Evening Star Newspaper, January 18, 1931, Page 52

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. INAL arrangements for the eleventh annual automobile show in the National Capital, which opens next Saturday at the Auditorium, rapidly are be- ing whipped into shape. Although some changes have been made in the committee generalship by the ‘Washington Automotive Trade Association, under whose auspices the show is staged, all matters are under competent management, and ind*cations point to the finest exhibition the city has had the privilege of witnessing. Interesting Array. In no previous year have the manufacturers brought forth such an interesting array of models. Never before have the new year designs and creations offered so much for the value. There .is something that can attract the purse contents of every one. Judging from the New York show, there will be plenty of pur- chasing done as well as looking. It will be the pleasant duty of the citizens of this city to take in this annual entertainment. May its_success be pleasing to all! One of the Nation’s leading manufacturers attempts to sum up the present period. He says as follows: “The automobile-buying public will benefit materially through the eycle of business from which the country is now emerging. “This is but a repetition of similar periods and in which values have always mounted im- mediately following. An Industrialist's Explanation. “The explanation is simple. When business is exceptionally ood selling is not particularly ult. When business slows down an extra requirement is g:ced on the manufacturer and distributing organization. He must attempt to produce a prod- uct which meets less sales re- sistance than his competitors. If he fails in this or attempts to mark time or if he attempts to folst on the public an old product under new guise the public turns from him to those who offer more. No man or manufacturer, par- ticularly at a_time like this, can stand still. He must either go ahead or retreat. “It is believed that the business eonditions of 1930 not only will benefit the public, but will be the mamt tonic to the automobile justry which it has received in “Easy selling wg‘roducea flabby organizations. ether it is the manufacturer, his sales depart- ment, or his ributing organi- sation, when the mxbuc buys in- discriminately any industry suffers the long run. There is often the to let things slide, to ride on the b‘l:edt:?inm beu-) eause everybody e! ere, %&nfllflmfi as they are, to lock step. In strenuous through necessity this is not tolerated. “The luMoll;u.flm&:’n;y '::: been particularly affect y this. While it has been growing for more than a quarter century its real success has been overnight. From a production of slightly over 4,000 cars in 1900, in 30 years it has become the world’s largest manufacturing industry, employ- more men, using a greater volume of materials, than %other industry. aturally, with such a ngid there has been a pyramld- of activities, unwise policies, lack Mfiobm‘r methoq:l. ovea pmduc n, and a gener: ‘wast and duplication. “It 18 only in such periods as we are now passing through that 8 new industry gets its feet on the ground. The inefficient, the overzealous, the weak, and the ‘Me, too,’ settle back and those companies and men who can meet the new situation go ahead.” Washington has lost its honor standing among the large cities in the matter of trafic fatalities for the year just passed. The city now ranks third on the list, with Baltimore and Boston occupying first and second places, respec- tively. This is true despite the fact that local traffic authorities show that there were 76 people killed on the streets of the District of Columbia in 1930 against 84 in 1929. According to the Department of Commerce report, with figures for the 52 weeks ending December 27, 1930, the death rate per 100,000 population gives Washington a percentage of 16.7, Baltimore, 12.9, and Boston, 14.1. For the 52 weeks ending December 28, 1929, the figures were Boston, 14.8; Washington, 15.8, and Baltimore, 175. Second at that time last year, Washington held first place for several months at a later date. However, Washington’s rate at resent can still be explained by he changed population figures for the city. A year ago the death | rate was based upon a population for the city larger than actually existed. Lowering of those figures by the official tabulation by the Census Bureau makes the death rate proportionately higher, al- though the actual increase in | deaths were lower. This seem- | ingly unfair result can be dis- regarded with the knowledge that | the city was given credit a year |ago for what it did not actually deserve. Such was probably the case in other cities. Nation’s Traffic Fatalities. The Department of Commerce announces that during the four weeks ending December 27, 1930, 78 large cities in the United States reported 812 deaths from auto- mobile accidents. This number compares with 646 deaths during the four weeks ending December 28, 1929. Most of those deaths were the result of accidents which occurred within the corporate limits of the city, although some accidents occurred outside of the city limits. For comparison, the number of deaths due to automobile acci- dents within city limits is de- sirable. Such figures are avail- able for the four-week period ending December 27, 1930, and for the corresponding four-week period of 1929 for all of the 78 cities, the four-week figure in 1930 being 669, as contracted with 558 for the corresponding four weeks in 1929. Considering by four-week riods since May, 1925, total deaths from automobile accidents for 78 cities, regardless of e of ac- cident, the lowest total (348) ap- pears for the four-week period ending March 27, 1926, and the highest (842) for the four-week period ending November 2, 1929. The numbers in the 74 periods of four weeks were as follows: For the 52-week periods ending December 27, 1930 and December 28, 1929, the totals for the 78 cities were, resgectlvely. 8,687 and 8,403, which indicate a recent rate of 25.2 per 100,000 population, as against an earlier rate of 24.8, or an increase of 2 per cent in the rate during the year. Three cities reported no deaths from automobile accidents for the last four weeks, while four cities reported no deaths from auto- sponding period of 1929. For the last four-week period reports as to whether deaths oc- curred from automobile accidents within city limits or outside were received from all of the 78 cities reporting. In these cities in this four-week period the total num- ber of deaths from automobile accidents was 812, but only 689 of these were due to accidents within city limits. Maryland Snow Removal Equipment At Highest Degree of Efficiency i @pecisl Dispsteh to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 17.—The snow- removal equipment of the State Roads Commission, augmented by the addition of 30 new trucks equipped with snow plows, is at the highest degree of efficlency ever reached during the ex- istence of the roads organization, ac- to members of that body. A fleet of 125 motorized plows have placed at various points through- out the State, where snow is expected to offer the most interference to the highway trafic. The major portion of the equipment bas been stationed in the mountainous sections of Western Mary- lh:pa, where the snow is usually the viest. he new equipment added this Eu Fere are five four-wheel-drive s wh. b, because of their greater ction powe., have been equipped with wnusually large plows. Six of the snow removers were used @uring the snowstorm which eccurred in the Western part of the State last ‘week, and the balance are prepared to begin work within less than an hour after the first flakes of a storm ha soon as the snow has reached a th of between 2 and 3 inches. n the system the crews for the plows get in communication with the d\smrt‘.nhp South will experience by far its right to shovel dirt anywhere just so engineers whenever a storm starts and | greatest road-building period. Some of | IONE a8 we are shoveling. But n’ isn't.” | are ready to go into operation as soon s the snow depth has reached the int at which the engineer considers removal necessary. MOTOR DON'TS NEGLECT YOUR MOTOR'S TEMPERATURE 7’ MOST ENGINES OPERATE AT PEAK EFFICIENCY AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM 160°To 1B0°. A MOTOR THAT RUNS TOO HOT OR Too COLD NOT DELIVER LASTING SATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE. F YOUR HAS S TROUI % T SVER “AD REMOVE HiE =IT MAY SAVE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS LATER ON ! During the small storm of last week there was not a szingle time that high- ways of the State system were bloc in any manner by the snow, despite the fact that in several sections the county road forces were unable to keep their rm clear, it was sald at the commis- son. 11931 SEEN AS GREAT Will Equal, if Not Surpass, Record Highway Building of 1930. Motorists throughout the United States may look forward to a good year, | for current activities of State highway of 1930 | Of particular interest is the fact that |the Southern States have learned that the proper handling of assured high- | way income can bring about expan | road programs without additional den on the taxpayers. South Carolina is just getting under way with her $65000,000 bond issue for roads. December 30, that State will receive bids on some 200 miles of | concrete roads. | Louisiana, with her new $68,000,000 | highway bond lssue is busying herself and on January 6 will receive bids on more than 200 miles of concrete. Striking also is it that Alabama has bestirred herself into remarkable pave- ment activity and on Janpuary 14 will receive bids on 263 miles of road per&]‘- ects, and five bridges all at an 4 mated cost of $4,679,000. Several other Bouthern States are af that may wg:rd-lurlwed as many in other sections of the coun- try, are letting road contracts early, so mworkmymundunyvl out y. Public construction s mobile accidents for the corre-|f THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 18, 1931—PART FOUR. DOWN THE ROAD-—Recollections. —By FRANK BECK ITS HALF PAST TEN, HORACE, AREN'T _YOU URGES FOLLOWIN OF GUIDE POSTS Highway President Says Keep Road Dollar Where It Belongs. As 44 Btate Legislatures in regular and special sessions begin grinding out new laws with the incoming of the new year, it is not ;u?rmnl to learn | that the financing and administration of public hways will again occupy a mmmfi’nz position on legislative dockets. It is the hope, according to H. H. Blood, president of the American As- sociation of State Highway Officials, that the legislative guide posts which have been set up for the further ad-| t of the highway cause, will| important of guide posts,” sald Mr. Blood, "is road dollar where it be- By this we mean thélt no ma- change in the policy of giving preference to main route construction should be made until State systems are much further advanced toward com- Leflon than they are at the present Proper Bearings Needed. “As new legislation is being under: taken to fit new needs in the enlarge. the country’s road-building Mr. , “it will not be LETS SEE... THE WHEELS ARE JACKED UP... RADIATOR DRAINED...TIRES DEFLATED--- --OH, YES..EMPTY THE OIL ouT LAYING U {o //;‘ -THE CAR FOR _WINTER . - EFFECTIVE TRAFFIC HANDLING FACTOR IN PREVENTING WASTE Ma.jor pha.se Of GCI‘IC Held Important in Eliminating Distribution Losses. ‘That effective traffic management in commercial and industrial concerns now is & majer phase of general business activity and a factor of fundamental importance in the elimination of dis- tribution wastes in American industry is indicated by the report of a special study of the methods and problems of industrial trafic management made public today by the Department of Commerce. ‘The survey was undertaken by the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Com- merce in co-operation with national and local traffic organizations throughout the country. It is in line with a series of researches conducted by the Com- merce Department with the object of revealing sources of waste in the na- tional distribution and marketing sys- tem which are estimated to take a toll of $10,000,000,000 from the country’s business annually. Preventing Waste. Numerous instances where concerns discovered methods of stopping large wastes in their distribution systems are cited in the report and indications of how these methods may be applied gen- erally are given. The report “Industrial Trafic Man- agement” presents a cross-section of the traffic, rtation and shipping arrangements of the Nation's business en! . It aims to delineate the functions, organization and control of trafic departments as exemplified by actual current practice in industry. The material ed is expected to * | prove of assistance to firms which con- ive been building as well as we could in the light of ou YEAR IN ROADWORK |icvi” experience, we have not as well as needs demand. y their already imminent in far too many localities, and because of this fact highway of- ficials in the performance of their duties as public servants have come to a definite recommendation, arising out_of their experiences, that State and Federal funds avallable for new highway construction shall be de- e ol erosten: Tnpertance. to & very e great ice s vast majority of the traveling public. All State legislative action, therefore, which seeks to draw the road dollar to where it does not logically belong, at this time, :utr;‘l:!y"nm y’l‘.’r’: the best in- of Xpa; and road- using public. ¥ P by, ¢ s cl understandi! the part of the public of the basic principles upon which road building is ol torw:ordbeln the United States one of the pest 10 or 15 years, unhindered by the recurrence of discarded theories, departments and other governmental of- | wj se] g fallen. "Under tne present removal ays. | gantzations indicate that 1931 will equal | s e mhice pao fd0as, presented tem the plows are placel in operation |if not exceed the record construction | all would be well, but, unfortunately, with each new turn of the legislative as new, which have long since been | tested in actual practice and found | wanting. And one of the most per- sistent_of these oft-recurring and as | oft-discarded ideas is that it is all | | Reverting again to the legislative | phases of road bulding in t e ecade now o Loty opening, Mr. Blood con “The final and complete solutio; questions of hll’h'l‘ finance udnl.:! ministration is perhaps never to be achieved, for with each new advance vals the necessity for enlarged admin- istrative and financial powers. To this point we have again arrived. In fact, road building has develo into a con- tinuing enterprise and it is just as sential to recast our financial and as the wo'r: geo |step with the latest amhmu? | the sclence of highway construction. But in the recasting we should take ex- mmeu.remma&nrmmme course which has justified the appropriations that have been le | tor way development.” e | Hoosier Gas Tax Gain. ’ Indisna $2,000,000 taxes half of 21 | total expenses of in highway use, there comes at inter- | > template establishment of a traffic de- partment in working out a system suit- :m'o ‘their nugl. and mflve th&u departments already in_operation a basis for checking the smclg:ney of their methods. ‘Transportation and traffic expenses are among the least understood of the major cost elements in business, the re- port holds. The tmportance of such ex- penditures is indicated by the fact that in medium sized businesses they were found to average 35 per cent of the operating the enter- prises, and in many instances the pro- portion was found to run much higher than this. Even in very large indus- tries at least 10 per cent of their total costs were revealed to represent traffic charges. Despite the dollars-and- cents importance of this factor, it is claimed that the physical distribution Phnes of business are too often neg- lected in even well managed prises. Important Sources. Some of the more important sources of waste which may result from inade- quate traffic management are shown to be failure to get proper rates on com- modities shipped; failure to combine enter- ral Business Activity less-than-carload shipments into car- loads to get the benefit of carload rates; carelessness in checking freight and ex- press bills; neglect to make out and properly support claims against car- riers; and failure to see that commodi- ties shipped are properly packed to car- ry safely to destination. On the other hand, it is stated, well managed traffic departments usually show & profit from their operations. ‘That is, actual cash receipts from over- charge and damage claims collected from carriers, freight allowances, insur- ance settlements and the like generally exceed the cost of maintenance of the department itself. In addition the traf- fic department renders services to the l;h.mdnul as & whole whose value cannot inflow of necessery raw ma- terials, the expediting of services to customers and improvement in general operating efficlency through interde- partmental co-operation. Administration Need. The need for traffic administration is not dictated by the size of the business alone, the report concludes, although this factor does largely determine a firm’s need for a separate traffic depart- ment and the sum it can allot for traffic work. Ways are pointed out in which the concern which is unable to mun-} tain full or even part-time traffic de- partments may nevertheless obtain capable traffic direction through outside sources. ‘The report gives detailed considera- tion to the place of traffic administra- tion in business in general, functions of industrial traffic ents, control and distribution of traffic functions, the cost of industrial traffic administration and the relation of traffic m ent to other internal functions such as pur- chasing, selling, accounting, advertis- ing and research. A feature of the survey is the in- clusion in many instances of the direct statements of traffic executives giving their point of view of practical ques- tions and presenting & cross-section of gflmfi thought in traffic administra- n. ‘The Commerce Department’s report, entitled “Industrial Traffc Mlmfl- ment,” is expected to prove of lue both to enterprises with and those with- out traffic departments, and to trade and community associations, regulatory bodies, carriers and others interested in the economical and efficient handling of Coples of “Industrial Traffic Manage- ment” may be obtained from the Gov- ernment Printing Office, or from branch offices of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce located in prin- cipal citles in various parts of the country. measured, such as EVERY 2.76 PERSONS OWN DISTRICT AUTO Averages for Washington Com- piled by American Motorists’ Association. There is one automobile for each 2.76 persons in the District of Columbia, according to figures just announced by the American Motorists' Association. For the entire United States there is one automobile for each 4.23 persons. The figures are based upon total motor vehicle registrations of the United States, compared with the re- vised 1930 census officially an- nounced by the United States Census Bureau November 32, as being 120,623,- 993, exclusive of census figures of Porto Rico, Hawall and other foreign posses- pulation The District of Columbia car figure is based upon Census ireau’s official census for the District of 486, ns, compared with the present motor vehicle registrations, esti- mated at 176,344 motor vehicles, or an .M(dg.'u persons for each regis- The tion motor vehicle in 1929 ta%mu?g was 4.16 persons gor For the entire United tates the population per motor vehicle in 1920 was 5.3 pemmm. last year's com- itations upon the 1920 res, plus an estimated in population between 1920 “The per capita population per motor vehicle, aside from being interesting, to_lllustrate the pressing de- mands for an increased highway pro- gram at least commensurate with in- creased motor vehicle registrations, which at the present time total proximately 28, and filuch." decla; general manager commenting on the figures. annually—th g:‘uu“‘ Lib- e several times over. ‘Twen! are ety PRACTICE OF LOOKING | BACKWARD CENSURED| |Habit Indulged in by Veteran Motorists Cause of Many Accidents, Is Claim. | The practice of many motorists of | looking backward while driving to con- | verse with some one sitting in the rear | seat is condemned by Oscar Coolican, local automobile distributor, as a fruit- ful source of mishaps on city streets and country highways. Mr, Coolican declares that the habit is to be observed chiefly among so- called veteran motorists; car owners who have been drivers for years and who le themselves on their ability ing an sutomobile. id be obvious,” Mr. Oooléc?: in “It while driving. Clearly, simple fundamental rule of looking where one is going. Yet such violation is a matter of daily occurrence particu- larly among experienced drivers. “The novice at the wheel is rightfully fearful of such extreme nonchalance. He secretly envy the easy careless- ness of the veteran motorist who looks every way but to the fore, but his in- 5xperlfee protects him from s similar langer. “It would be well if the veteran mo- torist followed the natural example of his less experienced colleague. Here is a case where the veteran can learn from the novice—should unlearn some of his disbelief In a basic rule of safety. Speedometer Service We Repair All Makes CREEL BROTHERS 1811 14th ST. N.W, Dechtur 4220 \ SQUARE DEAL PLEA ISMADEBYA.M.A. Petroleum Refiners Accused of Unfair Prices of Their Product. A plea for a “square deal” for the millions of motorists of the country was voiced here last night by the American Motorists’ Association in a statement | charging that despite the present low price of crude petroleum, the re- finers have refused, or failed, to give to the motorists any corresponding re- duction in the retail price of gasoline. “Approximately 80 per cent of the gasoline produced by the 375 refiners of the United States is consumed by the motorists of the country, yet notwith- standing the present low price of crude oll the producers and refiners have passed no corresponding benefit along to the motorists who daily purchase their product,” declares Thomas J. Keefe, general manager of the American Motorists’ Association. s Moth-Eaten Excuse. “The refiner'’s moth-eaten excuse, of course, is that the gasoline tax is the drag anchor that makes the motorists’ burden heavy. The excuse is the same whether the gasoline tax is 6 cents or 2 cents & gallon. The price of gasoline in the 2-cent States is almost invariably as much as in the 6-cent tax States. To motorist, the price be the one exception to the rule that whatever goes up must come down. The only time it comes down is when there is a price war. The relief then is only temporary and eventually the motorist gets it on the chin. “The continued high ice of any given commodity is usi attributed to the law of supply and demand. This excuse cannot, however, be advanced by the ofl industry, which is at the present moment seeking relief at the hands of the Federal Government for over-pro- duction that threatens to wreck the oil industry. Value of Petroleum. “According to an analysis, just com- pleted by the U. 8. Census Bureau, of the gasoline industry, the total value of gasoline and by-products of the petro- the to leum refiners of the country was two and a half billion dollars in 1929. This represents an increase of 21 per cent, over the petroleum products produced in 1927, yet the value added by the manu- facturers in the sale of gasoline and | other lucts was 42 per cent over the 1927 value, which in a measure explains why the motorist continues to pay a much higher price for his ine than the present low price of crude oil justifies. “The motorists are not alone in their protest against the high prices of gas- oline,” Mr. Keefe declares, citing the fact that the Attorney General of Okla- homa has just announced an investiga- tion to determine why the low price of crude is not being passed along to the public. PO ONE DRIVER OUT OF SIX Maryland Reports Number In- volved in 1930 Auto Accidents. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 17. — One driver out of six was involved in an automobile accident in Baltimore City last year, the Baltimore Safety Council had reported this week. Its annual report showed that 22,450 rsons were involved in accidents, 153 dlled, and 5.422 injured. For 1929 the figures were 23,000 involved, 169 dead in which that 635 per- show been killed in 55,946 trafic accidents, 21039 injured and 37,397 crashes resulted in property damage. MOTOR OlL_ "BEST OIL IN THE WORLD" To keep your car in g:od condition, avoid )phazard buying of oilatirresponsible dealers. Use Autocrat Motor Oil and enjoy the great difference. It will save wear and tear on your motor and unnec- essary repair bills. of gasoline seems | 30¢ 1931 SEEN AS GREAT YEAR FOR VALUES IN MOTOR CARS New Models Are Illustrations of What Thrifty Buyers May Purchase at s Small Outlay. BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automoblle Technical Adviser. It seems as though this National Thrift Week with its encouragement toward a wiser use of money comes around very often. January 17 to 33 are the dates on which we are urged to check up on our financial state, make a budget and plan our savings and spending. For the automobile-minded person 1931 looks llke a great year from the standpoint of values in motor cars. The new models are in the main a series of {illustrations in the thrifty use of hard-earned savings. There are plenty of these savings on hand, and it is likely that good sense will lead many le to invest some of this cash in the exceptional values available, L Autos at Their Best. It is very likely that 1931 will see automobiles at their best as thrifty pur- chases, Possibly there will not be so opportune & time to buy a car for sev- if ever. It will be good rt of the thrifty uy an automobile now and take advantage of a favorable buyer's mar- ket, which has been one result of an economic depression. ‘The year 1931 should be a year in the automobile industry, for when many people who desire and need cars do buy, the purchasers get an advan- tage to be sure, but the wheels of the industry are at the same time led up, the automobile factories are busier, more men are employed. More employm-nt means an increase in better times and general economic prosperity. More workers mean still more Yeople who are able to buy cars as well as other commodities. And so as one factor contributes to another the country. Favorable Market. ‘The person who actuslly does not need a new car is not necessarily ex- pected to buy one now just for the of helping out on unemploy- ment. Yet the person who actually does need new automobile equipment should realize that it is decidedly to his advantage to buy now and profit by the favorable market. He can, at the same time, get real satisfaction out of the fact that his action will con- The complaining car owner seems to be the one who does her harping here instead of in the hereafter. ‘Woman visitors to automobile shows have been criticized for their quaint | habit of parking themselves on the rear | seat of the nearest sedan. Men folk stand off and admire lines. Maybe the ladies have the right idea after all. Most of us spend the ma- jority of our motoring moments sitting mtgnursndnntloonnzuu(m the outside. ‘When you alight from a car in rain or snow open the door wide, nmm- ject the umbrella upward insf outward. This will give you better pro- tection and will also prevent the edges of the door and the door post with scratch marks from the umbrella ribs. “They ought to arr the ac- celerator so that it becomes & brake if you press all the way down on it sud- denly,” declared a woman while to master the art of driving. She had no sooner sald it than there came need of sudden acceleration. Down went her foot to the foor. But |the car was sluggish and actually seemed inclined to slow down. “There’s your accelerator brake,” ex- plained the instructor. “A full throttle given too ;ugnfnl& actually chokes :xn engine and defeais your purpose. Al- ways accelerate progressively.” Ideas for improvements to cars in- variably lead to a better understanding of how they operate. Said the same be- ginner to the instructor, “It would be much easler to get in and out of cars it the steering wheels were > Replied the instructor: “Now to park the car just holding the wheel by the hub instead of the rim. You will discover that the large rim gives you the mechanical advantage needed to accomplish the job easily.” ‘Women play a very prominent role in the fashioning of the car, especially in what is known as the “trim shop.” Here the detailed trimmings of the in- terior are prepared. Women operate most of the sewing machines used for stitching such materials as windlace and the pockets of the door interiors One factory uses an ingenius machine to insert fasteners. It is operated by a woman. Paste rolls usually are taken ing \ to running modern household ironing machine. ‘This is as good a.time as any to learn that if the speedometer suddenly shows zero when you are in process of stopping the indications are that the rear wheels have locked. Those meters on the instrument panel can be of in- estimable help to any woman Wi earnestly tries to drive in the most ac- ceptable manner. Recently & friend stood in front of her car as the shutters of the radiator front started to close. “There's & thing that mystifies me,” she admitted. “How on earth do those shutters open and close automatically. “That's simplicity itself,” I explained. “Up at the top of the radiator there is built into the cooling system what is known as a thermostat. In reality this is nothing more than a plece of metal which expands and contracts according to the temperature of the water. Its action controls a lever which, in turn, operates the shutters.” I went on to say that most engines also have another thermostat in the top of the motor to cut off the flow of water to the radiator du the warm- ing-up process. This me! coll op- erates a valve which opens and closes. Another application of the thermo- You will drive longer upon AUTOCRAT than you have ever dared to drive upon amy other oil, and it drains from the cramkcase with all the “look” and “feel” of om eil that has gowe hardly 100 miles DIFIRENT FRoM ALL STHERS: Beware of Substitutes Try Autocrat thé mext time you meed oil, and judge its advantages for yourself. At the Better Dealers 100" PURE \ T LVAN] tribute to the welfare of his fellow men who need employment. Consequently a considerable em in the observance of National Week this month will have to do with spending carefully and investing wisely as contrasted with a greater emphasis in other years on savin = for a rainy day. And buying an automobile can be and often is both good spending and wise investing. The time to spend is when products are down in price. The best e to save is when they are high in price and can be expected to be lower in price in some time. In Good Company. PFurthermore, the person who buys an automobile in 1931 will be in good company, for it can be concluded from the amount of motor car production in 1930 that a lot of people will need new cars. And when the American people really need new cars, they are in the habit of getting them. Many people have been getting along with their old cars on account o, the noise which they have heard about a depression. No doubt there has been a recession in business, and no doubt some people have lost money on various Invest- ments. But the depression certainly has been overadvertised. Just as soon as there is more talk of optimism and men and women come to realize that conditions in the United States are fundamentally sound, they will be ready to spend for important needs. And the automobile is an important need. People are earning money. About 45,000,000 of them at least have a reg- ular pay check or envelope. There will be millions of dollars paid out to Ameri- can citizens in interest and dividends on stocks held in our industrial con- corns. Millions have been paid out to members of Christmas clubs. And there are other millions on deposit in savings banks. un is due. There is evidence to support such an opinion. Those who get In early on their automobile shopping will get the best values and demonstrate a proper sort of thrift. Mr. Brokaw will be glad to write on any subject pertaining to the care of automobiles that the reader of these articles may desire. Milady’s Motoring ICK C. RUSSELL. static principle is found in the device to regulate the charging rate on the generators of some cars. On the time- honored discovery that metals contract and e: d with heat changes the au- tomobile makers have worked on a number of useful applications, the most s of which is this convenience of having the cooling system take carr of itself. While we were on the subject, I rc minded my friend that since some of the shutter action is purely mechanical, it is well to have the service man put a little vaseline on the hinges of the slatc 80 they can work freely. I also cau of | tioned her ageinst bending the shutters or otherwise injuring them, by pressin against them when dusting the car. If you want the hired man to make a good job of cleaning up the garag have him sprinkle sand on the grease stained flooring. It is more effectiv for cleaning than sawdust and serves a: an abrasive to cut through hard diri and grease. TURNING LICENSE BUREAU INTO PAWNSHOP DECRIEL Maryland Motor Vehicle Commis- sioner, However, Insists on Courtesy. Special Dispateh to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 17.—In re- plying to a letter received at the office several days ago in which “A Reader” complained that he had been discourte- ously treated at the hands of employes of the Motor Vehicle Commission When he offered to leave his watch as secur- ity for a_30-cent deficit on title fee, E. Austin Baughman declared that he would uphold any employe in such an action. “We cannot and will not operate this department as a pawnshop to aid those who have not sufficient money to pay the various fees which we collect,” the commissioner said. “If this is the only complaint that the writer who signs himself as ‘A Reader’ has to offer, there is nothing that I can do to improve the situation to his liking, but if there was any other form of discourtesy shown by an em- ploye I would appreciate it very much if he would come to my office and point out the offending worker and I will take such disciplinary action as necessary. ‘The letter writer stated that after be had secured the additional 30 cents and returned to the commission, he ar- rived at the title window a few ho | Utes after closing time and that the :lin:ow was closed in his face by a er] “I cannot believe that clerk would be guilty of such conduct, because I have s cally ordered that all per- sons who are admitted to the building late in the afternoon be served before the different windows are closed. The bc':mpued bem{e go departments are closed for the day,” Mr. Baughman declared. ‘Thirty-two million square feet of leather upholstery, or 60 per cent of total output, go into automob