Evening Star Newspaper, March 23, 1930, Page 58

Huge Programs Laid Out in Co-operation With Presi- dent Hoover. Co-operating with President _doover in his plea to enlarge all construction as much as is practicable to ameliorate the unemployment situation, the States and their counties will spend in their road-building programs for 1930 at least $250,000,000 more than they spent in 1929. f Reports received from State highway departments and compiled by the Bu- reau of Public Roads, United States De- gnrtmem of Agriculture, show that tate and local authorities plan to spand $1,601,167,455 for highway improvement in 1930. The planned expenditure for State highway departments for construction and maintenance of State highways is $037.500,455. The balance, $663,667,000, will be spent, according to the estimates, | on local roads and bridges. The State highway officials of 45 States estimate the total length of roads to be im- proved by them in 1930 as 32,532 miles, an increase of 3,126 miles over the esti- mate in the 1920 programs. Three States failed to report contemplated mileages for 1930. The highway departments of all States will control the maintenance of 281,393 miles of highways this year, an increase of 32,381 over the mileage un- der State maintenance in 1929. Gradu- ally the States are taking over into their systems for maintenance the more important county and local roads of the country. ‘The States of greatest population and industrialization, in which unemploy- ment naturally is greatest, show the highest contemplated expenditures. The Middle Atlantic States, comprising New | York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, plan ‘to spend $374,835,310 on improve- | ment of State and local roads; the East North Central States of Ohio, In- diana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin plan to spend $303,696,000. The West North Central States, in- cluding Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, rank third in their con- templated expenditure of $236,461,727, and the South Atlantic States of Dela- ‘ware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia | and Florida, with an expenditure of $182,872,418, rank fourth; the West South Centr: States of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas rank fifth, with an_expenditure of $154,100,- 000, and the Pacific States, comprising Wi , Oregon and California, rank sixth, with an expenditure of $121,590,000. Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi, making up the East South Central group, plan to spend $101,992,« 000 on State and local road improved ment; Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con- necticut, in the New England group, lan to spend $75,430,000, and the jountain States of Montana, Idaho, ‘Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Ari- 20na, Utah and Nevada, $50,190,000. - PAINT TECHNIQUE CHANGED IN DECADE Better and More Beautiful Finishes Are Put on Modern Autos. Changes in automobile finishes in the last decade have savored more of mmw:x tthh.nbtfli c‘:olufioin. th; bthlt space the basic ingredient of body finishes has been changed to one of radically different chemical nature, en- tirely new chemical substances have been synthesized for use in these ! finishes, and an altogether different technique of application has developed, resul in great economies to the auf ive manufacturer, chiefly in time, in labor and in plant space. Because they can be applied more advantageously and because they set and dry y, the new finishes have favorably influenced body design by making it possible to finish one kind other. ps the new materials have given the car owner a more beautiful finish, as well as a_more one, and at a re- duced cost. In mentioning the probable further evolution of automobile finishes, it is licted that improvemients in ma- for finishing fenders will likely result shortly. Although th;ofnunt lacquer finish for automobile lies ap- gu: to be thoroughly practical, it may that the immense amount of in- tensive research now being done in the field of synthetic colloids will result at some future time in a product having properties equivalent to present-day cellulose nitrate lacquers, but based on some other type of colloid. If an economic advan can be obtained thereby, such a titution will occur. ———————— HAND SIGNAL CODE CHANGE IS URGED Motor Vehicle Commissioner De- clares Present System in Gen- eral Use Is Meaningless. Bpecial Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, March 22.—Advocacy of more intelligent and intelligible sig- nals for indicating a change of direc- tion or other traffic maneuver was voiced by E. Austin Baughman, motor vehicle commissioner, this week. “The present haphazard and oft- timeseglovenly executed system followed by literally thousands of Maryland mo- torists is really a travesty and gives other drivers absolutely no real in- formation as to the intent of the driver using it,” the commissioner said. “The left arm stuck a little way— and most of the time it is a very little way—out. with the fingers.all extended or spread out, as at present resorted to, means absolutely nothing because it can mean so much. It may indicate a right-hand turn, a left-hand turn, an intention to stop, or it may be that the driver is simply pointing to some- thing that interests him. “When a driver intends to make a right-hand turn, the intelligent policy to pursue is to draw as closely over to the right side of the highway as possible while approaching the intersection, at the same time putting the left arm straight out and making a forward circling arc with the hand from the wrist. “When the left-hand turn is con- templated the car should, before get- ting to the intersection, be maneuvered to the center of the highway—but not to the left of the center—and the arm extended straight out to the left with the index finger pointed and the other fingers folded.” D AUTO OUTPUT INCREASES Gain Over January Figures Shown Last Month. Pebruary production (factory sales) of motor vehicles in the United States, as to the it of Com- which 275,811 were Teported merce, was 323,002 bs, 85 comPpA: stnce 1771, » @ howricns Highway Edscationsl Borehe, Washisgton, D. C. superlative in dcscr‘i!ll:%ng Los is not a verbal achievement of recent ROM these bo; in Hancock Park, Los A oozed. to the surface to catd animals and. preserve them for sands of years. But Nature heve as i3 being transformed —BY (Sketches by Calvin A. Fader.) alied LaBrea Pits, now by man. , crude oil prehistoric w- where HUGE TOTAL SEEN IN GOST OF ROADS Nation’s Paving Bills Under Survey in Connection With Economic Demands. BY JAMES W. BROOKS Director American Highway Educational Bureau. In the readjustments now taking place throughout the country, financial and otherwise, a question is forming in the public mind as to whether in all cases the people are getting their money’'s worth' in economic roads and streets and if not, why? _ The nation’s paving bill, in municipal, county and state units, has of necessity grown to an enormous total, and in casting about for places where savings may be affected, the public, as repre- sented by the taxpayer, is beginning to scrutinize with greater care the maia- tenance costs of transportation floors around population centers. Question for Taxpayers. In connection with this question, there are indications that taxpayers are beginning to sense the fact that paving expediences do not pay, and that, es- pecially around *built-up comunities, the most expensive construction at the out- set is in reality the least expensive in the end, when gauged by upkeep costs. ‘The tendency, therefore, it appears, is to build better, even at greater cost, to get more lasting results. It has taken some time to get the maintenance account of public paving books in understandable shape, due lo the fact that there was not sufficient comparative material with which o set up the account. Even when sufficlent data began to accumulate as the result of costly experience, the public has been rone to turn away from the facts, ause the results did not con- form to pre-cast notions of what a road or street should cost. The hoof instead of the motor-driven wheel, in too many instances, has continued un- consciously to be the rule of measurc- ment in determining surface wear. But sufficient upkm&m have now been secured to establ the maintei- ance account in comparative form to serve as a dependable guide for future construction. Engineering Experience Sought. ]n‘ tl’;:s uk{’in' llockd of their invest- ment road and street perties, there is a tendency on the pr?ol tax- payers to draw more heavily upon the fund of engineering experience which has been gained in the fruitless effort to it low maintenance to low-type sur- facing, and instead to_ direct future work from the angle of high-type con- struction to insure not only low-cost maintenance but increased length of service. Engineering science as applied to road and street construction is consid- erably ahead of public knowledge, and there are strong indications that in the decade now ning, pre-cast notions of economy in the building of flimsy and disintegrating roads and streets in built-up communities will be discarded. NEW TRIM FOR CAR DEMANDS ATTENTION Nickel-plated Steel Requires Fre- quent Washing to Remove Soot Deposits. Steel nickel plated all the way through—that is, the nickel-chromium iron alloy just coming into use for au- tomobile bright trim. All such a metal needs to keep it perpetually bright is to have its face washed once in a while, by occasional wiping or rubbing with a clean cloth. But it is important that this be done, because deposits of soot contain substances—sulfates and chlo- rides—which act slowly, even upon these corrosion-resistant steels. Steels g high heat-resisting qualities are the straight chromium steels, the silicon-chromium steels and pre-eminently the chromium-silicon- nickel steels. These alloys find their principal application in valves and valve seats. Taking a look into the future, & rap- idly growing utilization of these new alloys is predicted. It is suggested that Dock Laborers Own Ancient Limousines Rich Men Discarded Specic] Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, March 22 —What has become of what 10 or more years ago were the limousines of richest families, which they discarded in favor of new ‘models? . A tour along the water front, where shws are being unloaded and loaded, seems to suggest that most of these discarded models have been bought by Negro longshoremen. Any day at the entrance to the docks at Locust Point colored steve- dores can be seen riding to work in huge automobiles of ancient vintage that once took the best families to the theater, to the bank and office. INADEQUATE ROAD PLANNING SCORED Highway Expert . Stresses Economic Losses Suffered in Metropolitan Afeas. Although $2,500,000,000 will be spent for streets and highways throughout the country in 1930, the economic 1 ss from congestion and accidents will equal this amount, due to inadequate planning in metropolitan areas. This statement was issucd by Charles M. Hayes, chairman of the highway widening and planning committee of the American Automobile Association, which met here today prior to the annual con- ference of A. A. A. motor club execu- tives. Mr. Hayes, who is president of the Chicago Motor Club and one of the leaders in the Nation:zl Conference on Street and Highway Safety, drew on the exFerunce of Chicago in the effort to solve the problem of congestion. “At a time when the country is en- deavoring to speed up business,” Mr. Hayes told the committ “‘ghere is nothing as vital as the tion of waste. There is no greater example of this in the country than in handling the flow of traffic on streets and high- ways. -Aside from the economic loss, there is the important angle of death and human suffering. A “While the problem of widening high- ways, segregation of grades and cha ing streets on a national basis is nec sarily slow and expensive, there are im- portant things that can be done imme- distely with great benefits.” i W GAS-POWERED SHOVELS BOUGHT BY MARYLAND Road Department Gets $14,000 Equipment to Speed Summer Work on Highways. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, March 22.—Two gaso- line-powered-shovels costing have been purchased by the State roads commission to facilitate the work of im- proving the existing highways during the Summer, working season, which starts next month. One of the shovels will be stationed in Southern Maryland and will be used principally to dig gravel to be used as surfacing in connection with the oiling program of the commission. A large per- centage of the more than 400 miles of roads to be oiled will be spread with gravel, ‘The other shovel will be stationed in the Western section of the State and will be used at curves in removing em- bankments which obscure the vision of motorists. It will also be used, members of the commission said, to make the necessary excavations to straighten out curves on the various highways which ere considered as hdzards. .t P Good Advice. Never shift your mouth into high' gear until you are sure your brain s lul;nln' over~From the Boston Bean- pot. WHERE TO MOTOR AND DINE The Tarry Tavern for its Fried Chicken & Hot Biscuits & Hon we are on the threshold of a more| = nearly rustless age, when the world's supply of iron will be conserved by al- loving it with chromium, nickel and silicon. From the viewpoint of value in preserving iron and steel, the most important metals in the world today are seid to be: First, chromium; second, nickel, and third, silicon. ‘TEMPERAME.NTAL’ ROADS DESCRIBED BY ENGINEER Is Classed as Highway That “Goes Into Tantrums” When Weather Conditions Are Unfavorable. ‘Temperamental roads are becoming tabeo, according to Julius Adler, a con- sulting highway engineer of Philadel- phia. Mr. Adler explains that a tem- peramental road is one that performs well when all conditions are right, and goes into a tantrum, so to speak, when something goes wrong, which may be due to weather conditions, the action of frost, water seeping underneath, a weak foundation, or when the road’s surface becomes “jumpy” or under the constant pounding of Surface dependability at the outset, which may be insured by the use of vitrified brick, for example, is the only o6 gas tax money is go! into a road that will meet present day demands for smooth, easy and depend- able car driving. . e | GRAY'S HILL INN Overlooking_ the Potomac Formerly a part of Mt. Vernon Luncheon Dinner Richmond Road—10 Mi.—Ph. Lorton 3-F “The Place to Eat” MILLER BROS. 119 West Fayette St. Baltis Maryland Food a Specialty Between Alexand: On Richmond Road ' youst Vernon Hom£ CooKin Luncheon or $14,000 | { | U. S. Tourists Planning Trips Abroad Advised of Varying Weather Conditions Touring seasons vary in Europe and tourists should consider weather condi~ tions in planning trips to various parts of the Old World, according to the foreign travel division of the American Automobile Association. The A. A. A. international travel agency has made a survey of various countries and obtained from leading authorities suggestions as to the best time to tour. This information follows: “British Isles—April to October, France, Germany, Holland and Bel- glum have practically the same touring seasons, with splendid weather along the French Riviera during the Winter months. In Switzerland, Italy and Austria the passes are not open until well into June. Outside of the mountain regions very good weather prevails from the middle of April well into November, with Winter touring in Southern Italy being very popular. . Czechoslovkia and Hungary are best during the Summer months and this is also true of Rumania, Bulgaria, Poland, and Jugoslavia. Along the Dalmatian coast one can tour earlier but in the interior the roads do ..ot become good until early Summer. In Southern Spain the Spring comes early. The Winter in the North is not pleasant until the end of April, al- though on the Cantabrian coast one can motor all year. Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Fin- land are pleasant principally from May until Fall. In North Africa the touring season is from October to May.” Automobiles In America Outnumber Those of Rest of World Four to One ‘The United States has four times as many automobiles as all the rest of the world combined, according to E. E. Duffey, highway educational writer. ‘The United States has nearly half of the world's road mileage. ‘These two facts give what is com- monly known as the highway problem. Repairing to Be Done. Spring is approaching and all over the country road builders are oiling up machinery, are to bulld new pavements; all too many will necessarily be used for re. pairing the havoc of freezing, thawin and rain. All too many machines will devote their energy to the constrction of roads which is a short time will also require the never ending attention of patching crews. In point of money expenditurss a normal road construction season is ex- pected. A survey shows that State gov- ernments will make good progress in pavement laying, but the character of local road building activities is still in doubt, One-half of all road money is expended by local communities, and in- fortunately it is the local communities Hot Air Sprayed By Auto Exhaust Helps Clear Fog Hot air lgnyed out in front of an automobile by an attachment on ‘the exhaust of the car has been found effective in clearing away London's time-honored fog, the American Auto- mobile Association reports. ‘The rising current of heated air created by the device, a recent inven- tion, literally lifts the fog for about 10 feet before the front wheels and does it quickly enough to permit a forward speed of about 15 miles an hour in the densest fog. The fog lifter can be attached to any car's exhaust and is much simpler than the average windshield wiper. It has been tried out in London and is being adopted by motorists there. 7 NOW That Spring Is Here YOUR CAR Should Be Put in Proper Condition —if you would enjoy maximum |, day after and— Have Us Drain and Flush Your Radiator —and if you want & real good job that won't cost a lot. be sure and specify that you want an “X-Flush Job.” We drain out all the old water and anti-freeze solution, refilling with water; then a can of “X-Flush Liquid” is added, and the engine allowed to run, thus forcing this solution to every part of the cooling sys- tem. We then dis- connect the hose from the water pump to the radiator and by fas- tening on a special canvas tube, force out all of this solution, before refilling with clean water. If in the process of cleaning and removing scale, rust, ete, it is found that leaks have developed, a can of “X-Liquid” for leaky radiators is added, effectively seal- ing up such leaks. The “X-Liquid” products have been thoroughly tested and found non- injurious to all metals, rubber and leather. They will not clog radiator tubes and will not cause overheating. Thorough, careful workmanship insures a perfect job, and that is just what you will get at— Gl DOWNTOWN STATIO R SERVICE STX One Square South of Penna. Ave. on 12th Many of these machines | that are faced with the great main- tenance burdens. Leocal governments in general try to please everybody by distributing road activities over the entire local area. But, as hgihway authorities have been pointing out for years, the attempot to distribute local road funds evenly has resulted in the widespread construction of inferior roads which must be repair- ed or rebullt. year after year. On the other hand, a number of counties, including Dyer County, Tenn.; Chaytauqua County, N. Y.: Vermilion and Champaign Counties, Ill., and Mis- sissippi County, Mo., have progressed satisfactorily on hard surfacing pro- grams without burdensome taxation. This was done by the simple expedient of building nine or ten foot hard sur- faced pavements at a cost no greater than pald for full width inferior roads. These narrow pavements, where traffic is not very heavy, have been found entirely practicable, capable of year round service, and of low upkeep Chauffeurs Used Mainly by Women 3-A’s Survey Shows \ ‘The fact that there are 650,000 private chauffeurs in the United States and that it costs $104,000,000 annually to provide them with uni- forms gives rise to the questian of who employs chauffeurs most, men or women. “Despite the fact that the num- ber of woman automobile drivers increases daily and that women are more proficient in the handling of a car, women use chauffeurs more than men do,” says the American Automobile Association. RUBBER REAL FACTOR IN AUTO INDUSTRY Recently Discovered to Be Strue- tural Material of Value in Ad- dition to Use in Tires. Vulcanized rubber is unique among materials of construction. It resembles a liquid in_that it is almost non-com- pressible. It resembles a gas in that :or‘k done on it is converted partly into eat. Although rubber has been used for automobile tires from the beginning, the automotive industry has only recently really “discovered” rubber as a structural material. _ Sixty-five specific uses to which rubber is now being applied in motor vehicles are enumerated in this fl:p"' ‘These include parts for absorb- | g and dampening vibration, for | lic joints or protecting them, for clectrical insulation, for protecting parts against wear, and the like. ‘The automoblle builds and enlarges deadening noise, for eliminating metal- | ;. clties, benefiting railroads, steel mills, supply s, contractors, laborers— every form of industry. JAMES W. BROOKS. TREND MORE EVEN INAUTO INDUSTRY Week’s Sales Slacken With Output Continuing Close to Same Levels. Following the noticeable increase in production and sales of the previous period, the automotive industry this week steadied to a comparatively even trend, according to B. H. Cram, presi- dent of Cram's Automotive Reports, Inc. Output continued close to the same levels, revealing but a moderate gain, while the sales volume slackened some- what and was slightly lower. With dealer stocks in many cases abnormally low as compared with the levels of 1929, manufacturers are hoping for increased ordering in the immediate future. The: do not wish the dealers to find them- selves with an unadequate supply on hand when increased buying does begin. Trend Not Encouraging. However, they received no encourage- ment from the trend of the ‘week, for there were no signs of dealers o dering in any noticeably heavier vol- ume. Since the production and sales trends are likely to continue at present levels for the remainder of the month, this policy will have no material effect upon the industry. But manufacturers feel that with the first of April the trends may turn sharply upward, and th;y rl:x" ':ekx:ulnely anxious that dealer ordering a corresponding shift up- ward to accommodate the m‘ll’lst'l re- quirements without forcing undue hard- aht“” upon the producers a few weeks er. it reason for the low of the industry at pres- ent is that 1929 dor-estic sales, in pro- portion to domestic production, were unusually high and consumed a sur- 1:1 ty of the actual 3 1 figures disclose that as regards the situation in the ‘D6 AND UP-F. O. v WITH THESE FEATURES Unisteel # Construction of Chassis and Body AUTO OWNER HELD FOR DRIVER'S SPEED Regarded by Alabama Court as Equally Responsible With Chauffeur. An automobile owner, although he is not at the steering wheel, and who is sitting in the back seat of his automo- bile, which is being operated by a chauf- feur, may nevertheless be convicted of reckless driving, according to a decision just rendered by the Alabama Court of Appeals and reported by the legal de- partment of the American Motorists’ Association. ‘The automobile at the time of the accident was being driven by the chauf- feur at an excessive rate of speed over a public highway, according to the evi- dence. ‘The owner made no protest against the excessive speed, nor sought in any way to admonish his driver. Both were charged with reckless driving and were convicted. ‘The Court of Appeals in afirming the conviction of the owner held him guilty of reckless driving, despite the fact that he was not at the wheel. The court pointed out that the owner during the trial did not prove that he did any- thing to prevent the driver of his car from driving at an excessive speed. One-Way Street Ruling Given. Another novel and unique decision, involving the liability of motorists, has also just been rendered by the Massa- chusetts Supreme Court, holding that & motorist who drives in the wrong direc- tion in a one-way street is a tresspasser. While going in the wrong direction the trespasser collided with another au- tomobile. During the trial he proved that the defendant was guilty of negli- gence in the operation of his machine. “The Supreme Court held, however, that the plaintiff, being a trespasser, could not recover damages, notwiths! the proven fact that the defendant was negligent in the operation of his car. Classed as Trespasser. “A motorist driving in the wrong di- rection of & one-way street is a tres- passer, and as such is not entitled to the protection of the law which pro- vides that any driver of a vehicle ap- proaching an intersecting way shall grant the right of way to vehicles ap- proaching from his right,” the court stated in its opinion. “Each of the decisions,” declares ‘Thomas J. Keefe, general manager of the A. M. A, “is novel and of impor- tance to every motorist in 9] ition of his automobile.” United Sates alone the industry was not nearly so overproduced as had been suj . The result was that dealers held a smaller number of cars on hand at the beginning of the current year than was generally known. Truck Division Coasting. ‘The truck division coasted along dur- ing the week without much change in production. However, it is known that the majority of manufacturers are pre- paring to step up schedules nh:&ly within the next few weeks, when 8 comes to stimulate construction an transportation activities. As re the latter field, which involves bus production, a great deal of interest is centered around the Parker bill pend- ing in Congress, passage of which may ultimately mean actual control of bus transportation by the rallroads and their subsidiaries. Such a development could very well produce a situation whereby bus demand would be reduced to a minimum, with serious results on this division of the industry. QUALITY. " out of all proportion to price DETROIT low price alone—but on the smartness, comfort and performance it gives so generously. g Chrysler Motors engineers have endowed this new Eight with outstanding engineering features. They have Impulse Neutralizer Full-Pressure Foed Lubrication Mechanical Fuel Pump—Fuel Filter—Air Cleaner Thermostatic Heat Control Hydraolic Brakes Hydraulic Shoek Absorbers Rubber-Cushioned Spring Shackles Double Cowl Ventilators Non-Glare Windshield Rust.Proof Parts # In the Unisteel type of construe- tion, the body end chassis ere de signed as & unit, eliminating bedy sills and all other wooden parts. The body is bolted directly to the chassis, s0 that the two become supporting and mutually flesible. given it marvelous speed, pick-up and smoothness —and to the fascination of flashing performance have added the satisfaction of long-lived reliability and true economy. Public preference is richly rewarding the fine qualities of the De Soto Straight Eight —indeed it is already enmjoying as sensational a success as that registered by its famous companion car, the De Soto Six, the largest-selling first-year car in automobile history. oTo STRAIGHT sose Blfiil'l' CHRYSLER MOTORS PRODUCT Copyright 1930 by De Sots Motor Corporation WORLD"°S DISTRICT MOTOR COMPANY (INCORPORATED) 1337 14th St. N.W. Potomac 1000. GARNER MOTOR CO. nardtown, Md. RONEY MOTOR CO. Frederick, Md. NOW Norbeck, ONL OF THE LOWEST -4 L. W. WHITE LOWEST-PRICED 720 "EIGHT NATIONAL AUTO SALES CO. 33 New York Ave. N.E. W. E. MONCURE Md. Quantieo, Va, HIVED CARS IN THE WORLD PLYMOUTH B DD SO ' ERY MR MORELAND MOTOR CO. Waldorf, Md.