Evening Star Newspaper, January 3, 1932, Page 55

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THE SUNDAY AR, WASHINGTON, D. C., JANUARY 3, 1932—PART TOUR. 3 In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. HE new year is here. It is to| be hoped that 1932 will be a better year in many ways than the one This hope includes a reduction in traffic accidents and an increase| | T in automotive sales. The prospects for the latte seem rather bright. Business in general is expected to pick up, and if this should be the case, the au tomobile industry is due for its share. Many replacements will be | necessary, and if the public sees better business conditions ahead, old cars will be turned in and new ones purchased. Auto Industry Deserving. The automobile industry is de- gerving of better times. Its man- ufacturers have done about every- | thing in their power to !um_cut‘ erfect cars at reasonable prices. ey are complete mechanical jobs, durable, safe and good-1ook- ing. 50 have a g2od new year some- | thing must be done to cut far into | the fatality and accident tolls| that are annually mounting. Each | individual driver must do his part Safe and sane driving should be the New Year pledge of every mo- torist. Opens Next Saturday. The big national autgmobn]e show is really in sight. The first act will be put on next Saturday in New York, when the thirty second annual show will be re- vealed in Grand Central Palace, with nearly 300 cars and chassis, and a huge display of bodies, ac- cessories, shop equipment ex- hibits; also commercial vehicles. The exhibitors on four floors of the large exhibition building promise something exceptional this season. Automotive engineer- ing experts and those who have | obtained advance views of the new cars at the factories, positively declare this season will mark an| epoch in motor car construction. | They call attention not only to the progress made during the last just ended. } | day, thousands of showgoers will | have plenty to reflect upon rela- | lac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, De Soto, | Dodge, Essex, Graham, Hudson | La Salle, Nash, Pontiac, Oldsmo- by the mere turn of a lever, ad- just the shock absorbers for vary- ing loads, speeds and roads. Nor could he ride as comfortably as with the large diameter ballcon tires of today, nor control the car at high speeds without fatigue and skillful handling of the wheel. The older cars lacked that essen- tial roadability. And so, beginning next Satur- tive to the motoring of the future. The list of car exhibitors is as follows: Auburn, Buick, Cadil- bile, Packard, Plymouth, Stude- baker, Willys-Knight and Willys- Overland on_ the main_floor; Austin, Cord, Duesenberg, Durant, Franklin, Hupmobile, Lincoln, Marmon, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Reo, Rockne and Stutz on the second floor. On the third floor will be commercial vehicles and taxicabs, including Chevrolet, Dia- mond T, Dodge, Federal, General Motors Truck, Schacht, Reo. Stewart. Pierce-Arrow, Studebaker and Willys-Overland; also Dodge Taxicab; accessories on the third and fourth floors; bodies, parts and shop equipment on the fourth floox The show will open on Saturday, January 9, at 2 p.m. It will be closed Sunday, and the hours, be- ginning Monday and through Sat- urday, January 16, will be 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Other Events Scheduled. The following Monday, January 11, and running through the 15th of the month, will be the annual road show and convention of the American Road Builders’ Associa- tion in Detroit. This event will be of interest to automobile and highway students. Beginning January 39 and last- ing through February 6, the Na- tional Capital will have its own show at the Auditorium, under the auspices of the Washington Auto- motive Trade Association. Dick five years, but in one year. Tms‘Murphy, manager of the associa- will make the display tr_\:ly inter- | esting to the average visitor. ; Vergy few, other than those dl-‘ rectly engaged in the industry, | are, perhaps, cognizant of wherein the automobile of five years ago differs from that of the present day. This is due to gradual, rather than sudden or radical, changes in design of the chassis, | bodies, equipment and accessories. | Nevertheless, the car of today is markedly different, a vast im- provement in every detail upon | the vintage of 1927. This contrast would be more emphasized, not| tion, promises a big time for all, with many agreeable surprises. The National Show in Chicago will be held at the same time. Tz " " Discussion Planned. Arrangements for or against a revision in the United States tariff law which would permit this country’s participation in “bar- gaining” tariff agreements with other nations will be considered at a meeting of the export leaders of the motor industry in New York January 12, George F. | only to the eye, but in values and | Bauer, manager of the export de- in prices if the cars were placed | partment of the National Automo- side by side. Even a casual ex-|bile Chamber of Commerce, re- amination would disclose’ numer- | cently announced. g ous inherent values and provision| “There is a growing feeling for riding comfort and almost among the leaders of the automo- magical ease and quiet and se- | bile industry that present increas- curity of the various controls, the | ingly high tariffs of practically all new devices for the absorption of | countries are the chief obstacles road shocks, silencing of car-/to large scale consumption of buretors, more beautiful body|goods generally, and increased | lines, intensifying the Xam&llar, suggestion of winged fleetness‘i ‘and the most important develop- | ment of the past decade—free- | wheeling. | 1t is quite true that many 5- year-old cars are still running, but thousands of these have reached their last-legs stage or the point where upkeep cost is too great. A large percentage of such will be | rep?aced by the models of 1932. Five Years Ago. Stepping back five years ago, | when there were six makes of four-tylinder cars and prominent makers of sixes had not yet en- tered the eight field, the four- speed and the silent internal] eared transmission was offered | gy but one manufacturer. High second gears were not seen, nor could speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour, or more, be made in second gear. Speed changes from high to second were not made easily and quietly except by the most expert operators. Neither could the average car accelerate in a few seconds to high speed from a standing start | Comparing the brake horse- | power powers of the car of five ears ago with that of today ‘urther emphasizes contrasts. The | modern_sixes have from 25 to nearly 50 per cent more actual power. Sixes of today have en-| gines comparable in power with | the high-priced eights of five years ago. It is interesting to note that three makers of fours in those days, and who since have gone to sixes and eights, offered cars with from 26 to 35 horse- | power, and with a price range of | Irom $525 to $945. One has sev-| eral choices of sixes today, thhi engines of horsepower ranging from 50 to 72, with a price range| of from $475 to $685. Numerous | eights under $1,000 and $800, and | with power plants actually deliv-| ering an average of 81 horse- power, are several hundred dollars cheaper and superior in every re- spect. Five years ago whevl-‘ bases began their climb in the| middle and upper price brackets. Today long wheelbases are the vogue in the low-priced fields. | | Before Blueprint Stage. The automatic clutch and start- | States in return for similar con- | a single blanket rate on all of the | complete units or vehicles), based loyment for American labor, 1193 .’ Mr. Bauer reported. - Among the specific questions scheduled for discussion are: 1. Should the Export Commit- tee recommend to the directors that they place the Chamber on record in favor of a bargaining tariff policy? 2. Should this policy assume a flexible form, in which other na- tions would be accorded varying reductions in tariff rates on their principal products by the United em; in cessions in their duties on Ameri- can products, which may vary ac- cording to conditions? | 3. Or should it take the form of an all-inclusive one-rate recipro- cating tariff, which would accord products of a certain country, whether raw materials or manu- factured goods, upon condition that each and every American product be accorded the same blanket rate upon entry into that country? X 4. What precautions would be necessary in such a bargaining tariff to assure ourselves of re- ceiving treatment which will be fully reciprocal in spirit as well as letter and prevent indirect evasion by means of tax and duty rebates, restrictions or regulations? 5. Should negotiations in a bar- gaining tariff be extended to do- minions and colonies as separate political units? < 6. Should an economic, non- political body of experts appoint- ed by leading trade and business associations, farm granges and labor organizations be intrusted to outline the provisions of bar-| gaining treaties with specific countries, guided by interest in the welfare of the Nation as a whole, rather than by sectional interests, | and recommended to the State! Department that treaties based on | these provisions be drafted and| negotiated with the countries in question? November Factory Sales. November factory sales of au- tomobiles manufactured in the United States (including foreign assemblies from parts made in the United States and reported as data submitted to the Bureau g? the Census, consisted of 68,867 | mobile manufacturing means to ing had not reached the blueprint | yopicles. of which 48,185 were pas- stage five years ago, nor was safe- | senoor cars, 19,683 trucks and 999 ty or shatterproof glass included {syicans, as compared with 80,142 as standard equipment. The own- | yepicles in October, 1931; 136,754 er of the '27 car could not sit in| yehicles in November, 1930, and | his seat and adjust it for safe and | 917573 in November, 1929. Used comfortable driving, nor could he, | .3y sales, of course, do not figure in this list. . - | MOTOR DON'TS | sioNs FoR PEDESTRIANS DONT LET AciD DESTROY . | YOUR BATTERY ! Maryland Road Commission to Put Up Warnings. Sveclal Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 2.—Warnings to pedestrians to walk on the left of State highways, facing traffic, are being | prepared by Sion and will be placed for several miles on roads leading from centers of popu- lation. More than 5,000 of the signs will be set up. The notices will have black backgrounds with white lettering to in- struct pedestrians that they must “Walk | to lett, facing trafic.” It is hoped the gns will help reduce the number of ¢ State Roads Commis- | I I "' i f<,/?// 0 Wi DOWN THE ROAD—Recollections. UT ITS SO LINES-- AND A TOP AND WIND SHIELD. O rs2 SHOWS T0 DEPICT 300 BODY TYPES Range of Models Produced in 1932 to Be Widened. Special Dispatch to The St DETROIT, January 2.—Entering 1932, the automobile industry presents a line- up of more than 300 body types of pas- senger cars for the show crowds to look at and from which buyers will be able to choose. Notwithstanding the most drastic period of readjustment the busi- ness has ever had to contend against, the range of models to be produced this year has been widened rather than con- tracted. While certain names included in the official list of one year ago have been crossed off, others have come up to take their places, leaving the general picture with changes in spots only rather than to extent. Main Additions. The main_additions that the opening of the New York show, one week hence, will present consist of four new ones, of which intimation has been given. One is an_Oldsmobile eight, marking Gen- eral Motors' further invasion of the straight efght field. A second is the Rockne six, sponsored by Studebaker in the low-priced division; a Plerce-Arrow 12, also under Studebaker auspices, and a Lincoln 12, which will supplement the multiple-power list. While all of these represent expan- sion of manufacturing, the General Mo- tors entry under the Oldsmobile name gives a new slant to the 1932 market and one that has not been presented in this way heretofore. The Olds Motor Works for this year will build one chassis of standard length, in which a new six, as well as the new eight-cylin- der power plant addition, will be of- fered, allowing buyers the option of either six or eight cylinder performance at a fixed price differential for the more powerful car. ment the other and widen the scope of cstablished distribution. Retailing Changes. ‘That 1932 may bring changes that will put automobile retailing on a dif- ferent basis than it has been in the cent developments. Officially, the num- ber of automobile dealers now doing business in America is reported as 45,- 00, which is an approximate total This represents a drop from former years brought about by trade casualties during 1930 and 1931 through causes over which producers had only limited control. In 1930 there were more than 52,500 dealers. At the same time a survey made by one maker indicates that of all the cars sold during 1931 94.4 per cent were priced below $1,000, pointing to the conclusion that a proportionately larger volume of annual output is being ab- sorbed in the lower-priced class of cars Ever since the business depression sot in, baring the weakness in sales meth- ods, factory magnates frequently have voiced the conclusion that the entire plan of merchandizing needs revamp- and engineering. Annual Check-Up. The annual check-up on what auto- the country’s business his brought forth statistics. It is shown that 396,000,000 barrels of gasoline were used in 1930 at 2 cost of $1500,000.000. The automo- bile industry is the largest consumer. Other manufactured products re- quired by motor car plants have been listed, with the quantities used. asbestos is used annually. Cars consume 45,000,000 gallons of anti-freeze solutions' during the Winter months. Twenty million batteries are used yearly and 140,000 tons of lead goes into them. In the metals division the plants are the market for 20,000 tons of aluminum a year, or 17 per cent of the product; | 18,000 "tons of bronze, 34,000 tons of brass, 100,000 tons of copper and 33,000 tons of zinc, Automobiles call for the production of 120,000,000 lamps yearly and 70,000,~ 000 spark plugs. It takes 495,000,000 gallons of lubri- cating oil to operate the Nation's cars. Of other commodities the factories consume $40,000,000 worth of rubber, or 305,000 long tons; 12,000,000 feet of leather for upholstery, more than 9 per cent of the domestic cotton supply and 151,000,000 feet of plate glass, valued at 25,000,000. Raw materials that go into cars are produced in every State of the Union. (Copyright. 1932, by the North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc.) — Machinery to End Cops. That the “traffic cop,” who has be- come so important a figure om the | motorists' horizon may soon disappear Acio corrosion WORKS SILENTLY BUT SURELY. I NOT| GUARDED AGAINST T DESTROYS THE BATTERY CONNECTIONS WIRING AND INSULATION, TERMINALS AND EVER PrRIOB Jot CIVE YouR ATy TIONS, KEEP TERMINALS| GREASED, CONNECTIONS TIGHT, AND MAKE SURE THERE AR IN_THE CASING. [Tsepr C CRACKS pedestrian fatalities caused by automo- | biles. T S A Good Plan. From the Boston Transcript. “Bothered much by hitch hikers when you're out riding?” “Not now. Tried & npw plan. As soon as I get out of town I show the sign “Taxi’ on my car.” from view is the belief of Dr. Miller McClintock. _director of the Erskine Bureau of Harvard University. With the application of automatic control mechan and with the use of better street design making it increasingly dif- ficult for & driver to make the wron; move, traffic officers will lose many of their punitive and directive functions and_become technicians in control of traffic robots One model is to supple- | past seems possible in the light of re- | ing to bring it on a par with production | For brake lining, 123,000,000 feet of MANY FEATURES Detroit Jan Th- coming twenty-ninth annual con- | vention and road show in Detroit, Jan- | uary 11 to 15, 1932, has more attractive features from the standpoint of the ex- | hibitor than any previous exhibition. To the road builder who has not at- tonded a convention and road show of | the American Road Builders’ Associa- | tion there are many delights and much | information in store for him halls filled with the latest products of road cquipment and material manufac- | turers present a spectacle that long will bBe remembered. The mass of people moving in and out of the various dis- | play booths in the quest for information, | | the clamor of operating machines dem- | | onstrated for their benefit, the old | | friends found with joyful gretings, the | | new acquaintances and friends made— | | all these are features of every road show | | and convention. The entire industry of manufacturing and _distributing road | machinery, equipment and materials is | represented at this event. All road builders attend. Visit Necessary, | To keep in touch with the latest de- | ! velopments in road machinery, cquip- | ment and materials, it is necsssary to | ‘\'lsfi the annual road show The op- | portunities offered for the inspection n of equipment are vager- 25,000 road builders cach Immense | and compari | ly grasped by | year. | " One of the attractive features of the | | Detroit road show is that the problem | of floor leads is solved by the fact that | 230,000 square fect capacity of ihe De- | | troit_exhibit building—1,000 feet long is all on the ground floor. The Munic- ipal Airport Building, which will be used, has enormous doors permitting the easy entry without dismantling of the largest equipment such as a crane or steam shovel. The lighting and heating | facilities are ample and modern. Res- | taurants will be in the building. Another attractive feature of the De- troit event will be the new plan of housing road builders attending in such | a way that they can be easily located | in the various hotels. Headquarters will | be established and delegates quartered in mutual-interest groups in different hotels. For example, county officials will be in one hotel, city officials in an- other hotel and similarly for the vari- ous groups. | Before people can visit an exposition | and attend convention meetings it is | necessary to get them comfortably and economically to Detroit and provide satisfactory hotel accommodations, | Transportation is in charge of an ex- perienced passenger traffic official who | is assigned to the association by one of | the larger railroad companies. Special | trains and special cars are arranged for, | special rates for the event established, | excursion plans made from nearby ter- | ritory, agents of all railroads notified, motor car transportation stimulated and a multitude of plans prepared. A spe- cial railroad ticket office is set up in the exhibit hall for the convenience of | delegates. Reservations Handled. The Housing Committee, established for convenience in the convention and road show city, handles hotel reserva- tions. Special forms are sent in ad- vance by the association amounting to 40,000 mailing pieces. These forms give special hotel rates established by agree- ment with association officials and per- mit the visitor to make his own hotel selection. If he has no preference | rooms are assigned by the Housing | Committee. To let road builders know about the type of exhibits and convention discus- sions over a million mailing pieces are sent out from the Washington head- | quarters in the few months just preced- | | ing the event. | | “There are many problems to be solved | in setting up this largest exposition of | | machinery, equipment and materials held in the United States. At the last road show, in St. Louls, it was neces- | sary to handle 12,000,000 pounds of car- load freight, 440,000 pounds of express | and 1,500,000 pounds of local and drive- in exhibits, a total of 13,940,000 pounds, There were 320 freight cars to be un- | loaded, and equipment and machinery | placed’ in the exhibit halls using both | contract and its own power. Police and | | watchman service had to be arranged. | Electrical connections, gas, rails, signs | | and furniture had to be supplied for 323 | | booths ranging in size from 100 to 3,500 | | square feetsin area. All this work had to be done inssix days. Moving out was done in about the same time. Only by efficient organization and operation can this task be accomplis) successfully. Experienced moving con- | tractors are emp requires that the mov each yenr shal the setting up and d | previous exhibition. operation has alway: different convention hall ‘his has aided materially in the success | of each road show. | The organization of the association for handling the convention and road show is expanded three months before the event. An office is opened in the convention city and details of the exhibit handled from there rather than at the national quarters in Wash- ington, D. C. month prior to the meeting the direfftor is on the ground co- Magnificent co- | OLD-FASHIONED, PAPA THI5 NEW MODEL HAS SUCH GRACEFUL FOR APPROACHING ROAD SHOW EAmerican Road Builders’ A;;ociation Will Hold 29th Annual Convention in | and materials only. —By FRANK BETK IF YYOU WISH ILL HAVE THE 7 Mooy MECHANICS (Q AL A " N TRBONE, 1. SCHEDULED FEDERAL ROAD AD HELD BESTBARGAIN |Current Construction Task | Cited by State Highway Official. uary 11-15. bringing with him permanent staff men | and experienced floor managers who | have been with him for years and know | just what are their duties. Each man | goes about his special tasks and at the Although Federal contributions for road building compose only a small part round table dinner meeting each night | 0f the money annually spent on roads, | reports what has been done in propara- | the value received makes Federal par- tion or execution, tells his difficulties, | ticipation one of the country's best and arranges his next day's work. The | bargains. ‘ director is in touch at all times with| This statement was made here by every activity. Frederic E. Everett, president of the American_Association of State Highway Tempo Increases. Officials, én calling attention to the cur- As the convention date aprpmaches,rem road-building task. the tempo increases until a few days " before the event when both night and| _ lMeld Outstanding Factor. day work begin. A regular order in ‘Federal assistance has been the out- placing couipment s followed, de- | standing factor in helping the States pendent on arrival. Intricate problems proceed in an orderly fashion in the of Juggling must bé solved to get mam- | improvement of the most used roads, | moth equipment in place without ob- | the roads that accommodate the most | structing the moving of other equip- | motorists,” said Mr. Everett. | ment: tome single pieces weigh 97.000‘?“ some 3,000,000 miles of highways pounds and booms are 50 feet long.|in this one country. Out of that over- Exhibitors frequently lend a hand to | Whelming mileage has been created the the moving ccntractors with cranes, | State highway systems, totaling about {ractors and other power equipment. A | 325,000 miles. The Federal-aid system, spirit of rivalry and good fellowship is | containing about 7 per cent of all roads, fcund throughout among the exhibitors | 1 a still more select group of highways, and workmen. Often a contention for | largely composed of the most direct and right of way is followed by an exchange | necessary travel routes. cf reminiscences of previous shows with | “This Federal-aid system for the most a hastily grabbed hot dog sandwich and | Part constitutes the country’s most used cup of steaming java in hand. The roads. It has been estimated that at Setting up moves with clocklike regu- | least half the rural travel is over them. la ty under the direction of the associa- | Federal Help Needed. “Unquestionably Federal help was | d inf needed in laying out these through highways, which would benefit the country as a whole, and it is clear that Federal assistance was needed to in- sure the improvement of this system. It is equally evident that the Federal Government should carry on its road e “The road job ahead is still large. ! The latest figures available show that | at the end of 1930, 30 per cent of the | | “There tion floor managers and their assistants, in co-cperation with the exhibitors. The several hundred men engagos setting up the show are through on Saturday morning, Distributors’ day, and the exposition is open to manu- facturers and distributors of equipment New models are examined by disiributors and salesmen who are called in by the various manu- | facturers with exhibits. Meetings are beld, new connections made and the road show is ready for the formal | opening on_the following Monday. During the five exhibit days other organizations meet that are interested in road building, delegations of State, | county and city officials, contractors and foreign government representatives are in attendance to inspect and com- pare the exhibits. At St. Louis one of the most diversified and largest equipment exhibits ever held was possi- | ble because of the combined interest of all who are associztcd in the highway industry. In addition to the usual ex- hibits, Detroit will have an extraordi- | narily large motor freight exhibit, WIS e of Thomas H. MacDonald, chief, Bu- Culmination of Activities, reau of Public Roads, for the fiscal year The annual convention is the cul- ending June 30, 1931, shows that there mination of the activities of commit- | were 11,033 miles completed last year, tees and stafl engineers of the asso- | as agains: 8,682 miles the previous year. ciation who are engaged in research | But there still much to do. Thou- and investigative work throughout the |sands of miles of surfaces classed as year. Subjects for research are care- | intermediate types should be lifted to fully selected and information is as- high type. Thousands of miles of sembled for committees by staff en- |graded and drained roads and of low- gineers of the association. The re- |iype roads should be hard surfaced. rch activities have come to be|Road usage is still ahead of road sup- ognized through the highway in- |ply. The lowered road maintenance | dustry among State, county and city | costs and car operating costs that go highway officials, contractors, manu- | wWith better roads make it imperative facturers, distributors and motor freight | that both the States and the Federal cperators as of particular usefulness. | Government sustain their road-building The aim of this work is to translate | efforts,” concluded Mr. Everett. e B IS o) WEATHER FAILS TO HALT ROADWORK American Road Builders' Association, Theory That Winter Is Poor Time but by all other highway research agencies in this country and abroad. for Building Held a Myth. Ohio Busy. roads in the State highway systems was unsurfaced, 44 per cent covered with low-type surfaces and only 26 per cent surfaced with high-type pavement. “On the 197,000-mile Federal-aid sys- tem, which, remember, is included in the State highw: 'stems, July 1, 1931, 39 per cent ot the roads had high-type | pavements and 40 per cent had inter- mediate and low-type surfaces. Four- teen per cent were graded and drained | and 7 per cent were unimproved. Progress to Date. “Progress to date on the Federal-aid ;stem has been excellent. The report | i | The proceedings of the association are used as text books in a number of technical schools The cosmopolitan group of 25,000 road builders that gather at the an- nual convention and road show learn new methods in the many convention sessions—there were five meeting rooms in continuous use during the St. Louis PRESENT CAR CARE DICTATES NEXT PURCHASE OF MOTORIST Preselection of Future Automo]:iles Made Through Treatment of Present Types, Say Authorities. car while it is in good condition is nct They may pass automobile row 3 abreast of changing conditions and without glancing right or left: they | may turn a deaf ear to salesmen, or feel content to be out of touch with what's going on in motordom, but mil- | simply forfeits an opportunity to reduce the cost of his motoring over a period of years. Those who have their eye on the forthcoming trade-in keep in mind the . two thieves of car value: lack of lubri- cation and backlash. These terms are viewed broadly. Any part of the car that suffers from want of oiling not | only damages itself, but adversely af- fects other parts. Any looseness or ex- cess play in vital parts, generally termed “backlash,” is certain to cause exces sive wear. Driving the car with worn universal joints, a favorite trick with those who countenance neglect, is a lions of motorists are unconsclously selecting the grade' of car they will purchase next year and in the year to follow. Prediction Explained. This prediction, made by many auto- mobile men, is explained by the ob- server, who declares, ‘3how me the way a motorist takes care of his pres- ent car and I will tell you what kind| of car he will buy next” He adds| that motordom would benefit by & realization that the “Care will save| case in point. your car” slogan really means “Care| Frequently a car develops serious and will save your hope of being able to seemingly chronic trouble which forces own a better car x |its owner to repair shop after repair While the trade-in is the most over-|shop. The car comes to be known lo- worked consideration of the average | cally as a “lemon” with the result that motorist when he comes to buy a new |the owner pays a big price for his ne- car he Is passing through .he present | glect when he comes fo trade in. There period of readjustment more oblivious | are thousands of these cars on the than ever before to the fact that his| streets today. Their owners either wilk present car is legal tender in the auto- | be forced to accept a very low allow- mobile world only so long as it is in|ance or, which is more likely, will be good condition. Neglect has no trade- | obliged to buy a car in a lower price in_value on automobile row. | bracket, reversing their original desire Millions of people who are not|of going up the scale to ultimate owner- taking advantage of the numerous ship of the finest on wheels. plans being offered to preserve their investment wi'l be forced to go down | the price scale when they find it| The car that is systematically serv- ary to purchase a new car. iced by the methods now available Many of the processes for the preser-|everywhere along automobile row will vation of one's investment in personal | not develop the chronic ills that give transportation do not involve more|it a bad name. Recently there have than the purchase of an inexpensive |been cases of front-wheel shimmy bottle of body polish or wax and a|caused by loose rear wheels, weak rear little otherwise wasted time and effort. | springs and whipping propellor shafts. The car's trade-in value can be main- | A little care would have saved all this. tained also by more skillful driving. | Many motorists have discovered that A 4 preserving their present investment in Preventive Service. | cars does not mean incessant tinkering. Preventive service has been de- Much damage can be done to a car veloped by automobile dealers and spe- | through handling by inexperienced per- cialists to a point where it is no|sons. Even such a formerly simple longer necessary to have breakdowns | operation as cleaning the breaker points and expensive repairs. Such services| now should be done by service men are being more liberally used by those | who have the proper equipment to dress who own cars in the extreme price|them efficiently and synchronize them. group. The owners of medium-priced | None but the most experienced owner cars are reported to be the most who has invested in considerable equip- neglectful and to be in line for paying|ment can expect to do a valve grinding the biggest penalty in the day of | job as it is done in the leading service Systematic Service. reckoning. Ovners of high-priced cars maintain | | stations today. Most fortunate among owners are their investment as a matter of routine. | those who have been purchasing regular Many of them have worked hird to service from their dealers. They not reach the top rounds in the ladder of only have been spared mechanical success and they are too appreciative | breakage and expensive troubles through of the value of equities to do other than | insuring themselves against this through keep their car worth as much as pos- | preventive service, but have made it sible all the time. Owners at the other | plain to their dealers that the cars are extreme are equally aware of the value [in the pink of condition. The man of their property.” They know that if | who thinks a dealer is simply trying to they do not take care of what they make a profit on a systematic service have now they will run the risk of not | plan is blind to the gain which he him- being able to buy any new car in the | self can expect over a period of years. future, regardless of price. In between the extremes stands a great group of motorists constantly | € lured by the theory that if the present | habit of assuming that so long as they car will not bring enough allowance to | expect to trade in after using a car a make possible the purchase of a car of | couple of years there is no use being like make and quality it will merely be|any too careful of it. When the period necessary to drop a peg or two in the|is up and they are not in a position to price range. Many thousands of peo-|buy a replacement car they face the ple are forfeiting the opportunity to|problem of getting along with an abused continue driving the grade of car they | one. It's the repair shop route for them. Itke. Millions of people run the risk of | Care will not only save your car but not being able to drive as good a car |safeguard that natural aspiration to for a good many years to come. Used Car Situation. | cant stand in the way of reaching your Improvements in the used car situ- goal. ation suggest a reasonable demand for | Unless vou are the spendthrift scion well cared for used cars within the next |of a millionaire you are preselecting year or so. Any motorist who assumes | vour future car by the wayv you treat Wrong Expectation. ‘Too many people have got into the meeting last year. Roadbuilders in- spect and compare road and street machinery, equipment and materials in the road show. The relation between the two events is most intimate. AUTOMOBILE LUBRICATION DEPICTED IN U. S. FILM The details of “Automobile Lubrica- tion,” a vital matter to the millions of motorists, are visualized in & new one- reel educational motion picture film made under the supervision of the United States Bureau of Mines, De- partment of Commerce, in co-operation Wwith an industrial concern. For economical and safe perform- ance, correct lubrication must be ob- hed | tained on all parts of the car, a_title |t0o light or too narrow to serve traffic emphasizes. The early scenes of the foyed. The association | film show ap automobile owner driv-| A lit was made up of 380 bridge ing comracturdng into a modern greasing station, |structures which needed replacement. Ve visited and studied | Where the offer is made to explain the | uced ¢ e dismantling of a | various opetation Tmaived i & com |Which could be built out of the funds plete lubrication job. The used oil is s been extended by | drained for two reasons, it is explained. | e managers and | First, it has become contaminated with | program under way. | dirt, carbon, metal particles and maybe | glven jobs early in November and by water. Some of these are removed by the filter, but not all. A close-up view is given of crankcase oil flowing over a glass slide, showing the solid dirt par- ticles passing across. Most lubricating oils become diluted with portions of un- burned fuel. Cold motor, frequent use of the choke and overrich fuel mixture :."e the more common causes of oil dilu- ion, Acceptance of the myth that Winter |is no time for building annually keeps bundreds of millions of dollars out of | circulation. Here and there, however, | private builders and communities refuse | to be cowed by the rigors of Winter and are going ahead with building, en- countering few more ditficulties than are met in the heat of Summer, Among the Statcs, that are endeavor- ing to provide as ‘much construction work ble this Winter is Ohio, st widespread bridge pro- gram is under way that that State has | ever undertaken. These bridge projects | were not created merely to furnish em- | ployment. Last Summer Ohio made a survey of all road bridges in the State |and found that about one-third were | safely and adequately. from past experience that he gains nothing on a trade-in by offering his Milady’s It must have been a woman who re- called the fact that the original back- seat driver was the man who drove the hansom cab. When you back up and bump into something and male bystanders say there's no harm done, don't be too cer tain about it. They may simply mean that you haven't knocked over a fire hydrant or bent a telegraph pole. Some reople are looking for excitement. If the woman I saw starting off from a hotel the other day had considered this point she would have discovered a broken section of the rear bumper be- fore it dropped off the car. Leave it to the ladies to capitalize trouble. I asked one of them where women in her city go to learn to drive and she explained that there was the most ideal abandoned real estate devel- ness center. “I don't know what we'd do if the development ever picked up, she observed. _To the woman who asks if it is all right to mix two different kinds of anti- freeze which she had found on hand in the garage I am replying with an emphatic “No,” adding the explanation that with a mixture it isn't possible to make a quick check of the strength of the solution. Different kinds of hy- drometers are needed for testing the strength of anti-freeze solution, but :\one has been developed to test mix- ures. It looks like milady's year in motor- dom. Previously the feminine appeal has been along lines of doodads and style. Now interest has shifted to me- chanical features that Intrigue any woman who has ever handled the wheel or hoped to. She is seen in the cata- logues and advertisements driving the car without bothering to fuss with the tiresome clutch, cranking the motor by the mere switching on of the ignition and shifting gears with the ease that was once regarded as a dream that could never come true. The automobile has become as mechnically interesting and serviceable to the modern woman as the labor-saving equipment in her | cwn kitchen. In the old days women frequentl tied a ribbon on the rim of the sieering wheel to mark the position at which the front wheels of the car are pointed straight ahead. This is no_longer necessary. Most steering wheels have but three spokes and it is an easy mat- ter to use their normal letter “Y” pos tion as a guide to the direction of the | front wheels. ! Psychology hasn’t explained it as yet, but all of us have a desire to acceler- ate while being overtaken. Women are especially prone to this. Sometimes | they do it unconsciously just through | a nervous habit of driving unsteadily. In some cities the driver who speeds up while being passed is liable to arrest. If the service man says something is wrong with the timing chain it is a good idea to know what he is talking about and not get it all confused with the newest facial. The chain is found at the front end of the motor, encased in a metal cover. Hidden this way its function is naturally overlooked. The typical engine has a special shaft which operates the valves. It must be | timed with the main shaft. The func- | opment within a half hour of the busi- | That list was reduced to 292 bridges | tion of the timing chain is to connect these shafts so that the main one drives the cther. This same chain may also drive a third shaft operating the gen- erator, water pump or other accessories. Some cars dispense with the chain and substitute gearing. It is largely a matter of engineering tastes, as there are arguments on both sides. Chains mg.l‘:llgi st.re'.ci\ a m&l%’;nd, if not | i tightened, may jump. act on the Accidents on Sunday. part of a chain' throws the engine out More than 18 per cent of all motor 'of time and may bring on serious trou- accidents on Sunday, according ble. Performance is immediately af- to the Distfict of Columbia division of fected. the Ameri( Automobile Assoclation. Chains may be adjustable or non- |at hand. ©Ohio wasted little time in getting the Contractors were | the end of December practically all of the bridges were under contract with work progressing on most of them. | the one that now serves you. ! (Copyright, 1932, by the Russell Service.) Motoring BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. | adjustable, and adjustments, where pro- vided, may be manual or automatic. | Your instruction book states this plain- ly. Keep the facts in mind so that if confronted with the problem when on |a trip you need not accept the ideas of |a strange and perhaps misinformed | roadside mechanic. | We've been looking over the newest | models and note a few features by way of interior trimming that ought to in- terest discriminating women. For one, there are the small article compart- | ments on the instrument panel. Pad- |ded foot rests to save dainty shoes. | Rubber pads on foot controls. No start- |er buttons to press. Door pockets that | cannot bulge. Adjustable front seats that do not require one to be a contor- tionist. And smoking sets on both sides | of the tonneau! ‘Tuck this idea away for reference thé | next time you are about to overtake another car: Sound your horn while you are still directly behind the other car so that the driver can see your ma- | chine through his rear view mirror. If vou horn while starting to pass he may be unable to see your car and may mis- | take the warning as a signal from some | ot!}:r machine approaching from the right. — LESS GLASS ON STREETS Situation Due to Increasing Use cf Non-Scattering Kind. Special Dispatch to The Star. | NEW YORK, January 2—Commis- | sioner Charles S. Hand of the New York | | Department of Sanitation recently de- | nied reports that a special glass collec- | tion patrol would eliminate this menace | from the streets. However, “all the | sweepers in the Department of Sanita~ tion are instructed,” said the commis- sioner, “that whenever broken glass ap- pears on their route. to gather it up immediately. This material is neither | kept nor hauled separately.” While it is generally admitted that many complaints from motorists have’ been registered, it is believed by most of those who have made a study of the condition that the situation is curing itself gradually due to the increasing use of non-scattering glass by many cat manufacturers and particularly in taxi= cabs, of which there are some 26,000 in New York City. (] .fi.}mf\ A#/100°PURE s > o PERMIT 52 Controls carbon—keeps car- bon deposits from piling up in your cylinders. With Autocrat, you have a perfect piston ring seal, you lose less power through carbon. Try Autocrat the nmext time you need oil, and judge its advantages for yourself. VART BAYERSON OIL WORKS | COLUMBIA 5228,

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