Evening Star Newspaper, September 14, 1930, Page 65

THE SUNDAY STAR., WASHINGTON, tor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. NE of the needs in motor- dom today is courtesy. If every motorist possessed that virtue there would be 1o trying to beat the other fellow to the intersection and, conse- quently, many less accidents. Courtesy is needed in business, but it is needed in motoring far more. One motorist should think of the other driver and the walker as well. A little courteous act makes at least two people feel better all day. A letter on this point comes to hand through M. O. Eldridge, act- i'glq director of traffic. It was tten by H. O. Rounds, director of the safety and traffic division of the Detroit Automobile Club, a member of the American Automo- bile Association. Mr. Rounds was formerly a police officer, and his advice is good. Courtesy Described. “If I should ask you to describe what the meaning of ‘courtesy’ is,” he said, “in connection with your home or business life, you could give me a dozen examples without pausing, but between the home and business place is ‘No Man’s Land,’ which you must travel dally as a pedestrian, a bus or street car rider or the operator | of an automobile; and judgin from thetestatmlu. mipe: la sharpshooters are constantly gil‘gheflns their toll in that ter- ry. “Thirty-one thousand fell in ‘No | Man’s Land’ last year, an increas of 7 per cent over 1928, “If you should be crossing ‘No! Man’s Land’ during war time, bearing a white flag, you would be guaranteed a safe crossing; but try to cross the street in peace time bearing a dozen white flags, and it would be your agility only that would land you safely on the other side. “We read in the papers daily that in some of the larger cities a motor vehicle pulls alongside of a destrian or another car, and a rst of machine-gun fire elimi- nates the other fellow from fu- ture interest in things mundane, and it is smeared all over the front page because it does not oc- cur frequently and is, therefore, news, while 100 more automobiles, rushing down the highway, op- erated out of control or driven by insane or drunken drivers, man- gle and crush men, women and children and receive just a line. “In the first place, every avail: 4 able officer is started out to cap- ture and punish, while in the sec- ond place it becomes just rou- tine and receives a paragraph, be- cause it 1s not news—it is so com- mon, hardly worth mentioning— and if the killer is apprehended, an examination is usually the greatest penalty to which they are subjected and they continue in their accustomed activity. “Perhaps the time will come when our State Legislature will pass a new ogerat.ors' license law making it obligatory to revoke that license so that he cannot du- glcnte the act, and eventually the different drivers will be removed from the highway and those re- maining will appreciate the priv- ilege of :Pent g a motor vehicle on the highway in safety. Acts of Courtesy. “‘Courtesy will prevent accl- ents.” “The above is on the back of many signs on the highway, but if you do not know what ‘cour- tesy’ means, of what avail is the quotation? Let us see if we can work out a few definite acts that could be adopted as ‘courtesy’ in connection with traffic, with a view to reducing accidents. “1. Pedestrians. Look to the left before stepping from curb, and if car is closely approaching, grant it the right of way. “2. Pedestrians. At intersection with traffic signals, do not step from curb until green shows, then walk briskly, but do not run; and it an rator of a car stops to give you the ht of way, you might say ‘Thank you.’ “3. Motor vehicle operator. Cour- to the estrian who is crossing the street on the green| and is caught in the center of the highway when signal changes can be shown by extending the hand and indicating to the driver be- hind that you are letting the pe- destrian complete the crossing, and also assuring the pedestrian that he may continue In safety. “4. A signal to the operator be- hind you that you expect to stop or make a left turn, or turn to| the left and go by the car ahead— | and made before you start to turn -—is a supreme act of ‘courtesy’ as well as safety. “5. You expect to make a right turn at the next corner—a vehicle is approaching on your right or waiting ahead of you, headed in your direction, to make a left turn in the same way you intend to go. Why not signal to them before you reach the intersection | that you are turning, and let them proceed and get out of your way— just make a rotary motion with! frou: hand. Ah, how his face ights up with pleasure and what | a nice warm wave passes down | Yyour spine! 6. Grant to the other fellow the treatment you want yourself. say‘ ‘Thank you’ once in a while, as well as ‘Darn you.'! There is noth- ing intricate about this, and it will greatly simplify the traffic| problem. If we had universal| courtesy we would not need uni- versal uniform traffic laws. “I was employed in my younger | days on the old Flint & Pere Mar- | quette Railroad, and I cannot for- get a remark made by the super- intendent after a bad wreck caused by taking a chance: ‘I cin hire lots of men, but I don’t seem able to hire brains with them.'| And that, in my opinion, is the trouble with motor traffic—easy to buy cars, but—-! | “Automobiles have improved | , wonderfully in the last 10 years,l but there seems to be no improve- ment in the driver. His reaction| time is just as slow and, in fact,| the improvement in the car has, outdistanced the driver. Result, wrecks, death.’” i Here is one from Street Trafm:l News: | “The story is told that in ai small Eastern town a motorist was; chased by a motor-cycle police-| man for failing to observe t.woi traffic lights which were set against him, but difficult to see because of the great height at which they were placed. “‘What’s the idea?’ asked the patrolman, ‘didn’'t you see the signal?’ “‘You mean, the red light on the tall pole?’ asked the motorist. “‘Yes, didn't you see"it?’ “‘Oh, yes,’ was the reply, ‘but it was so high up I thought it was an obstruction warning for air- planes. “The truth of the incident is ndt vouched for by this publica- tion, but the moral attached is eagerly subscribed to. The plac- ing of traffic signals so high that they are hidden by an auto’s sun visor as soon as the car approach- ei] the intersection is inexcus- able.” National Auto Shows. It seems difficult to believe that the national automobile shows are not so far off. But the following | news appears: Invitations accompanied by ap- plication blanks for space draw- ing were sent out this week for the thirty-first annual National Automobile Shows. The New York | exhibition will be held January 3 to 10, in Grand Central Palace, and the Chicago event in the Coliseum, January 24 to 31. Applications for the first allot- ment will close September 27, and it is quite improbable that any space will remain unoccupied after that date, especially in Chi- cago, owing to the fact that the north hall gallery will not be available this year. As usual, the show is to be under the auspices of the National Automobile Cham- ber of Commerce, Inc., and under the personal management of 8. A. Miles. At Grand Central Palace,’ the main floor and mezzanine, as is customary, will be occupied by complete passenger cars. The third floor will contain automo- biles, commercial vehicles and ac- cessories, and the fourth floor will be devoted to accessories and the shop equipment section, the latter to be confined to the trade exclusively until 5 p.m. daily. At Chicago, the main floor of the Coliseum will house complete passenger cars, while the gallery and the second floor of the south hall will have accessories and a shop equipment section. At both expositions a great majority of the accessory exhibitors are mem- bers of the Motor and Hquipment Association. It has been a struggle for the automobile industry this Summer, but indications are for an upward trend. It is to be hoped that a good year is on its way. At any rate people cannot hold on to their old cars forever. el i ROAD OFFICIAL SAILS TO MEET DELEGATES T. Warren Allen Will Conduct Foreign Representatives to Congress. ‘T. Warren Allen, chief of the division of management, Bureau of Public Roads, United States Department of Agricul- ture, sailed from New York yesterday on the S. 8. George Washington to con- duct, on the return trip, a group of Eu- ropean delegates to the sixth Interna- tional Road Congress to be held at ‘Washington, D. C., October 6-11. ‘The congress is held at the invitation of the United States Government, un- der the auspices of the Permanent In- ternational Association of Road Con- gresses, th headquarters in Paris. Mr. Allen will represent the American Organizing Commission, the official or- ganization appointed by Secretary of State Stimson to arrange for the con- gress. This will be the first mecting of the association outside of Europe. Pre- vious congresses have been Paris, London, Brussels, Seville and Milan. That the visiting highway officials may have in advance comprehensive in- formation about American methods of road construction, administration and finance, and the development of high- way transportation in the United States, Mr. Allen will give on the George ‘Washington a series of lectures on these subjects, {illustrated with motion pic- tures. As a complement to the lectures, the Bureau of Public Roads will have on board an exhibit of models of roads and bridges, and of photographs and statis- tical charts. The S. S. George Washington is scheduled to return from Hamburg on September 26, stopping at Cherbourg and Southampton on September 27 and Queenstown on September 28; arriving in New York on October 4. The large party of European delegaies on board will be met by members of the Ameri- can Organizing Commission. ;i'he Reason Why. “My car hasn't a dent in it.” “Oh! Have you just bought it, or doesn't your wife drive?” AUTOMOTIVE BRIEFS ‘Thornton J. Camfield announces the removal of his garage and repair shop to new quarters at Mount Rainter, Md., in the rear of 3616 Thirty-fourth street northeast. In the new location he will also represent the Boswell Motor Co., selling Chrysler and Plymouth auto- mobiles, Phil Lustine, president of the Lustine- Nicholson Chevrolet Sales Co., an- nounces the completion of the acdition to his present building in Hyautsville, Md. Sales, service and general offices will all be maintained under the same roof in the new and larger quarters. MOTOR DON'TS DON'T LET THE RADIATOR GET CLOGGED UP ! RUST AND DIRT FORM A SEDIMENT WHICH HAMPERS EFFECTIVE CIR- CULATION OF WATER . FLUSH OUT THE RADIATOR UNTIL CLEAR WATER RUNS FROM THE DRAIN BAFFLING ENGINE TROUBLE 1S D. C. SEPTEMBER 4. e SOLVED BY A KID MECHANIC.. 5° RUNNIN’ 1930—PART FOUR.’ —By FRANK BECK CONGESTED AREAS CREATE PROBLENS American Highway Educa- tional Bureau Shows Need for Super Street. Increasing traffic between airports and the business centers of American cities bids fair to create new street con- struction problems for taxpayers, who are, in the final analysis, the burden bearers of progress. While others may claim to be the advance guard in thinking, it is certain that the tax- payer does the paying, according to a | bulletin issued by the American High- way Educational Bureau, Fmpractical Theories. “Just now,” the bulletin proceeds, “all sorts of impractical theories are being presented on how to eliminate distance between airplane landings and the cen- ter of business districts, as if the des- tinies of the business world hung ab- solutely on the matter of time. Much of this superheated ning for speed is, to say the least, arrant nonsense. One of the vagaries proposed is to lit- erally scoop out landing places in the hearts of cities, so that one hop and perhaps two skips may land the air passenger at the exact spot where he wants to go.” ‘Taking up the subject in a more se- rious vein, the bulletin says: “Pavement is the true dissolvent of traffic congestion. The subject may be discussed up one side of the street and down the other, but one must always come back to the fact that the soiution must begin with the surface over which | modern vehicles move, That surface must be wide, smooth, safe and strong. “In the matter of providing depend- able and time-saving connections with airway terminals, there is coming into use the super-street, so-called, as the most practical way of bringing the air- way depot within quick reach of busi- ness travel. Distinet Departure. “The super-street will be, in some respects, a distinct departure from pre- vailing methods of construction. For example, it may have a rustproof iron base, where the maximum of safety and MILADY’S Even if a car has four-wheel brakes and fore-whedl drive, modern unless its driver has foresight. Ahead of me two women riding in a small car halted to get their direc- tions. | | “Which is the way to ' the driver started to inquire, but stopped upon seeing my “foreign” license plate. “Go to the left”” I shouted, being entirely familiar with the country. But she hesitated. How could I possibly know? Would it not be better to wait for & native driver? It served as a handy reminder to | me that sometimes the tourist is a capable guide. He makes it a point to study the maps in advance of the trip. | A woman of considerable experience | at_the wheel wss startled to find her- self unable to keep her machine over to its own side of the road when swinging up on a narrow bridge. Going over the same route mare carefully on | rise in the road just as it connected with the bridge was such as to cause car to steer toward the center gainst her wishes. Recently while trying out a new car the salesman grasped the wheel nervously when he thought I didn't see another machine coming out a side street. “Pardon me,” he explained. ‘“T've | been teaching some women to drive | lately and just forgot myself.” Teaching them, I wonder, | simply rocking the boat. | Daughter didn't care much for the black finish of dad’s new car. “Looks like your bank roll's dead or some- thing,” she chided him. “Why didn't you get a sky-blue pink or a sea green?” But father knew best. Being differ- | ent is the sure road to distinction. Seeing the roads filled with gay-colored cars, shrewd buyers are selecting dark hues. In another five years it will be colors again, but this time with natural metal and minus the paint. ‘Watson, the behaviorist, says the de- sire to be king and queen is part of every one's make-up. This may ex- plain why so many people try to be boss of the road and succeed in get- ting crowned. An_essential thing for the woman motorist to carry in the car's tool compartment is a wheel puller. It is or just BY FREDERICK C. it isn't strietly | a later trip she discovered that the | MOTORING RUSSELL. ment for the reason that a cross-sec- tion of a cylinder of this type shows that it has a side pocket like the In this type engine, however, the pock- instances through making the valves work on a slant. In earlier. engines the intake valves used to be on one side of the cylinders, the exhausts on the other. This was called the T-head motor. In shopping it may help you to know that you cannot tell the advantages of one type of motor from another, just from performance. You do not know the welghts of the cars, the dimensions of the cylinders, the gearing or the ges mixture. All this figures in the results. ‘When desiring to turn left on a nar- row, crowded road, where there are many machines approaching, it is a matter of safety and courtesy to pull over to the right to await a chance to proceed. This avoids holding up the line of faci-moving cars behind. (Copyright by the Russell Service.) ittt L Sweden “Americanizes.” STOCKHOLM (#).—The Riksdag, Swedish legislative body, will study “Americanization” of its highwdys by supplanting right-hand for left-hand traffic. lower part of the letter “L" inverted. | ets have been reduced in size in some | AUTOMOBILE EXPANSION MENACED BY ADDED TAXES Alfred Reeves, Decries in Recent Talk, Further Burdens to Motorists. “Expanding use of motor vehicles is | menaced by the tendency toward bur- densome and excess regulation,” de- ‘clared Alfred Reeves, general manager of the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, in a recent address before the Automotive Service Association of New York. “With the opposition to increased taxes, which now exceed an average of $30 annually for the privilege of driving a car, there comes a demand for more sensible regulations to make the driving of ‘1: motor car more a pleasure than a task.” After telling of new plans for im- proved service adopted by factories and dealers, together, with the requirements of the service man and the service sta- tion in the future, Mr. Reeves expressed strong opposition to the cry for more taxes on the motorist and more regu- lation. He insist>d that all taxes col- lected from motorists should be used for highway improvement, and that sen- sible law enforcement is needed in pref- erence to any more senseless regula- tions. ] ‘Twenty million batteries are used vearly, 210,000 tons of lead—wages for | | the lead maker and the battery maker. I7/1/4 DANGERS OF NIGHT DRIVING CALL FOR ADEQUATE LIGHTING Auto Lamps Must Be Maintained Strong Enough Without Causing Perilous Glare. Other Precautions Enjoined. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW. Automobile Technical Adviser. “Daylight saving,” with an extra hour or so of light in tl has done its share in eliminating mobile ac- cidents, for the simple reason that it is more dangerous to drive after dark and considerable automobile driving is being done during the evening nours. Night driving is almost twice as in- volved as that of the daytime because of the absolute necessity of properly lighting up the way ahcad and indi- cating the pesition of ones own car with prop:r danger signals. almost as many vehicles on the streets and highways, for big cks as well as private cars ply between cities to a con- siderable extent during the night. Be: sldes, many drivers feel a little extra speeding or avoidance of regulations in the city are not so observant at night by the traffic police. Instead of tight ening up on their vigilance after th sun has gone down they are the causc of an extra element of danger. Talk of Safety. There is a great deal of talk about safety. Towns and cities stage their Safety weck campaigns every once in a while and they serve their purpose well. But there is one important item contributory to safety which always should be kept in mind when travel- ing at night—the matter of lights. One should have lamps strong enough to il- luminate the road ahead some 200 feel and light up any objects that might be | in the way; lights that have spread enough so that people walking along the side of the road may be easily seen; lights too, that have power enough to show up any defect in the pavement. One danger, which perhaps is not so common, but does happen, is letting a car stand at night with no lights on. Some may think that lights are not necessary then, that another automo- bile approaching will spot the car with their own headlights, that if the car is parked off to the side a bit no one will run into it. But it is a good principle to turn on the parking lights when it gets to be night, no matter where one may be. Other drivers wili take it for granted that the road is clear if they see neither headlight nor taillight and innumerable accidents have happened because of neglect of this item. Stand- ing still or driving, one’s danger signals should be as bright as the storage bat- tery will allow. Eliminating Glare. But good, sufficient headlight is not all that is necessary for safe, depend- able driving at night. Eliminating ob- Jjectionable glare has become a problem of national concern and is a problem of intimate and anxious concern to the individual when he meets one car after another sending their headlight rays directly into his eyes and for the in- stant blinding and distracting him. is hard enough to drive at night with- out having, as some one said, “a pair of glittering eyes glare at one and stab one’s optics like stilettos. About the only thing one can do then is hold on and trust to a loving Providence.” One’s car should be equipped with lens which will prevent such glare in the eyes of the driver approaching. Glare can be prevented by focusing the lamp so as to throw the light down on the road in- stead of up. Practically all lamps now made have an adjustment for focusing the rays ¢o that there is really no ex- cuse for any one having dazzling head- lights. These adjustments are more or less accessible. Some have a piece on the side of the lamp by which the bulb can be turned to a desired focus. Then this (e ‘There are | L]UTE | again, there are cars made that have | low candle power and do not prove s menace. However, the law steps in and for many years has required suitable lens to keep the beam of light below the level of the eyes of the driver. The exact height varies in different States, but it is usually ebout 42 inches from the road. The purpose of the lens is | to throw the “'ght downward to the | road and off to the side, in that way illuminating the entire roadway. It is possible to carry proper lens and still deluge the highway with one's glare because unless the lens are in proper position they are of little use. See that they are kept right side up. Test Lights Frequently. Lamps sometimes jar out of focus and it is well to test your lights fre- quently. After having your lights ad- usted at a service station stop directly in front of your garage door or a wall, | some 25 feet back, where the roadway | is level. Turn on the bright lights and | sketch on the wall or door an outline | of the bright portion of the beam. This | will indicate to you the focus of your ht. This should be Jone frequently in order to keep lights in the proper ad- | justment.® For that matter the Polica | Department” will be glad to give you the standards by which your light should be tested. There are some drivers who make | use of their spotlight to illuminate the | pavement. This is against the law in some places. The spotlight may be used for reading signs, house numbers and other such necessary purposes. It has proved itself mighty handy on a car many a time. But when it is used for road {llumination it is & menace that should be avoided. Most accidents that occur because of dazzling headlights could be avoided through properly focused bulbs and cor- rectly adjusted lens. Although accidents that occur from blinding headlights are considerably more frequent than those that are the results of poor lighting, accidents do occur on the streets and highways when they are poorly lighted, or when the lights on the machines are weak or out. In any event, extra precaution is necessary when driving at night. It is important to conform to regulations for one’s own safety as well as that of others. THINKS BUS COMPANIES WILL USE OWN HIGHWAYS Texas Motor Transportation Leader | Foresees Plan to Eliminate | Congestion. By the Associated Press. 1t |, AUSTIN, Tex.—The day when motor | bus companies will build and operate their own private highways is foreseen | by Mark Marshall, head of the motor transportation division of the Texas | Railroad Commission. | Marshall also predicts that within | the next few years airplane transporta | tion will be regulated by railroad come | missions as the bus lines and railwayvs, | now are supervised. This, he says, would make for safety of air travel. Bus companies will prefer use of. | their own roads to the use of publie | highways because of heavy traffic om the latter, Marshall believes. Nearly 300,000 people visited Eng- | land's leading ports during Navy week year. > Y 4 i/ needed to remove a rear wheel in event of need for road cervice on rear brakes or one of the rear axles. Men have been notoriously careless about this feature of the well equipped tool kit. length of life in pavement is desired. | It is a well known fact that in most | cases cracks in road surfaces are caused | by breakages in the foundations be- | neath. Therefore, to begin at the seat of trouble, engineers are now preparing | to subject this new type of paving base to a most rigid test in Illinois. Upon this new base a sand cushion will be placed, and upon that a wearing course of vitrtified brick, securely locked in place by an asphaltic binder. “Thus the super-street to handle super-speed traffic between airports and business centers is evolving out of the maze of theories now being presented | on how to handle this new type of laud traffic in connection h the airplane. And as a last word, it may be repeated that the true functions of pavement, aside from the economic carrying of traffic, whether on streets or roads, is to dissolve and not congest our present centers of population. William Richard Boeckl, Austrian, Will Attend Congress. One of the delegates to the Sixth In- ternational Road Congress in Washing- ton October 6-11 is Wilhelm Richard Boeckl, who won the world champion- ship for figure skating at Madison Square Garden last year. skating Boeckl is a member of the ex- ecutive committee of the Austrian As- sociation for Highways, with headquar- ters in Vienna, and at other odd mo- ments imports and distributes Ameri- can-made automobiles and tires. More than 60 nations will send delegations to | = this congress, the American organizing commission has announced. Two other Austrians wiil be in at- tendance at the Congress. They are Wilhelm Markl, well known highway engineer, and Karl Malik, also an engineer, both of Vienna. Due to the great strides made in oil refining technique, lubricants of exc: CRUDE OIL REPORT lent quality arc now being manufac- When not | Big-hearted Annie is apt to want to | take out all the shut-ins for a ride in | her new car. Its a beautiful thought and those who don't go riding often | certainly will appreciate the outing. But watch those sudden stops. People who are not accustomed to riding in modern cars are apt to fall to brace | their feet during rapid deceleration and slide off the seat or pitch forward. If a woman goes shopping for a new car these days she is likely to hear a great deal about valves, She will find some cars with valves in the head, others with valves in the side. There will even be talk about overhead cam- shafts. It all sounds very complicated, but here arg the essential facts worth knowing: If a valve is in the head it operates upsidedown so as to uncover an in- take or exhaust passage into the cylin- der at some point ectly above the piston. The idea of this is to retain the cylindrical shape of the combustion chamber and to avoid dead kets. In this arrangement the spark plug fits into the side. Such overhead valves can be op- erated indirectly through push rods and rocker arms from a camshaft located near the mainf engine shaft. A more direct way to operate them is through an overhead camshaft. This plan pre- sents special problems and is used only in a few high-grade cars. Most engines have valves in the side. as the L-head arrange- Go wherever you wish, whenever you wish at less than a penny a mile for gas, oil and tires in the bantam Austin. Go smartly . . . for Austin’s lines are jaunty and sleek . . . pleasing to eyery eye. Go quickly . . . for Austin gets away in a flash does fifty on the straightaway . . . gets you there and back promptly. Go comfortably. .. for Austin accommodates six-footers and two hundred pounders. . . sails over rough roads with ease and nonchalance. Translate this bantam car into terms «of the kind of transportation you need most, for the minor journeys that comprise the bulk of pres- ent day motoring. An American Austin along with your present car will save expensive mile- age and depreciation on your larger car'. . . give you two car convenience at the cost of one pay for itself with its economy. Eight years of intercontinental fame vouch for Austin’s reliability. Come see the car. .4 ride in it . . . judge for yourself, 4 “Jne AMeRICAN ail the important oil fields of the United leaders who replied to the second of a | series of surveys on lubrication, under- | taken by the New York University Bu- | tured from crude oil produced in nearly States. This is the opinion of 73 per cent of the 47 prominent automotive reau of Business Research, for the pur- pose of finding out if the source of the crude determines a good lubricating oil. ‘Worn-out spark cause hard starting, slow -up,poofldllg. lose of power. A new set of AC's will insure easy etarting, fast pick-up, brilliant performance. GARRETT MOTOR 1835 14th St. N.W. Open Evenings and Sundays Associate Dealers Blackwell Motor Co. Alexandria, Va, Distributors Stromberg Carburetors Creel Brothers | 1811 14th St. N.W, Decatur 4220 C. North 1761 CO., In Dellinger Bros. Winchester, Va. Garrett Motor. Warrenton, Va, Bailey and Price Luray, Va. e Carpenter Motor Co. " Madison, Va.