Evening Star Newspaper, February 28, 1932, Page 50

In the Motor World B0 ASHINGTON'S circles were planned by Maj. L'Enfant as a military| defense of the lcnt‘);. T&- day, although areas of beauty, theyy are of no importance to the Army and are a great hazard to| safe driving. The Frenchman’s idea was that| in times of war a cannon could be | placed in the middle of one of the circles and the muzzle could be| swung around so as to point down | any of the intersecting streets or| avenues from which the “enemy” might be approaching. Modern- day warfare relegates these meas- ures of protection to the discard| and so monuments and statues are| to be found at these places in- stead. No one would suggest the re- moval of these beauty spots, even if it were possible. They add so much to the magnificence of the National Capital and provide parks and playgrounds for so| many of the younger residents of the city. Held Danger Spots. ‘However, these beauty spots are, danger spots, and it is up to the| motorist of today to realize this fact and govern himself or her-| self accordingly. At many of these circles there are six ap-| roaches. Each approach is 60,| 0 or more feet in width. There- fore, when the traffic must neces- | sarily converge it is the traffic| from a total roadway of from 300 to 400 feet that must operate in| a track of less than 100. Natural-| ly a crowded condition will exist. Street car lines aggravate the sit- uation, and especially so when the cars are permitted to run the wrong way around a circle. ‘Therefore, each driver must drive with the utmost care to prevent accidents. No cutting in must be done; in fact, no move- ment of the vehicle should be made, even a foot to the right or left, without a warning signal. Speed around circles should be greatly diminished, and, of course, at all times proper consideration should be given to pedestrians. ‘The walkers are in worse peril than the motorist, for what cor- responds with a dented fender to 2 machine means far more to them. It may mean a serious in- jury or even loss of life. Don’t go around circles in cir- eles. Drive with great care. Responsible for All A chain is as strong as its weak- est link and a city’s streets are as safe as the most reckless driver who uses them, according to a bulletin of the National Safety Council. Most motorists are careful and law-abiding. A careless few— most of them are “accident re- peaters”—are responsible for the great majority of the accidents. The accidents they cause involve innocent pedestrians and innocent motorists as well. Accidents caused by the careless few offset the con- scientious efforts of the careful majority. Neither law makers, law en- | forcement officials, nor courts can | make a city's streets safe. They hel{:. of course, but safe driving is an individual responsibility, placed + on the shoulders of each person who operates a motor vehicle. Each individual must be responsi- ble not only for his ag’l'av-n safety but for the safety of others who use the highways. 1t is a matter of civic pride that Washington be known as a city of safe streets. Will your driving mar an otherwise good record? A. A. A. Tax Protest. Nearly one-fourth of the D&ro- posed increase of $1,000,000,f a year in Federal revenue would be saddled on the motorists of the country, if the proposals to tax car owners now pending before the House Ways and Means Com- mittee are enacted into law. This statement was made today h?' the American Automobile Asso- | clation, which estimated that the three-fold motor levy now being considered by the committee would cost motorists $244,000,000 8 year. “These suggested levies,” said ‘Thomas P. Henry, president of the A. A. A, “consist of an excise tax of 5 per cent on the wholesale value of passenger automobiles, 3 per cent on trucks and 2% per cent on parts and accessories; a Federal gasoline tax of 1 cent per gallon, and a tax of 1 cent per quart on lubricating oil. On the basis of 1931 production, the excise tax would cost the motorists $75,- 357,600. The 1-cent gas tax, figured on 1931 consumption of approxi-| mately 15,000,000,000 gallons, would | cost $150,000,000, and the tax on lubricating oil, on the basis of estimated consumption of 475,000,- 000 gallons, would cost $19,000,000.” He continued: “The fact that these huge levies are even being considered, in the face of the present annual motor tax bill of $1,022,000,000, or 10 per cent of all Federal, State and local taxes, is indicative of the wide- spread effort to single out car owners for more than an equitable | share of the tax burden. | “Imposition of the three Federal | levies would automatically increase the motor tax bill 25 per cent.| Equally as serious, it would mark the entrance of the Federal Gov- ernment into a field that is al- ready overburdened with State, eounty and municipal taxes.” State Tax Figures. On the basis of 1930 gasoline consumption by motor vehicles, ' the last year for which complete figures are available by States,| the American Automobile Asso-| ciation estimated that a 1-cent| Federal gasoline tax would im-| pose an additional burden on| motorists in the various States in the following amounts: Alabama, $1,725,370; Arizona, $760,440; Arkansas, $1,386,320; California, $13,355,560; Colorado, $1,708,550; Connecticut, $2,232,970; Delaware, ; _District of Columbia, $805,380; Florida, $2, 270,370; Georgia, $2,241,880; Idaho, $612,620; Illinois, $9,732,080; In- diana, $4,450,160; Iowa, $3,908,260; Kansas, $3.867.550; Kentucky, $1,- 682,780; Louisiana, $1,847,740; Maine, $1,086,790; Maryland, $1.- 823,480; Massachusetts, $5,360,830; Michigan, $7,927,760; Minnesota, $4,014,440; Mississiggl, $1,352,390; . Missouri, $4,452270; Montana, $774,760; Nebraska, $2,288,980; Nevada, $186,150; New Hampshire, BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. $15,119,970; North Carolina, $2- 506,690; North Dakota, $1,200,340; Ohio, $9,755,820; Oklahoma, $3,- 231,120; Oregon, $1,701,690; Penn- sylvania, $9,288,420; Rhode Island, $888,320; South Carolina, $1,192- 130; South Dakota, $1,405,800; Tennessee, $2,152,440; Texas, $8,- 065,050; Utah, $601.370; Vermont, $469,980; Virginia, $2,284,430; Washington, $2,711,670; West Vir- inja, $1,404,110; Wisconsin, $4,- 78,780, and Wyoming, $366,150. Opposition Reasons. One large gasoline company pre- sents the following reasons why the Federal Government should not impose a tax on gasoline: 1. The tax will have to be borne by the public. Gasoline consumption is already declining. Any further tax burden will ac- celerate this decline which, in time, will be converted into fur- ther unemployment in the pertoleum industry, a reduction of automobile demand, and fur- ther unemployment in that industry. 2. The tax burden upon gaso- line is already unfair. exorbitant and discriminatory. The average gasoline tax even now imposed throughout the United States is about equal to the entire whole- sale price of gasoline itself. Said tax represents about 97 per cent of the gross value of crude oil, since the average price of crude oil at the well during 1931 was 67 cents per barrel and the gaso- line tax in 1931 equaled 64!; cents ver barrel. 3. The tax is already so exorbi- tant that it has produced fraudu- lent tax evasion which, in many parts of the country, has reached the proportions of a criminal “racket” which small “bootlegger” oil companies are taking advan- tage of. Additional gasoline taxa- tion would turther serve to aggra- vate this already serious tax evasion. The Government in. the neces- sity of increasing revenue, instead of taking an action discriminatory against any one or few industries, should impose a tax upon the output of all manufacturers in the United States. A tax of 1 per cent tipon such output would yield ap- proximately 3300.000,000 per an- um, and the attention of Con- gress is invited to this species of taxation, Oil Institute’s Statement. The American Petroleum Insti- tute in a quoted statement in the Automotive Daily News, a trade E:bllcauon, makes its protest. st Thursday was set forth as gasoline tax day at which time various motoring bodies joined in further protest. The institute’s statement, in part, is as follows: “The Federal gasoline tax pro- g;.\sal of 1 cent per gallon, revenue be used for general purposes, has become a menace again and we are taking what steps we can to combat it. Although the House Ways and Means Committee and the Treasury Department favor- ably received the suggestion that a manufacturers’ sales tax be sub- stituted for the Federal levy on gasoline, latest advices from Washington indicated that it now is ggposed to levy both. “The manufacturers’ tax would be 2 per cent, the Federal gaso- ine tax 1 cent, both making, in effect, a Federal tax of around 27 per cent on the wholesale price of gasoline, now about 4 cents per gallon. They would lift the tax assessment of States, now averaging 4 cents per gallon and with the average price of gaso- line 13 cents per gallon, from the present rate of 30.8 per cent, to more than 40 per cent. You will notice also that while the gaso- line tax income generally has been devoted to the cause of good roads, this Federal tax would ap- ply the revenue to general pur- poses and budget balancing. “It is interesting to note that the tax produced $290,796 for Ore- gon in 1919. On March 6 North Dakota instituted a gasoline tax of 14 cent per gallon and collected $351,006 in 1919. On March 17 New Mexico instituted a tax of 2 cents per gallon and collected $86,139. On Agril 9 Colorado also instituted a tax, at 1 cent per allon, and collected $294,573. otal collections in this first year of gasoline taxation amounted to $1,022514. The lowest tax rate, that of North Dakota, produced the largest revenue, and the high- est tax rate, that of New Mexico, produced the least. Up to Consumer. “There is not the slightest pos- sible chance the consumer can avoid paying this tax. Gasoline prices, both wholesale and retail, are so low it must be passed on to him. Undoubtedly an increase in the cost would tend to reduce consumption, which already shows indications of declining and this probably would result in further unemployment. Also the Federal tax, in effect increas- ing State taxes 1 cent per gallon to make the range of tax rates 3 to 8 cents per gallon, would aggravate the already serious sit- uation of gasoline bootlegging and tax evasion. “The Federal Government hopes to collect $165,000,000 from this source, but even if, by expensive enforcement measures and the higest efficiency, this entire amount could be collected—a pos- sibility we seriously question—it would serve to encourage the blending of gasoline upon which the tax had been paid with non- taxable products, such as kero- sene and naphtha and distillates, and put upon the bootleg market, and to some extent the legitimate gasoline market, a flood of in- }eri]or and possibly harmful motor | fuel.” FULFILLS YEARNING Auto Provides Goal of Women's Craving for Thrills. Unusual accomplishment on the part of one woman has always won the ad- miration of other women. There is | scarcely & woman in the world who does not admire—if perhaps secretly— our various feminine air pilots, motor boat racers and big-game hunters. ‘This admiration so universally ac- cepted is proof that women have e craving for the thrill that goes with the spectacular. The automobile provides the means of appeasing this and it is $647,430; New Jersey, $5479,770; the only means within the reach of Every, Woman, THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, DOWN THE ROAD—Signs of the Times. MANY, B €, FEBRUARY 28, — SKIDPER? Gecurdly T sex 1< I 1932—PART FOUR. —By FRANK BECK s alety Ce v 7 M%’/’(«{ L ADVANCE SEEN IN RIDE CONTROL Now Utilized on Eight Dif- ferent Makes of Cars. Special Dispatch to The Star. DETROIT, February 27.—Ride con- trol, one of the notable advances cred- ited to automobile design of 1932, is utilized on eight different makes of cars. On a limited number of lower priced lines, it is listed as optional equipment at extra cost, Its use falls into two divisions. The first is vacuum control with free-wheel- ing as incidental or a “by-product,” as erzincers term it. The second is a combination of the vacuum principle with free-wheeling in which the vacuum operation is limited, but nevertheless effective. Held Chief Ways. ‘These are the chief ways in which the new method of operating & clutch becomes eflective. A third is the at- tachment of & separate vacuum mech- anism which may be placed on any car of modern design as optional or extra, In such instances, the cars in all prob- ability have not been designed with a view to the use of it. Free-wheeling without vacuum mech- anism is now standard on 19 other makes and on one other make is op- tional, A recent analysis of vacuum use for clutch control credits it with eliminat- ing much foot-pedal effort, besides sim- plifying the operations required in starting a car, changing the gears and bringing a car to & stop. With the present trend toward larger automobiles with larger engines, the clutches have not increased in size, it is pointed out. | Instead, they have been kept small and | light to help synchronizing in gear | shifting and because space available for the-clutch in the chassis of today is limited. Therefore, more spring pressure had to be applied and clutch operation with the foot has become real work. It is estimated that in city driving it in- volves at least 75 foot pounds of work per mile In congrested traffic this amount of effort is multiplied numerous times. As a source of power, vacuum drawn from manifolds is considered econom- ical because it does not represent addi- tional gasoline consumption like elec- tric or other direct drive sources of power from an engine. Other power applications of vacuum drawn from manifolds are found in gasoline vacuum tanks, the vacuum- controlled ignition distributor, the vac- uum brake booster and the windshield wiper. For the first time the 1932 cars bring this source of power into use for clutch operation. With the throttle closed and the engine running the vacuum thus created is ample and at| faster speeds becomes greater, giving force that will do considerable woi do it quickly. Should vacuum control at any time fail, which is unlikely, because few of its parts work under stress, it would not be serious because the car can still be operated using the foot-pedal control in the conventional way. As additional recommendation for vacuum, the engineers say that any de- vice that saves work in driving an au- tomobile is desirable because it adds to pleasure and comfort and conserves driving energy. ‘The vacuum clutch also is credited with exercising an ap- peal to the average driver because it helps to make the automobile drive itself. | As a development, it is termed the | evolution of an effort to produce a de- vice which would do automatically what a skilled driver would do in pedal or manual operation. Factory installation therefore is usually more satisfactory on a car than addition as an accessory, because the maker has engineered his car to get the best resuits. Many Convertibles Seen. With Spring and a return to open- air driving conditions just around the comer, the profusion of convertible | cars that the manufacturers have pro- | duced for this year will become more apparent, Closed car usage at last reports amounted to more than 80 per cent in America’s motoring. Current interest in the radical channges that body de- sign seems to be headed for point to & trend which slates the convertible sedans and roadsters for widened pref- erence. The demand for them has been foreseen in the new 1932 ranges of models. Progress has been such that body builders have made a real job of re- placing conventional open car side cur- tains with safety plate glass windows. When raised the windows fit into metal reinforced, rubber-lipped weather strips 'mcorpomt.ed in the tops, giving a tight | seal. With the top down, the windows 1. ith th de he wind may be left in an upright position to serve as a windbreak. In quick changing, the convertibles | still leave something to be desired, but | research, working hand in hand with | inventive skill, is simplifying the prob- and | ¥ lem and soon may solve it to provide closed cars with the open air thrill when desired. l(eum-uhh m"." W "°fla"’”7'.' Ly AMERICAN LEGION STRESSES NEED FOR SAFETY ACTIVITIES Street and Highway Problems Confronting Every Community Realized by Veteran Organization Seeking Action. BY HENRY L. STEVENS, National Commander of the American Leglon. With over 10,000 posts in the United States and a membership of over 1,000,- 000, the American Legion is eminently equipped to do outstanding work in the accident prevention field. The Amer- ican Legion has for some time realized the terrible problem of street and high- way safety which confronts every com- munity in our Nation. There is hardly a town, city or hamlet that has not paid its toll in loss of life and limb. The figures are appalling; at least 34,000 | men, women and children were killed in motor vehicle accidents during the vear 1931, and approximately a million maimed and injured. Booklet Prepared. After giving careful study to this problem and with the active co-opera- | | tion of the National Bureau of Casualty & Surety Underwriters, and with col- laboration on the part of the American- ism Commission of the American Legion, & booklet on community safety | activities for American Legion Posts has just been prepared and distributed to the 10,000 American Legion Posts throughout the Nation. ‘The activities that the American Legion will engage in are as follows: It is planned to have in each commu- nity a committee which will contact State officials and other agencies that are now engaged in accident prevention work. The set-up calls for each post to have its own committee of at least seven people to carry on activities in its local community. One of the outstand- ing needs that the American Legion sees is the speedy adoption by the various States of the Union of uniform motor vehicle laws. It is the hope of the American Legion that it can help ma- terially in molding public opinion in fa- vor of such uniform laws in all States. ‘The posts will therefore put them- selves behind the uniform motor vehicle codes of the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety. They will work for a uniform motor vehicle reg- istration act, & uniform motor vehicle anti-theft act, a uniform motor vehicle operators and chauffeurs’ license act, & uniform act regulating traffic on hig! ways, & model municipal traffic or nance for enactment by municipalities, a standard manual on street traffic signs, signals and markings and an act for the periodical inspection of all mo- tor vehicles. Safety Education. The second phase of the | safety program will be the promotion of safety education in the schools of the Nation. Over 18,000 children were killed by accidents in the United States last year, nearly half as many lives as were lost by the American expeditionary forces during the last year of the World ‘War. This is a vital problem of great interest to the American Legion. The Legion will work actively with super- intendents of schools and other agencies that are already doing work in the safety education fleld. Such work as | has already been done in the schools is responsible for a saving of 7,500 chil- dren’s lives each year. Approximately 30,000 lives are lost in home accidents each year and it is es- timated that for every fatal accident here are 150 non-fatal injuries. This ‘mdlclku that there is just as much | need for safety in the household as on the street or in the industrial plant. The American Legion Auxiliary will as- sist in this phase of the program. Interested in Welfare, The American Legion has from its inception been vitally interested in the welfare of local communities, and it realizes that there is no community problem today that is of more impor- tance than safety. The Legion suggests an organization in every town in which an American Legion post is located with the hope that its efforts will be an im- portant factor in the making of safer and happler communities. BILLION MARK PASSED BY MOTOR TAX BILL Amount Reached for Second Time, According to D. C. Divi- sionof A. A. A, Car owners of the country paid ap- proximately $1,000,000,000 n registra- tion fees, gasoline and personal property taxes during 1931 and it was the second year that the motor tax bill has reached he billion mark, according to the Dis- trict of Columbia division of the Ameri- | can Automobile Association. The statement was made on a basis of preliminary figures of the national headquarters which indicate that the 1931 tax bill included $348590,000 in registration fees, $500,000,000 in gaso- line taxes and $150,000,000 in personal Tho Districh ot e cf Columbia division cited the need for a new taxation bill of rights for car owners, and stated that it is already at hand in the form of principles for equitable taxes ad- vanced by the A. A, A National Tax- ation Committee, which it cited as follows: “Article 1. Motor taxes confined to two forms. One%%(mfo 5 the equivalent of a property tax, ex- equitable pressed preferably through and the other to be & ?Blmtlun m!ee:. X upon the ivilege of using street Andmdflcugewaeu‘pr.e-ed through s tax on fuel consumption. “Article 2. The imposition and col- lection of motor vehicle taxes should be E:t:ed in a single agency—namely, the “Article 3. All motor vehicle tax should be placed in a special 'B‘h:: fund and used under State direction for the creation and maintenance of trunk line facilities in rural and urban areas, 50 that motor taxes shall be disbursed throu"glh the least number of govern- mental units, exercising the regxlo‘rrhnllau‘mg;ny, = o “Article 4. Motor vehicle tax at all times be levied with a dl:: :l:::lg to the ability of the owner to pay, as well as to the equitable distribution of the cost of State trunk line facilitles in rural and urban areas in relation to the direct and indirect benefits to va- rious classes of persons and property.” HARD STARTING REMEDY Reset the Spark Plug Sparking Peints. Hard starting is often remedied b; resetting the spark plug sparking wum’.’ Wear widens the space between these go;:nu, making it hard for the plug to Motorists will immed ppreciate s -mml:l'fi’u‘: Winter - -M« -7lm7 points are PROPER INFLATIONS FOR TIRES DIFFICULT Air Pressure Has Much to Do With Mileage, Engineers Find. ‘Theoretically, the average tire should | travel fifty or sixty thousand miles before it is thrown into the discard, but actually it doesn't travel nearly zh'arth far. 4 ere are many adve g Take the matter of air pre:srx::e.l 'f}:ffy motorists pride themselves on their | maintenance of the proper pressure. But how many motorists know they can start out on a hot day with the exact poundage required and, because of higher air and pavement tempera- tures, by noon have 5 to 15 pounds too much? AT This was forciby brought to recently by engineers in carefully ‘c’g:- ducted tire-wear tests in a Western State. To make the tests equitable it was, of course, necessary to keep the tires at & pressure as constant &s pos- sible, The engineers found it neces- sary to test the pressure every hour or two. During a typical morning’s run | 8 to 10 pounds of air had to be let out of the tires in order to maintain the established 40-pound pressure. During the afternoon, when the air tempera- ture |lggfin¥:mznt temperatures be- came , it was necessary air to keep up the desired e Rough pavement surfaces also have much to do with the early demise of tires, the engineers found. Through a thorough and accurate method of testing tire wear by losses in weight and actual tread depth measurements, it was determined, for example, that the rate of wear is 81 per cent greater in traveling over non-skid asphaltic pavement than 4t is on concrete. The tests were made under comparable con- ditions. REFLEX GLASS USED Safety Feature Found in 80 Per Cent of Cars at Show. A survey of the cars exhibited at the National Automobile Show at New York mmonv-haem‘iudubymumo trade paper brought to light the fact that more than 80 per cent are equipped with reflex glass in the light. This safety feature has been adopted by practically all of the lead- ing manufacturers because of the need for protecting cars on the highways in case of failure of their own electrical system or when parked with the lights turned out. On these cars, although the tail light BUILDERS DEPICT ROAD NEGESSITIES Need of Highways Shown by A. R. B. Association in Reports. Public roads havs created a vast sub- sidy to agriculture, industry, and to other forms of transportation in that without highways the wheels of busi- ness would cease to turn stated H. B. Shertz, in a report to the American Road Bullders’ Association in Detroit. “No other medium of transportation has been developed which does not de- pend on the highway for its building or continuation,” Mr. Shertz explained. % | “Waterways ‘serve those on the shores, railroads aid people at sidings along the route, airplanes reach only their landing flelds. Improved highways | fully equipped with motor vehicles con- nect passenger and freight stations with vast territories inaccessible in the days when the horse furnished the power on the highways. From the raw material to the manufacturer, to the distributor, to the retailer, to the consumer the highway plays an indispensable part. “New industries and more widespread use of commodities developed as a re- sult of highway flmvmmt have in- creased tremendously the freight ton- nage of other transportation agencies. The highways have persisted because of the service rendered to the public, and their usefulness has been multiplied many fold through the development of motor vehicles. “The highway needs no defender for it has a legion of friends. Whether in war, as Roman roads still existing bear mute testimony, or in the peaceful pur- suits_of the post roads, recognized in the Federal Constitution, the highway has served well. Improvements in ve- hicles have been followed by better- ments in highways to make best use of lhevrlllel: vehicles. o out highways other methods of trans, tion would be r decml_)&'-l paralyzed,” he “The greatest usefulness of the high- way lies in public control by highway users rather than by agencies that wish highways regulated so that private profits may be increased. Since the earliest historic times the highway has been serenely useful, interwoven with daily life.” Whitehurst Report. Similarity of methods of assessment in 17 representative cities in the United States is noted in a report of the City Officials’ Division of the American Road Builders’ Assoclation, presented by a committee of which H. C. Whitehu: engineer of highways, Washington, e follow ts of similarif e € points of ity are Street railway paving costs are paid by the utility company, The cost of paving the entire width of the street, except the street railway area, is usually assessed against the nbfimng 1;xzxdy.?s_‘rt)’]..l = eavy grading is, in most cases, Xo;gy“t‘l;l)e city. - .]s A utting property is assessed for side- walks and alley improvements. Intersections are paid for by the city in ‘:z;m. 50 per cent of the cities can- vassed. In the majority of cases the city re- tains discretionary powers in the l’elee- t | tion of types. Recommendations for standardization are as follo%s: The selection of type should in all instances be a_discretionary power of the city officials. Intersections should be paid for by the city from general funds. Part of the costs, in cases df pave- ments with excessive widths, should be paid from general paving funds. Contractors should be paid in cash mm lvllllb‘:lo' !\Ind.l,“ e repaving of surfaces 30 years or more in sge should be financed general assessment, while for pavements of less age the cost should be taken from the general paving funds. Track Pavings. Paving in street railway tracks is not 50 much a matter of the improvement possible in construction as it is & ques- tion of where the street railway com- panies are to obtain the funds to make the changes, repairs and renewals shown desirable through research de- velopments, according to Harry Shaner, commissioner of public works, Winston- Salem, N. C, in a report to the Amer- ican Road Builders’ Association. “A reasonable portion of the funds by cities f not continue to pay such a large share of the cost of pavements that are laid primarily for the benefit of users of other forms of transportaion.” SR S A Pleasing Interiors. Commendable restraint has been ex- ercised by automobile designers in styl- ing the interiors of the new cars. terior appointments are in splendid taste is a pleasing absence mnolhflfil’:d.th.ne'wuflexflnl covering flashes & warning to ap) - mmbvnuudmmgmu #rom the 2R IGERR oS [SAFETY RISPONSIBILITY LAW WOULD REDUCE RECKLESSNESS Approximately 100,000 Irresponsible Drivers Would be Prohibited From Use of Highways Annually, Says A. A. A. Approximately 100,000 reckless and financially irresponsible drivers would | be prohibited from using the highways | of the United States each year if every | State enacted and enforced the safety | responsibility law now in effect in 18 States and four Canadian provinces. This statement was made recently by Owen B. Augspurger, chairman of the Safety Responsibility’ Committee of the | American Automobile Association. Mr. | Augspurger’s statement was based on the excellent results secured under the Ontario_financial _responsibility law | which parallels closely the A. A. A.| model bill. He said: Satisfactory Evidence. | “The figures of the Ontario Motor | Vehicle Department, as analyzed by R. | Leighton Foster, superintendent of in- surance for the province, offer highly satisfactory evidence that the legisla- tion is proving to be effective along three distinct lines: “The Ontario law is compelling the reckless operator to protect the public establishing his financial responsi- bility by means of a certificate of lia- bility insurance, or by means of the bond of a recognized surety company, or by a cash/deposit. It is prohibiting | the use of the highway to the operator | whose recklessness has been proven, | but who_ has failed to establish proof | of his financial responsibility to re- | spond to damages he may cause. Un- der the threat of loss of driving rights as prescribed in the law, the law is| proving a strong incentive to the pa; ment by a motorist of damages resul ing from his careless operation of a motor vehicle.” Chairman Aun&urler cited the On- tario figures to show that during the first 16 months of the operation of the law, ending December 31, 1931, the operators’ licenses and owners’ permits of 4,351 motorists were suspended. Of this number, 1,642 regained their per- mits by proving their financial respon- sibility. Of the remaining 2,709, it is indicated that at least 2,500 were ruled off the highways, not only in Ontario, but also off the highways of other Canadian provinces and American States where the law is in effect. continued: “An analysis of all the cases in which responsibility was posted under the law discloses that 70 per cent of the motore ists involved would not today be insured and probably would not be financially responsible were it not for the financial responsibility lJaw. Commissioner Foster is not exaggerating when he states that the Ontario experiences disclose a great achievement without injustice to or penalizing of the careful in order to get at the careless driver. “Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Ontario experience is the light it sheds on the effect of the ‘payment of judgment’ feature of the law. It has been demonstrated that the threat of reporting an unsatisfied civil judgment to the authorities is apparently all that is needed in most cases to force settle- ment of the judgment. It appears that in the great majority of instances, judgments were settled. Only 41 motor- ists lost their driving privileges by reason of failure to pay such judg- ments. Opinion of Registrar. “The Ontario registrar of motor vehicles has expressed the opinion that figures issued by his department need not be expected to show at any time the full value of the ‘payment of judgment’ feature of the act. He says that cor- respondence with solicitors and torneys for parties in civil action aris- ing out of motor vehicle accidents in- dicated that in most cases the threat of a judgment, creditor’s solicitor to report the failure of the judgment debtor to pay the judgment is sufficient to force a prompt settlement. “On the basis of the Ontario figures, it can be conservatively estimated that if every State in the Union had the safety-responsibility law and enforced it vigorously, 152,000 motorists would be required to post proof of financial responsibility in the United States every r. While if the Ontario percentage eld, 95,000 careless and financlally ir- responsible motorists would be denied the use of the highways for failure to comply with the provisions of the law. “Thus, while it would only affect lesé than one-half of one per cent of the drivers, it would unquestionably strike at the criminal minority responsible for the large majority of motor vehicle ac- cidents and in course of time would bring this class under definite disci- pline and control.” Milady’s Motoring BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. Many s driver who aims to please gives a sacl exhibition of marksmanship. Good news on every hand for the | woman who has never felt quite equal to the task of driving & car. Now she can take the wheel and completely forget the clutch—one of the most annoying of the elementary controls. Shifting is merely a matter of pushing a lever to several easily remembered positions, effortlessly. Starting requires merely flipping the ignition switch and learning a simple rule about handling the choker. The rest is just a matter of feeding gas with the accelerator, stopping with the brakes and steering with the feather-touch wheel. Cynics say women don't bother about red lights, but anyhow one manufac- ammeter and oil pressure gauges so that they have been made the simplest of warnings. A woman doesn't have to be versed in the gauge reading to know what it's all about. If there is & light under the red lense of the oil or the ammeter indicator the situation means trouble, Stop and investigate. Invariably when a woman tells a story of some trouble awheel it turns out to be another of those cases when she would have been better off had she run her car squarely into the obstruction instead of trying to swerve out of the way. The latest concerned milady who looked down to the floor when shifting gears. Looking up again she found herself headed for a barrel of road tar. | Had she collided with it there would | have been little more than a bent| fender. As matters stood she went com- pletely off the road, down an embank- ment and has never had courage enough to drive a car since. To cure herself of the habit of driv- ing away with the hand brake partly on a woman who is making steady progress in her motoring has hit upon the logical plan of making sure to set the brake lever more firmly when park- ing the car. As a result of this fore- thought the brake simply stalls the motor if she does not release the former. Belleve it or let it pass, the experience of several women has demonstrated that the faster you go downhill the slower you can go up again. The faster the downhill speed the more ofl is drawn up from the crankcase into the cylinders and the more carbon is formed. Carbon is 8 powerful “brake” when you need uj performance. One of the constant readers of this column has sent in thyee questions, which she thinks would interest women who are earnest about mastering the automobile. I have abbreviated them somewhat as follows: 1. What makes my car shimmy more when there are passengers on the Tear seat? 2. What is indicated when the am- meter pointer sliows discharge with everything switched off? 3. Is it all right to pull out the by | fiip the ignition switch these | choke to help the motor when climbing a hill? ‘Women may ask foolish questions, but an actual query from a gentleman raises the point as to whether a motor has to be cranked by a starter or| cranked with a handle in order to “crank.” When I showed this to a friend she suggested that I ask the gen- | tleman if one “climbs” stairs with hands or by foot. Here goes for another brief descrip- | tion of those new developments, which | are attracting so much attention at the | present time. fully and give the man folk a surprise at_tLo dinner table tonight. It's chout automatic the engine immediately starts to crank. How is this possible? {in cold weather. Digest the facts care- | g ‘The whole thing is quite simple, al- though it required many years of re- search 1n order to make 1t trustwarthy. ‘When the electrical circuit is closed by the act of turning the switch the start- er circuit is also closed. Thus the de- vice does what you do now when you press on the starter button of your present car. This automatic device also pauses in its action if for any reason the starter pinion gear fails to mesh with the gear around the flywheel of the engine. You've probably heard the starter mak- ing a whirring sound without actually cranking the engine, and your service man has explained that you must keep your foot off the button until the noise The automatic starter attends ceases. to all this without any thought on your turer has gone ahead and changed the | Part. If you haven't already guessed the answers to the questions above here they are: 1. The weight of the passengers causes the rear end to sag and tilts the front axle adversely. 2. The ammeter indicator may be bent, the stop-signal switth may be stuck or the battery may be ing back Into the generator through the relay. 3. No. There is something wrong and this should not be compensated for by using the choke. {ADOPT PERMIT PUNCHING Maryland Police Have New System on Highways. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, February 27.—A new system of discouraging reckless and dangerous driving of automobiles on the hi[hw:y; olh Q.hém?tlte “hn unmdc inaugurated by the e police the Girection of Motor Vehicle Commis~ sioner E. Austin Baughman, State policemen, in additlon to bel equipped with their shooting irons an first-aid kits, now carry neat, little punches similar to those carried by trolley car conductors. These punches, it was explained at the headquarters of the State pollm will be used to perforate licenses a registration cards of motorists. The punches on an operator’s cards will have special significance to State policemen. They explained that what may appear to be minor in of the motor laws are in reality dangerous practices which may result in fatal accidents. A certain amount of brake adjust= ment is possible and advisable through warming up the linings when taking the car out on a damp day, especlally Run about 100 yards with the pedal lightly pressed and the car in second. 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