Evening Star Newspaper, August 3, 1930, Page 57

In the Motor World BY G. ADAM! T appears that the director of traffic, Willlam H. Harland, and his assistant, M. O. Eld- ridge, will go down fighting l in defense of the rotary left; It is their pet and| hand turn. they will remain true to it to the‘ end, and that end in view of re-| cent developments does not look | far off. Every one is entitled to his per- sonal convictions, and in this matter both Mr. Harland and Mr. | Eldridge are most sincere. They | believe in the rotary turn because | in their opinion it is safer. The| only thing disappointing is that | they are not a little more sporty about it. | Adoption Likely. | ‘They admit that in all proba- | bility the manner of making a left-hand turn as prescribed in the Municipal Code will adopted. They admit that uni- formity is to be desired. But at the same time, with uniform pes- simism, they predict dire conse- gquences—increased accidents and congestion. That does not seem to be a fair attitude to assume. A policy of having nothing to say at present is being attempted. But a few questions breaks down the “silence is golden” idea every time. An example is as follows: “What is new about the left- hand turn situation today, Mr. Harland?” “We are not discussing it at present. Our policy is to keep quiet about it right now.” “There was an article in the fapex:’ that the vote was 4 to “That was not supposed to have gotten out yet. However, we are not discuss—-" “Wouldn't it be a fine time for a gnnd’l.lloquen!. gesture to say thaf “It isn’t time to say anything. Who knows what the full com- mittee will adopt?” “Cleveland is the only other large city that has the rotary turn besides the National Capi- tal. Isn't their traffic fatality average very high?” Speed Laws Responsible. “Yes; it is. But the rotary turn has nothing to do with it. They have some very antiquated speed laws—an extremely low maximum that no one obeys nor is it en- forced. Motorists drive at any speed. That is the cause of their high figures. Washington has the sanest speed regulations of any city in the country. That is why we are first on the list.” “But you do believe in uni- formity, don’t you?” “Of course, I do. Washington’s regulations are nearer to the pre- scribed measures in the code than any other city—except for a few things. Why, look at what New York did—the new police com- missioner. He has any Hoover left turn.” Mr. Harland hands over a pam- hlet describing the authorized left-hand turns for the metropo- lis. “There they now make the left turn when the lights on a light- controlled street are red, to get into a street not controlled by the signals. To turn into a street controlled by lights from a street not controlled by lights the mo- torist must wait until the green light is on.” “Well, the lights on the traffic- controlled street are red at all times a turn can be made, aren't on “Yes, but when a street is con- trolled by lights they make the turn around the button at the cenver of the intersection, and when the intersection is con- trolled by a policeman the motor- ist turns inside of the button. When there are neither lights or policemen, the turn can be made around or inside of the button by the motorist. That is not uni- formity.” - “All left turns are made from the left lane of traffic, aren’t they? 1Isn’t the matter of going around the button or inside the button just a trivial matter?” “Yes, but it isn’t uniform.” “But it is nearly uniform. Don’t ou have to get near a certain often before you can get it? Those small differences can be easily ironed out.” “Oh, you newspaper men—the ds aren’t all—" But here the heat ends the ar- gument. Traffic Bureau Moves. The Traffic Bureau, along with some of the other branches of the District government, has moved to new headquarters. Tomorrow everything will have been moved out of the cramped quarters on lvania avenue and now housed in the Walker Building on Louisiana avenue near Fifth street, facing the District Su- greme Court. It was first con- iplated moving to the building adjacent to the Municipal Court House on John Marshall Place, | but later it was found that the quarters there would not prove| adequate, especially when it was determined to move the Detective Bureau, etc. Washington continues to lead other large cities in the low traffic fatality percentage figures. The United States Census Bureau has recently released a new set of fig- ures for 18 citles with a popula- tion of more than 350,000. The cities of Los Angeles and Cincin- nati were not reported, as their figures were not available. It is known, however, that their fatali- ties are far ahead of the National Capital. ‘The rate, based on figures per 100,000, are given for 52 weeks ending January 25, February 22, March 22, April 19, May 17, June 14 and July 12. The tables show that Washington, month by month, is increasing its honor gecord. The tables follow. Washington Still Ahead. WMHO &11—1133.0. 134, 129, 12, ’Bz'nmmore—ls.fl. 15.7, 149, 153, 15.7, 15.1 and 14.9. Boston—14.7, 14.9, 15.2, 15.1, 14.7, 14.1 and 13.3. Philadelphia—198, 193, 193, 19.3, 19.3, 19.3 and 19.5. Minneapolis—18.8, 20.5, 20.2, 20.2, 198, 189 and 1738. New York—22.1, 22.1, 223, 223, :fi‘;’.%%i’." 172,177,182, 124.7, 24.4, 255 and 26.2. be | S HOWARD. Pittsburgh—18.9, 19.9, 20.4, 20.8, 20.5, 20.8 and 21. Indianapolis—22.8, 5 231, 247, San Francisco—17, 18, 18.2, 18.5, 1838, 19.4 and 19.7. 16, 164, 163, St. Louis—18. 154, 16.2 and 16.7. Detroit—24.2, 255, 257, 255, 25.3, 265 and 26.9. New Orleans—23.1, 215, 21, 21.5, 222, 22 and 21.3. Buffalo—269, 258, 256, 26.5, 27.4 and 28.3. Milwaukee—19.5, 19.5, 21.1, 20.5, 8 20.6, 18.6 and 1 Newark—24.1, 25, 24.6, 26.3, 27.3, 273 and 27.1. Cleveland—27.5, 27.5, 27.8, 283, 2838, 283 and 27.9. Chicago—23.3, 239, 245, 2486, 243, 245 and 24.7. | Business Advice. | A bit of business advice and | theorization is given out in a | statement by A. R. Erskine, presi- | dent in the automobile industry. 1t follows, in part: | “These are great days for busi- ness forecasters. Every one has taken a fling at telling us when ‘general business’ would recover— and they are still at it. “What is this mysterious spec- ter ‘general business'? Nothing more nor less than the sum total of a great many individual busi- nesses. General business is good ‘when a sufficiently large propor- tion of individual businesses are | good. |~ “There is no basic reason today | why many businesses which are still in the doldrums should not be prosperous. Let us admit that people generally are pessimistic, far from a buying mood, perhaps on a buyer’s strike. What of it? ‘The buying power is still present. In every community there has been a far greater impairment in buying than in income. That is just another way of saying that there are individuals in your ter- ritory who can and should buy a new or used car, but have not done so. They have been ‘hold- outs,” hoarding instead of spend- ing normally and sensibly. “The greatest deterrent, the most vicious obstacle to recovery, has been the attitude of most business men. They have been following the forecasters, wist- fully waiting for that mysterious entity ‘general business’ to assert itself. What is needed is more individuals working in an intelli- gent and aggressive manner to make their own businesses pros- perous.” 84,000 MILES OF HIGHWAY COMPLETED SINCE 1917 American Motorists’ Association States Balance of $75,000,000 8till in Hands of Government. Figures just issued by the Federal Government, showing progress in Fed- eral-aid road construction to July 1, 1930, disclose that 84,000 miles have been completed since 1917, when the Federal-aid program was inaugurated, and that 9,914 miles of highway are now nnder construction at a total esti- mated cost of $272,012,000, of which the Federal Government is contributing $111,630,191, according to the American Motorists’ Association. There is a balance of more than seventy-five mil- lion dollars still in the hands of the Federal Government for expenditures on Federal-aid road projects for 1930. ‘The total road mileage in the United States, at the present time, including all types of roads, is 3,015,000 miles. ‘Were all the registered aul iles evenly distributed over the network of %hnys there would be 7.8 cars per e. 271, HALF OF 1929 CARS WERE REPLACEMENTS Statement Is Made by Thomas J. Keefe, General Manager of the A. M. A A total of 4,625348 new passenger cars and trucks were by the motorists of the United States during the calendar year of 1929, according to revised figures of the American Motor- ists’ Association. Comparing the number of new ve- | hicles purchased with the number junked, the figures show that during the year 1825348 more cars were bought than were junked. The total number junked ited 2,800,000, according to the available esti- mates. “An analysis of the figures show that year were bought by place an old car,” it is pointed out by Thomas J.AKeele. general manager of out. Summer. Why @& tire publicity writer in de- scribing the erection of & new factory calls the manufacturing of rubber and tires & romantic smell. ‘Why automobile manufacturers ex- pect to sell more than 5,000,000 tires every year, when the car today is made to last so long. will pass service station, without getting s sup- ply of free water. cannot be made Why gasoline gauges WHEN YOU DISCOVER LITTLE PUDDLES OF OIL UNDER THE THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON. GREEN MOUNTAINS | OFFER GOOL RIDES Granite and Maple Sugar State Has Appeal for Local Lovers of Beauty. The chief factors in Vermont's charm, | which is universally known and which | has made it one of the best loved Aec-‘ tions in New England, are its lakes and | green mountains, which are everywhere throughout the State. It has approxi- | mately 400 lakes and ponds large enough to receive names and to appear | on maps, and at least 1,000 mountain | peaks exceeding 2,000 feet in height. | Nowhere in Vermont can one get away | from the lakes or the mountains. They | dominate the landscape _everywhere. And tourists travel many miles just to| enjoy the beauty of the Vermont scenery. As a motor trip is one of the very best ways of seeing everything worth while in any particular region, the Au- tomobile Club of America, New York City, suggests that all motorists this Summer should be sure to include the Green Mountain State in their plans for Summer touring. There are two main_roads north and south through of the Connecticut River in the eastern part and the other in the west is part of the highway running between New York and Montreal, Province of Quebec. Then there are five important east and ‘west routes across the State. These are the Bennington-Brattleboro road, the road over Peru Mountain from Man- chester to either Bellows Falls or Charlestown, the Rutland-White River Junction road through Woodstock, the Burlington-Montpelier-St. Johnsbury road, and the road from Burlington to Newport, which leads across the border into Canadian territory. All Roads Scenic. Any and all of these roads are scenic, and the motorist will find pleasure in any that he elects to follow. And then there are all the other roads, the less secon: main trunk lines into deep little valleys where some of the most charming of all Vermont scenery may be found. ‘The motorist fond of the rolling hills and mountains will find the following itinerary, suggested by the club, makes an extremely attractive tour: Leave New York City after arriving from Washington via the Bronx River Parkway and run up to White Plains, then past Kensico Dam into Armonk, and up through Westchester County via Bedford, Cross River and South Salem into Ridgefield, Conn. From here run to Danbury, and then, instead of fol- lowing the main road to Newtown, it will be found advisable at the present to go via Bethel on account of road construction work. Going back on the main _road at Newton, _continue through Sandy Hook and Southbury and Middlebury into Waterbury, located in the heart of the famous Naugatuck Valley. From here the route runs northward up toward the Berkshire country, in Western Massachusetts, which same line of hills in this northwestern part of Connecticut are known as the Litchfield Hills. The road runs up through ‘Thomaston and Torrington into Nor- folk, a hilltop town of wealth and fash- fon. Here every Summer are held the Norfolk music festivals. Norfolk has an extremely high eleva- tion, and from here the road drops down into Canaan and the entrance into the Berkshire country. Right beyond By, F. K. LOGAN the State, one following the west bank | & | Massachusetts f|in Vermont and one of its chief Sum- | | D. C, AUGUST COMPILED BY | THE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA 12 E53r0.SLNY.C. ton’s motoring enthusiasts. the town we cross the State line into and run northward through this beautiful part of the State, passing through Ashley Falls, Sheffield, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox to Pittsfield, the largest town in this region. Still running northward past| | Pontoosuc Lake, we come to Williams-| town, the home of Williams College and | one of the prettiest towns in all New | England. | Right beyond is the State line, md‘ (then the highway enters Vermont, the | objective on this motor trip. The first| town of importance is Bennington, and | then comes Manchester and Rutland, | the second city in the State. Round about this section in the hills are the| | marble quarries, and & visit to one of | {them is extremely interesting. From here two routes are available into Burlington. The main line, Route No. 17, goes on through Brandon, one of | the loveliest towns in the whole State,| |located on the Neshobe River. Next| comes Salisbury, Middlebury, Vergennes and Charlotte. ‘The alternate route takes the motor- | ist past one of the most beautiful lakes mer resorts. Bomoseen is the largest lake lying wholly within the State of Vermont, as Champlain is partly in New York and partly in Canada, and Mem- phremagog is also partly in Canada. To reach this road one goes out of Rutland to the west on National Route No. 4, and then at Castleton Corners turns to the right and runs northward on Route 30 past Bomoseen and Hubbardton into For Better Vermont's lakes and mountains prove attractive vacation land for Washing- Studbury., North of Bomoseen lies Lake Hortonla, a smaller lake, being only about 2 miles long. Its wooded shores, small islands and surrounding hills make it, however, a most attractive spot. Called Queen City. From Sudbury the road goes up through Whiting and Cornwall into Middlebury and then on to Burlington. This city, often called the “Queen City” of the State, is on the terraced slopes of beautiful Lake Champlain, and is the metropolis for the region. ‘The motorist desiring to include Mon- treal in his itinerary should go onward along Route 7 through St. Albans, Swanton and Highgate Springs, then over the Canadian line into Philipsburg, and ‘along Canadian Route 7 to Iber- ville, then over the bridge to St. Johns, and along Route 14 through Laprairie into Montreal, on the St. Lawrence River, and one of the Dominion’s most popular cities. ‘The highest elevation in Vermont and the loftiest peak of the Green Mountains is Mount Mansfield, in the towns of Stowe, Underhill and Cam- bridge. At the foot of the mountain on the eastern side, is a deep gorge, called Smugglers Notch. | Through here the State has built an automobile road which is one of the most beautiful scenic routes in New England. It is overshadowed by great cliffs which rise in places almost perpendiculgrly far 1,000 feet or moie, and some of them have been fashioned into curious forma- (Continued on Sixth Page.) 193 “I LOVE THY ROCKS AND RILLS” SAVING IS FBUND |skid on a wet pavement or in an emer- The LOGAN Motor Co. takes pleasure in announcing that it has been ' selected as an Authorized Ford Dealer Service to FORD Owners This appointment is made in the interest of the growing number of Ford owners in_this territory and in keeping with the Ford policy of rendering an increasing measure of service to every purchaser of a Ford car. PART FOUR IN GARE OF TIRES Race Driver Points to Ways in Which Costs May Be Spared Owner. BY RALPH HEPBURN, | Very Tew motorists think of their| tires until they have had a puncture or | blowout or until excessive wear begins | to show on one or more wheels. | I drive my car on a different basis, | because I know something about tires and something about car manufacture. The wheels of my car are lined up once every month and my brakes are ad- justed at the same timte. Tires are an expense, and any expense that can be delayed dividend. Have many times have you watched & motorist coming toward you with the front wheels of his car out of line? They are either toed in too much or spread out in such a way as to cause excessive wear on the tread. After signs of such wear are noticed, it is fre- quently too late to repair the damage to that particular tire. But the trouble should be rectified at once, in the in- terest of future conservation. Adjust- ment of the tie-rod between the steer- Ing arms of the front wheels will often correct the trouble, In these days of mechanical and hydraulic four-wheel brakes and the ever-increasing traffic congestion, which makes their use more frequent and more urgent, it is essential that they be given frequent attention. They may need adjustment only once out of every four or five times they are inspected, but it is better to be safe than sorry. If one or more of the brakes takes hold a little quicker than the rest, it means greater sliding of these wheels, and therefore an excess of tire wear. It also means that the car is more likely to gency. MAKING CAR LOOK LIKE NEW REQUIRES SERIOUS PLANNING Exercise Care {Owner Must Decide Procedure and Then and Precision Throughout Undertaking . BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser, People who own automobiles have different methods of spending their vacations. Most of them spend some of the time on tour. Many also devote during this period some attention to sizing up their automobile situation and deciding what is to be done about it. This frequently includes a decision to give the car a coat of finish which will make it look like new and put it in shape as far as appearance is con- cerned, and as far as body protection is concerned, for another season of service. Question for Car Owner. It is usually a question with the car owner as to just how to go about doing a refinishing job. For instance, he has to consider whether or not the old paint should be removed down to the metal or whether it might be worth while merely to give the surface a good rubbing down and building up. Very likely it will be well for him at this point to get some expert advice from some good authority experienced in dealing with enamels and lacquers. Much will depend upon the way the owner has taken care of his automobile. Unless the owner is convinced that a good job will result in rubbing down and building up, it is best to remove the old paint down to the metal and form the basis for a first-class, uni- form job. There are two methods of removing the old finish on an automobile. the burning process in which a blow torch is used to heat the metal so that putty knife may be used to scrape away the finish. Varnish removers of one kind or another, or caustic solu- tions are sometimes used in this work. ‘When using a blow torch, one must ex- One is | ercise a great deal of care, since some dangers are involved. One is that due 1o the uneven application of heat some | of the meta] panels may be expanded | and warped as they cool. In fact, the | use of a blow torch is hardly work for an_amateur and is not recommended | unless the job is in the hands of an ex- perienced workman. Good Remover Needed. The use of some varnish removers is rather unsatisfactory, especially if they are applied to wooden 3 ause the grain of the wood is likely to be affected. Any remover should be a good solvent for lacquer, varnish, enamel, wax and other materials which have been used in the original finish. One way to determine on a good remover is to ask the merchant handling such products to supply samples which can be tried out. It should be recognized that since wax is a great deterent to a good job of lacquer refinishing, what- ever remover is used should be sure to eliminate wax, if wax has been used, as it frequently is, in polishing a car. It is important to avold the use of caustic solutions on any automobile body constructed of aluminum, since this substance is readily dissolved or etched away by a caustic preparation. When applying & good remover it will be found necessary to follow the direc- tions accurately. A good brush should be used in applying the solvent and the flow should be even. In fact, it is said to be as desirable to give a careful flow of the remover as one would do when applying a new finish. The remover on being applied should not be disturbed until it has had a chance to actually dissolve the finish. Buccessive coats will eventually securs (Continued on Sixth Page.) ° DODGEE DEPENDABILITY TRUE ECONOMY is more than price deep Owners of the Dodge Six and Eight-in-Line are especially grati- fied to find that the very features which contribute to the pleasure of owning these fine motor cars are also responsi- ble for their economy, dependa- bility and long life. The carefully-perfected balance of the engines means less wear and tear from vibration. The float- ing comfort on the road means that the engine and chassis, as well as the passengers, are vir- tually free from shock and strain. most notably reassuringly lence of the Mono-Piece Steel Bodies reflect freedom from up- keep expense as well as greater safety. The internal weatherproof hydraulic brakes, which give such positive stops, are self-equalizing—require no costly adjusting—reduce wear on tires. Now more than ever before, Dodge cars combine all of the factors you want most in a motor car. And never has Dodge Brothers ability to give great value been more strikingly demonstrated. Dodge Six—?#835 to #935, f. o. b. factory Dodge Eight — #1095 to #1145, f. o. b. factory THE MARATHON CAR STOPS AT NOTHING Blistering heat, mountain trails, mud or sand— it’s all the same to the standard Dodge Eight sedan which is continuously crossing the country in the Dodge Mileage Marathon. No greater demonstration of dependability has ever been at- tempted. Over18,000 miles have been run in the first 34 days. Dodge Eigit elosed care-are factory-wired for immediate installation of Transitone, the pioneer automobile radio. Other models will be equipped on order. Ask for a demonstration. Copyright 1930 by Dodge Brothers Corporation CAR , CHECK THE LUBRICATING THOROUGHLY AND ELIMINATE THE POSSISILITY zmy . » ¥ s This policy is founded on the be- lief that a sale does not complete the transaction between the Ford Motor Company and the buyer, but establishes a new obligation on us to see that the car gives good serv- fece. We are as much interested in your economical operation of the car as you are in its economical manufacture. We are, as an Authorized Ford Dealer, pledged to the carrying out of this policy. Throughout the life of the car, the constant endeavor will be to take full and adequate care of your Ford and help you o get the greatest possible use over the longest period of time at a minimum of trouble and expense. The Logan Motor Company is strategically located to give quick, effi- cient and complete Ford service to the hundreds of owners in this particular section of Washington. It will be the constant desire of this company to render the best possible service to customers at all times, and in compliance with Ford Motor Company policies to make this #ervice more outstanding Open 24 Hours The LOGAN Motor Co. F. K. LOGAN, Owner each day. Adjacent to : Sales Adjacent to Department of Interior Service Adjacent to Navy Department 1812 E St. N.W. % Metropolitan 2818 880 DODGE BROTHER SIX AND EIGHT The Trew Motor Co. Sales Department 1509-11 Fourteenth St. N.W. 1317-19 W Street N.W. Bales Rooms Open Daily Ustil 10 PM —Sundays Until 5 PM. I. C. Barber Motor Co. 1805 14th St. N.W, Ka{é;n & Crawford, Inc. l"ry': ‘Motor. C. of ‘0. Leesbury, Va. (L P Padgett Motor & Tractor Co. Parkland, Md. Champ lain St. N.W. Leonardtown Motor & Hardware Co. Leonardtown, Md. Alesandria, r vy Schooley Motor Co. Va. Established 1914 Phones—Decatur 1910 to 1913 Maintenance Department Gardner-Stuart Motors, Ine. 1358 Florida Ave. N.E. Mitchell Motor La Plats, Md. E. S. Hooker Warrenton, Va. |