Evening Star Newspaper, August 23, 1931, Page 45

BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. subject of much criticism, whether unwarranted or not. Many of these critics are residents of this city, and while prone to knock seldom offer any constructive thoughts. Critics of Washington. There is a group of critics from out-of-town, who have from time to time found fault with Washing- ton. It is possible that their slurs are actuated by a sense of loyalty to_their home town, and truth- fully in their own minds they belteve that no other city can equal theirs. This is a false sense of loyalty and should be classed as gross ignorance. - National Capital's trafic affairs often have been the Perhaps the most sophisticated | ¢ of this group are certain residents of New York, where provincialism e supreme. Amazing it is then that a New York organiza- tion, the Automobile Club of America, has recently come to the fore, praising traffic conditions in w-;hrnfi:on. Praise from this source most unexpected, but none-the-less nrleulng. It mng be that this opinion is influenced by the American Automobile Associa-| tion’s broadening views, of which association the Automobile Club of America is a member. Foolish viewpoints are most always caused by a lack of knowl- edge. Education, if properly ap- plied, generally erases foolish and wrong ideas. | Regardless of its llbyrinthinei circles, skipping streets and trick left-hand turns, the New York| organization declares, Washing-!| ton is a model of street marking, especially, in contrast with the maze of unmarked streets in a Eastern cities which have caused them to be designated as the “detour dozen.” The “Detour Dozen.” According to the Automobile Club of erica, the “detour dozen” is s0 named from the com- w of to New York mo- 5 vhgh object 1:,'10 bein, r?:‘t’e‘d through these cities. Avoiding Boston in trave to Northern New England and Quebec appears to be the chief aim of the motor- ists from New York, while the other cities in order of the number Philadelphia, Newark, Pltubm , Cleveland, Toledo, - - dence, Trenton, Buffalo an On the other hand, the Automo- bile Club of America states, no objections are ever registered b motorists to bein high- Conditions in the other 12 cities which are so distasteful to 80 many motorists are not found in Washington. These are narrow streets, too many traffic lights and | a great lack of highway markers and directional signs. expression of America, but in view of many opinions of a reverse nature, om’.ln: from the great m , it_must be said that “Praise Bir Hubert is praise indeed.” Comparisons are not always| odious—often they are interesting. to the fact that California has uot near the popu- !t:lflon of New Tork ‘:: has about e same n.mbe; registered motor vehicles ind makes it in- teresting reading to note how the Golden State handles the traffic problem. Their recent Legislature passed several new laws and amended quite a few others all! of which go into effect this Au- mm. A summary of the most herewith given: Notice o The seller as well as the buyer of a vehicle is required to notifty the Division of Motor Vehicles of any -sale or trasnsfen ipeed limits—In o territo the limit is raised fll',::: 40 to g! miles. This speed is lawful only| ‘when conditions it it to be made with safety. It is unlawful to drive so slowly as to impede traffic. In the event of damage suits it is provided that speed the excess of the limit shall not be considered as negligence in itself. Proof that the speed constituted negligence nrast be proven. New California Regulations. Crowding front seat—It is un- lawful for such a number of per- sons to eccupy the front seat of a car that the driver's view is ob- structed or his control of the ve- hicle is affected. Use of sirens—Emergency ve-| hicles, such as police patrols, fire apparatus and ambulances, are prohibited from using a siren ex- | cept when actually responding to an emergency call. Officers are prohibited from using a siren or! exceeding the speed limit while acting as an escort for a proces- | sion of vehicles. Unnecessary noise—All drivers | are forbidden to make any un-|K necessary noise, such as honking| horn for cars ahead to give the | ;‘,‘;"fi, o t 1t is xnpou“ mmyl nifes a m; ible for them to do so; or to stop in front | of a residence and to honk for | an occwlm thereof to come out. He must go in himself. Passing on the right—On the right half of a paved city strect with space for two or more lines of traffic in each direction, passin, another car on the right as wn @s the left will be permitted. Meeting on grade—When two cars meet on a grade, as in moun- tains, and the road is too narrow for passing the descending car is req to back up to a point 'v;heu it is possible for the cars ety condition—Officers :rej‘ authorized to stop cars believed | to be unsafe mechanically and to| make an arrest or give notice re- | quiring the defects to be cor- rected. | Minimum age—The minimum age for the issuance of an opera- | tor’s license is raised from 14 to| 16 years, but a license may be is- sued to minors between 14 and 16 | taken walk. ped his hand with the palm out to- ward an ap| ching auto shall have the t of way. This law is of especial benefit to school children. Pedestrians must walk on left hand of highway, facing traffic. Coasting—It is unlawful to coast a car with the gears in neutral. Placing license g{:'m—'!'he min- imum distance above the ground for license plates is decreased from 24 to 16 inches. Roadside lights—Any light with- in view of a highway which is of such brilliance or color that it im- airs the vision of a driver on the gighwny may be removed by State or local authorities without no- ce. Straying live stock—Permitting live stock to stray unattended is made unlawful on any highway x‘her:d jthe1 road is sepu‘;lte ffx'mn e adjoning property by a fence or other barrier. But if a car hits a dog or other animal the driver must stop, and, if possible, make report of such accident. Taking a car—Driving a vehicle away without the owner’s consent is made a felony. leing right of way—If over- y another vehicle the driver must give way to the right on the sound of horn, and he is not allowed to increase his speed to race passing vehicles or to try to prevent it from passing. What the other fellow is doing is {enemlly interesting, especially if the matter pertains to traffic matters in which fleld we are all drivers and pedestrians. The value of the automotive dollar in the United States regis- tered a gain of more than 25 per cent in the period from 1914 to 1930, whereas the value of the cost-of-living dollar suffered a de- cline in excess of 30 per cent, the American Research Foundation rted today in a bulletin cov- ering an extensive survey of au- tomobile prices and values. Auto Dollar Values. “While the value of the cost-of- living dollar, as computed by the National Industrial Conference Board, was dropping from $1 in 1914, to 6714 cents, in 1930, the automotive dollar was jump!ng in value from $1, in 1914, to $1.28, "ll"h 1930,” the h\;l.l::idn asserted. e figures were upon pro- duction of all makes of passenger automobiles. “Meanwhile,” the bulletin con- tinued, “the life-expectancy of the average automobile has been con- stantly prolonged. For example, the clearance between piston rings and cylinder walls is now increas- ing more slowly than in years gone by, and whereas it was for- merly considerable advisable in the average new passenger car to change to a heavier-bodied oil after 1,000 to 2,000 miles of normal driving, this change may now be ned with safety until the car has been driven 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Similarly, a change t0 8| givisions, still heavier oil—formerly recom- mended after about 12 miles tponed the to 20,000. New piston rings, for- merly advocated after 25,000 miles, are not usually necessary now un- til the car has gone 30, miles.” The bulletin also reported that a steady trend toward eight- cylinder automobiles has been de- veloping, since 1922. “In 1922, the bulletin pointed out, “more than 30 per cent of the automobiles were four - cylinder models, were six-cylinder models and less than 10 per cent were eights. This year more than 60 P" cent are eights, 30 per cent sixes and less than 5 per cent are fours.” All of which is very well, ex- cept that one still has to get hold of a dollar first, before he can find out just what it will buy. e S ROAD WORK PUSHED Barrancas Stretch to Be Completed October 1. Work has been started on building s | BaPPen road through “the barrancas” the stretch of impassable canyons on the International Pacific Highway in the states of Nayarit and Jalisco on the west coast of Mexico, it is stated in re- ports just reaching the Automobile Club of Southern California. Two battalions of federal soldiers, mately 200 ficult territory and work will be pushed vigorously in the hope that the bar- rancas may be conquered for automo- bile travel by October 1. The barranca country presents the most difficult problem of road in the 1,600 miles between the United | States border and Mexico City. It s & series of precipitous mountains and caltlgvn!‘ and until negotiated by the P ing expedition of the Automo- ile Club of Southern California over a year ago, was considered impassable ex- tept for burros. AUTOMOTIVE BRIEFS Graham-Paige Motors Corporation announce the appointment of Joseph ingston as manager of Ray Semmes, Inc., Graham distributors for Wash- ington and the surrounding territory of Maryland and Virginia. Mr. Kingston has been well known here for some time, having been territorial repre- sentative of this company for several years, Sales and service will continue to_be maintained in the building st 226 Pourteenth street northwest. MOTOR DON'TS x =217 f//,.’ % ) IN THE GOOD OLD DAVS—OF _ CRANKING BY HAND, THE STORE WITH THE PIGGEST TREE GOT THE BUSINESS. LOW PRICE OF CAR RESEARGH RESULT Peaks of Technical Achieve- ment Undreamed of Decade Ago. Bpectal Dispatch to The Star. DETROIT, August 22. — “More car| for less money.” as embodied in the modern automobile, bisically is the re- sult of scientific research. Precision methods of determining standards of lormance, comfort and length of life SHADE LONG ISLAND CIRCULAR TOUR IS MAPPED BY MOTORING CLUB “Sunrise Land,” 120 Miles Long and 18 Miles Wide, Offers Attractive Auto- mobile Routes for Vacationists. Island, 120 miles long and a motor vehicle now represent peaks | ancl of technical achievement undreamed of 2 e 2g0. In '.he‘el':: of 'odl‘y ule:um im- provement progressive. rlunge scheduled for introduction in a 1932 model may be the result of investiga- tion and testing g & period not | it. coveriny of months but of years to perfect Two Main Divisions. ‘Work of this character has two main . One is laboratory effort, with specialized apparatus, ed indoors. ‘The other is the outdoor branch, with proving grounds or long stretches of | selected highways as the theater of op- | erations. these, again, are the | its, housed in spe- cial buildings to which admission is by pass, issued only to those who may have business there. In these fi\wu secrecy is imperative, becaue lions in profits may hinge on experiments and tests that are being carried on. by General Motors, by Packard lished and by Studebaker. Each of them | Crosses covers hundreds of acres, within 'the ive been . Chrysler for its several divisions carries on its tech- nical work from an engineering head- juarters building in Detroit, with out- operations on the Blue Ridge Mmmulnphl‘hwlyx in the vicinity of { which dways and test roads | approximately 60 per cent | have been consiracted. T, Pa. The General Motors proving ground and Fort at Milford, Mich,, is the largest in the | industry. It is 1,245 acres in and represents an investment of more than $2,000,000. ‘The Ford Co. at Dearborn maintains a hugs engineering and laboratory building in that town. Its highway tests are so well kept from the public gaze, however, that they are made over designated road lre'ii in any part of follow this method, chassis under trial by mounting the | body of a competing make of car on it to hide its real identity. The indoor work, carried on by the laboratory forces, unites the effort of college-trained scientists. A current new model as it comes from the factory assembly line to the dealer’s show room and thence to the eventual purchaser is a composite product. In it are merged the talents distributed among numerous departments. Among them are listed power plant, d power transmission, lighting, fuel research, tal she d probab, special b op and p y & aiviston. Stunts and Findings. Summarized here are a few of the “stunts” and findings that research has developed: | actually utilizes only 8 per cent of the| energy of the fuel to push itself along the road. The rest of the energy, or | 92 per cent of it, is either used up in | friction or thrown away entirely. About 40 per cent goes out through the ex- haust and a like amount into cooling. To observe how the operste wher;ui: Is driven ot 100 nll-m an hour, engineers have designed chassis dynamometer. The rear wheels rest onev,,:o rollers, connected to -ga namometer, or power absorbing mnsm machine. Thus the engine and is behave as if they are speed- | along & road while the car stands 1, and the research men take meas- urements and study performance. One car may require an engine weigh- ing 800 pounds to give it fast getaway from a traffic signal. This engipe A car of 80 horsepower will use 500- horsepower brakes. To design muffiers which get rid of the exhaust gases quietly without caus- back lzmmre the men who spe- part of metals and al About 21 metallic elements are mudln s struction, To study the crystalline structure of aphotomi that Dlfl-lflflmfn extent | the the | in which to linger. iches and Eastport to smxk where the :“lm duck farms of island are located. Region of the Hamplons. Beyond is the region of the Hamp- tons, running out toward the end of the island. First come West Hampton and West Hampton Beach, the er antic Ocean, waich directly on muncelunuulmfit(oram over of a few days. s , where Shin- Next es the region of the Shinnecock Hills, & most picturesque section, and then Bt\uthll:rwn. one of the Sum- | mer capitals society and & most at- At 20 miles an hour the average C&Y |y tive town in which to linger for a short time. | Then comes Water Mill, also an ideal t in which to spend a few quiet days. Ear S that the Bt 2gckidsied LE Take a ferry across Shelter Island Sound to_the southern end of Shelter Island. This small island set in be- tween the two flukes of the larg:r island is a most attractive spot. Hilly, wooded, and surrounded as it is by water on all L] back on the return trip, motorists ndy Beach a pleasant spot Greenport is a very active seaside business town, and in its may be seen at all times boats of all descriptions. Next. comes Southold, lno'.he’rn. im- will find d_City, : ieensbors B: and back to the city. [PENNSYLVANIA LIMITS TRUCK TRAINS’ LENGTH |Maryland Head Says State’s Law for Supervision of Hauling Is Satisfactory. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, August 22—Owners in this State of the long truck trains used of lengths greater than those 3 vehicle law TRUNK LINE NEEDS Congestion in Urban Areas Necessitates Motor Tax Share. all motor vehicles red in cities and towns of more than 10,000 population, the American Automobile Association With more than 80 per cent of registe: in these ur- ban areas has now reached the point where they arg entitled to a share of motor tax revenues for building trunk- . line facilities. The A. A. A statement is based on the findings of its National Taxation (Continued on Fifth Page.) STRESSEDBYA LA 552 AMERICAN RED CROSS DELVES INTO PROBLEMS OF THE ROAD Importance of Individual Responsibility Stressed by Organization That Gives First Aid to Injured. BY JOHN BARTON PAYNE, Chairman, American Mationa Red Cross, vehicle fatalities an increase of 149 per cent. Accidental deaths from all causes reached 98.258 in the United States in 1920, an increase of 292 per cent over 1920. In that year 165 per cent of the total fatalities, while in 1929 the lfir cent of motor vehicle fatalities climbed to 31.8 per cent of the total number of accidental deaths from all causes. Stunned by Report. the 32,500 motor vehicle fa- as well as every humanitarian organi- zation in the land, would have united in an effort to eliminate the possi- bility of recurrence of such a tragedy. Yet the number of lives lost, whether over a perifod of a week or year, re- mains the same, Havoc wrought over a period of months or by degrees ‘The National Conference on Street and hway Safet; highways to give emergency treatment injured ‘:“ hicle found that the greatest need for the fons i in unities Why Are Graham Cars So Much Quieter? Only in the new Graham Sixes and Eights can you obtain ALL of these features which contribute so much to quiet, trouble-free operation— Improved Free Wheeling Rubber-dough body insulation Rubber cushioned engine mountings Rubber spring mountings Vibration dampeners . Silent chain timing Bolted body joints Moulded brake linings These are only a few of the 54 impor- tantreasonswhyGraham carsareBETTER cars. Let us show you—and let us bring you the entirely new thrill of a ride with Graham Improved Free Wheeling. Sixes, ‘7“ up; Eights, s““ up, at factory. Graham Improved Free Wheeling, only $35 extra in all models. Your present car will probably take the place of a cash down payment; very favorable terms. RAY SEMMES, Inc., Distribators SALES and SERVIOE 1526 Fourteenth St. N.-W.—Phone POtomac 0772 SEMMES MOTOR CO., 1314 N. H. Ave. NW. E. B. FRAZIER MOTOR CO,, 518 10th St. NE. motor vehicle fatalities accounted for | main Rok. present such & staggering picture. | conformir has worked tire- | problem. ] E L gEadd 4 i £ 2