,200 miles Prom the standpoint of the motorist alone, and not considering lowered road nd miles of new pavements will pay for themselves TS, 96D WITH THESE FEATURES Unisteel# Construction of Chassis and Body Down-Draft Carburetion Impulse Neutralizer Full Pressure Feed Labrieation Mechanical Fuel Pump—Fuel Filter—Air Cleaner Thermostatic Heat Control Hydraulic Brakes 'ROADS DEVELOPED - IN SOUTH AMERICA Highway Program Regarded as Having Opened Vast Un- touched Resources. One of the outs! points of progress in the Western World is the recent highway develos:em in South manager of the. Scport Gepartment of manager of the e the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce. Highway development, in Mr. Bauer's opinion, has a wider influence than its effect on motor transport. The ern continent, unexplored areas miles back from the river route. As high- ways continue to penetrate into these new territories this new wealth will be ‘mld'e‘ lvnlhble‘ullnd wgelfl {a\l“ in a eater per capital prosperity. 'rln Br&e:fl there has been_consider- able industrial expansion. Sao Paulo 1s one of the fast growing cities of the world. Motor plants, hydraulic elec- tric developments and other industries are forging ahead. There is now & 350-mile highway from this city to Rio de Janeiro, and a new road is being CHRY vast untouched resources on the south- plasined from Rio de Janeiro to qual tropolis. FACTORS THAT GOVERN VALUE OF CAR OUTLINED BY EXPERT Amount Received in Trade-in and Sum Paid When Sold on Market Are Compared and Explained. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. What is a reasonable length of life for an automobile? This is a question in the minds of millions of automobile owners, who have altogether invested billions of dollars in these automotive vehicles. When a man buys an auto- mobile he has something which repre- |sents a substantial investment. A few days later, when he has driven the ma- cine a thousand miles or more and thus got it in fine working condition, where It is really worth more than the day he | purchased it, he finds that it is worth, in_the open market, considerably less. From then on he looks forward to the time when he will be able in some way to substitute for his machine a new and later model, and along with this he considers how much he should be able to get for his present automobile when he finally comes to the point of making a change. One of the chief reasons for selling 2 second-hand car is to get a new one, in which case the owner can trade it in as part payment on the new machine, | although there may be advantages in selling it himself. It is pointed out by some that an ably more than can be received in the open market, especially for the less popular models. One can determine the popularity and desirability of the new car by the amount of the allowance on the old one, as it has been gener- |ally found that the more popular the make of new car the less the dealer will give you for your old one. Therefore, large allowances indicate that the de- | below the supply, while small allow- ances indicate the demand greater than the supply. By the time all overhead charges are added up, it costs the dealer on average at least $50, and probably $100, to sell your old car. It is therefore evident that even should the dealer |allow you the market price, he is likely to lose $50 or more, whereas if he al- lows you $50 over the market price, he loses $100. The profit on the average car is not large, certainly not large enough to assume that the dealer can lose very much on each used car sale | and still remain in business. In selling the car yourself, you have about an equal chance as the dealer price for it, with it the deal. Thullun'thme is lllo‘the pos!ll:fllh.ty of your sel your car for more than the average market price, because the used-car buyer usually prefers to ob- tain a car direct from the former owner, as it is not so easy to determine how much use and what kind of care a car has had when the former owner is unknown. If the owner is in no hurry to make his sale, he may get a top price by find- l;n‘: &yer ‘who is tflll.u‘ to uv; m t average buyer of second-] cars. The dealer cannot afford to hold a car ca he a n for any great length of time, be- use pf the limited amount of space can give over to housing cars. ‘An owner who sells his old car is at | liberty to select his new car according to its merits. Even if all automobiles |of & given price class are alike in the quality of their construction they may not suit you equally well. In your judg- men they are sure to vary a n:_l:“dekrl in formance, &) an g T A S various other factors, as fuel econ- | | | | | SLER automobile dealer will allow consider- | mand for this make in your locality is | the | . | must have systematic lubrica MOTORS wy, will be of importance to some yers. It may be that the owner has become 80 used to the old car that he does not particularly care to part with it, and it is mot always probable that he will ob- tain very much in trading it in when buying & new car; at any rate, it is becoming more and more to keep the old car when a new automo- bile is purchased. By having the old car on hand to be used in bad weather and for rough service, the life of the new car may be prolonged. Another solution might be presented to the person who is in of an old car which has received good care and in its present condition is still !oth few h’"lre.é lyhrg“vlu it r& oug] overhauled, repl WOrn pa with new and having the cylinders re- ground, much can be done toward ing it nrhlpu not as good as & new model, but one to give very satisfactory service. To get the most satisfaction out of a motoring experience, the owner of a used car should carefully study the many possibilities presented and act accordingly. ATTENTION GIVEN USED CAR VITAL, SAYS DEALER Purchasers Are Advised to Accord Auto Fair Treatment by Oscar Coolican. “Give the used car the same careful treatment you would a new automo- bile,” is the advice of Oscar , local automobile dealer, predicated upon his conviction that the motorist errs who fails to accord his used car pur- chase the same consideration given the new automobile and that much of any subsequent dissatisfaction with his choice is due to this lack of adequate care. “The motorist can go into the used car market today and buy a fine auto- mokile, capable of giving thousands of miles of trouble-free service. But, to get that service, the owner logically must be willing to give the car the same brand of maintenance he would & new automobile. Strangely, many purchasers of used cars do not do this. “The buyer of a new automobile sees to it, for the most part, that his car is olled and greased regularly, &hlthlorderwkeenlnew"::mlb “The owner of a new car usually is careful in handling his possession. The average purchaser of a used car, on the contrary, often is indifferent in his treatment of the vehicle which may have a potential 25,000 or 50,000 miles of service remaining in it. “The point is that too many motor- ists in buying used cars not only de- mand new-car performance, but they demand it without being willing to ac- cord the automobile new-car treatment. These owners are following an uneco- nomical course. “Those who go into the used-car market, buy a machine with the same care that they would devote to pur- chasing a new one, and then service it on the same basis, are getting their money’s worth to a greater extent today than ever before in the history of the ‘motor car.” A American imports of foreign cars were 566 in 1928, the smallest number since 1922, according to the District of Col- umbia division of the American Auto- mobile Association. PRODUCT il OWEST-PRICED e ROIT It is distin car that flash, and Ll Ll LL L L LLLLLLLLLLLLLL? Copyright 1930 by De Soto Motor Corperation DISTRICT MOTOR COMPANY that gives no hint of low price. It is a big car—roomy and comfortable. It is a powerful tained high speed. Its Unisteel type of body and chassis con- struction affords new measures ctly the kind of car gets away like a is capable of sus- EIGHT IN THE WORLD That the new De Soto Straight Eight is the lowest-priced Eight in the world is only one of the many appeals that this car is making to thousands of buyers. of sturdiness and safety. And its mechanical features and equipment parallel those found in Eights selling for hundreds of dollars more. There is nothing commonplace about the De Soto Straight Eight — despite its low price. And, anyone who will spend five minutes behind the wheel will find that there is far more to recommend its owners ship than its low price —sem sational as that is. STRAIGHT s> EIGHT (INCORPORATED) New Car Sales 1337 14th St. N.W, Potomac 1000 RONEY M@TOR CO. Frederick, Md. Used Car Sales 1324 14th St. N.'W. Potomac 1000 L. W. WHITE Nerbeck, Md. MORELAND MOTOR CO. Waldorf, Md. o