Evening Star Newspaper, March 22, 1931, Page 50

ry In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. T has afun bommn]fll til:n Jhnt the breaks. This ltt!emlnt regarding luck is probably true in many instances. In the automobile game it is tting the brakes that count. is newer statement regarding the ability to stop or slow down a motor car is true in every instance it that important mechanism is of first-class make and in good con- dition. Far More Essential. Stopping or slowing down a machine is far more essential than getting it going or increasing its speed inasfar as safety is con- cerned. Safety is the paramount requisite of motoring today. Manu- facturers of cars are doing their bit in this line, but unfortunately it appears that the owners and drivers of the motor car are not. Along with the steering wheel the brakes of a car is unquestion- ably the most important part. Tmproper use of brakes im- mediately after new brake linings have been installed, improper in- stallation of brake linings because of the lack of modern machinery in brake service stations, and use of a poor grade of steel for brake drums on many inexpensive makes of cars, are given as the principal reasons for 90 per cent of the brake troubles suffered by the American motoring public, ac- cording to a paper presented by a manufacturer before a meeting of the Soclety of Automotive En- gineers. “The question of brakes and the evils that are connected with their maintenance is a real prob- lem confronting the automotive industry,” states the paper. The findings are based on engineering stud{ and scientific surveys re- cently conducted. : “I belleve,” the writer declared, “that under Proper working and service conditions there are a good number of brake linings that will give satisfactory service. Fully 90 per cent of the brake troubles are caused by factors other than the brake unm‘ itself. Most of the scoring is done while the job is comparatively new. Average Stopping Time. “An average light passenger car ecan develop a speed of 50 .m.p.h. in approximately 20 seconds and requires 55 h.p. to do so. This same car can be brought to a stop in one-third of the time taken to develop the road speed men- tioned. In other words, over three times the ‘reverse horse power’ is required to stop the car as to at- tain the speed. It has been esti- mated that 3,000 degrees Fahren- heit are developed in the braking effort, and under this condition a scoring action may be started, regardless of the brake lining d. “It is common occurrence to score brake drums just after the brakes have been relined by im- ghroper use of the brakes before e lining has become properly seated, and therefore before the maximum bearing surface is in use. The drum rides on the high :}clu of steel come to the fusing point and begin the destructive work. Brake scoring s unusual on a new car because of the eare taken to drive at a reasonable speed during the breaking-in riod. Care subsequent to re- ng would result in few com- plaints on the ground of drum P! ring. “There is room for improvement in the quality of steel used for brake drums on many inexpensive ml"kAu o't“ clrz.‘ i well equip) 0p g brake work should have the fol- lowing equipment in order to do satisfactory brake work: Drum lathe, drilling and riveting ma- chine, shoe grinding machine and a drum gauge, in addition to the necessary jacks, hand-tools, etc. “Despite the opinions to the con- trary a brake tester or equaliza- tion machine is desirable and makes possible better brake ad- Justment. “The brake shoe grinder takes the high spots from the lining| before being used by the driver, and provides more contact area with the drum. Some machines provide 100 per cent circumference contact. The 6nly factor which is lacking is that those machines do not guarantee parallelism with the face of the drum. Many of the difficulties of the brake busi- ness will be overcome when a machine incorporating this fea- ture is developed, providing that in perfect condition when the brakes are applied and that the job is broken in before the brakes are applied too severely. “A brake drum gauge, used properly and consistently, will ay for itself in many ways. The Elatrument threads on to the axle of the car and gives a micrometer reading of the drum radius. With this reading the brake shoes can be placed in position and accurate adjustment for clearance made before the wheel is installed. “Without the equipment men- tioned much of the mechanics’ work becomes mere guesswork. “A practically perfect job may be obtained by ‘bluing’ the lining and fitting, as is the usual prac- tice in hand-fitting bearings. This method, however involves much time and labor. “It is false economy to install ¢heap or inferior brake drums or poor lining. The best is the cheapest in the long run.” I New Kind of Gift. * Give her a brake, she may not appreciate it, but an ideal for one’s wife or daughter at any of the year is a set of perfectly adjusted brakes on her car, according to a manager of the replacements division. “With millions of women driv- ing motor cars and traffic increas- ing and speeding up at an unpre- cedented rate, the need for good brakes is among the most pressing in the motor world,” says the manager. “Women have not the strength of men. Brakes properly lined and properly adjusted so they work instantly and eccu- ecessity f of the lining and small par-|Per service station. Have n adjustments made to prevent slewing when brakes are applied. If the car is more than a year old have the brakes relined. And then have the brakes properly inspected everf' month or so. The cost is negligible—a few dollars. The results in security, peace of mind and driving comfort are priceless. There is no sense or safety in the present situation, in which a third of our 26,000,000 cars are running around with brakes dangerously worn or out of adjystment.” Moving Day Troubles. Not only do thousands of Ameri- can families move from one home into another each year, but the majority of them want to make the change at the same time, a fact which has direct bearing on the cost of moving and on the kind of service moving concerns are able to provide. This was strikingly pointed out in a report of a national survey of the mov- ln{nlndum-y just completed. the average community mov- er§’ trucks are able to pay a profit to"their owners on only 40 to 60 days of the year, the report states. Those are the days on which | Americans are clamoring to move; | hence, the day on which moving concerns do not want business, yet find it easy to get. Trucks | are overworked and their drivers and helpers sleep little. The rest of the year the mover is hard pressed to find profitable work for his equipment to do. It is equipment of a special nature and not easily adapted to other trucking operations. What to do about this important problem of the moving business, and other profit leaks of the industry almost | equally important, was the object of the survey. Another interesting fact devel- oped in the survey is the tendency among Americans to live in smaller quarters and own fewer household effects. Moving vans built several years ago of a size to carry the furnishings of an average household in a single load now are too large for most jobs and are habitually under- loaded, with consequent loss to the truck owner, the report says. New standards by which to judge present equipment and by which to select new are imperative, it is pointed out. Signs of Spring. “Danger—Men at Work,” will be a sign of the times when public improvement projects get under way in the early Spring. Although many State, city and local govern- ments have not only planned but awarded contracts for 1931 con- struction, numberless communities glu needed projects still hanging re. That public construction pro- vides work for vast numbers is not merely a rumor is attested to by a recent report of the Con- ference of Pennsylvania Con- struction Industries. Of the $64,- 000,000 spent on highway and bridge construction in Pennsyl- vania last year, the conference ealculates that approximately 80 cent, all things considered, 'went into the pockets of workmen. Labor’s share was $51,200,000. As many as 22530 men were em- ployed by the State Highway De- partment and contractors, and, tonsidering laborers &%avided work indirectly, some 30, men were necessary for the 1930 highway rogram. Emphasis is placed on the need for highway construction by the fact that when 1930 road con- struction ended with the coming of Winter there was a sharp aseent in the unemployment curve in Pennsylvania. | Minnesota is considering a highway bond issue for $15,414,.- 000. Its importance is realized when it is learned that of this $9,248,000 would go to labor over a two-year period, which, accord- |ing to the chief engineer of the Minnesota State Highway Depart- ment, would mean jobs for more than 5,000 men for two years. Illinois, a State that has already won all-time honors in road build- ing, will this year embark on her greatest constructiom program. | Some $45,000,000 will be spent; | some 50,000 men employed. | Chicago is building what is nown as Goose Island Viaduct. | It is to be a half mile long and will include two bascule bridges. | Three hundred men are starting | the job; as many as 4,000 men will be employed later for the greater part of 18 menths. DAMAGES AWARDED Proprietors of Parking Lots Held { Responsible for Cars. | Special Dispatch to The Star. | BALTIMORE, March 21.—Proprie- | tors of parking lots are responsible for | machines left in their custody, accord- |ing to a decision of a jury in City | Court this week, which awarded dam- | ages of $675 to the owner of a stolen car, The suit was brought through Victor P. Skruk for the use of the General Exchange Insurance Co. Mr. Skruk testified that on Decem- OVER-CROWDING THE FRONT SEAT IS UNLAWFUL AND DANGEROUS .THE DRIVER SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT “ELBOW-ROOM” TO OPERATE ALL CONTROLS. GRABS! INSTEAD OF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE MIGHT PRO! DISASTROUS ! THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 22, 1931—PART FOUR. = =@ /N 4 @931 Ny TriBUNE, . —By FRANK BEC BLO0D- PRESSURE vS AIR - PRESSURE k | [HARMONY BETWEEN MOTOR AND FOOT TRAFFIC NEEDED Automobilist and Pedestrian Held to Have -Some Objects in Common as BY H. CLIFFORD BROKAW, Automobile Technical Adviser. 1a Bim iy Goiaide tho. Bicodly aom y. e the con= fines of automobile leather and metal the two become explosive bell requiring - numberless _eity and armies of policemen Well as Conflict. Impatiently crowding onto the street on ::: x:‘u:;‘ Dfxp.nomm luon foot, while it is of vehic pass lessens the i frrat e, e o ject same - mands and fines that bfl.‘n drivers of nts, of ces | s] to .maintain peace and order between them and at the same time keep tHe national death | rate as low as e. ‘The automobilist and the pedestrian have some objects in common as well as conflict. Each wants to arrive at his destination with as much speed and as little opposition as ?fllllbll, and neither relishes the idea of the other possess- ing any superior rights of way. Law Observance Beneficial. destrians have the right to cross them, providing they observe certain rules which not only facilitate the movement :rf: traffic, but lessen the danger to es. Ped:strians should comply with traf- fic signals. The non-observance of these regulations necessitates a much slower rate of speed on the part of drivers ‘who have been given the right of way. The remaining items are accessories, of which the value is to reach $460,- 000,000, and shop equipment for serv- ice stations, which is the smallest of ofl;a lot, but which adds up to $87,260,- ‘The world registration of motor ve- hicles has been ited at 35518, 000 units. Of these, 75 per cent, ap- proximating 26,500,000, are in ?m- tion within the borders of the United A A A, QUESTIONS HGH MOTOR TAXES Autoist Pays $1.80 for Every Dollar That Goes Into Road Work. For every dollar of actual cost that| goes into the State highway systems of the country the motor vehicle own- ers are now contributing $1.80. ‘This was the high-light of a compre- | hensive study of the relation between | motor vehicle taxes and actual cost| of State highways made public by the| BY SIDNEY J. WILLIAMS. Director, Publie Safety Division, National Bafety Council. The licensing of automobile drivers— after examination and test—in the light of the traffic accident statistics o country, the best method that has been devised for controlling the incompetent and dangerous driver problem. In fact, it is the only practic- able method that Ameriean Automobile Assoctation. “Instead of motor transportation | being in any way subsidized, as claimed | by its enemles, our study affords con- | vineing evidence that the motorists are now actually subsidizing the States to the extent that they are eontributing | annually in special tax levies 80 per | cent more than the actual cost of the | State highway systems” Thomas P. | Henry, president of the American Auto- | mobile Association declared. ‘The head of the national motoring body laid cular emphasis on the difference tween annual costs and annual expenditures. He continued: “Heretofore the car owners were not in a position to estimate the relative | burden of the special taxes imposed | on them, for the reasons that they wers | led to think in terms of expenditures, rather than in terms of actual costs on the basis of the life of these high- ways. “Although in 1929, for example, $800,- 000,000 were expended on State high- way systems—which incidentally carry more than two-thirds of the rural mo- tor traffic—$557,000,000, or 70 per cent of the total, went for the purchase of rights of way and new construction, which will last on the average for. 15 years and consequently, should not be figured as a 1929 cost. “The true cost for 1920 was divided u“(ollows: Current upkeep, $196,641 - 188; $45,834,631; amortization of capital in- vestment, $191,361,020. “This means that the cost in 1929 was $433,836,739. During the same year the motorists contributed $779,- 155,062 in special taxes, or 80 per cent interest on capital investment, | for meeting this problem, the serious aspect of which is mirrored in the enormous toll of deaths and injuries that are being reaped in street and highway accidents. There is no need to call attention to the seriousness of the problem. Every person who reeds & newspaper acutely realizes its grim tragedy. Thousands of able editorials over the country at- test the public indignation and the demand for definite remedy. The question is: What are we going to do about it, and what is a practical, sound, oconstructive and enforceable remedy? Panaceas will not meet it, nor will half-way measures and diluted remedies meet it. The simple cold fact is that the re- sponsibility which each motor vehicle | operator assumes when he enters upon the public highways to be a safe and careful driver ‘must be brought into clear relief, with a sure and certain means of removing him if he proves to be careless, incompetent, dangerous, or indifferent to the safety, lives and property of others. No other expedient and no other device constitutes a Temedy. And the only logical approach to ef- fective remedy is by the examination and test of prospective drivers before they are turned loose on the highways. Is is easier and better to uncover de- fects and deficiencies that make a per- |son a potentially dangerous driver be- |15 to discover them in" the report of | snuffed out 32,500 lives, and injured 962,000 persons (estimated as yet) that ‘;'nnrlk;:!du the traffic toll in this country in . in excess of actual costs. Milady'’s It's a logical but unpleasant fact about driving that if you don't keep to the right you'll get left. ‘There must be some lighter moments to motoring, 80 I asked a woman who hasn’t quite mastered the art of driving just what she considered the best isugh of a normal day awheel. “Watch- ing & trafic officer ha trouble driv- ing his own car,” she 3 “Clutch foot,” an affliction which men have endured for years, appears to be headed for the discard. The ladies es- pecially will be pleased to learn that on some of the newest models it is possible to shift back and forth from second to high without bothering to push down the clutch pedal. A great comfort in traffic and also during the fag end of those long days at the wheel, In announcing its women’s division one of the leading automoblle clubs pointed out that it is educating milady in the knowledge of her car largely with a view to helping her take longer and more successful motor trips. Knowing what's what about cars, she is less like- ly to fall prey to some unscrupulous roadside mechanic's schemes for taking . | her good money. One of the most ingenlous of the new is & knob When you unscrew the upper half, a compartment is uncovered. In here you the driver's license or any can carry other little thing you are likely to forget and will need in an emergency. L——" Recently & driver was obliged to stop her car in a hurry. Down went the Discovering that the gear-shift lever is playing such a vital role in the per- 1 ance of modern ecars mflldf’ is Justin ever , | seat cushions always remember Motor vehicle deaths last year were Motoring BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. | But if we follow the shift lever through it terminates in the midst of two metal forks which slip over collars on the sides of two of the sliding gears on the top train of gears. The shift lever is ivoted at the ball which can be seen looking down at the floorboard. Plc- ture this lever acting like a see-sa! ‘The longer end of the lever is al the ball, or fulcrum as it is technically known. That explains it is easy to move the gears below. You enjoy the advantage of leverage. By moving the shift lever to the various positions you cause the forks to slide the move- | able gears back and forth on the upper |shaft so that they mesh with appro- [ priate ones on ‘the shaft below. This provides different gear combinations |and enables the engine to exert what 1:}:}11:;unu to “leverage” on the drive shaft, It isn't necessary to understand the above clearly to realize the importance of grasping the shift lever at the top rather than half way down. Sometimes drivers will take hold of the lever be- low the knob with the idea that they can force the gears to mesh during a difficult shift. They're just g against science. When adjusting the position of the to ad- just the rear view mirror to fit the new conditions. Stanley H. Horner 1220 19th ST. N.W. has been discovered | fore he enters on the road than it | an accident—similar to those which | |the cover of the gearcase we find that | |DRIVING PERMIT TESTS HELD BEST MOTORING SAFEGUARD Trafic Accident Statistics Prove This Method as Most Practical in Reducing Injuries and Deaths. accompanied by very little, if any, in- crease in the registration of motor vehicles or the consumption of gasoline. Furthermore, the increase in traffic | deaths last year as compared with the toll of 1929 did not take place in the States that have standard license laws for their drivers—that is, an exami- nation and driving test before they are granted their licenses. 1In fact, the | States with such standard laws, in the aggregate, showed a slight decrease or improvement in their traffic deaths last year as compared with the year before, | 1 | Nor did the increase last year as compared with 1929 take place as the result of the operation commercial vehicles. Nor was it in the large cities, which are seriously and in considerable | measure _successfully grappling with their traffic troubles. The increase in 1930, generally speaking, was on rural highways, in States without adequate | and sufficient drivers’ license laws, and | among private passenger automobiles, | " This Nation is giving all possible at~ |tention and support to educational | ¢, | campaigns, to engineering improvements |and to enforcement of traffic_regula- | tions by police and by courts. Yet it is | more and more evident that these rem- | edies are not effectively reaching a cer- |tain class of drivers who are deaf to education, who flout traffic laws and to whom better and safer highways and better and safer automobiles are simply an invitation to more and more reck- | less driving. . License laws of States that have been found effective in their provision for drivers in- dealing with this class of | clude these three essefitials: . Every new driver is required to pass an examination, simple and prac- | tical in its detall, and undergo a road- driving test before he receives his first license. competent person has nothing to fear from such examination and test. It may be said, however, that usually when this law first takes effect experienced drivers are given licenses without examination, except in cases of obvious disability, because to examine |all present drivers at once would be & | virtually impossible task. 2. A license may be suspended for & short or long period for adequate cause, or revoked for unsafe or illegal driving. ‘This has the effect of putting the in- competent, reckless or dangerous driver off of the highways when he proves himself to be such. 3. The law is administered by a State department or bureau with adequate personnel, headed by a competent com« missioner, in whom is vested discre- | tionary power to withhold or suspend | licenses, subject to appeal to the courts. This provision makes possible adequate and _equitable enforcement, without which any traffic measure must fail in its object and purpose. Fees that are charged to the recip- lents of licenses should be suffieient Ve | only to cover the cost of administration of law. The motoring public right- fully objects to the imposition of “just another tax.” Safety on the highways i8 not gained merely by the imposition of a tax, even in the purchase of & driver's license. Bills and measures to license motor vehicle operators are now pending in about half of the State Legislatures that are meeting this year. Many of these bills embody the essentials of the standard license measure, as I have outlined, and conforming with the pro- visions ¢f the uniform operators and chauffeurs’ license act, recommanded by the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety at Washington and its constituent crganizations, and indorsed by the Bar Association and the Natlonal Conference of Commis- sioners on Uniform State Laws. PR eSS Equal State Expenditures. Registration and gasoline taxcs on motor vehicles now equal total expendi- tures for State, or main highways, and almost twice maintenance cost of all Siate and local highways. BUICK OWNERS FREE SERVICE INSPECTION A Service Representative from the Buick Factory will be with us March 23, 24, 25 and 26 to work in conjuction with our Service Department handling FREE inspections to Buick cars during that period. : If you own a Buick car do not fail to take advantage of this opportunity. Emerson & Orme 17th'& M STS. N.W. CHANGES NOTICED States. As one angle of further emnflan which is fi‘mn: under way, Bix- wheeled vehicle to be used chiefly for heavy hauling, is one of the new de- velopments. Recently there has been exhibited in various cities what is sald v'.,o be the most powerful truck unit ever uilt. For its power plant this leviathan of the roads utilizes two engines of 275 horsepower each, which may be used separately or together, as desired. The vehicle has five forward speeds and two reverse speeds. ‘The carrying capacity is 20 tons. six - wheelers, fresearch has shown, handle the heavy commercial loads with greater efficiency than the four-wheel jobs which, in the future, are to be confined to the lighter, fas- ter hauling tasks. In some of the new six-wheel ve- hicles dual drive will be employed with the alm of cutting down costs in long- distance work and for ial require- ments like furniture and mov- i t & new fleld is thus up is shown in the decision of executives to form a subsl organi- gation which will specialize multi- ple drive trucks embodying new de- Truck company executives belleve , | that the new trend may also end fur- ther develtzg:nnt in specialized” ve- hicles for delivery of new motor by highway, replacing shipment by 1t has found to be & cheaper INAUTO INDUSTRY Readjustment Will = Raise Totals Above Twelve Billion. Special Dispateh ‘w the Star. DETROIT, March 21.—The chang- Inx&l:mn of the automotive industry as result of al- ex- volume for this year, conditions, will — cars rail. ment goes direct from a factory load- ing dock to the door of the distributor. Pullman Bus Expansion. On the passenger carrying side, the Pullmen type busses also are due for ex- in the scope of operations this ‘The busses and coaches were 1930. sa,o‘o%" of them operating over 325,000 miles of highway, forming a network MORE POWER ... GREATER SPEED ... IMPROVED RIDING QUALITIES ... HANDSOMER APPEARANCE streets are primarily considered to the passage of vehicles, but pe- | o ‘The person opened | instead of the vehicles who disobey the regulations, Street Intersection Rules. At street interesections not under po- lice control pedestrians have the ht of way, providing warning of intention to cross has been given to the ap- proaching driver. This does not mean that persons on foot should cross re- gardless of traffic, but that both pedes- trian and automobilist should proceed with care at unregulated street inter- uxtwnm t protected corners the driver shouls yleld the right of way when f-umlnld right or left to trians crossing in the di traffic. Persons mmwmfl tions, is recognized by most individuals as highly desirable, but few municipalities have been able to successfully enforce this regulation. Jay-walking—the mingling of pedes- trians with vehicles on the streets—is considered one of the most fertile cquses of accidents and of the slowing up of the passage of vehicles. Jay-walking Regulations. A of the Committee of 7».d&c Control of Washington in 1924 eSti- mated thdt when anti-jay-walking reg- ulations had been enforced the ca- been should realize that the general safety enjoyed wfiblhncll the inconvenience to himsel As as there are no physical barriers to keep people from running in front of movifg traffic there should exist a feeling of fair play on ths part of the pedestrian toward the driver of the automobile, upon whom there are very definite limitations. €o- operation can take the form of as- suming for himself no more rights be- tween street intersections than the driver possesses when he gets into the cross-walk area. In this connection the pedestrian will also refrain from loitering or remaining in the street. He will look in both directions before leaving the curb and will not plunge headlong in front of oncoming ve- hicles and cause drivers to not only endanger their own lives and but those of others also. Safety and Fair Play. who waits on the curb street for a trolley, and who makes sure the way is clear when alighting from a street car, not only safeguards himself, but plays falr with the vehicle driver. Improved traffic conditions must come from a realization on the of the public, whether walking or driving, that its own interest lies in maintain- ing an orderly and well regulated movement on both the streets and side- w WHERE TO MOTOR & DINE. Colonial Inn ; Westminster, Md. 3 The Best $1.00 Dinner Served in Maryland Open Every Day in the Year our Patronage Appreciated SORARAR B AR TR Warrenton : : Virginia 4 llll,{ron Washington Over L lrllh“' ‘hrough Bulirun Battlefiel MRS. FRED G. BERGER. Proprietor Telephone Warrenton 280 Chicken or Country Ham Dinner Sunday 1-3 and 6-7:30 P.M. 42 ample power for ordinary driv- ing conditions, with a vast re- serve to meet the demands of hill climbing and high speeds. Improvements in the springde @ The new De Soto Eight is admirably qualified to meet the most exacting value standards that the sutomotive industry ever has known. The performance has been greatly improved through an increase in the size of the en- gine. It now develops 77 horse- power, which insures more than CHRYSLER price. MOTORS District Motor Company 1337 14th St. N.W. MORELAND MOTOR POtomae v 1000 co. Waldort, Md. | sign make the ear ride mowe easily than ever before. A longer hood and a narrow- profile radiatoradd to the smart, rakish appearance of the ear. THE'NEW DE SOTO SIX is by far the best De Soto Six ever offered —and it g tells for the lowest 740 PI o - PRODUCT National Auto Sales Co. 33 New York Ave. N.E. MEtropolitan 9225 MONCURE MOTOR CO. . Quantieo, Va.