Evening Star Newspaper, March 19, 1933, Page 40

In the Motor World BY G. ADAMS HOWARD. HE automobile industry received a temporary setback due to bank | holidays. strikes and changes caused by reorganizations rc- | cently, but leaders anticipate now a real getting under way. Some manufacturers have lowered prices, but the general belief i5 that a general trend the other way is coming. With a gradual settling of busines conditions teelings of cpiimism appea to be hovering along the horizon, and a good vear after all is anticivated. January showed an improvemeat o the same month a_vear aso, rdic to a report of the Bureau of the Department of Co the first month of ¥ sal>s of automobiles manufactured in the United Sictes, including foreisn assemblies from parts made in this country, totaled 130,114 vehicles, ot which 108.392 were passenger ca: 717 trucks and five taxicabs. This number compares with a total of 119.- | 344 vehicles in January, 1932, and 107.- 353 vehicles in December, 1932. We enjoyed & few warm days last week followed by some cold ones. ‘Whether tardy or not Spring will soon | be due. Officially it comes in this week. Therefore Spring cleaning, or to be more exact, renovation of the cor is in order. Two Easy Operations. ‘There arc two simple mainicnance operations which should be att-nded to a’ this time of the year by every car owner on the theory thatgn oun-e of prevention is worth a pound of cure, a bulletin issued by the chemical group of the Motor and Equipment Manufac- turers’ Association points out. The first of these pertains to the draining and flushing of the cooling system. Unless the anti-freeze mixture in the radiator is of the year 'round varjety, dangerous and destructive ov heating should be avoided first of all by draining out the anti-freeze. Before new water is added to the radiator. however, the entire cooling system shoild be thoroughly flushed. Accumulated sludge and rust. espe- cially in th> modern high-speed and high-compression motors, can quickly cause overheating. However, there are & number of spocially developed radia- tor cleaners now available which ma the removal of operation. These ucy instructions for use or any service m2n can perform the operation for 2 min charge. Furthermore, future accumu tions can be eliminated through the addition of rust preventatives which now are available. The other maintenance operation which can be performed in the Spring to greatest advantage has to do with the car's appearance. Body finishes can be cleaned and restored to ne car luster through the use of the many excellent cleaners and polishes now available. Tops which have been through the rigors of snow, sleet, rain and_intermittent sunshine can be re- vitslized through the application of a coat of top dressing. Upholstery c: be dry cleaned just as officiently and thoroughly as a suit of clothes with specially prepared materials that arc almost universal solvents. Limited Way Need. One of the Americin city's great heeds of the day, certainly a need of vast importance 'to the metropolitan lly come with full motorist, is the limited way or through | highways built above or below ordinary grade streets, which tend to give auto- mobiles the same facility of movement in congested areas now enjoyed in rural districts. The presence of limited ways in a city saves motorists thousands of dol- lars in time, operating costs and acct dent penalties. Their absence results in retarded traffic, innumerable mot ing complexities and the general de- feat of the modern automobile’s efficient ubiquity. Such ere the opinions of Dg. Miller McClintock, director of the Albert Rus- sel Erskine, Traffic Bureau at Harvard University. Dr. McClintock has just completed a thorough study of motor traffic in the ecity of Chicago and has prepared a report, “limited ways for the Greater Chicago traffic area,” for the Illinois Commission on Future Road Program. Moreover, Dr. McClintock’s views on limited ways are augmented by similar studies and surveys of many other American cities. “Construction of limited ways in Chi- cago will afford the hundreds of thou- sands of vehicles which move in and out of the city daily something of that same facility of movement which is en- joyed on the highways in the open arcas beyond the city.” reads Dr. McClin- tock’s report. “Ezonomic wastes will be eradicated and economic benefits will da be developed in sufficient ameunt where traffic is heavy to justify the cost and expense of limited ways and the use of automotive vehicles and user revenues will be greatly stimulated.” ‘What is true of Chicago is true of every large city, Dr. McClintock states. “Limited ways are a prime economic necessity of every metropolis,” he sa; “Cities realizing this now will be greatly benefited; cities not realizing it will have cause for regret. The limited way moves vehicular traffic, keeps it rolling at a pace demanded by modern eco- | nomics. Why, the economic savings of BY In spite of cuts and curtailments, no United States highway will ever be memory lane for American:. They were having tea in a well filled restaurant. Waitresses were busy jug- gling dishes. Tongues wagged furiously. Suddenly one cf the women became aware that in spite of the activity there was very little noise. Seeing no heavy drapes or carpeted floor, she inquired as to the explanation for the silencing. “The recret lies in those perforated sheets that ceiling,” her friend explained e passes up through thcse holes, is trapped and deadened. I was told it is the same with the now mufflers on the new cars. cnly that the engineers use diffcrent size holes so as to pick out var notes which are particularly annoying. The old-fashioned way to muffle the motcr was to trap the gases. Now they Jet the gas go straight through and just pick out the noise. Those of you who like to step on it should stop & moment to take ncte of the fact that at 35 miles an hour the tires on your car will last twice as long as at a speed of 60. Also if you pick out the smoother routes ycu stand a chance of helping the tires give you about four times as much mileage. Curb your speed especially in the Sum- mer. At 60 degrees Fahrenheit of road speed your tires will lact twice as long as at a road speed of 90 degrees, other things being equal. ‘What has become of these husbands who sald that free wheeling was all| right for them. but not trustworthy in the hands of the women folk? One of them wore out the rear tirss in short order by free wheeling at inzppropriate times and by jamming on the brakes. Another went int> a bad skid over icy pavement because he stayed in conven- tional, when in free wheeling he could have relied upon the equalized brakes. Some of the women I have talked with appear to know that free wheeling is for use in certain kinds of traveling where there are long. easy downgrades or long, level stretches, as well as when just ambling along a boulevard or a parkway. They also know that the modern car is less likely to skid if in free wheeling when the street: are slip- pery, provided the car is traveling under 25 miles an hour and that the brakes are properly equalized. *hh‘ galls s trafic nfl\'« more FREDERICK C. limited ways alone warrants their con- struction. Moreover, limited way con- struction is relatively less expensive in congested districts than is the widening of major traffic arteries, which is the only feasible alternative.” Covers Two Years. Dr. McClintock’s study of Chicago traffic .covers a period of two years Moreover, as director of the Erskine bu- u at Harvard, he has made extensive ys of many of Americi’s largest and mozi densely crowded cities. “In order that the limited way may > best understood by (i layman, let be described as ‘a roadway for vehicu- traffic upon which the:e is no cross trafiic and no direct acce:s {o abutting | property,’ " he stites. “The limited way has a continuous elimination of cross- in The most fundamental obstacle to convenient and safe traffic flow is cross-traffic at intersections. At inter- | sections we find traffic lights, crossing vehicles, crossing pedestrians. These are definite handicaps and no amount of widening of the highway will elim- | inate them. Traffic signals cannot solve the problem. Only the limited way will do a satisfactory job. “There are three types of limited ways, the surface route, with special trcatment, the depressed way and the | clevated way. Each type has its par- ticular application. Any one of the three will no: serve catisfactorily for But the practical adapta- e permit city traf- iy and smcothly as row flows in rural districts. Our studies show us that the limited way has an 81 per cent greater capacity than comparable surface routes requir- ing traffic control. “What does this mean in money? The answers are ready. “A mile of surface route operating at an average overall speed of 20 miles per hour, or at a rate of three minutes per mile, and carrying a daily traffic of 50,000 vehicles, requires the expendi- ture of 150,000 vchicle minutes per 24- hour day. A mile cf limited way, op- erating at an average over-all speed of 40 miles per hour, or at the rate of 15 minutes per mile, and carrying a daily traffic of 50,000 vehicles, requires the expenditure of 75,000 vehicle minutes per 24-hour day. 75000 Car Minuies Saved. Thus we find that the limited way es 75.000 vehicle minutes per day. a_money saving to operators of 937.50 per day computed at the rate of cents per minute. On the basis of days the annual saving is $342,- 18750, which may be capitalized at 5 per cent, giving a total of $6,843,750, or the capital expenditure justified for limited way construction over and above that required for surface route construction. “The same is true of accident cost. Without going into the entire statistical structure, let me say that our report shows that one mile of limited way having a total daily traffic of 50,000, or 18.600.000 vehicle miles per year, would produce an accident saving over a com- parable surface route of $20,553 per vea Dr. McClintock’s report calls atten- tion to several examples of limited way construction, among them the West Side Elevated Highway in New York. “Such highways will be part of our metropolitan pictures in the near fu- ture,” he said, “and the cities that pre- pare now—and build now—are going to reap the benefits that will result therefrom. Limited ways are just as vital to our_ preat cities as are the skyscraper office and apartment build- | ings that now permit great masses of | people. to gather, live and work in | small areas.” | __Reports of the Erskine Bureau at Harvard always are of interest. Wash- ington is now a large city, especially in regard to traffic. What affects Chi- | cago and New York also affects the National Capital. This column already | has called the attention to the future | need of superhighways. Undoubtedly they will come. It is the right time nrc‘-w to think about them and study them. Greece Saves Fuel As a means of saving fuel, Greece is limiting the operation of motor ve- hicles with even and uneven number | plates to alternate days and permit- | ting all vehicles to operate on Sun- days, according to the District of Co- 5 lumbia Division of the American Auto- | mobile Association. | . The District of Columbia division bases its statement on a report from | the foreign travel division of the Amer- ican Automobile Association, which handles the movement of cars for tour- ing abroad. Cars with even-numbered plates are allowed to operate on Mon- , Wednesday and Friday, and those with uneven-numbered plates on Tues- day. Thursday and Saturday. However, it was pointed out that the new limitations in Greece affect only cars registered in that country and does not apply to those operated by visitors Such a limitation may be evolved in this country, but in all likelihood will be because of congestion, not lack of | fuel. The situation in Greece, or here, ishould the occasion arise, might be solved by each family owning two cars, one with an even license plate and one | with an odd number. RUSSELL. | than to be in doubt himself as to what | he should do with a violator. Had she | realized this, a woman who started to | make a right turn on the red light, | which is not permitted in the particular | city where this happened, would have acted more wisely. Instead of immedi- ately backing up when the officer whistled to her, she stood still as if waiting for him to weaken. It was like piaying with fire. He considered the hesitation a doub’e viclation and pre- ‘ sented her with a nice new ticket. | Blame the man in the party for this bit cf nonsens:. He had tried to get | around a bleckade in the road and ran | the two left wheels of his own car into a soft ditch. ext he ordered the wife to take the driver's seat and race the motor in low gear. I slowed down a mcment to sce what he was going to do and got a laugh out of it when I beheld him :tanding on a ledge to the left of the car trying to push up the top. He was merely lightening the load and thus causing the wheel to |spin the more. It was a towing job | from the start, and I imagine it was | wife who was first to ask, “Are we going to phone our motor club for an emer- gency tow or hdve you in mind buying a new car?” T've seen a lot of women do queer things with the choke, but not until the cther day did I see milady walk into & repair shop with the choke control in her hand. “It came right off,” she ex- plained. Those things happen in the best | regulated cars. But that it why I'm | recording the incident. I was more surprised at the counsel of the me- chanic, who was evidently too busy to worry cver what his custcmer did for amusement. Learning that she had | already started the mctor before the | accident, he advised her to go ahead | using the car, but not to park it too | long in the cold! | That's dangerous advicee. Many a time I have had to use the choke to re- crank the motor in thick traffic—and with other cars coming at me. Any- | thing that contributes toward powering the car is just as important as the | brakes or the steering. Speaking of the choke reminds me to say a word about the way—a rather unthinking way—most people operate this important control. The usual method is to pull the button out as i THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 19, 1933—PART FOUR. SCIENCE STUDIES MOTOR CAR QLS Aim to Get More Out of Lubri- cants in Way of Power and Speed. Special Dispatch to The Star. DETROIT, Mich, March 18 —First i the cngine, then the fuel, and now the | | oil used for moter cars, has come under scientific scrutiny, with the aim of get- ting more cut of it in the way of high | power and speed performance. The engineers who design the power plants have been collaborating with the chemists who do the research work on both the fuels and the lubricants with this objective in view. ‘The way has been pointed by Dr. Gustav Eglof of Chicago, who has a re- port ready for a forthcoming session of the American Chemical Society. In it he asserts that the new extreme pressure lubricants and synthetic lu- bricating oils have been perfected to meet future demands for speed twice greater than the present maximum. Increase of Speed. In the last 10 years the average speed | of passenger cars has been built up from 35 to 60 miles an hour, and the maximum for airplanes has climbed well above 6 miles per minute; that ot cone high-speed car (Sir Malcolm Camp- bell's Bluebird III) has been boostea above 4!, miles in 60 seconds and that of & power boat to better than 2 miles & minute. The scientific advances that have made express speeds of gasoline-driven vehicles climb to almost unbelievable heights in the last five years have been achieved in a variety of ways. Engi-~ neering skill has fashioned cylinders that extract additional power from a | given fuel by operating them at inter- nal temperatures ranging as high as 4.500 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures of 400 pounds per square inch. H This has necessitated specialized | treatment of fuel and oil by the chem- | ists not only to build up power content, but to make them function under high- pressure conditions over long distances | on the road. The operation of an automobile en- ! gine has been likened to that of the| digestive process that takes place in the stomach of a human being and transmutes food into bodily energy. The engine’s food is gasoline and lubrica- tion plays its part in making the pow: plant assimilate it to provide energy for motive power. Lubricants give free rolling motion of the wheels, which is one of the first and most essential fac- tors in efficient operation. As to engine lubrication, new facts are being brought to light that give automobile owners more intelligent knowledge of car requirements. Some of these were brought out at recent sessions of the American Society for Testing Materials. held in New York. According to W. H. Graves, chief chemist of the Packard Motor Car Co.. engine speed and engine design have far more influence on changes in oil consumption than do the properties of the oil. A properly lubricated and clean engine may give decreased con- sumption up to 18,000 or 20,000 miles. At this point oil consumption increases. Piston rings of the same design, but different manufacture, may show a 100 per cent difference in oil used. The more the ring diameter the lower the consumption. e most important factor, Mr. Graves finds, is engine speed, and an increase of 30 to 55 miles per hour may increase the consumption in one car by 130 per cent and in another more than 18 times as much. Too Heavy Summer OilL E. W. Upham of the Chrysler Cor- poration staff has peinted out that many car owners, especially in Sum- mer, use lubricants heavier than those recommended. “The inclination of the driving pub- lic,” he said, “is to use heavier oils to control oil consumption except when forced to use lighter oils to get started. Continued improvement in engine de- sign and in the lubricants will tend to correct this condition.” Crankcase oils deteriorate largely be- cause dirt and abrasives are allowed to enter engines and enter the oil stream past the pistons, according to A. Ludlow Clayden, research engineer of the Sun Oil (Co. Air cleaners and oil filters re- duce this trouble, but the average au- tomobile owner does not renew a filter at proper intervals. He added that oil dilution in engines no longer is a prob- lem. Tests by the General Motors re- search laboratories have shown that engines can run indefinitely with highly diluted lubricint, but with an increase in noise. Automatically controlled en- gine jacket temperatures, crankcase ventilation and automatic oil tempera- ture control have soived the dilution difficulty. 1 Carbon Cut Down. Carbon deposits in engines have been cut down by the general reduction in oil consumption, W. A. Gruse of the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research asserts. Engines of today run hotter and are more evenly cooled, so that there are fewer hot spots and cold areas to produce uneven carbon deposits. Changes in cylinder head design and the Tise in anti-knock value of gasoline make it possible at present compression pressures to tolerate a certain amount of carbon without knocking. (Copyright, 1933. by North American News- paper Alliance, Inc.) one were preparing to operate a fire extinguisher. The job is done without any apparent thought for the distance through which the button operates. Wiser drivers slip the second and third fingers of the right hand over the back of the button and place the thumb of this hand on the face of the button. In this way they are more apt to measure the choke movement. Alo when the button is pushed in far encugh, so that the fingers touch the dash, the choke is in the correct posi- tion for warming up the motor just after the start is made. Ancther thing to remember is to avoid becoming panicky when the car acts as if it were not going to stop in time to avoid colliding with those ahead. Remember that as you near the object to be avoided the rate of deceleration of the car increases. You do not need an engineer in the family to understand this. The braking force, let us say, remains the same during the entire process of stopping, but as car slows down its momentum decreases. The car therefore slows down at an mcreasingly rapid rate. OTOR DON'TS DONT NEGLECT SHACKLES/ l USUALLY THE SHACKLES WILL GIVE AUDIBLE | WARNING OF THEIR SUFFERING,BUT THEY MAY SUFFER IN SILENCE - CHEQK THEM OVER! is will be | filled by a strong and capabie man. DOWN THE ROAD—Recollections. HURRY uUP JUMP OUT. !l QUICK .. OR WELL NEVER MAKE THIS HILL —By FRANK BECK AVIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. RESIDENT ROOSEVELT, in making appointments to the gov- ernmental posts dealing with military and civil aviation, has | been asked to divorce such appointments from all purely political considerations and to name to such posts only young, | aggressive men who are fitted by individual experience to deal with the problems of aviation during the period of financial readjustment. This request is being backed not only by leaders of the aviation industry, but also by those within the service. that this policy be applied not only to the “aviation cabinet” posts, but to the airmail posts in the Post Office Department, from superin- tendent down; to the civil aeronautics glos Commerce aeronautics branch, and to the few appointive posts in the military services. The only Roosevelt appointment to any way with aviation which had been m: was that of Willilam W. Howes, Democratic national committeeman | for South Dakota, to be Second Assistant Postmaster General. Howes never has had aviation experience, under his general direction, is not regarded as an aviation post. The Second Assistant by law is | charged with supervision not only of | airmail. which in fact is the smallest | of his divisions, but also of railway ad- | justments, includirg expenditures for transportation of mail by railroad, elec- tric «cats, mail messengers, power boats and the Alaskan star routes; the inter- national postal service, including both ocean mail and foreign airmail, and the railway mail service. The ranking position in the Post Office Department’s division of airmail service is that of superintendent, the post now filled by Earl B. Wadsworth. It is to this post, if Wadsworth is to be replaced, and those beneath it that the | qualification of experience is urged. Though, obviously, it would not be de- sirable to appoint to this post & man directly connected with an air trans- port system which has contractual re- lations with the service, it is held there | are many experienced, capable men available. The greatest number of appointive aviation posts in the Federal service is concentrated in the Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce, which is under direct supervision of the As- sistant Secretary of Commerce for aero- nautics, the post now capably filled by Clarence M. Young. This branch since its creation in 1926 has been as nearly free from political appointments as any in the Federal service, and it has won | a glowing name for capable and honest service to the growing air transportation of the country and to civil aeronautics as a whole. Every effort should be made to maintain the high traditions of this new service, .and aviation leaders throughout the country are anxious that appointments be made solely on the basis of experience and ability. Around the post of Assistant Secretary of War for aviation a storm is brewing. The Army general staff is attempting to have the post left vacant, in spite of the earnest recommendation of the Morrow board that the post be main- tained to protect the interests of the youngest and, in the opinion of many observers, one of the most vital arms in the Army. The companion post of Assistant Sec- | retary of the Navy for aeronautics has been left vacant sincc the resignation of David S. Ingalls to conduct his un- successful campaign for the governor- ship of Ohio. It is the hope of the aviation industry that th Secretaryship Recommended. 5 Creation and maintenance of the civillan posts of Assistant Secretaries of War and Navy for aviation was the major recommendation of the Morrow board to overcome weaknesses which were stifling the growth of air arms of the services. It is the contention of those in aviation that the conditions which caused the powerful and able board headed by the late Dwight W. Morrow so strongly to recommend the establishment of these posts still exist and_that to abandon the positions would seriously injure military avia- tion. In recommending creation of these posts the board said: “In remedies we rest upon the sound prin- ciple that no solution proposed at this time can be lasting. It is therefore of the first importance to lay the em- phasis upon the best method of achiev- ing the desired results. To that end we rely upon the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of War, Assistant Secretary of the Navy and Assistant Secretary of Commerce to devote them- selves, under the direction of their re- spective heads, primarily to aviation and jointly to coordinate so far as may be practicable the activities of their three departments with respect to avia- tion.” Later in the report, dealing with the Army situation, the board said: “In order that the Air Corps (Alr Service) should receive constant sym- pathetic supervision and counsel we recommend that Congress be asked to create an additional Secretary of War who shall perform such duties with reference to aviation as may be as- signed to him by the Secretary of War. “We foresee that such an official, properly used, could be the means of promoting close cooperation between aviation_and the other parts of the In the matter of procurement he could be especially useful. If the expenditures not only for new planes but for experimentation and operation were under the scrutiny of a civilian head, much of the feeling on the part of Congress that there was extrava- gance, and on the part of the Air Service that there was parsimony, might be avoided.” Pursuit Progress Outlined. ‘Though handicapped by the neces- sity for economies, which have blocked | completion of the five-year program and curtailed experimental work, the 1. A. Peake is back with the Cherns Motor Co., Ford dealers, after an sence of several months. Mr. Peake the eral manager, and has | which will be used in connection with |and now has under test a new XP-23 iden with the company for several years. It has been asked | ts in the Department of aaé)osition having to do in e at the time of writing but his job, though airmail comes Army Air Corps during tne past year | has made considerable progress in at- taining the goal set in the four “di- rectives” covering pursuit aviation. Pursuit aviation is divided by these | directives into four subtypes of air-| planes, each designed for a specialized | type of combat duty. The types are| designated as high speed at low alti- | tude, high speed at high altitude, bi-| plane, or two-seater, and intermediate maneuverable. Though the types are separated for the purposes of the directives, in prac- tice it has been difficult to obtain a| clear demarkation, owing to the fact that in the present models compara- | tively modest changes will convert an | alrplane from one type to another or | make it available within the fields cov- by two or more directives. As progress is made in airplane de- sign and construction, however, the line | of demarkation becomes ever clearer | and inevitably the time must come | when highly specialized types of pur- | suit airplanes will prevail in the com- bat squadrons. In the first of the four directives the Air Corps has obtained some results, though still short of its goal. The XP- | 934, which, if it goes into service, will become the P-31, was built by Curtiss for high speeds at low altitudes and has_undergone extensive flight testing | at_Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. | Though tested with both the geared | Conqueror liquid-cooled engine and the | ‘Wasp, air-cooled, the XP-934 still is| short of the goal it was hoped to at- | tain and further work is in progress to | further increase its already high maxi- | mum speed. Various Designs Submitted. ‘There have been various preliminary designs submitted by airplane manu- facturers to meet the requirement of | high speed at low altitude. according to a report made by Maj. C. W. How- ard, Air Corps, chief of the engineering | section, who has charge of this work for the Army. Most of these designs | are based on the racing planes used in the Natlonal Air Races. | “In general, however,” Maj. Howard said, “the division (Materiel Division, | Army Air Corps, of which the engineer- ing section is a branch) will not en- | courage manufacturers to lay down new | types until high-powered engines now | in experimental stages have been proved to meet military requirements. Preliminary designs and calculated per- formance on a considerable number of combinations of airplanes and engines | are under way. These preliminary de- signs and performance estimates con- tain studies of adaptation of present models, with the various engines, and new designs and lay-outs, some of the preparation of new directives, and others as a basis of making changes in existing types.” In the high speed at high altitude classification, the Air Corps has made notable progress. Geared propellers and more efficient superchargers for de- livering air at sea level pressures to carburetor have resulted in vastly im- proved performance at high altitude. A P-6D pursuit plane of 1925 model, at 20,000 feet, has been made to git high speed in excess of 200 miles per hour. A centrifugal type of super- charger was used in connection with a V-1570 liquid-cooled engine. The Air Corps, however, has gone be- yond the comparatively old P-6D type Curtiss, powered with a Conqueror en- gine, geared and supercharged for great speed at high altitudes. As with all | new type planes, exact performance figures are not disclosed, in accordance with military policy in force in all fore- most world air powers. New Two-Seater Tested. In the two-seater classification, the Air has one squadron, the 94th uadron, of the 1st Pursuit ‘been | while “a Alr | say do not In the intermediate maneuverable classification the Air Corps is directing its efforts at present chiefly to the P-26 Boeing, low-wing monoplane, a fast, thly maneuverable single-seater. The hig} P-26 met the directive requirements in | Bigger Better TOPS s]- O Acme Top Co. 630 L Street N.W. Sample Job on Our 30-Year-OMd Car point of speed and maneuverability and has developed more than 400 miles per hour in a vertical dive of 6,000 feet without structural weakening. This air- plane has a monocoque type fuselage, in which the thin metal skin takes up a portion of the stresses. Though this type of ction s new for pursuit airplanes, the structure is said to have exceeded the requiremcnts under all conditions. Speaking of the development of the P-26 to the production stage, Maj. Howard expressed the opin on that this will place the Air Corps in a secure position in relation to performance, Jjudging from what we know of develop- ments of this type abroad.” Airship Leadership Asked. The proposal to lay up the U. S. S. Akron, which has been in commission for nearly a year, and the U. 5. S Macon, which has just been “launched” and soon will be ready for trials, is characterized by Rear Admiral William A. Moffett, chief of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, as “unthinkable.” Pointing out the great value of the airship for scouting purposes, Admiral MofTett declared that the airship “has tremendous promise and should not be neglected.” “We should not fail to develop in time of peace any weapon which may be of use in war,” he sald in a speech at Akron on the day of the launching of the Macon. “After war breaks out it is too late.” ‘The Navy has no intention of asking for more airships now, the admiral sald, but expressed the hope that when financial considerations permit, the Akron and Macon will be lengthened and their gas capacity increased from 6,500,000 cubic feet to 7,500,000 cubic feet each. This, he sald, is perfectly feasible and would increase their speed and radius of action by 25 per cen! “If their size is not increased,” he warned, “our greatest rival in the ai ship field, the Germans, will soon have a larger airship than we have. Let us never be content to see America second in anything. If the Navy does not make the Akron and Macen the largest airships in the world, it is hoped com- mercial interests will soon build a 9. 000,000 or 10,000,000 cubic foot ship, re- taining for us, for America, the leader- ship in at least this branch of aero- nautics.” Germany Builds New Alrship. Germany now is building a successor to the Graf Zeppelin—an air giant to be known as the Hindenburg, which will outclass the Akron and Macon in size. This ship is to go into passenger, mail and express service across the South Atlantic between Germany and South American ports, augmenting the service which was carried on with the Graf last Summer and which is to be resumed May 6. Before the United States can enter the international airship transport field legislative action by Congress will be necessary. This action the Seventy- second Congress will be asked to take. Legislation of this type was embodied in the McNary-Crosser bill, which passed the House during the past Congress but failed in the Senate. “We hope for the passage of a similar ill by the new Congress.” MofTett said, “and feel sure that capital will then come forward to build a much larger commercial airship that will be the forerunner of a fleet of airships that will carry our commerce and flag | over all the world.” It was the Navy's constant object. Admiral Moffett said, not only to build the Akron and Macon for military purposes, but also to employ them so far as possible to blaze the way for the commercial use of airships. “We have done the experimental work, developed new types of mooring masts, trained personnel and shown the wdy for commercial use,” he said. “We feel we have done our part, and |that it is now up to Congress to pass | Radio Corporation of America for a legislation that will make it financially practicable to build and operate com- mercial airships. “‘Commercially they would not com- Eeu: with nor displace surface ships, ut would be supplementary to them for the carrying of passengers, mail and light freight. That such service is practicable has been demonstrated the | by the many voyages of the Graf Zep- pelin, especially her regular scheduled flights to South America, when she was only one hour late during 20 voyages.” SURVEY COMPLETED ON CHILDREN’S RADIO NEW YORK, March 18 (#).—Replies to a questionnaire on children's radio programs as received from 90 mothers |of 71 boys and 63 girls lead the Child | Study Association of America to advise that “there appears much fair-minded criticism” as well as “a desire to utilize radio for the enrichment of home liv- ing.” ‘While drawing no general conclusions due to the brevity o‘;n the survey, the association makes these statements among numerous others: “Only 18 parents declared for un- qualified disapproval” of radio, “a small number feel radio is simply n'zgl‘:lve," good many seemed lesire both to laud and to condemn. Several object to radio in itself as in the out of and ‘creative interest.’” who follow continued programs, “preferences run dramatic sketches and comedy pro- grams. general they like BODY and FENDER REPAIRS Auto Refinishi Central Auto Works cal”'Mit. 6638 443-451 Eye Street Dist. Cyl Admiral | EASTER BROADCAST WJIBV and Columbia Network to Carry Memorial Service. For the third consecutive year WISV and the Columbia network will broad- cast the solemn memorial service held at sunrise on Easter Sunday morning at Arlington National Cemetery. It will begin at 7:30 a.m. and continue for one hot ‘The service is conducted every year by the Grand . Knights ‘Templar of the District of Columbia, in commemoration of the thousands of soldiers, sallors and Marines buried at Arlington COMMISSION FACES REGROUPING PLAN Strong Likelihood Group Will Be | Absorbed by One of the Departments. ED WYNN'S CHAIN SHORTLY 70 BEGIN First Units of New Network to Be in Operation Before Month Is Out. BY MARTIN CODEL. UT of the welter of rumor and conjecture about the proposcd formation of a new Natic: wide 3 network, titor of the two existing national systems, has c: a definite announcement by Ed W; the popular radio and stage comedian, that before the month is over the first units of such an enterprise will be in operation. Called the Atlantic Seaboard Broad- casting Co., a six-station hook-up ex- tending from New York to Washington is now being tested. This unit is a subsidiary of the Amalgamated Broad- casting System, Inc., 551 Fifth avenue, New York, of which Mr. Wynn is presi- dent. The stations to be lined are WCDA, New York, key station: WOAX, Trenton: WPEN. Phliadelphia; WDEL, Wilmington; WCBM, Baltimore, and WOL, Washington. Other Stations Later. Later it is proposed to add other stations, M. Wynn anouncing that he has 37 stations south of Washington end 40 between Chicago and Seattle lined up for his network. All of the stations in the original group and most of the others are in the low-power class, which means their coverage is confined largely to their immediate local areas. There is no intention, Mr. Wynn stated, to wean present members away from the other two major net- works. All eyes in the radio world naturally are focused upon this new enterprise. Earlier reports were to the effect that Mr. Wynn, whose real name is Israel Bdwin Leopold, intended to act as mas- | ter of ceremonies throughout the en- | delegation in Congress had a candidate | tire day's schedule of his network. It | for the radio post in Clifford W. Bou- |is not regarded likely, however, that | vette, of Hallock, Minn., publisher of |at the outset the network will offer | the weekly Kittson County Enterprise, | more than one or two hours a day of | but is believed to have withdrawn him | programs to its member stations. | in_deference to Mr. Mullen. Whether Wynn will sever his present | The Sykes reappointment was antici- | connection as featured star of a spon- pated, and Judge Sykes will probably be | sored program on the N. B. C. network clected chairman of the commission. He | was not revealed at this writing. is the only remaining member of the Backers of the project remain undis- original commission established in 1927. | closed, although Mr. Wynn has stated A Mississippi Democrat, he was re- | that he is putting $200.000 of his own named entirely on merit proved during | money into it and also declared | his six years of service on the commis- | that “one of the richest men in the | sion and more particularly last year as world is interested in this third chain." chairman of the American delegation | His further statement that this man to the International Radio Conference | “coes not like Jews and vet I am a Jew" at Madrid. has led to unverified reports that Henry | Appointed By Hoover. | and Edsel Ford are in the picture. |, Judge Sykes, in fact, was appointed | Later Link in Michigan. )y former President Hoover shortly be- f % | It s known that the Michigan State e e e il Genns Toerle | Hoover also named Prof. J. C. Jensen of Nebraska Wesleyan University's radio | OPerator of WXYZ. Detroit, is intended | station, WCAJ, but Jensen. a Repub- | 8S 8 later link in the network, and Mr. lican, failed of confirmation by the Wynn has stated that one of the first Senate. sponsors of its programs will be the The commission will continue func- Natianal Steel Co. Detroit, headed by tioning as usual for the time being at George Fink. Mr has > least, but its future remains in doubt. Stated that he has several dozen com- Rumors persist that some of the hold- mercial concerns already committed over members—Lefount and Brown, ' on his net. | Republicans, and Starbuck, Democrat— interest is evidenced |may not retain their jobs. It is also yon's declaration that adverti | expected that the Roosevelt economy | ing will be confined to not more than move will lead to further inroads not 30 words at the beginning and end of each program with none interspersed. only on the appropriations, but the per- sonnel of the commission. The Demo- | Every program, he said. will be tied in | crats have at hand the posts of general | With newspaper advertising, to which counsel and secretary to fill. vacated' by | listeners will be referred. In announc- | the recent resignations of Duke M. |ing the project, Mr. Wynn asserted | Patrick and James W. Baidwin, that radio has taken much business anny from newspapers and magazines ‘Though President Roosevelt has re- appointed Judge Eugene O. Sykes to the Federal Radlo Commission, it is not at all certain that the commission will escape the planned-for reorganization of Government departments and other agencies. Before the year is out, there is a strong likelihood that the commis- sion will either be absorbed by one of the departments or re-created as & commission on communications. ‘The remaining opening on the Radio Commission, the fourth or Middle Western zone post vacated last Summer by Maj. Gen. Saltzman, appears to be slated to go to James H. Hanley, Omaha | attorney, on the recommendation of Arthur E. Mullen, Democratic national committeeman from Nebraska, who had | been promised the job either for him- | self or for a man of his selection. Mr. Hanley has been identified with | Nebraska politics for many years, hav- | ing long been a member of the Demo- | cratic State Central Committee. He was | secretary to the late Congressman Lo- | beck of Omaha until 1919, and in 1922 | was a candidate for Congress. At one |time he was Federal prohibition di- jrector for Nebraska. The Minnesota | and it is his intention to “throw somec \DE FOREST COMPANY T0 BRING $400,000 | Manufacturing Concern to Be Sold 1 to R. C. A. Unless Proceeding | Is Halted. | of the business back. In radio circles the commercial a‘- pects of the project were looked upon with question. For one thing, radin broadcasting is facing at the prese: time the severest cepression in its six or seven years as an advertising me- dium. Networks and stations alike have been pulling in their horns lately because of the curtailment of spon- sored programs, especially acute now because of the announced intention of leading cigarette sponsors to drop or cut down their radio presentations dur- ing the tobacco price war. Satisfactory Tests. For another thing, it is known that no contractual agreements have been made with any stations in the pro- posed network, although the amalga- mated orrgammuon has stood the ex- its bid in competition with the Hygrade | Pense of installing all network lines. Sylvania Corperation of Ermonsinae pa_ | Tests have been conducted—and re- which offered $350,000 for the entire Ported as satisfactorily—on Western plant and its rights and assets. The | URion leased Wires in linking the sta- Radio Corporation of America bid did | tons. ~ They must be specially engi- not embrace cash cn hand or accounts | Deered. but are considerably less ex- receivable. Patent rights of the De Pensive than telephone company lines, Forest company were stated at $1. De|for Which networks and stations Forest also controls the Henkins Tele- | throughout the United States now vision Corporation, ploneer developersof | spend some $10.000,000 annually for visual radio. chain and remote control connections, The De Forest company was founded | Wire charges are the largest item of with Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the | Operating expense in the conduct of radio tube and often called the father | any network. of modern radio, as one of its officers.| Then there is the question whether But Dr. De Forest later severed his con- | Sponsors will be attracted to a group nections with the concern entirely and | Of stations of powers ranging from 100 now resides in California. It was this |t0 500 watts, which necessarily have company, strengthened by certain pat- | limited service ranges. With a few ent rights and agreements held by Dr. | exceptions, the existing networks will De Forest, that several years ago won not join stations whose powers are un- | settlement of a long patent suit .with|der 500 watts. The success of the Wynn enterprise, however, may force |sum said at the time to be fully|a change in the attitude of the two | $1.000.000. | big_ network organizations on this | = ‘That Radio Corporation of America is | score, possibly leading to a situation in in'a position to purchase was indicated | which the 300 or more local low power |by its 1932 annual report, which |stations will also be in demand by the showed current assets at the end of the other networks. | year as amounting to nearly $40,000,000, | of which nearly $25,000,000 was cash. The corporation, largest in the radio field, showed & net loss of 81,133,586 for 1932, however, as compared with a net income of $786,903 in 1931. CANADA RULING STUDIED S. One of the many radio manufacturing concerns forced out cf business by the depression, which has slashed radio | sales fully 50 per cent despite the con- tinued demand for smell receiving sets. | the De Forest Radio Co. of Passaic, N. J., will be sold to Radio Corporation of America for $400,000 under an order of | the Federal District Court in Newark | unless the sale is halted by protesting stockholders. Radio Corporation of America offered Phil Cook Back on Air. Phil Cook, the “one-man show,” vet- eran of nine years broadcasting, will ;eolll’lkrnmto the air ove;eu.n N. B. C. net- Ve ew series beginn; Aot Pt ginning Monday, ?ms\‘\\“\m Programs Originating in T. Let Us Do Your ’ % Puzzle Chain Officials. NEW YORK, March 18 (. — ‘Whether the broadcasting of sponsored programs originating on United States networks will continue over Canadian stations after April 1 is puzzling chain officials right now. On that date the ruling of the Ca- | nadian Radio Commission, which bans | price mention and the use of more than 5 per cent of the time of a particular rogram for advertising continuity, goes to effect. Canadian staticns included in the N. B. C. chain are CFCF, Mon- treal, and CKGW, Toronto, while C. B. 8. has CKAC, Montreal, CFRB, To- CKOK, Win MOTOR TUNING Marvel—Schebler—Johnson CARBURETORS Tompkins Sales & Service Co. 1631 You St. N.W. North 6656 ZARTLRARL TN AN NN T AXI OWNERS DRIVERS ATTENTION Our new cabs are in demand! Call boxes, 'phone Service being installed, Very reasonable terms and trade ar- ranged for your— BLUE LIGHT CAB “The Cab the Public Deman'"-" 2047 L Street N.W. “Washington’s Smartest Taxicab™ AN 4 1007% PURE PENNSYLVANIA... THE FINESY it OIL & RSON OIL WORKS - COLUMBIA 5228 b4 : , : A We Repair All Makes CREEL BROTHERS 1811 14th St. N.W. Decatur 4220