Evening Star Newspaper, December 28, 1930, Page 48

4 In the Motor World BY G. ADAM EXT Saturday, January 3, the first National Automo- bile Show of 1931 will open in New York City at the Grand Central Palace, marking its thirty-first annual exhibition in the great metropolis. Starting A week earlier this year, the show w11l reraain apen as usual its full week, closing the following Satur- day nignt. Washington dealers will make their pilgrimage as well as will hundreds of interested residents of the National Capital. Helpful ideas may be obtained for the annual show here, scheduled for the last week in January. Motordom Voices Optimism, Motordom is inclined to be optimistic. There is a reason. for this school of thought. Conserva- tive estimates point to more than a million replacements to be made during the coming year in | passenger cars and a goodly per- centage in the motor truck field. | This is not essentially due to a| desire for fashionable or luxurious | transportation, but simply because | many very old cars are wearing out to the point where they are| no longer economical to run. A large number are not worth their upkeep in these days. The safety | factor also is considered by many who find old style rear wheel| brakes no longer adequate. Then, too, thousands now use their passenger cars for business as well us utility and pleasure, and the wisdom of scrapping antiquated automobiles which have seen their best days is somewhat obvious. One thing is certain, namely: " That the factories are producing newly designed models for 1931 and have invested millions of dollars n new machinery, jigs, dies and materials necessary for new production. The manufac- turers have not let depression talk interfere with progress. In the industry deserves credit for alleviating, to an extent, the un- employment situation. For it must be borne in mind that one worker out of every ten of our opulation depends, either direct- y or indirectly, upon the auto- motive industry for his income. Largest and Smallest. ‘The reports forecast the promise that the 1931 National Shows at New York and Chicago will go down in automotive history as the expositions that produced what are probably the largest and most assuredly the smallest of auto- mobiles — thereby setting two styles at once. And in either case more for the money is offered than ever before. What the out- come will be and how the trend will swing from both of these extremes remains to be seen. Then, too, it would appear that several veritable revelations in car production will set the 1931 show apart from all others. There is the company manu- ng the 16-cylinder crea- ich proved a sensation at s show, following this up a2 new 12. These models have the distinction of being either the largest or one of the largest American cars made. Then there is the bantam crea- tion at the opposite extreme, even more bantami than last year. The effect of these already is being felt, for at least one maker will unveil a new “16” at the show and another baby car also is promised by ‘a very progressive manufacturer. More 12s are rumored. New Models in All Factories. Practically every factory has newly designed models through- out, although basic fundamentals of design exhibit less change than ever before. Standardization of construction and stability of de- sign are being reached. A whole flock of new eight-cylinder models will be offered. Sixes are in the minority. Safety has come in for more attention than ever, although its | achievement has not altered ap- pearance noticeably. Thus we have | more steel bodles than ever, and | shatterproof glass is appearing in | even the lowest priced category. Another change, this time more apparent, comes from the much wider use of wire wheels and the wholesale removal of spare tires from the back of the body to wells in the fenders. Changes Made in Designs. Design changes that mark the 1931 cars are for the most part| hidden, though their importance, for that reason, is none the less.| ‘There is oil cooling, for example, A couple of makers have caused the lubricating oil to circulate through part of the radiator as a means of increasing oil life; in another case a tiny oil radiator 18 built into the lubricating sys- tem; in others, special ribs cast on the crankcace serve to keep down ofl temperatures to the end that the viscosity and life of the oil may be maintained over longer periods. One of the more important de- velopments of the year, and which may easily share honors with the new multi-cylinder power plants, is the development of better transmissions. Just as the three- speed sliding gear-set was hailed MOTOR DO S HOWARD. as a marked en%lneorln; achieve- ment over the two-speed planet- ary transmission, so has the development of the four-speed and transmission devices. Until recently the spur-gear clash-type was favored, but the demand for easy shifting and quietness led to at least three '.yg»—the in- ternal, helical and herringbope. These are of the constant-mesh design, and shifting from one sgud to another is accomplished through multi-jaw clutches that shift at practically any speed and ermit of easy and quick changes y the operator. Among the fea- tures of the year has been the “free wheeling” transmission de- vice whereby the change from second to high, or vice versa, is accomplished without declutching. Other new transmissions or spes clalties will be seen at the show. These are said to be a revelation in driving. Wheelbases are to be longer even in the lower-priced category, which ‘may have been brought about by the demand for larger and roomier bodies. There appears to be an increase in the number of all-steel welded bodies, al- though some manufacturers favor the wood and steel. Much easier entrance and exit is noticeable as cars are lower. This low center of gravity makes for better road- nbmt?r, eliminates side-sway and permits the taking of curves at a higher rate of speed. New Radiator Designs. Strikingly new and different fronts and radiator shapes will be seen. In some instances, the color of the radiator shell matches that of the hood. Center ribs and concave designs will make their appearance. Another recent design is that in which the radiator. tapers toward the bot- tom. A number of manufacturers continue their basic lines in so far as the front is concerned. The radiator grille will be stahdard equipment on several models. While not visible, lubrication of engine and chassis is an important element in the longevity of the machine, For 1031, manufactur- ers have given considerable thought to refining car lubrica- tion, and this season will see the adoption of several new systems which have been tried out not merely for months but for years. For example, visitors will find at the show a clever dash-mounted meter which indicates the condi- tion of the oil in the crankcase and shows without fail when it has become worn so thin that its lubflcatmanuaunes have been impaired. other words, oil may be changed on definite knowledge rather than guesswork. Heater Units in New Form. Along allied lines is another de- vice in the form of an electrically operated heater unit which clamps on the bottom of the crankcase to warm the engine oil after a car has been standing idle for several - hours. The heater plugs into the house Hgmng 8ys- tem and may be used keep an engine warm all night in an un- heated garage. There also is what is known as a “crankcase over- coat,” a felt insulated metal case which slips over the crankcase of the engine, and not only keeps it warm for long periods while standing, but also tends to main- tain the oil at an even tem- perature when the car is running. For those who take delivery of also | new cars “break-in” oil will be a boon. This is a special prepara- tion which is added to the crank- case oil of a new car, making it unnecessary to drive slowly for the usual “break-in” period. Among the heaters, most of which now rely on hot water from the radiator and a small motor-driven blower, are several novel ones which use clean heated air. This is circulated through- operated blower. And, speaking of heat, there are a half-dozen elec- trically warmed frost shields at- taching to the windshield. These keep a liberal space in front of the driver clear of frost or steam in the coldest weather. And among the novelties of promise is a vacuum-operated gearshift which eliminates the usual gearshift lever, and an elec- trically operated door lock which locks all the doors of a car at once upon pressure of a button on the dash. All of which are but a small percentage of the novelties in store for Automobile Show visitors. OLD ROADS NEEDED IMPROVEMENT Those Most Uséd Get First Con- sideration From Authorities Is Belief. Since 1915 automobiles in this coun- try have inereased by mnot less than 1,000,000 vehicles yearly. By the end will be running around the Nation's roads and streets. There are more mo- tor trucks alone toda) passenger cars just 17 years ago. It is difficult to clearly picture the complex automobile and foad problem. Although the United States has been actively engaged in modern road build- ing for at least a decade, great mile- ages of heavily used roads are still awaiting the high type of improvement justified by the traffic v,hs‘y carry. Fortunately, however, road building has proceeded with ition of the prin- ciple that the most used roads should be first improved. The magazine American Highways points out that three-fourths of the people live along the 767,000 miles of roads that have been surfaced. Th: remaining one-fourth of the popula- tions lives along the 2,250,000 miles of roads that have not been surfaced. But to reach this quarter of the population with surfaced roads w 1931 TAGS WILL BE READY FoR DISTRIBUTION JANUARY 2%2.THE PERSONAL' TAX MUST BE PAID BEFORE TAGS ARE- PROCURED. DON'T - PUT OFF ‘GETTING YOUR LICENSE nAv:t,lwlm PVE EMBARRASSING ould be a burden indeed, as is related in the following rinciple recently ado) by the imm Association of m Highway Officals: “The public demand for highways is now go great and the funds involved so hmthnuhnotnflbhwmuzfll demands in a limited perlod without too great a burden upon the public finance. Therefore State and Federal available for new construction be devoted first to the primary out the car by a tiny electrically | of 1930 some 28,000,000 cars of all kinds | than there were | THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DE( DOWN THE ROAD—Life’s Little Tragedies. R 28, 1930—PART FOUR. —By FRANK BECK | SCOTCHMAN WATCHING HIS CAR DEPRECIATE ON NEW YEARS EVE. ©1930 Ny TmEUE, e . YEAR'S FIRST SNOW SERVES ASWARNING Skidding Preventives Found Urgent by Many Motorists. ‘The first light snow of the year brought home to hundreds of Washing- ton motorists how unpleasant it may be to be caught far from the*home garage without skid chains or any way of get- ting the family chariot home without running the risk of limping home witha smashed radiator or a couple of fenders hanging after a skidding trafic smash. ‘Washington is not a particularly hilly city like Pittsburgh or San Francisco, but such a snow as the recent one can cause skids on & level surface if the car operator is not extremely careful how he approaches “stop” signs or crossings. Many a fender was crushed to a shapeless mass and many a radiator damaged as brakes locked in front of a stop sign or a car going in the opposite direction and chainless wheels Jocked in the snow, and the helpless operator watched his skidding car crash into en- other vehicle, powerless to do anything to stop its mad career. Chains Are Answer. The only answer to such snowfalls, coming with little warning and coming fast, is a pair of chains, readily ac e and quickly put on. In the absence of more effective measures, such as sanding the pavement at important crossings or a quick clearing of the snow, they are the most effective things wet dzvised to help wet rubber to grip on siippery snow or ice. The recent snowfall was not the sleety mixture which comes about twice every Winter in Washington and leaves motor cars almost helpless in the wake of its slippery vastness, but it was effective enough to cause literally scores of acci- dents and hundreds of near accidents as cars skidded helplessly on the treach- erous footing. Underneath the inch of snow that fell was a thin covering of ice, and even though rubber tires bit down through the packed snow, when they encountered that ice they were as helpless 2s bables. Brakes locked and cars ckidded and fenders were crum- pled, and that was all there was to it. The only thing to be done, in the ab- sence of skid chains, was to proceed cautiously, with the car well under con- trol in case a quick stop was necessary. There are many bad s in Wash- | ington, even though the city has few bad hills. All stop streets became bad spots with the snowfall, for motor car operators, facing the first snowfall of the season, dashed up to the stop signs at 15 miles an hour and more, the brakes on and skidded out into the middle of the arterial highway before they could stop. There they were some- times met by a car proceeding on the highway, and the two met in helpless collision. Sloping pavements such as those on Twelfth and Thirteenth streets, from F to E streets; Thirty-fourth street in Georgetown and Fifteenth and Six- teenth streets between Florida avenue and the top of the hill became almost hopeless airs for cars not equipped with chains. Indeed, for a time during the rush hour last Wednesday Sixteenth street between Florida avenue and Cres- cent place was roped off and ic was diverted to other less ous streets. Fifteenth street between Florida avenue and Euclid street became a tangled mass of traffic, with many cars seekin make the grade and skidding against the curb. Many Minor Collisions. Stop signs scattered along Wisconsin avenue became spots where many motor- ists were unable to stop and collided with others proceeding along that ar- terial highway. Reservolr at Thirty-fifth street became a glare of ice, and there were many minor collisions | at that point as motorists coming along the good stretch of Reservoir road at the speed limit tried to stop at the in- tersection and failed. Q street, in Georgetown, & narrow thoroughfare, where cars are parked on both sides of the street at all hours of the day, saw many accidents as big busses crowded other cars onto the slip- pery side of the pavement. The inter- section of Connecticut and Florida ave- nues became a spot of tragedy to many motorists who came down the hill to- ward 8 street on Connecticut avenue and found their brakes inadequate to hold them at the traffic light at Florida avenue. The whole was just a sample of how a light fall of snow, complicated by freezing temperatures which causes a thin coating of ice on the pavement, can throw the traffic of an entire city into confusion and some- times hopeless entanglement. The snow of 1023—cause of the Knickerbocker disaster—threw the en- tire city into chaos and caused com- plete rearrangement of the snow-clean- ing facilities of the District government. ‘The big snow of February, 1927, also caused & rearral ent of the snow- cleaning facilities, but nowadsys the local tl-:u'zuu for eh:a mn:' are adequa meet any of snow, which Washington has Sleetstorms and | few years. those comprising the Federal Blate systems. turbance to trafic in Washington tha: So do the light snowfalls, had last week, where the d to handle have little lammed | BY RICHARD H. AISHTON, President, American Rallway Association. ‘The price that is being exacted by waste, loss, injuries and fatalities inci- dent to motor vehicle traffic is clearly too high. The country had paid this year an estimated sum of $3,000,000,000 as waste and loss in connection with this traffic. This loss, if evenly distributed, amounts to approximately $25 for each American citizen and member of his household. It is three the amount of the annual salaries of the teachers in the public schools and about one-half more than the entire sum that is spent every 12 months for the main- tenance of the public school system. It is three-fourths of the costs of all This sum approximates the interest on the combined funded debt of the Federal Government and all of the States and municipalities in the country. It is equal to two-thirds of the annual ?E:uunl costs of all of the ratiroads of country, and to 4 per cent of the estimated total annual income of the American people. In the face of the magnitude of this los sit becomes important that the civic, business and public interests should lend the most practical, constructive and de- termined effort to the solution of the traffic problem. Home Directly Concerned. ‘The American home is directly con- cerned in this situation. It is perhaps the greatest sufferer, economically and socially, from the 31,000 lives s year that are being snuffed out in traffic ac- cidents. Wi the family circle are the heartaches and hardships that come with traffic fatalities and injuries, and only too often in the removal of its means of economic support and main- tenance. ilrogds have contended with traffic problem, ‘ade-crossing accidents, almost advent of the first automobile. 'den now expanded and reached into every phase of the Nation'’s | economie activity. Grade-crossing acci- dents still are a vital yet comparatively limited part of the whole problem. | The National Conference on Street and Highway Safety at Washington, of which the American Railway Association is a member, after exhaustive study and investigation, has laid down four lines of approach to a solution of the trafic enigma, but dependent for realization upon the organized and sympathetic co- operation of the States and municipali- ties, and of the civic, social and eco- nomic units that make them continuing organizations. Pirst—Action by the States and cities for the creation and maintenance of adequate streets and mechanisms of traffic control that will make them safe and reduce to 8 minimum the hazard to life and to the operation of vehicles. This effort should extend into the resi- dential districts where children play in the streets and pedestrians cross them Second—Education of every one in the safe and proper use of the streets and the development of a clear sense of per- sonal and individual responsibility on the part of every person who uses the streets and highways. This is essential to the &r‘o;ceunn of life and property and_stri deeply at the root of the traffic accident problem of today. Third—The exercise of the public au- thority in a fearless and impartial man- ner in administartion and enforce- ment of laws and regulations that gov- ern the use of the streets*and highways. Without even-handed enforcement al measures for relief from the traffic - lem, and the greater protection of hu- man life, must fail in their objective. Fourth—Uniformity in laws of States and the ordinances of cities and towns, to the end that regulation and control may be as simple as practicable, easily understood and more willingly obeyed by the drivers of vehicles and by pedestrians, For Safe Drivers Only. In ita final aspect, apart from ade- quate facilities, the traffic accident prob- lem comes down to the simple proposi- tion that operators of vehicles must be allowed to use the streets and highways only when they show their wmfm:a and ability to do so with safety to - selves and others, and when they main. tain_their vehicles in a safe operating condition. Effective public supervision is essential to this end. Education of the public in matters affecting the safety and the expeditious movement of traffic is likewise neces- sary. It embraces children in the to | at random. effect on the light snowfalls. But the only way to avoid discomfort and acci- dents in cases of sudden light snows such as we had last week is to be in | value and urgency of unife LOSSES INCIDENT TO MOTOR -VEHICLE TRAFFIC FAR TOO HIGH Nation Has Paid Approximately $3,000,- 000,000 This Year in Connection With This Problem. schools, pedestrians on the streets and roads and the drivers of vehicles. The objective of education, which is a vital part of solution, must be to de- velop in the drivers of vehicles a con- sciousness of the public obligation which each one assumes when he drives his car out into the public streets and roads where it may do injury or cause death. The National Conference on Street and Highway Safety has prepared the Uniform Vehicle Code as a pattern for the States in shaping simple and effec- tive traffic laws. Features of this code will come to the attention of the 44 State Legislatures that meet soon, and their consideration should have the united and urgent support of every civic, social and business interest. Value Is Recognised. ‘The Model Municipal Traffic Ordi. nance, which conforms with the Uni- form Vehicle Code, has for acceptance by m un:'"fi‘; orm rules and regulations in towns and cities is s gen- erally recognized factor in the situation. ‘There has been much progress in put- ting this ordinance into operation, but there is still much to be ueamrlhhed before the full benefits of unifermity from the standpoint of citles and towns are realized. States which have ad laws with adequate provision for the licensing of vehicle operators after examination and driving tests have practically all had, after a sufficient length of time, a lower accident and fatality rate than they hac before, and a lower rate of accident in- crease than is found in those States which have not adopted such laws and measures. Careful a aborate studies indicate that a drivers’ license law, with manda- tory examination of new drivers, may be cted to reduce motor vehicle fatalif by about 25 per cent. This is a gaving of one in each of four lives now 1 and the conclusion is based on the records before and after of the State: that have such laws, and with the elim- ination as far as ruu- of the variable factors in each State. Readjustment Necessary. States are faced today with the neces- sity of building larger and safer high- ways, and the towns and cities of re- adjusting their street systems, especiall; where more than two streets join at an Intersection, to meet the increasing de- mands of traffic. Cit'es and towns are confronted with the need for wider through streets and by-pass routes to permit proper segrega- tion and routing of trafiic and its - ditious movement. Intelligent zoning and planning to meet the traffic necessi- ties of today and the demands that may reasonably be expected in 10, 20 and even 50 years, must be given considera- tion and carried into effect. The traffic problem merits the atten- tion of every American community, Its adequate and permanent splution rests in the degree of serious and intelligent study which each community gives to it and the measure of service that each Legislature renders in passing uniform and scientific laws for effective admin- istration and control. ———— WORLD TRAVEL BILL HIGH -| Approximately $7,500,000,000 Ex- pended in 1930. ‘The world travel bill for 1930 was approximately $7,500,000,000, and two- thirds of this amount, or $5,000,000,000, was spent by Americans at home and abroad and visitors to our shores. This statement was issued by the American Automobile Association on the basis of a preliminary study of travel the fig- figures for year. While ures for 1930 will not show the usual The A A l‘“d ol‘bl‘cld red fset it an serve offsef decrease in totol expmdlmru.w Lol HAVE BRAKES EQUALIZED Auto Dealer Warns Against Skid- ding Possibilities. “Be sure your brakes are equalized.” ‘That is the [ to motor- ists by Rudolph Jose, veteran sutomo- bile dealer, who points out that during the next few months the automobile driver will have emphatic need for brakes that operate positively and with precise efficiency. w“"xk'l':; average ummnlblh'l hhnduny on slippery sur 8- vated,” Mr. Jose says, "mflu are not equalized. By even make 8) brakes on such a surface 2 ized brakes, on the other hand, | will minimize one of the greatest haz- ards of Winter motoring.” e About 142,000 or 15 e usea ,000,000, r cent of D:nmml!-- HIGHWAY BUILDING NEEDS ARE STUDIED Co-ordination of Forces for More Employment Sought. ‘The importance which highway con- struction has assumed as one of the Nation's greatest industries has em- phasized the need for a better under- standing on the part of the public as to the official channels through which road building is advanced. This is the view taken by Henry H. Blood, chair- man of the State Highway Commission of Utah and president of the American Association of State Highway Officials. Mr. Blood now is in Washington at the request of Col Arthur Woods, chairman of President Hoover’s Emergency Com- mittee for Employment, to aid in co- ordinating forces for more employment. “We have recently con our - ular annual session at Pittsburgh,” Mr. Blood, “and we have agreed upon policies by which we are to be governed during the coming year. !lrsv;"we have a program for increased Federal aid as an emergency employment measure, and .| we are working intensively with Presi- dent Hoover’s committee, headed by Col. Arthur Woods. Would Change Limitation. “Another part of our program is to have changed, if possible, the present limitation of $15,000 per mile on Fed- eral participaton in highway construe- tion so that the Secretary of Agricul- ture may be authorized to approve proj- ects at 50 per cent of the cost of con- struction. “Then there is at the present time considerable agitation for the improve- ment of secondary roads, in some cases classed as farm-to-market roads, with a resultant demand for diversion of State funds now available for State sys- tems. We are opposed to the diversion of these funds until the primary routes have reached a more advanced stage of improvement. Our position is that the major pertion of State funds should be used entirely to expedite work on State systems and in keeping with major traffic demand. ‘Want Uniform Taxes. “One of our aims also is to secure, 1if possible, a great uniformity in gaso- line taxes and motor license fees. We stand for the restriction of toll bridges ly | in the interest of the public, and also for roadside beautification as a means of reducing highway nfaintenance costs by checking erosion and preventing slides. “Our organization,” said Mr. Blood, “is composed of public officials charged with the building and administration of highways in the various States, and any pronouncement from this official body, which co-operates closely with the Bureau of Public Roads, may be religd uj as expressing the true facts conc State activities in the great project of road building. “The American Association of State Highway Officials has been functioning 17 years, having been organized at a meeting held in Washington on De- cember 12, 1914. The purpose for which the association was organized,” Mr. Blood conciuded, “and for which it is to be perpetuated, is to study the various materials, methods of construc- tion and maintenance, all rrohlenu connected with & view of blishing a uniform system of administration, con- structior and maintenance; to promote legislation for the purpose of conserve ing the capital invested in highway con- struction and maintenance by produc- ing the highest possible efficiency, and to co-operate in every way possible with the United States Bureau of Public Roads or similar Federal organizations in the consideration of road problems.” SAFETY GLASS REQUIRED Canadian Bill Would Ban All Other Kinds. mA!I motor cars manufactured or sold have to be equipped in windows and windshields with non-shatterable glass, if a resolution 1n the House of Com- mons is adopted at the com: 8es« slon, according to advices received here. This is the first news of this step to reach the United States. Massachusetts has adopted such a bill for public carriers and New York State has one now pending consider- ation. The total number of injuries in motor car accidents, according to the National Automobile Chamber of Com- merce, could be reduced by as many as 850,000 annually if all cars were thus tected. Two hundred thousand per- sons were hurt in only two months ac- cording to present findings. Lafayette Tea Room trick St. He. IBEHAVIOR OF MODERN AUTO DEPENDENT ON GOOD CARE With Ordinary Protection a Machine Is Likely to Fun ction Properly For a Long Time. By H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. Usually the engine of the modern au- tomobile behaves itself very satisfac- torily. With ordinary care it is likely to function properly for a long time. several years old that have ny thousands of miles over American highways will often run better than when they were quite new. But not everybody takes good care of the car's e;{lne. And once in a while an engine will go on the sick list for no reason &t all that its owner has any control over. Troubles Saved. A little technical knowledge by the automobile expert will frequently save the motorist a lot of inconvenience and dclay. There is nothing more discon- certing than for an automobile driver to have his car out of commission on & highway or in a private garage, when the application of very little mechanical skill requiring but a few seconds of time would effect the rem:dy needed. There are some experts who seem to have a certain amount of intuition or a sufficlent amount of knowledge about engine construction that they can read- ily spot the cause of almost any kind of trouble when it shows up. This is not true with the average driver of a car, even though he is fairly well informed about the engine’s make-up. Such an operator had better proceed when there is trouble without any preconceived ideas as to what that trouble can be. Then by following a fairly definite rou- tine in wheih he will eliminate one by one the numerous possibilities of the trouble, he will quite readily find out where the real trouble lies. It is then a matter of being able to repair what- ever is out of adjustment. It is quite as important, however, to be able to readily eliminate the cause of a dis- order as it is to be able to repair it. In the process of eliminating possi- bilities of trouble in case an automobile engine goes dead on the road and step- ping on the starter pedal does not revive it, the gasoline situation should be investigated. The driver should look to see I{ there is any supply in the fuel tank, it being well known that auto- mobiles do not run without fuel. Some- times the most careful drivers forget to ke:p the gasoline tank supplied. He should also look to see if ere is any gasoline in the bowl of the carburetor, also to make sure that the shut-off valve in the line the carbu- retor is not shut off. Trouble in Ignition. If nothing is the matt:r with the gasoline situation, perhaps the trouble has to do with the ition. It is easy to test this out. Take the wire off of Milady’s Automobiles don't need remote con- trol—they have the back-seat driver. en—and what women d many interesting proc- esses to engage their attention when on a tour of uurecuon through the mod- ern automobile factory. One of the most unique is the sewing together of the cloth strips that make up the ceil- ing of a closer car. Here it is neces- sary to use a special sewing machine capable of taking stitches half way through the thickness of the cloth. It is by reason of this enjius machine that no stitches are visible to passen- gers. Engineers are busy trying to make the autamobile easier to operate. Mean- while, remember that you can steer ou keep the front tires up to e and if you hold the rim of the wheel instead of the spokes. ‘Try these the next time you go shopping and have to do an abnor- mal amount of parking. ‘The week's safety hipt concerns the importance of keeping a little farther behind any -car that is just starting off. At least during the cold weather season. ‘The other driver may have trouble shifting gears. That is apt to mean a sudden slowing down and per- haps a collision. On a recent week end trip a woman suffered the unpleasant experience of having a drunken driver come careen- ing down the road toward her. When about 25 feet from her car he gave a leary wave of his hand and cut over to his own side of the road. Meanwhile she had been doing scme lively think- ing along lines of what a driver should do under circumstances of this sort. Going on the theory that a moving and standing vehicle collide less forci- bly than two that are in motion, she figured the first step was to stop. The brakes should not be set tightly, how- ever. And it always pays to stay on one's own side of the road rather than to try Lo dodge the oncoming trouble. One reason why so many women have trouble learning to drive is be- cause they have always watched pro- ceedings from a seat in the rear. Things look different from the back. Get the “front seat angle” if you are planning to take lessons. “What is your idea of the brakes?” I asked one woman who has been driv- ing for several years, and found what I expected. She believed the purpose of the brakes is to lock the wheels. If brakes did that we would not only skid around in fine fashion but wo“llcfl wheels stop and the momentum of car isn't completely dissipated, the tires will take up the braking job and make a mess of it. Wet rubber is extremely slippery. In no condition does rubber make good braking material. To perform heir job properly brakes must provide enough friction to compensate for the car's momentum. But you can't have friction between completely gripped surfaces, such as you get when the brake shots leck against the drums of the wheels. Thus it is important tc keep braking just under the point where the shoes lock the wheels. Engineers try to lay out the braking system so that this ideal can be obtained with great ease on the of the driver, who is of a lot of other matters during the the | the making of one complete car. spark plug and hold its terminal m one&lghm inch of any metal part of the engine. Crank the engine with the switch on to see if a spark can be obtained. A spark should jump this narrow slip of one-eighth inch. If it does, the ignition is probabiy all right. If it does not or if the spark appears to be weak, then a discharg:d or a partly hat battery may be the matter. Possibly the interrupter points may need adjusting because of wear. The faces of the interrupter points should be even and true so that they will make a good contact. In cranking the engine, the driver should be sure that the gears are in neutral. When trying to crank the (engine if the job seems unusually hard, there may be a leak of lubricating oil which may result in turn in the engine reaching a temperature where it would fall to function due to excessively high temperature and insufficient lubrication, Lack of water in the radiator might make it difficult to crank the engine, Compression at Fault. Possibly something is wrong with the compression, especially if ons or more cylinders misfire or if the engine runs uneven. An experienced driver may be able to tell by the resistance of the starter crank whether or not each cylinder has plentyw of compression. ompression occurs only on the one stroke of the piston on the four-stroke cycle. On a six-cylinder engine there should be three peaks of compression for each full revolution of the starting crank. On an eight-cylinder engine | there are four in each complet: turn | of the crank. In any event each cylinder should be tested to see if the compres- | ston s about equal in all of them. This | can b done by taking out a'l of the spark plugs except one and noting resistance when turning the crank. Repeat for each cylinder and compare results. If the driver finds the compression is | weak in one cylinder, the next thing to | investigate is the exhaust valve. To do this it is necessary to remove the valve and inspect the seat for soot marks in- dicating a leak. The push rod should be examined to be sure there is some space between it and the valve when | the valve is supposed to be closed. If | thelt is no space, adjustment should be_made at this point. Usually th: motorist will eliminate his engine trouble before going through most of the outlined above; however, if all these stages fail to pro- duce any good results, the driver will likely be required to have the assistance of some good automobile mechanic. Mr. Brokaw will be glad to write on any subject pertaining to the care of automobiles that the reader of these articles may desire. Motoring BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Brake lining is a friction material involving asbestos, 50 as not to burn out two readily. This friction that is generated as the car’s momentum is dissipated turns into heat, and often m ,and thus damages the brake It is little wonder, therefore, that experienced woman drivers try to avoid too rapid stopping. They want to les- sen the risk of damaging the brakes through excessive friction and heat. Then, to aveid the risk of locking the wheels, they follow the plan of apply- ing the brakes intermittently during a quick stop—the stunt known as “dab- bing” the brakes. If the car is equipped with a hot-air heater, keep it shut off until after you have backed out of the garage and started down the street. In backing out some of the exhaust gases will get under the hood and will bs blown into the car if the heater is used too soon. A surprisingly of women are driving cars without an operator’s license. They fully intend to comply with requirements, but feel that they still are learning. 'Way in the back of their heads, however, is the idea that so long as they keep out of traffic they will not have an accident, and thus will run no risk of running afoul of the law. This is dangerous theory. Any ex- perienced woman driver who thinks back over her motoring will recall that most of her difficulties with the car occurred in quiet places, backing out of the garage, in the driveway or at & blind intersection cn a country road. TOOL ENGINEERS HELD THE BEST TIME-SAVERS $14 on Each Car Can Be Saved, According to Automotive Eociety.‘ Discussing the work of the tool en- gineer, Prof. O. B. Jones of the Detroit School of Applied Science, told the Society of Automotive Engineers that the tool engineer is one of the best time= savers an automobilz factory can have. There are, he said, around 4,000 manus facturing ' details on an average siy cylinder car, and often as many as 15,000 parts, since there are many items of which more than one part is required to make up a complte car. “If we assume,” said Prof. Jones, “a low nverags of four operations to each part, 60,000 operations are required 1;; the annual production is 500,000 cars, 30,000,000,000 operations are performed each year. If one second is saved on each operation a total saving in labor of 3,412 men working one year in the factory. “Without considering other savings in various items of overhead, this amounts to a saving of approximately $7,000,000 a y:ar, or $14 on each car.” e Speedometer Service We Repair All Makes CREEL BROTHERS 1811 14th ST. N.W. large number But your skill at portant. “BEST OIL IN THE The super quality in Autocrat Motor Oil as- sures you of supreme per- formance—more miles of safe lubrication per filli To .fully appreciat Autocrat quality, “hewever, you should use it st =have your drained and refilled with * elean new Autocrat. BAYERSON OIL Decatur 4220 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 IS DIFFE] T FROM ALL OTHERS. Beware of Substitutes Try Autocra: the next time you need oil, and judge its advantages for yourself. At the Better Dealers 0¢ A QUART “eRNIT No- COLUMBIA 5228 .