Evening Star Newspaper, December 14, 1930, Page 72

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., DECEMBER 14, 1930—PART FOUR AUTO'S DIGESTIVE APPARATUS NEEDS WELL-PLANNED DIET Improper Feeding of Gasoline and Oil Often Leads to Many Troubles Requiring a Specialist. I DOWN THE ROAD—The Poor Little Rich Boy. —By FRANK BECK In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. BRINGING IN THE special taxes in excess of one bil- lion dollars, while the highway program cost will be approxi- mately a billion and a half dol- lars, showing that while every one benefits from highway construc- tion, one class of people—motor vehicle owners—pay two-thirds of |the cost in special taxes, aside from their participation in the balance.” Among Those Present. The oil group was represented NCREASED taxes in gasoline sales in the District of Co- lumbia will not be required in the near future. Well phrased otests against any raise have rought about temporary t- ponement of thc matter at least. Public opinion throughout the eountry is continuing to register its opposition to higher levies on the motoring population, and de- manding that money now raised by gas taxes be used for highway improvement exclusively. other matter which will handicap the usefulness of gasoline in an automobile | engine. The loss of ccnsumption through a leaky valve or a weak valve spring or A poor gasket on a spark plug or on & valve cap represent other possible gaso- line losses. Another form of waste in gasoline is through cylinder heads and piston rings which are not properly in BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, ’ Automobile Technical Adviser. The automobile feeds on gasoline. This liquid is the food which nourishes the machine and gives it life and power. The automobile requires a good quality of fuel and a proper quantity. Feed an | automobile to much gasoline and it | With the depression of business still felt in no small degree in the automobile industry and the added drain on the public through Yard times it seems untimely to add any burdens. Action Strongly Indorsed. Representatives from the Na- tional Automobile Chamber of Commerce and the American Pe- troleum Institute strongly in- dorsed the action of the Ameri- can Automobile Assoclation rep- resenting the users in protesting any further imposts on the mo- torist, either in the form of regis- tration fees or gasoline taxes, and with a demand that all special automobile taxes shall be used exclusively for highway purposes. This action was taken at a joint meeting held recently. It was agreed that every form of transportation supplies a spe- cial form of service, and that the public should be permitted to use the service best suited for its needs, and each form should make progress on its merits. The oil and motor industries as represented at the gathering op- posed any attempt to level the advantages of all transportation agencies through punitive regu- lations or burdensome taxes. Belief was expressed that taxes on the motorist in some States are reaching a point where they become a deterrent to the in- creased use of the motor vehicle by car owners. Roy D. Chapin, chairman of the Hudson Motor Car Co., was chairman of the meeting, repre senting the motor manufacturers, with Walter C. Teagle, president of the Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey, the leader from the oil group. The meeting voted to continue the fuel research work conducted by the Bureau of Standards at Washington in co-operation with the American Petroleum Insti- tute, the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce and the Society of Automotive Engineers. During the last seven years this | research has brought many im- portant developments that have added to the economy and effi- ciency of motor vehicle operation. ., The oil executives expressed their readiness to co-operate with the general promotion work which the National Automobile Chamber | of Commerce is doing in foreign countries where its representa- tives are lecturing with moving | pictures on highway transporta- tion, stressing its importance to each nation’s prosperity. than 50 countries have been visited. Chapin’s Comments. “Up to this time there has been no great protest against fair reg- istration fees and limited gasoline taxes,” said Mr. Chapin, “when the funds are expended for high- way improvement. Motorists, un- der 16 different forms of taxes, will pay an average of $33 in 1930 as compared with $20.56 in 1929, an increase of 61 per cent, accord- ing to figures of American Auto- mobile Association. “In the last 10 years motor vehicle levies have been increased more than 500 per cent as com- pared with an increase of about 160 per cent in motor vehicle reg- istration and about the same in- crease in expenditure for high- ways. “Of late there has been too many demands to increase these taxes and too many attempts to divert the funds to other pur-| poses. In some States the motor funds are used, or planned to be used, for such things as public buildings, local schools, streets, port expenses, and flood damage. “Motor cars are now articles of almost universal use,” continued Mr. Chapin, “with the owners paying heavy special taxes as motorists, while at the same time they are the biggest payers of other forms of taxes. “Diversion to other uses of money paid by them as motor taxes is accordingly particularly unjustifiable. “Busses and trucks paid more than $250,000,000 in 1929 in special fees for use of the highways out of a total contribution of $929,- 000000 from all motor vehicle users. The average truck tax for the country in 1929 was $73.98 while the average common car- rier truck fee was $459, and the average bus fee was $447. In- stances can be cited from many States of special common carrier fees for trucks and busses in ex- cess of $1,000 per vehicle per vear. “More than 57 per cent of all the cars registered are in towns of 10,000 or less. We estimate that 75 per cent of the cars registered a originally for less than sea wall *“This year motorists will pay {MOTOR DON'TS] Don'T BE A BRAKE-JAMMER! - . || Suppen Stops are “UnmeaLTHY FOR THE REAR OF YOUR CAR . IT 18 A DANGEROUS PRACTICE TO 6O RACING UP TO THE INTERSECTION AND THEN SLAM ON YOUR BRAKES. THE CAR BEHIND MIGHT NOT HAVE MIGHT NOT BE AVOID COLLIDING. More | city | by Walter C. Teagle, president, Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey; R. C. Holmes, president, The Texas Co.; H. F. Sinclair, presi- dent, Sinclair Co.; Axtell J. Byles, president, Tidewater Associated 0Oil Co. . M. Irish, president, | Atlantic Refining Co.; J. C. Van Eck, president, Shell Union Oil | Corporation; Henry L. Doherty, president, Henry L. Doherty & | Co.; J. Howard Pew, president, Sun Oil Co.; William R. Boyd, jr., | executive vice president, Ameri- | can Petroleum Institute. The following automobile rep- | resentatives attended the session: Roy D. Chapin, chairman, Hud- son Motor Car Co.; Alvan Ma- | cauley, president, Packard Motor Car Co. and president, National | Automobile Chamber of Com- | merce; Alfred P. Sloan, dent, General Motors | tion; Alfred H. Swayne, vice presi- | dent, General Motors Corpors |tion; A. J. Brosseau, president, | Mack Trucks, Inc.; Robert C. | Graham, vice president, Graham | Motor Car Co., and Alfred Reeves, | general manager, National Auto- | mobile Chamber of Commerce. Action of Directors. Proposals for unemployment | relief which would provide Fed- | eral assistance in executing en- |larged road building programs were supported in a resolution passed at a meeting of the Board | of Directors of the National Au- tomobile_Chamber of Commerce |in New York. | Temporary loans to such States | as may need funds with which to | meet Federal aid appropriations, additional appropriations by the Federal Government for the con- | struction of secondary.or “farm roads, forest roads, and grade ‘crossmg elimination projects are provided for in the resolution. ighway construction and | maintenance as a basis for the prompt economical and efficient | solution of present unemploy- | ment difficulties was upheld by | representatives of the industry. The resolution also suggested that the present limitation of Federal - aid participation to $15,000 per mile be removed tem- porarily in order that the Secre- tary of Agriculture might be per- | mitted to appropriate up to 50 per cent of highway construction costs. Expansion of secondary or “farm” road projects and of na- tional forest road construction should be under the direct super- vision of the Federal Government, | the resolution specified. The suggestion that such tem- porary loans as the Federal Gov- | ernment might make to the States | for road building purposes should net divert the special motor | vehicle tax funds of respective States from road construction | and maintenance was also in- cluded in the resolution. Text of Resolution. The resolution follows: | “Whereas many proposals for the enlargement of the road | building program are being made in this time of unemployment; and whereas highway construc- | tion and maintenance when un- | dertaken by existing agencles of | the Government afford a prompt, | economical and efficlent means ‘ror the employment of labor, and | whereas at the request of the Government, States and counties generally have expedited their| work over the past year to thcl point where many of them are |now temporarily without suffi-| |cient funds to carry on a full program: | . “Be it resolved, That the Na- tional Automobile Chamber of Commerce gives its support to a national legislative program de- |signed to meet unemployment | needs and having due regard for | the requirements of the Treasury | which will (a) provide temporary loans to such St as may need funds to meet aveoilable Federal appropriations with the under- standing that such States are not to use these moneys as a substi- | tute for any funds now or here- after available for highway de- | velopment, and particularly that | they shall not divert any special | motor vehicle taxes from road construction and maintenance | and (b) provide further appro- | priations from the Federal Treas- ury under the terms of the pres- ent Federal aid highway act and under the full supervision of the Federal and State Governments for the iminediate improvement (1) of a reasonable mileage of the more important secondary or “farm roads” now outside of the Federal system; (2) for the ac- celeration of improvement of the more important approaches to |citles and grade crossings under | the same conditions. (c) Provide further appropriations from the Federal Treasury under the full! supervision of the Federal Gov- ernment for the immediate em- | | ployment of labor in the further development of greatly needed | | forest roads, and (d) remove the | present limitation of Federal aid participation to $15000 per mile in order to permit the Secretary of Agriculture to approve projects |up to 50 per cent of the cost of | construction.” The National Automobile Cham- ber of Commerce is a thinking body, and its findings merit seri- ous consideration. Production Session Scheduled. The Production Activity Committee of the Soclety of Automotive Engineers has scheduled a production session at | the annual meeting to be held in Detroit, | January 19 to 23, 1931. The subjcct to be presented is: “Controlling Factors in Machine-Tool Obsolescence. L. A. Black- burn of the Oakland Car Co. J.. W. Brussel of the Timken Detroit. Axle Co., and A. R. Fors of the Continental Mo- tor Corporation will jointly discuss the problem. are under consid- eration for the holding of a Spring pro- duction meeting, preferably in April, @30 Ny TrOUNe, W R i PUNCTURE HAZARDS DAILY INCREASING Destruction of Condemned Buildings Add to Troubles of Motoring. How many punctures have you had in your tires lately? Do you ever stop to think of the miracle of gliding over smooth pave- ments day after day, mile after mile, week after week, without a puncture, without picking up a nail or & big piece of broken glass to cause you to rear uj in anger and cuss the guy who left that nail in the street? Do you ever ponder over the fact that night and day, year in and year out, at least three agencies of the District of Columbia are watching your interests, keeping the pavements free of puncture-producing nails and glass, and that without the aid of these agencies your tire punc- ture percentage would mount far higher than it does? An automobile tire spins around an axis over a pavement that usually is smooth, But it has considerable ad- hesive power, what the engineers call traction, and this traction becomes suc- tion by the force of the lplnnlnr of the tire. ~The rubber, comparatively soft, has the flendish old American cus- tom of picking up sharp objects, such as nails, glass and what not. And you would be surprised at some of the things automobile tires pick up in their spinning motion over the smooth high- ways of the District of Columbia, Pick-ups by Tires. Many motorists have runin to a serv- ice station on a flat, with a valve stem sticking through the casing and inner tube of one of their tires. Others have run in with roller skate parts sticking right through casing and tube, while others have come in with pieces of broken spring leaves rammed right through the tough rubber of the “shoe.” One of the queerest cases on the rec- ord happened just the other day, when & motorist picked up in one of his rear tires the entire frame of a large monkey wrench which had jammed right through the casing of the tire and caused a blow-out. Others have picked up telegraph-pole spikes, wooden dow- | els, thumb tacks, screws and what not. Almost anything that hes a fairly £harp point will punciure an automo- bile tire revolving at any speed, with the pressure of a ton and a half of moving vehicle above it. That most annoying of all punctures —the puncture in & rear wheel—seems to be most common. It is no fun to get out and get under with a jack to fish around and finally find the rear ufle with the fack head, sometimes on slippery ice and frequently in cold weather, ile the infernal jack slips and plunges around as if to defy the effurts of the operator to place it at the | right spot under the rear axle. Tire changing, es an art, has made consid- erable strides in late years, but the annoyance and bother of changing cas- ings will remain forever, unless some in- ventor gets busy and puts on the mar- ket & real punctureproof tire at a price within the means of the average mo- torist. Just now the likelthood of a punc- ture from nails in the streets has been magnified, in the downtown areas at least by the tearing down of so many buildings to make way for the impos- ing new edifices that are going up under the Government building pro- gram. This s because the wast? ma- 1 1 left over from the razing of thesa old buildings is carted away in trucks or wagons, usually overloaded, with their_ends ing out from the body of the vehicle, dropping nails and pleces of wood all over the pavements “There orter be a law” against the owners of these vehicles loading them 50 that pleces of these nafl-infested boards stick out beyond the bodies of the wagons or trucks to shower nails and what not down on the streets. “There orter be a law” which would force them not to overload their ve- hicles so that nails could be showered down on the pavements from the loose planks jolting in springless vehicles over the pavements, Glass Hazards. Glass does not do so much harm un- less it is present in large and strong | pieces, where it can cut & nice deep ¥ash in any casing. Scattered around the pavement in small doses, easily di- gestible by a tire in good condition, it does little harm at the moment, ‘The Tub comes months later, after water has had a chance to get in the cut made by the glass rot gets in its work, resulting in a puncture perhaps 5,000 tire miles later. The District of Columbia has a strict law against bres ing of glass on the public h!lhwl{l. which s rigidly enforced by the Police Department. Unless you have the hard luck to run your tires over a big plece of broken glass, you will have little trouble from glass punctures, But nai's, valve objects left lying on the street paves ments are another and far more serious problem. That is where the police, the Ure protection service of the American Automobile Association and the street cleaners employed by the District gov- ernment come in. The menace of the nail or other metallic object on the street has become so bad that in one or two citles trucks equi with enor- mous magnets patrol Is Poorest BY WILLIS A. SUTTON, President, National Education Association. | The following article, sent out through | the National Conference on Street and | Highway Safety, deals with the factors of safety in the operation of motor ve- hicles and of protection of the lives of | children and pedestrians on the streets and highways. |, Motor vehicle traffic reform has never | | been more urgent than it is now. The | rising injury and death rate of traffic is |one of the gravest of our national | problems. | As a people we seem to have fallen |into & peculiar attitude toward these | injuries ‘and deaths. They are nearly | always looked upon as the result of ac- | cidents that were unavoidable and for | which the operator of the vehicle can scarcely be held strictly accountable. We are prone to say that the driver | didn’t mean to do it and to excuse the poor fellow on the theory that the acci- dent itsell has been sufficient punish- ment for him, Traffic Problem Objective. The objective In solving the trafic problem and reducing the accident and death toll of the streets and highways | | must be that of reaching and removing | the negligent, incompetent, reckless, in- | different or chance-taking driver. Until | he is removed, there cant be little pros- pect that the injuries and deaths of traffic will be effectually checked. Reduction in the injury and death | rate of traffic comes down 1o the propo- sition that the sense of individual re- | sponsibility of each vehicle operator preme sl s |intent to pounce upon and seize any metallic object from the pavements in he magnetized jaws of the machine. machines keep the streets clean, but there are none of them in Wash- ington. To the street cleaners, the Po- lice Department and the street clean- ing agencies of the “Three A's” falls the task of keeping the pavement free | of metallic objects 80 your car and mine | may go on and on without puncture. | Not many people are aware of the| work done along this line by the Amer- |ican Autcmobile Association. But the | |fact is (hat their agencies are con-| | stantly at work, day and night, to keep the streets free of puncture producing objects of all kinds. Scattered through- out the city and nearby points are scores of official “A. A." A.” garages which are authorized by the American Automoblle Assoclation to represent it in cases of tire puncture, accl- dents, gas failure, engine fatlure, or | what have you. Operators of these official garages are instructed to remove glass, nails and so| forth from the strects whenever they | see it. and it is also understood that| they are to remove all glass and debris | | reculting from wrecks where they ren- | der emergency road service. This puts | quite a dent in the volume of puncture producing material left on the high- ways. Service for All But in addition to this service any citizen, whether or not he is & member of the “Three A’s,” is at liberty to call the association, asking for the removal of litter from the streets. How far such | service goes is shown by the fact that for the first 10 months of the year garages of the American Automobile Associaticn responded to 312 such calls When November an? December calls are d the total for the year will probably run over 400 such errands of | mercy for afling tires. So that you and | your’ neighbor are indebted “to the American Automcbile Association for | the puncture you missed. March marked the high spot in calls from citizens for removal of litter from the streets, with 49 such requests. The number runs steadily along month after month, averaging somewhere between 25 and 35. Have you ever pondered on why there are so many rear-wheel punctures? The sclentists tell us it occurs something like this: Picture a tire iron or a nail lying on the smooth pavement. Along comes the front tire running at some | spced, with some suction. It turns over the nail, or screw, or broken spring, |or what not; leaves it sticking upright |for A moment, and then comes the ix.’lr tire, ronning along smoothly to | meet this perpendicular object, and the rear tire, being a soft-hearted chap, takes the nail or whatever it is right to its bosom. The result—a rear-tire puncture, and sometimes a blow-out. Almost anything that is hard enough and contrary enough can cause a punc- ture, and if the object is big enough to tear a hole in the casing it can ruin the tire comrle(fly. Old tires respond more feelingly to the cares of punc- ture producing objects, while new cas- ings with tough treads frequently take the object in stride and toss it off witi disdain. But nearly all tires, old and | new, can be punctured, and the ubiqui- tous nail is more often than not the | aggressor. The only way to avold them—and that is not 50 good—Iis to kcep a weather eye on the roadway. And that is hard to do at any speed. The best way is to have the streets kept clear of any- thing that might cause a puncture. TRAFFIC REFORM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES HELD URGENT NEED Education Association’s President States That 1 Didn‘t Mean to Do It” of Excuses. must be awakened and he held strictly accountable for what his car does while he is driving it. No other kind of regu- lation, education or enforcement will reach this problem. The National Conference on Street and Highway Safety at Washington has taken a firm stand for licensing drivers by driving test and by examination on regulations before they are permitted to enter upon the streets and roads with a vehicle. The conference has likewise urged strong enforcement of traffic laws and regulations and suré and even- handed punishment of violators. Prospective drivers should demonstrate and public traMic authorities should by law ascertain that they are competent and fitted to operate vehicles with safety and due regard for the rights and lives of others before they are permitted to enter upon the streets and roads. Planned at Restriction. ‘The drivers’ license measure of the conference, which has been drafted as a pattern for legislation of this char- acter by all of the States, is aimed to restrict the use of the streets and high- ways to vehicle operators who will ex- ercise caution and care and whose pres- ence will not be a menace and a danger to both pedestrians and the operators of other vehicles. The careful driver, who is in the overwhelming majority among drivers, is the salvation of traffic today. Improve- ment will come when the small minority of reckless and incompetent drivers are kept from the ‘highways and punish- ment of drivers who disregard the re- sponsibility that rests upon them is sure and certain. Mothers of this country, who only too often see the traffic probiem in the light of a personal tragedy, have a different perspective of it. Not only are they eager to see it solved, but they are more impatient with evasions and half meas- ures that do not adequately. meet the situation or remedy the condition, What pain and suffering, sorrow and distress come to some of these mothers whsn a member of their family, a child or possibly the husband who is the bread winner, is struck down in a traffic acci- dent—all too frequently by a thought- less, selfish driver who violated some rule of safe driving. An automobile is a dangerous weapon in the hands of a careless person. When approaching children on the street or road the motorist should al- ways be on the alert and assume that they may impetuously run into the path of his car. Parents and teachers should do all in their power to teach the child the peril of heedlessly running into the path of traffic. But no responsibility that may rest upon parents or teachers or upon children in this respect can lighten the oblgation that rests upon every vehicle driver to exercise caution and keep his car under control. A child may rush into the path of an automobile and give the driver an op- portunity to say that the accident was unavoidable. But thoughtlessness in a child can be more readily forgiven than in an automobile driver. The motorist who fails to keep his car under control in anticipation of an accident is more gulity than the child who does not think of danger. Duty of Drivers. It is the duty of drivers to give con- erat'on to the impulsive and imma- iure judgment of children and to safe- guaid them from danger. | ¥ While there are many accidents where | investigation shows the motorist to be blameless, the action of a vehicle oper- ator in striking a child should not at any time be regarded too lightly. His is the responsibility of careful driving and protecting those whom his vehicle may harm. And an equal responsibility rests upon each of the States to see that the highways are used only by drivers who fulfill this requirement and meas- ure up to standard. ‘Too often accident prevention and safety measures are left by the commu- nity to a safety committee or a safety official, and all too often accident-pre- vention campaigns are directed only at pedestrians or allowed to deteriorate into mere attacks upon jay-walkers. Only 54 per cent of the traffic deaths in this country last year involved a pe- destrian, and yet every one of them in- volved a vehicle operator. Purthermore, 46.7 per cent of the persons killed were either children under 15 years of age or persons of 55 years or more. Such persons cannot be expected to protect themselves from the hazards of traffic |1r[rlxply by pedestrian education or regu- lation. The high degree of care necessary to the safe operation of an automobile is recognized only by some individuals, but not by communities in general. The communities are not insistent that _each driver that is permitted by the State to use the streets and roads shall be a safe driver and shall be al- iowed to operate a vehicle only when he bas demonstrated his fitness, both phys- ically and from a knowledge of traffic rules and regulations, to use the streets with safety to himseif and to others. Finding of Connecticut. The Department of Motor Vehicles of Connecticut finds that last year in that And that is also hard to do. But it can done, streets with'be State there was no decrease in the seri- ous results of accidents, The same BUSINESS PICK-UP SEEN AFTER JAN. T Optimistic Dealers Forecast Decided Improvement in Automobile Industry. DETROIT, Mich., December 13.—The automobile industry for the current | week showed very little change when operations were compared with those of | the week previous, according to B. H. Cram's report. Passenger car output continues on a fairly satisfactory level | and is in excess of this time last month by a slight margin. The present rate of activity from a production stand- point will undoubtedly continue through the coming week, after which time there may be some curtailment in schedules until the first of the year. Sales Are Slow. Sales are slow, and despite some stimulation given the market by the recent introduction of new models De- cember may possibly fall below No- vember by a fairly substantial margin. te the fact that sales are slow, however, some encouragement for the beginning of next year is seen in an undes e of optimistic sentiment on the paft of dealers throughout the country, and a generally higher level of lnuuirlet being made from prospec- tive purchasers. It is confidently be- | lleved that the present situation is en- tirely seasonal and that there will be a healthy pick-up immediately after the beginning of the year when the auto- mobile shows attract the attention of | the publie, Truck Output Satisfactory. ‘Truck output is holding up in a fairly | satisfactory manner, although there is as yet no Indication of any material gains. New model announcements, par- ticularly in the light delivery group, have aided the total to some extent. As in the passenger car division of the industry, there is expected to be a rather sharp curtallment of output during the last two weeks of this month, when many of the plants will close for inventory and vacation periods. Irregularity characterizes the sales | sltuation in this commercial vehicle | division of the industry. October | showed a gain over September, but it is | doubtful if this increase will' continue |into November. Recessions during that | month and in" December are expected, | with perhaps a slow and gradual im- provement after the first of the year. It is doubtful if declines during this month will be very substantial, the bottom of the retail market having ap- &I“l;:ndy been reached prior to this RURAL ROAD BUILDING EXCEEDS WORK IN CITIES The year 1930, while a banner year in the building of rural pavements, was not such & happy one for city motor- ists. Rural concréte pavement building, largely through the auspices of well or- d and equipped state highway de- Tts, was some 17 per cent grea er than the previous year of 1928, Concrete street building was less by about 34 per cent than in 1928, and less by about 23 per cent than in 1929, Most motoring and trucking is of course done over city streets. But al- though nearly all streets are covered with some sort of a surface, for the most part they are inadequately sur- faced from.the point of thosz two im- *tant factors, economy and smooth ling. number of deaths were reported as in 1928 and the number of persons injured increased by about 6 per cent. More persons were injured on good than on bad road surfaces, more were hurt in daylight than in darkness and more were hurt at infersections—where cau- tion is always necessary—than at all other places on the highways. Pulilwlnlon must be developed and crystallf in favor of strict and sensi- ble regulation, uniformly prescribed and enforced. Traffic rules and regulations must be developed for the safety of all and must take into consideration and give full weight to the inherent respon- sibility that rests upon each operator of & motor vehicle, The benefit derived from licensing of all operaiors by the State through examina- tion as to physical fitness and knowl- edge of regulations and demonstration of ability to handle a car is necessarily dependent upon efficient administration and enforcement of the motor vehicle law. There should be a strict examina- tion and test of every new driver, Accidents will be reduced to & mini- mum only when every motorist realizes his individual responsibility to be a safe driver; when each State realizes its ob- ligation to see that he is a safe driver and punishment for law violation is sure and certain. Battery and Ignition Service EXIDE BATTERIES CREEL BROTHERS 1811 14th St. N.W, Decatur 4220 gets indigestion, loses its pep and soon | becomes a patient of the automotive | doctor or specialist. Nor can the car's rations be cut down with anything but unsatisfactory results. There are other factors to be considered in getting the maximum results from the gasoline fed to a motor car. Question Arises. ‘The question often comes to the mind of the motorist as to whether or not it is better to use ordinary gasoline. The | e-pecial brand Is supposed to provide a | higher power and to lessen the collec- | tion of carbon in the engine spark plugs | and valves. Naturally, the special brand of gasoline is more expensive. Some motorists have felt that they secured satisfactory results by alternating the use of gasoline, using the special gaso- line on one filling and the ordinary gasoline on the next, and so on. To get the best use of gasoline is economical from the standpoint of cost since more miles to the gallon are se- cured. The engirie is also kept in bef ter condition when the gasoline is & ing used to the best advantage and this represents both a saving and a con- venience. Consequently, to insure the best efficiency in gasoline consumption, the driver should be sure that all mov- ing parts of the car are working at their best, Proper Oiling Need. Proper lubrication is one of the essen- tials in having all moving parts effec- tively in action. A drag on any moving part is bound to slow down the machine, call for more power and consequently more gasoline. There should be correct firing of each cylinder of the engine, especially important is the adjustment of the carburetor, which regulates the flow of fuel into the engine. It would seem that the automobile tires would have little connection with the effective use of gasoliné. On careful inspection, however, it becomes clear that the proper inflation of automobile tires and the proper alignment has considerable to do with the ease with which a car gets over the road and therefore affects the amount of power required. More especially do the brakes of the automobile have to do with the gasoline consumption, for a dragging brake may mean & lot of difference in the power required to maintain a certain speed on the highway. A slipping clutch is an- place. Watch Pipe Connections. It is well to watch the supply pipe which carries gasoline from the fuel tank to the carburetor. As a solid pipe is usually employed any leaks are likely to' be either at the connection with the tank or with the carburetor. A leak of this kind represents waste in gasoline and has also a dangeous quality, it being a sort of fire hazard. When ad- Justing the carburetor or having it ad- Justed, it is well to make sure that the mixture is kept as lean as possible and at the same time provide a steady firing. To have the mixture too rich represents & waste, The presence of black smoke is an indication of such overrichness. Usually a little richer mixture is needed for cool weather than for Summer, An automobile engine has to be kept from overheating and for this reason the radiator is provided and supplied with water. Naturally the engine needs less cooling of this sort during the cold weather months. Since an engine that Is overcooled uses more gasoline, a more effective use of gasoline can be secured in extremely cold weether by the use of radiator shutters or covers. Gasoline Wasted. Doubtless many thousands of gallons of gasoline are wasted annually by auto- mobile owners by their leaving the en- gine of their car running while the cars themselves are standing still. It is so easy & matter to start an automobile in these days that it is better to turn off the ignition switch and stop the engine ‘whenever the car is not going to be used for even a few minutes, Every automobile in good condition which is being driven will cover a cer- tain definite number of miles per gal- lon of gasoline. The owner should find out by experimentation how many miles per gallon his car may be good for and then keep the car in such condition as to get this amount month after month. ‘There may be a little dropping off dur- ing the Winter months, but it should be slight. The owner can also estimate the cost per month for gasoline, if he can estimate about how many miles he will traveling for any particular month, Mr. Brokaw will be glad to write on any subject partaining to the care of automobiles that the reader of these articles may desire. Milady’s Motoring BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Motordom would be different if the easy rules for adjusting headlights ap- plied to fixing up light heads. Hearing a woman's car clattering along with a broken tire chain reminds me to point out the advisability of tying the broken section to the side section of the chain. This will stop the em-! barrassing racket until you get home, and will guard against having some of the fender finish come off. An oil company has issued a booklet for woman drivers in which there ap- pears an item on how to win smiles from traffic cops. The idea is com- mendable, but the method somewhat questionable, The booklet recommends that when waiting for a traffic signal to turn green you should shift into first speed in order o be ready to “flash into motion the in- stant the green appears.” To do this, of course, it is necessary to depress the clutch, which means that should your foot accidentally slip off the pedal the car would lurch forward, perhaps into the cop himself. * | Let’s win his favor by better driving. If you don't want the car to roll back a little when starting off uphill, learn to use the hand brake. Hold the car by hand and gradually ease off as you engage the clutch and feed gas with the accelerator. Doubtless you have wondered why it is so many experienced drivers never roll back under these more difficult traffic conditions. The reason is thelr knowledge of the special use of the hand brake. Do you ever practice trying to stop the car instantly? Have you noticed | that difficulty in’getting out of a park- ing space usually is due to getting too close to the curb? Has any one told you that if you set the hand control of the throttle for a little faster idling on & very cold day you will have less diffi- culty shifting gears? Just a few random queries which may suggest useful answers, ‘Women who ride with friend husband on the front seat may welcome the warmth from the car heater under the dash, but be annoyed by having the hot air blow directly up into the face. If the heater is modern, you will find that it carries baffle piates, which, rroperly adjusted, will direct the heat eny way you desire. Just to help you get started ahead of the menfolk, bear in mind that the average choke does not operate at all unless it is pulled nearly all the way out. Don’t waste time cranking with the choke only half out. T, gears—what are they, any- way? e mechanic talks about them occasionally, yet where are they located, and what is their function? Many & woman driver has been fur- ther conftsed by the mechanic talking | ’bout the timing chain instead of the | timing gears. Does every car carry| both, or are there two distinct methods of accomplishing the same purpose? In speculating she is correct to pick the latter as the explanation. The valve timing is accomplished by rotat- ing a gear or sprocket at the end of the camshaft, this being driven from the main shaft of the engine either by a chain or through gears. Engineers are not in agreement as to which is the ideal way. Gears naturally wear out and are subject to humming noises. Chains stretch and are liable to break, or at least jump their sprockets. Service in- variably is required in either case after MOTOR OIL_ “BEST OIL IN THE WORLD" Gives a thousand trouble-free miles when you fill the crank case with “Autocrat.” That is the way to measure oil worth, a than one marked company. a car has gone upward of 15,000 miles. Timing gears may hum from the start and then quiet down. And a chain may easily stretch and jump during the first 1,000 miles if the owner fails to have it taken up to compensate for the initial stretching. Luckily for the motorist, the front- end drive for the valves, and in some engines for the ignition timing as wel', is automatically lubricated from the engine proper. Set this down as one of the worries that need never concern you. If your service man says the car is chain-driven for the valve timing, or if u read something to this effect in the instruction book, you can help him keep your car in efficient running order by telling him if the engine seems to hum. That is a sure sign that the chain is too tight. He can easily loosen it a bit, and this simple job may save you & repair bill. After a lapse of scme 10 years the plan of carrying the luggage on the roof of the car is coming back into vogue again. Motorists returning from abroad report an increasing number of specially buflt American cars being so equipped for European travel, and now comes an accessory maker with a device that can be attached to the roof of any closed car. These, moreover, are port- able. They can be put on in a few minutes’ time, TO AVOID DELAY Maryland Motorists Advised to Get 1931 Tags by Mail. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, December 13.—Thou- sands of motorists not only of Balti- more, but many from adjoining coun- ties have been lined up before the mo- tor vehicle commissioner's office the Tut two days in order to get their icense tags. Automobile Commissioner Baughman appealed to owners of ‘cars to co-op- erate with him by ordering their tags by mail. “Sometimes I wonder if time doesn’t mean anything to people. Markers can be obtained by mail for only 10 cents additional, and I guarantee 24-hour service on such applications. It seems to me that obtaining tags in this way would be preferable to standing in line for hours, especlally with the weather what it is.” —_———— OIL VISCOSITY FIXED Development Made by Manufac- turers and Society. The Soclety of Automotive Engineers, with the co-operation of leading auto- motive and oll manufacturers, has devel- oped a uniform system of standardizing viscos'ty of oil. ‘This system has been caHed the S. A. E. Viscosity Numbering System, and as the name implies, con- (‘(‘"‘nfi itself only with that one property of oil. ferent brands have been marked light, medium, heavy, extra heavy, etc. represented merely a classification sys- tem for each individual manufacturer, and naturally resulted in a wide varia- tion between, brands; so much so, in Hitherto, oils in the various dif- 'his ct, that in one case an oil marked ght” by one manufacturer actually possessed or viscosity heavier “heavy” by another You will drive longer upon AUTOCRAT than you have ever dared to drive upon any other oil, and it drains from the crankcase with all the “look™ and “feel” of an oil that has gone hardly 100 miles. AUTOCRAT—THE OIL THAT 18 DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHERS, Beware of Substitutes Try Autocrat the next time you need oil, and judge its advantages for yourself,