Evening Star Newspaper, January 31, 1932, Page 95

The Sundlyy Stae P— WASHINGTON, D. €, SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 31, 1932. INESS HOPES PINNED TO SHOW OPENING I Finest Products of Industry Given Hearty Approval by Residents of District at Premier Exhibit at Auditorium. G. ADAMS HOWARD, Auton E new a mobile. the 1932 hope of one of America’s greatest \dustries, was introduced last night at the Auditorium to the residents of the National Capital. With this ‘premier exhibit here are pinned the hopes for a business revival in all lines 1 prosper in the automotive world can greatly assist | Models of all k comprising the latest offerings of the man- were on ay, exemplifying almost that mathematically e achievem mechanical perfection. But the car of to- s as near perfect as it is humanly po le. ers of this year cannot be disappointed. There are car les, capable of soliciting admiration from the possessor stidious d only tastes and the size of one’s ween then Lower prices prevail BY rentiate bet <o even the pocketbook cannot be taken night gave evidences of hearty to surge in at the opening hour »ors were closed at 10:30. Adopting this as a 1l be so this afternoon from 3 o'clock to the 1is evening, and every day from 10:30 in the t, until the scheduled finale Saturday eve- Credit Due W. A, T. A. 1e to the Washington Automotive Trade Asso- the twelfth annual exhibition is being to run a show, and the efforts of the Fred L. Haller, president; Joseph B. Trew, ard J. Murphy, manager, are particuarly cerning Washington as important | e are of interest. Regardless of the | anufacture automobiles, the pay rolls butors and dealers in motor vehicles, rages, oil, gasoline, tires, repair shops to more than those of any other single line of ccepting t bution of food and clothing the Government | time cor automobil joes not n M iy e . ’/‘,/ ’/‘//r i i | more rigid the unit which c — JT PERRYMAN r was third operation of their motor vehicles However, we do have a small percentage of drivers who take chances in operating their auto- mobiles, such as speeding in the congested tions of the city. failing to keep in the proper lane of traffic—driving to the left cen- ter of the street in an effort to get ahead of the vehicles movir in the proper lane of traffic—in- | sed speed at intersections in an effort to cross before a change | of signals—starting on the red| and amber lights—and last, but not least, failing to give pedes- trians crossing at intersections the right of way when moving on a proper signal 11 of which are contributing factors in causing| accidents. “Pedestrians should always en- deavor to cross on crosswalks at | intersecting streets, where they have the right of way, and not| attempt to cross in the middle of the block, or walk out behind parked cars into the lane of mov- ing traffic, which is very dan- gerous. “As a rule. the Washington taxi driver is an expert in his line However, with the large number | of cabs in operation and the low | rates there 1s a tendency on the| part of some operators to speed and take chances in effort to in- crease business. This has been very noticeable since the low zone | rate went into effect.” in automo- over the pre- ase was 3.4 increase but two, incr of > Union nati 8 per cen ou. ar. the busi- shington utomobile to figure sur- States. two other tands fourteenth in i twelfth in the vehicles owned, tration of 156,676. sw York, with a population mes as great as Washington, only 4 times as many au- 10biles. Chicago, with a popu- 6 times that of Washing- less than 3 times as many Auto Ownership. owns more auto- Arizona, Delaware, na, Nevada, New New Mexico, Rhode Vermont or Wyom- on_OWns more cars Norway, Sweden nd, A Russia, Portu- Denmark, Finland, Greece Japan, Chile, Pol i, Hungary or Mexico. Out of st of 69 coun- s and foreign colonies in which \ accurate census is kept, only own more machines than the trict of Columbia. all the cities in the United under 500,000 population, one, Newark, N. J., owns more itos than Washington. Three es of 700,000 or more, Pitts- Baltimore and Boston, own s than Washington sures, supplied by sures,” published by nobile Chamber es to prove that S newhat of Nation’s Capi- for a little 0 might be d cars on the n jim Aid of Various Groups. ri Civic groups have done much | to aid traffic conditions in the city during the past year. Among |them are the Traffic Committees | lof the Washington Board of | | Trade, Chamber of Commerce.! | American Automobile Association, the American Motorists’ Associa- | tion, the National Safety Coun- |cil and the Citizens' Advisory Council. Chief among their efforts in 1931 and in the beginning of th ar is their fight on unfair taxes. | ot only do the members of the above grouns want to protest against too high taxes for the automobile industry a whole, but also to voice their opposition to heavy levies on the motoring residents of the District of Co- | lumbia. Many of the above feel that the Director. proposed excise tax would keep ‘ W 1\‘nnr:-‘”m automotive industry from P m“‘ l‘“mcwbusmcss gains. Also they feel o e % hhn“l'i(‘ that moneys derived from gasoline 18 ‘I{“('»'w 45 I)‘r» | taxes should go only to highway ‘\w";n" "‘Rhul and street building and mainte- - 1 209 lance. With the District of Co- | lumbia having a road mileage of Continued on Page 8, Column 1.) of tes above stree New Traffic year [ | national NEW PANAMERIGAN Road Spanning Western Hemisphere Is Fast Being Realized. BY ERNEST N. SMITH, e Vice President. American Auto- mobile Association The 12 months just ended brought nearer realization the dream of a pan- American highway spanning the West- ern Hemisphere from the Dominion of Canada to the southernmost coun- tries of Central and South Amer- ica Such a highway will spread inter- er- and good ties for unham- pered ercourse between the na- tions to be t by this art Executiv standi will the free ) fay and | motor transpor tion. Accomplishments during 1931 in tt direction of assu ing this international highway, which will wipe out frontier lines and broaden the travel horizons for many millions of car owners, were threefold in nature. They were manifest in the renewed interest in this inter-American high- way not only in the United States, bu in all the interested nations. Ernest N. Smith. 1931 Accomplishments. They were evidenced in the actual which will eventually be merged into the most significant of all world highways They were also evidenced in recon- naissance surveys of engineers in Pana- ma, Costa Rico, Honduras, Guatemala and preparations for a similar survey in Nicaragua. When it is considered that only three years have passed since it was first pro- posed to grasp time by the forelocks and hasten the day when facilities would be available for motorizing an entire hemisphere, it may be said that the progress made has been remark- able. The all-American highway had its inception in recommendations made at the Sixth International Conference of American States, held at Havana, Cuba. in 1928, and the Pan-American Con- gress of Highways, which met in Rio de Janeiro in 1929. AUTO COLOR NOV title from traf- other er by r his the mails s done well. The him is to push the| y bill, spon-| ican Automo- which was adopt- the first of the ill go far in s of Washington A he resent time 18 es and 4 provinces of Canada eemed this law so wise as itomobile housand of men and women who ttend automobile shows through- out the United States will see some- thing this year that has no precedent in the history of the motor car. The new automobiles, having achieved al- ost human intelligence with their [ magical improvements in silent gears, -cement of | {ree wheeling, motor cushioning, easier | riding and more comfortable and opu- ould g0 10 |jen¢ upholstery, have now taken on Brown, head of hody designs with the streamline idea Bureau, and second in|carried much farther than ever before, ymand of the Metropolitan |according to Howard Ketcham, director ice Force. Despite many shake- Duco Color Advisory Service. the personnel, he has done| Then there are endlessly exciting i difficult problem, |NOVelties in horns, velvet carpets assist e b straps, arm rests, silk curtains, ash re- isten, advise and | cejvers, instrument boards and other , the in-|things that delight the women espe- great spirit |cially. and they should be delighted ¢ really’ the women and_their s demands for greater comfort in riding, e e 5 <« |lower bodies for safety and smartness En A radio address.| JJi"rr more beauty inside and out of y BHEOEOND : the car that have, to a great extent, I consider that the majority|prought the American automobile up | of Washington drivers intend tO|tc its present plane of perfection. cxercise reasonable care in the| That women, with a real &ppreciation Uy { W Traffic a ughts were re- ELTIES INCLUDE RICH CATHEDRAL AND TAPESTRY General Trend This Year Is Toward Bright and Cheerful Tones, Say Stylists. of beauty, have set the pace is appar- ently better understood this year than ever before, for the colors of the cars hsve very definitely abandoned the dark and somber for a lighter, more cheerful and more engaging series of shades and hues. Never were such beautifully balanced colors shown, and this may well be understood when it is known that art and fashion in the four corners of the earth contributed the inspiration to create these color har- monies For instance, the creations of the Gobelin Tapestry Works in France, whose secret methods of making dyes impart a matchless glory to their col- ors, have furnished some of the ideas. Sevres porcelain, manufactured just out- side of Paris, furnished some rich sug- gestions in the value of simplicity in colcr treatment, most cars this year be- ing done in one all-over color. The age- | softened northern lancet window in the Chartres Cathedral contributed its les- son in balanced color and motor car | e |itself prevent the issuing of a per- | finishes this year seem to interpret in pigments the spirit that is shown at Chartres in traunslucent glass. t | BY HARVEY L. COBB, General Co A Mo ssociation. Can a motorist operate his car with- out an raction of law The answer is that he cc practically every motorist ev a law violator, violating either a ct rent traffic regulation or some obsolete law long since forgotten and no longer enforced An illustration of the obsolescence of some of the motor vehicle regulations early enacted, is found in two laws stil on the books of the State of Maryland one of which requires that a object, proceeding on a highway, s preceded at night by a person ¢ e lighted red lantern. A second i tration, in the same State, is that an automobile must blow its horn every 200 feet. Both statutes. still on the books, were enacted early in the auto- mobile’s career. B Interesting Case. An interesting case, illustrating the trials and tribulations of the early mo- | torists, is found in the Laurel Turnpike Co. case, which illustrates the an- tipathy and fear which the public in general, and toll roaa proprietors in particular, exhibited toward the auto- | mobile. The Laurel Run Turnptke Co., operat- |ing a short stretch of toll road, de- | cided thag it would not permit automo- biles to rin over the turnpike One reason was that the size, speed and noise of the automobiles of that day made it highly dangerous to travel- ers who drove horses. Another reason | was that the pike was constructed ex- | construction, particularly in Mexico, of | pressly for the convenience of horse- important links in the series of connect- | Grawn vehicles, and in view of its curves | | ing roads if automobiles were allowed the effect would be virtually to exclude horse-drawn vehicles. An- other reason was that “no possible toll for automobiles over turnpikes would be adequate. An automobile owner who was ex- cluded presented a petition for man- | damus, praying the court to compel the turnpike company to recognize his right to use the pike A Judge Wheaton, who shared the general feeling of the owners of horses against the new contraption known as automobiles, presiding over the Circuit Court at that time, refused the man- damus and the turnpike company won a victory, for the time being at least. The grounds on which Judge Whea- ton placed his decision were to some extent. at least, highly technical. One was that the petition failed to set forth that the plaintiff had complied with all of the requirements of the Maryland motor vehicle law of 1903 with relation to license, equipment and signal devic The court’s opinion, which speaks for itself, was, in part, as follows | “The effort is to secure a writ of | peremptory mandamus _commanding |the defendant to allow the petitioner, while operating and using his automo- bile, the right and privilege of passing and embankments | his paying the tolls established by law for the passage of vehicles of similar weight and width of tires over turnpike roads of this Commonwealth “The act of April 23, 1903, expre: forbids the use or operation of mo vehicles upon the public highw the Commonwealth unless certain quirements of the act are complied with. Essential Requirements. “Among the requirements essential hicles on the highways are (1) the i of the same in the motor vehicle, (3) the posting of the registry number upon | the back of said vehicle in a conspicu- |ous place, (4) equipment with brakes and (5) equipment with signal device. “Violation of any of these provisions of the act is made a misdemeanor. “The petition in the casc at bar fails to aver compliance by the petitioner with any of the above-enumerated pro- ons Alleging his specific right, it was the uty of the petitioner to aver every element requisite to establish it. “The failure in this respect would of emptory writ. "In addition to ¥is, however, plain- over and upon its turnpike road upon | Y | command that he be permitted to use re- | to the right to use or operate such ve- | suance of a certificate, (2) the posting | CAN A MOTORIST OPERATE CAR _ DARE CFT RV ROAI WITHOUT VIOLATING THE LAW?PABE SETBY ROAD H|GHWMEAR|NGHara1y Possible Because of So Many Traffic Regulations and Obsolete Rules Long Forgotten. ' BUILDING IN 1531 | - {60,000 Miles of State and Local Highway Sur- faced. [ by his demurrer, has admitted th } certain allegations m in it which is f; lief w seeks admits autom r of their size, great spe ing the velocity of railroad t alarming noise, are_extremely the traveling public and their use on public highways is fraught with great danger to travelers who drive horse (2) that the said turnpike was des and constructed expressly for venience and pleasure of people in dri ing with horses over the same, and by reason of its grades, high embankments and numerous curves the passage of at tomobiles over the same would be a menace as to exclude vehicles d horses and give to automobiles plete monopoly of its use; (3) that to the general public peremp- demands the exclusion of auto- mebiles from the turnpike, and for this reason passage thereof over the same is refused; (4) that no possible toll for automobiles over turnpikes would be | adequate by reason of their character. | The managers of highways owned | by private corporations have an un- doubted right, in the exercise of a sound discretion, to prevent such use of the highway as will make it dangerous to the general public “Unless forbidden by legislative en- actment, as in the case of bicycles, etc,, enumerated in the act of April 23, 1889, they may exclude from its highways a carriage or vehicle the use of which is dangerous, where the safety of the gen- eral public demands such exclusion “The Legislature has not seen fit to | control the exercise of this discretion as to motor vehicles or automobiles. BY THOMAS P. HENRY, President American A e Association Under the stimulus of a national ef- fort to relieve unemployment, road- building set the pace for public works programs during 1931 and brought the time nearer when the Nation will have adequate highways for the movement of our motor transport, Approximately 60.- 000 miles of State and local roads were surfaced dur- g the year, in- cluding_about 11,- 000 miles on the Federal-aid system, bringing the total of surfaced mile- age in the country to_well over 760, 000 miles Expenditures during the last 12 months may be conservatively placed at $2,250,000,000. of which approxi- mately $1,770,000,000 were expended he He tom Thos. P. Henry. for construction and maintenance of | Federal-aid, State and local roads, and | $500,000,000 were represented in the | outlay for streets. Pending the receipt of reports from all parts of the country, it is difficult to say just how much the depression affected the work on Jocal | Toads, but it now seems apparent that | any such decrease was more than offset | T 3 v the speeding-up of work on the Fed- Admissions of Plaintiff. eral-aid and sgme systems. | “By the admissions of plaintiff in | this case, the use of such vehicles is fraught with ‘extreme danger to the traveling public’ and ‘with great dan- ger to travelers who drive horses,’ and this applies particularly, for reasons stated in the return, to the highway question. “By the further admissions of plain- tiff, ‘safety to the general public per- emptorily demands the exclusion of automobiles from the turnpike,’ and this is the reason why their passage over the same has not been permitted. “In view of these facts, thus estab- lished, the discretion of defendant has been lawfully and wisely exercised. “In addition to this, it is conceded by plaintiff that he has no right to go upon defendant’s turnpike, except upon yment of toll. There is no rate of toll for aut mobile fixed by statute, nor does a appear to have been established by rule or regulation of the turnpike company “The plaintiff admits ‘that no possi- ble toll for automobiles over turnpikes would be adequate, by reason of their character.’ “May the court compel the defendant fo accept an admitiedly inadequate toll? “If not, how can the court comply | with plaintifi’s prayer and fix the | amount of toll which he must pav? | “‘Without an order that plaintiti pay toll, how can the court peremptarily 1,000,000 Employed. Road building during 1931 furnished direct and indirect employment, to more than 1,000.000 persons.and it is evident that the funds that went into highway programs was an_important factor in minimizing the effects of the depres- sion in all parts of the country. These programs were aided by good weather which allowed construction to continue on up to as late as October in many States where the season for work on the highways usually ends early in Sep- tember. Developments in the field of highway building during 1931 auger well for the ensuing year and there is every reason to believe that within the next 12 months we will have a total of more than 800.000 miles of paved arteries spreading to every section of the United States MANY STRANGE P but the | the e | desire “The questions suggest their own an- | swers “Upon the case as presented, the plaintiff has failed to show a right to |a peremptory writ.” Effect of Decit The effect of this decision was later corrected by statute, giving the right to motorists to operate on any roads on which horse-drawn vehicles were per- mitted Contradistinguished with some of the obsolete laws of commission involving an automobile, one of the notable ob-, solete laws in the District of Columbia is found in the exemption law enacted by Congress in 1901, which exempts cer- tain property of a householder from | execution. covering hundreds of new uses for such | 'The law, now more than 30 years| raw materials of nature as petroleum. | old, exempts, among other things, one | In a few decades, the science of refining | horse, one mule, one yoke of oxen, one | ol has come to be one of the most in- cart, one wagon, one team and the har- | tricate and highly developed of scien- | ness for such team, one cow, one swine | tiic processes. —So important have re- |and six sheep. fining meuzfis become $hat the pro- ghway in the manner which he The pork packers are said to utilize every part of the pig except the squeal, but petroleum chemists have gone therm | one better. They use even the smell of petroleum —disguised in most instances “but the smell nevertheless. So many derivatives of petroleum are | now made that it would be a hopeless task to try to enumerate them. In fact, | a German chemist some years ago attempted to make a chart showing all the substances made from petroleum at the time, but when he finshed the job, which took two whole years, he found the chart practically useless be- cause so many new substances, unknown when he started, had been discovered before he finished Distinctive of the modern world is the role played by human ingenuity in dis- n. | gear FROM PETROLEUM—SMELL USE | Oil Chemists Excel Pork Packers, Who Utilize Everything‘ MOTORS OF GREAT VALUE CHALLENGE 1932 BUSINESS | | Safety, Dependability, Comfort and Beauty Mark Refinements of This Models Selling at New Low Price Levels. Year ETTER cars, bigger cars, cars of finer value than the industry ever has offered the American automobile purchasing public mark the initial showing of the 1932 automobiles at the annual i automobile show of the Washington Automotive Trade Associa- tion, which opened last night at the W; ington Auditorium. If bet- ter values and lower prices are the result of the depression of the last two and a half years, the automobile industry has met the chal- lenge of greater values with the finest products in its long history at prices ridiculously low in comparison with those of other years Chief among the mechanical improvements which set the 1932 line of automobiles far above the high standards set even by their recent predecessors, are those innovations which make the cars of the “comeback” year of the industry practically an automatic un a car in which the manual functions of the driver having to do with control are reduced to virtually the absolute minimum. Ride con- trol, by which shock absorbers are adjusted to suit road condtions and load; almost universal adoption of free wheeling, automatic clutch control, automatic starting, automatic choking and automatic functions make the car practically a fool-proof vehicle. Frame Improvements. . __The unit which has received the most attention is the frame. Nearly every one of the new I one description of another, the new cars ame of and m Compre a all have s 1ened rries the body and engine. sions have changed to new highs, there are more twelves a teens than in other years and rubber engine mounting is ur together with greater use of long, unbroken body lines flow radiator to tail-light. Truly a great automobile, and a worthy suc- cessor to the notable cars which have prece nodern fleet vehicle of 1932. while AUBURN Of major importance in the Auburn line. which consistes of eigh and a new series of 12- der cars, are dual ratio gears, which offer adaptation of engine speed and wheel power to driving conditions without affecting the speed of the car. In most automobiles the gear ratio, Auburn en- gineers say, is a compromise between that most efficient for ideal d condtions and that best for requirements, such as hilly snow, sand and slow going in Both these ratios are instantly able in the dual ratio Auburn by turning of a control leve Another new feature of the new Auburn is the combination of free wheeling and silent mesh transmission on all models. Free wheeling is offered in all forward speeds through adoption of a lever mounted at the rear of the shift lever. Auburn also has adopted “ride control” on shock ab- sorbers, which permits the driver to adjust the riding quality of the car by turning a control on the dash near the | steering column. Throughout the new Auburn line the new automatic starting system known as “Startix” has been adopted, but Auburn offers it as an optional feature. It may be cut in or out at the pleasure of the driver. Out- wardly the 8-100 series follows closel the general lines of the 1932 8-98 ies. car is mounted on a 127-inch se, with 136-inch wheelbase for passenger models, and the long, sweeping body and hood lines carry out the good looks, length and roomines: ich have been Auburn features W vears. The power plant is agair of Lycoming manufacture. The car I automate lubrication, X type frame irreversible steering mechanism The twelve, which is new to Aub is said to develop 160 horsepower ines are insulated throug noise and temperature change s are said to tur The differ 0 mod the “90 wheel- Cadillac exclusive of La I The eight and twelve com wood and thirteen Fi the V-16 comes in sev wood and eight Fisher bod e mounted c hes, whi 143 and 149 the new C silent range r cushioned engine on wheeling through automatic clut trol. five-beam headlamp co cooled fuel lines, improved carbur {and manifolding, no-flex fixed adjustment type spr | The_ Cadillac rad ened, the sun visor has been elim and a strea effect to fenders running-boa new ca inches lo increas deepest mobile said to be shackle w ch con- is said to have passenger av operated by a vac the cam shaft stant speed wi BUICK e pu 1 is of th ee-spoke nd the instrument panel has been on the left of the dash. Non- shattering glass is used in all doors and windows. ~ Several special features, such as a vacuum brake assister and a new | oil filter which is automatically cleaned time the st: r pedal is depressed mark the V-12 line. The V-16 has an engine of remarkable smoothness and power and in its body styles combines luxury and refinment of detail. It obtainable. in addition to the nda types, in a large selection of custom- built Fleetwood bodies. Buick presents for 1932 a new series of eights in 26 models in four serics | on four different wheel bases. Buick features “wizard control,” which com- | bines an automatic clutch, free wheel- ing and silent synchro mesh transmis sion. Standard equipment includes a | ride regulator, by which the shock ab- sorbers may be adjusted for road sur- faces of varying degrees of “bumpiness,” and for varying loads. Buick also offers varying degrees of high compr sion in the e vlinder engines. Th change in degree is done simpl changing the cylinder head g installing high-compression sparkplu The automatic clutch feature of ard control” by vacuum fr the intake manifold, while the vacuum is operated by a floor button just below the clutch pedal. Gear shifting re- quires only a slight pressure of the foot on this button instead of depressing the clutch pedal. The clutch automatically engages when the foot is lifted. The instruments have been grouped at the left of the panel for greater visibility. the steering gear is adjustable, as is the front seat, while an interior sunshade is provided. Extensive use has been made of insulating materials throughout the cars. An ingenious mechanism is used by which all the doors may be locked from the inside on the closed bodies. but the occupant may not be locked in RODUCTS MADE CHEVROLET offers in Chevrolet combined with sy on, down-draft wheels and larger tire anced crankshaft, cowl justable front seats improved mark the 19 The new C powerful_tha said to have a ch as hro- carburef lar, ventilator, 1 & top speed with a 20 | The er delivers 60 I ont cylinders. The f change 1 in_appearar | radiator and nezdlan | the new Chevrolet as support unit, anchored to the | the front frame cross member struction is said to enable the to work with the body as a unit nating “weaving” and other bo A rlarger core for better cooling been built into the radiator. wh has an inbuilt grill. Cowl | controlled by a reg compartment, ar all models angle, and bodies to reduce wind resistance. an outside sun visor, an adjustable vis- or has been built inside the car. The springs have been improved on all models to make for easier riding. Quicker acceleration and the increase in power are aided by improvements in valve timing and in the compression ratio. To the fuel pump has been added an air dome for constant fuel feed, paticularly at high speed, and the air cleaner has what is now the conven- tional “hiss” silencer. front end elimi- noises. Squeal. duction of a satisfactory lubricating oil today depends more largely on the right refining processes than on the crude | oils from which they are made, accord | ing to 285 members of the Society of Automotive Engineers included in a| recent survey conducted by New York | University. Petroleum, a purely natural product, | |can now be made to yield materials | which will do anything from cutting steel to forming the base of dainty toilet preparations, furnishing the motor power and lubricants for engines, heat. |ing and lighting houses and paving | roads, to mention but a fe In early days, men skimmed petrole- um off ponds and used it as medicine. Then some one found that it would burn better than whale oil then in common use for household illumination, and the great age of kerosene began, lasting from about 1850 to 1900. Teamsters in the oil fields discovered that crude oil | could be used as a lubricant, and from | that to the scientific manufacture of | Nubricaging oils was but & step, CHRYSLER Chrysler appears this year with fou new lines of cars—a six with an 82 | horsepower engine in six body models on wheelbase of 116 inches; an eight with 100 horsepower and five bodies on [125-inch _wheelbase, and the Imperial eight. with 125 horscpower and_three (Continued on Page 14, Calumafia