Evening Star Newspaper, October 25, 1936, Page 60

F—6 TACTICS OF CAPITAL POLICE FOR Judgement and Courtesy Is Seen Lacking on Force Many Motorists Are Dragged to Precincts for Minor Violations—Star Puzzle Con- test Begun—Automotive Notes. By G.Adams Howard. ONTRARY to the wishes of court C department as a whole. This is being done by arrests for dragging many offenders into variousge—mrm-——————— precinct stations and exhibiting un- called-for surliness and at times in- sulting demeanor. Complaints have | been made concerning such conduct, but it still continues. There is no reason for an offender | of some minor traffic regulation to be | excused at all times. Sometimes a warning should suffice. But also there | is no reason for the offender to be compelled to go to the precinct station | when a ticket could be given. | Insulting and abusing manner is never necessary. The violator of a parking Tegulation is not a criminal and should not be treated so. He may be careless or imprudent, but after all he has certain rightt as a citizen. He should feel like co-operating with the police force in every way. The action | of some policemen does not produce this desire. A little authority given some may | prove a dangerous thing. Some are not capable of handling authority. ‘This type should be weeded out of the department. They are unfit. Judge Robert E. Mattingly of the Municipal and Police Courts has re- peatedly condemned the practice of | arresting motorists for minor viola- | tions. He has urged that warnings | be given in those cases. He believes the duty of a policeman is to prevent violations of the law and that over- zealousness in petty cases prevents him from being able to take part in the more serious ones. Maj. Ernest W. Brown, superintend- ent of police, constantly has warned his men to be courteous. He does not tolerate duty of any other kind. But he cannot daily watch the actions of each individual member of the force. He has many things to take care of and plan for. It would seem that those in charge | of the various precincts could do some- | thing about the actions of their own | men. They are closer to them and see the cases brought in. They are older men, more experienced and should have good judgment. Their promo- tions to the heads of the precincts have proven this, But in many cases | the heads or acting heads ignore what occurs before them. They would ap- | pear powerless to do anything. Yet after numerous cases are dismissed in | court and the arresting officers re- | buked an apology is made. Of course, it is not up to the pre- cinct heads to try the cases out of | court. But it is up to them to see that | the defendants brought into their pre- | cincts are treated with courtesy and | fairness. No one should ask for | “ticket fixing,” but every one should | demand proper treatment. The answer to the existing situa- | tion, which has incensed many de- cent citizens, is & hard one. Maybe the pay for the police is insufficient to attract the right caliber of men. | Regardless of the cause, it should be | remedied. Of Interest to the automotive world | now is the oncoming automobile | shows. Some of the new models are | out, but one waits to compare m’i cars. This can be done only at the annual show, where all makes are on | display. The local event begins No- | vember 14 and runs through Novem- | ber 21. To stimulate further interest | in this show and to provide amuse- | ment for hundreds who like to solve | puzzles, The Star, in co-operation | with the Washington Automotive Trade Association, is again running an auto show puzzle contest. One hundred dollars and 100 show tickets will be offered to the winners. The first puzzle appeared in The Star Thursday, but it is possible to catch up even now, as back copies of The Star are available for perusal in the | business office of The Star Building. After solving the puzzles (20 of | them) mail the answers to the Wash- ington Automotive Trade Association, 1427 I street northwest. A slogan of not more than 20 words, setting forth “Why the auto show should be held in ‘Washington every year” must ac- company the answers. Full details as to rules of the con- test will be found at the bottom of the puzzle each day. With 24 makes of passenger cars on the exhibitors' list—22 American and two British—a thoroughly compre- hensive display of trucks, cabin trail- ers, motor accessories and parts, the National Automobile Show prospects in New York are highly encouraging to the sponsors. When the exposition opens on Armistice day, Wednesday, November 11, in Grand Central Palace, visitors will see a greatly augmented spectacle—considerably larger than those of the past few years and probably offering more novelties than any show during the last decade. Four floors of the huge building will be required to house it, the fourth story for the most part being devoted to trailers. In addition to its old- established clientele, this season’s show will attract a host of people especially interested in the new trail- ers, as well as 1937 car models. The trailer industry, which some experts predict will soon develop into a million-dollar industry, will be repre- sented with two dozen or more makes. ‘These in general will include two types: The first, trallers, which are actual cabins or mobile homes, or sales rooms with walls and roof, and second, the baggage-carrying type, which may be expanded into tent structures with sleeping and camping accommodations. The latter type, when compactly closed, are only s few feet in length and make a light towing load. Trailer exhibitors state that thou- sands of dealers in various forms of merchandise may be expected at the show, the bulk of them seeking agencies for these nomadic homes. A great percentage will probably be dealers handling other commodities than automobiles, while a large num- ber of established motor car and truck /Production of automobiles and trucks during the current week swung sharply upward, says Automotive Daily News in its midweek review, with the re- sumption of output by Chevrolet and Oldsmobile. The total output for the thousands of law-abiding motorists, certain policemen, lacking experi- ence, judgment or training, and perhaps all three, are going far out of their way to bring honest criticism and censure on the | marks on the highway show that this | gear. t officials, police and traffic heads and minor traffic violations, unnecessarily United States and Canada for the week ending October 24 is estimated by A. D. N. at 59,820 units, against a revised figure of 39,540 for the week ended October 17. As this week reaches the midway mark, says A. D. N, practically all plants are operating, with the ex- ception of the Ford Motor Co. The rate of output is expected to be stepped up sharply from now unm‘ the first of the year. Dealer stocks of | new cars have been almost completely wiped out and the current production | is being snapped up by dealers as quickly as the cars can be rushed down the line. Dealer sampling alone will easily absorb between 150,000 and 200,000 units, A. D, N. continues. Retail demand has continued brisk throughout the month and is ex- pected to be greatly stimulated when new models are placed on display in greater numbers and the furor over election has quieted down. Sales of new passenger cars during September reached a total of 210,000, A. D. N. estimates, while trucks totaled in the neighborhood of 53,000. Complete figures on September registrations are not yet available and the foregoing estimates are based on returns from 36 States. “Tips” on safe-driving practices are given in a bulletin prepared by thei Keystone Automobile Club with the inexperienced driver in mind, although, it is stated, they may be profitable also to motorists of long standing. The Keystone bulletin follows: “When approaching a curve on a slippery road, it is good driving prAc-} tice to start braking before the car| reaches the turn. Keep the vehicle in gear and feed gas evenly while round- E ing the curve. Releasing the clutch | under these conditions may send the | car into a skid. “The maximum braking effect is obtained by applying the brakes gently | at first, then evenly and firmly. The | competent driver never ‘jams’ them | on, realizing that such action may| cause a skid, especially on a slippery road. In any event, the car stops quicker if the wheels do not slide. Tire rule is often violated. “Always apply the brake with the car in gear. This gives double brak- ing effect, because the decelerated motor is a powerful aid in bringing the car to a stop. Drivers who re- lease the clutch simultaneously with | application of the brakes put all the strain on the braking mechanism. Cars braked in this manner have a tend- ency to skid, byt even if they do not‘ skid or swerve they cannot be stopped as quickly as they can by braking in “In hilly country, the safest prac- tice is to go into second gear in de- scending grades. Many motorists ac- customed to driving in level country | are imperiled on mountain roads be- cause they place too much dependence | upon brakes. Cars frequently go out of control, with disastrous results. Danger can be avoided by the precau- tion of going into ‘second’ where highway signs warn of steep grades.” Driver--- Can You Answer This *® A. A. A. TRAFFIQUIZ. (Check right space.) 1. If all age groups had improved their automobile fatality rate as much as the 5-14 year group, total deaths from automobile accidents in 1935 would have been a () 8,000 rather than 12,000. b () 14,000 rather than 36,000. | c () 20,000 rather than 50,000, 2. During daytime one in every 45| persons injured in traffic accidents dies. What is the ratio of deaths to injuries at night? a( )1linio0. ) 11n20. ) 1in 30. ) 1 1in 50. 3. In the opinion of the 49 repre- sentative United States safe drivers who recently held a conference in New York City, what is most needed to improye traffic conditions? a () Better roads. ) More laws. ) Individual care in traffic. ) More traffic signals. 4. In most States, which of the fol- lowing shapes of traffic signs mean sm:? ( b ( c( d( b ( cC d( ) Diamond. b () Square. ¢ () Octagon. 5.In a 1935 Ohio study of 400 pedestrian accidents on rural roads, it was learned than the least number of accidents occurred when the pedes- trian was a () Crossing the highway. d>C ) y".fi.“" on the right, not acing traffic. ¢ () Walking on the left, fac- ing traffic. YOU AND YOUR GAR | proved generator THE % AIDED BY RUSSELL Oversteering Dangerous | After Tire Has Blown Out on Highway. BY FREDERICK C. RUSSELL. A scientist says that red makes blood pressure go up. Now we know why so many drivers go by the traffic light when it's set against them. Danger in Oversteering. Very few drivers know it, but one reason why cars so often come to grief after a tire blowout is because too much is done in an effort to steer safely. The danger often is, not the blowout itself, but oversteering. In many cases it is not necessary to do/ more than take a firm grip on the| steering wheel. But because he has | been told that a blowout upsets steer- ing the average driver is made to be- lieve that he should pull hard on the | wheel in the direction opposite to that in which the front wheels are swinging. He does not usually have any idea what to do when a rear tire | blows, and ends by doing too much. Each Does Its Sharle, This business of caring for our cars is getting to be a serious one and not a little complicated. Take, for in- stance, the excessive wear of tires due to one of many causes known to serv- Ice men as “wheel disturbance.” We find, upon breaking down this dis- | turbance into its component causes, | that it can be due to loose bearings, | wheel spokes, kingpins, bushings and | tie rod ends or to a bent spindle, twisted wheel, rough bearings, un- even caster, uneven camber, too flexible springs, shock absorbers mot | operating and non-parallel spring sad- dles. Quite an array. And if there| is excessive toe-in or toe-out, any of | these causes is made a still greater | contributor to the nuisance of “wheel disturbance.” News of the New. Appearing on the new cars are such features as oil filtration so efficient that changes of the crankcase contents | need not be made more often than twice a year, built-in defrosting equip- ment for the windshield, greatly ime- charging contro!, steering that is easier in parking but less sensitive on the straightaway and carburetors that remain unperturbed by sudden braking or acceleration. | Engineers are found still toying with the idea of transmissions which au- tomatically coast when momentum reaches a speed where the car can be kept running fast with a minimum | of engine activity, Some very in-| genious gearings are coming into the | picture. Study them for convincing | | proof that the human mind is doing | 100 miles per hour with ease. Mechanic Joe Speaking: “I take the ‘mike’ in hand to speak | of the bad habit many motorists have of assuming that because they have purchased a car with a mechanical feature believed to be superior to that of another car they do not have to favor it with as much attention. This was well demonstrated in the case of hydraulic brakes where there have been instances of owners postponing relining until the brake drums were actually scraping against the bare shoes. Many owners are spoiling the better values of their newer engines by going too far before having a valve- conditioning job. The superiority of any part or feature of design should be no excuse for letting down on service.” Signaling Not a “Right.” Next to the nuisance who doesn't signal at all is the driver who over- does it. There is such a thing as keeping your signaling from being too obvious. People who stick out their arms in such a manner that you can- not possible mistake seeing them are really commanding others to slow down. There is no law which gives any driver this right. Signaling should be for courtesy and safety only. Make Signals More Natural It is a sheer delight to travel behind a driver whose signaling is so natural that you are not even aware that he is helping you. Contrast this ideal with the man who whizzed past me the other day, only to come to an abrupt stop at an intersection. True enough, he stuck out his hand and arm. I couldnt possibly fail to see them. But this act made me jump on the brake pedal and strain my car in a way that was not at all neces- sary. I found that there was no trafic within sight on the intersecting road and no stop sign to make a halt neces- sary. A quarter mile beyond, this same driver was doing 40 miles per hour over a bridge which carried a plainly marked “20 miles an hour speed limit.” One of those people, Foot Brake Quite Enough. Note in my remarks above that when I had to make a quick stop I did not reach for the hand brake. If it ever was helpful to call the hand brake into action those days are over. On many cars the hand lever is merely another way of activating the service brakes and the foot method is entirely ade- quate. You can get a better strangle hold on the brakes by also using the hand lever, but immediately you trans- fer braking from the linings to the tire treads. Rubber makes poor brak- ing material. On some of the cars the hand brake operates on the pro- peller shaft just behind the transmis- sion. Sudden application of this brake is not a good idea. It strains the driving mechanism and puts too much braking force on the rear wheels. Trying to. Settle It. Another reader has propounded the Answers to 1(b);2();3(c);4(c); 8 (o) Line 40 Years Building. ACK in 1898, Chinese leaders en- visoned a rail line which would connect North China and South China. The line when completed ‘would mark the longest railroad jour- ney in history. A line from Canton to Hankow was started, but in 1905 work stopped because of lack of funds. The cessation of work left a gap of about 270 miles from Lokchong in South China to Lukow in the north. Under the indemnity scheme of the Boxer settlement, funds were to be returned to China to' go into devel- opment work. Through employment of these funds, the connecting line was completed and now the road is operating. A train ferry has been provided for the crossing of the Yangtse River at Hankow, thus pro= viding & vital link which serves in- stead of & bridge ngra present time. Y question as to which comes first in slowing down, the brake or the clutch pedal. There seems to be considerable argument regarding this point, some families dividing into factions over it. The truth is, the rule should be elastic enough to cover any contingency. If the stop is made from high speed the car will slow down with less effort if the clutch is left engaged until speed has been well checked. For abrupt stops at moderate speeds, and in traffic especially, the clutch should be disengaged while the brake pedal is applied. Both feet down together s a good rule for most conditions. With modern four-wheel brakes theoretically it is safer in slippery weather to declutch when applying the brakes, but conditions are not al- AUTHORIZED ited Motors Service REEL BROTHE N M4n ST.NW.cs-DEearsa 4220 SUNDAY STAR, WASHI OCTOBER 25 AUTO SHOW PUZZLE CONTEST THIS IS PUZZLE NO. 4. HITTERS Bookbinding machine, —_ Defeat secretly, Add a letter to each word shown in the left-hand column and rearrange the letters to spell a word for which the definition is given. Insert the new word below the definition and place the added letter in the last column oppo- site the new word. If the puzzle is solved correctly, the added letters will spell the trade name of one of the twenty (20) automobiles shown in the list below, to be exhibited at the Seventeenth Annual Automobile Show of Wash- ington, D. C., from November 14 to November 21, 1936, inclusive, at the Calvert Exhibit Hall, 2701 Calvert street northwest, under the auspices of the Wash- ington Automotive Trade Association, which, with the co-operation of The Star, is conducting this contest, BUICK DODGE CADILLAC FORD CHEVROLET HUDSON CHRYSLER LAFAYETTE DE SOTO LA SALLE PLYMOUTH PONTIAC STUDEBAKER TERRAPLANE ZEPHYR LINCOLN NASH OLDSMOBILE PACKARD PIERCE-ARROW The first puzzle appeared on October 22, 1936. A different one will | appear each day until November 10, 1936. ‘The puzzles that have appeared prior to this one may be studied from the files in the business office of The Star. Solve each puzzle, and not earlier than November 10, but not later than midnight, November 11, send all of the solutions with a reason of not more than twenty (20) words “As to Why an Automobile Show Should Be Held in Washington, D. C..” to the Washington Automotive Trade Association, 1427 I street northwest, Washington, D. C. It is not necessary to send in the actual puzeles, but it is compulsory that the entries show the new words. The new words will not be given out or published, and no entries will be returned. Officials of the Washington Automotive Trade Association, whose decisions will be final, will act as judges, and, based on correctness, neatness and manner in which the solutions are submitted, as well as the reason for holding an Annual Automobile Show, will award prizes totaling $100 and 100 tickets to the Automobile Show, as follows: First prize, $50 and 12 tickets; second prize, $25 and 8 tickets; third prize, $10 and 6 tickets; fourth prize, $5 and 4 tickets; 10 prizes of $1 each and 2 tickets and 25 prizes of 2 tickets each. In case of ties duplicate prizes will be awarded. ‘Winners will be announced in the Automobile Show Section of The Sunday Star on November 15, 1936. Questions should be addressed to Washington Automotive Trade Association, 1427 I street northwest, Washington, D. C. ways so perfect. Test out the brakes | fault if his car is not in motion at the frequently just to make sure what moment of the impact. In addition, procedure to follow in an emergency. Plays Safe When Caught. T commend the ruie of an experi- x % 3 enced driver who makes it his custom | A society has been formed in Dub- to stop the car whenever he finds he | lin, Irish Free State, to promote play- has been forced to place it on the |88 wrong side of the street, or in an e e otherwise incorrect position, and sees | Britons are buying 15 per cent more that a collision is inevitable. His | automobiles this year than they did theory is that he will be legally at less ' in 1935, seriousness of the blow. 1937 OLDSMOBILE SIX AND EIGHT COMING SOON! ‘Working on the new 1937 Oldsmobiles are men whose skillful hands have helped to fashion every new Oldsmobile since the early nineteen hundreds. Their words take on added weight when they say, “Best-built cars we ever turned out at Oldsmobile.” That’s not lightly to be said, or lightly taken, for Oldsmobile has a great good name for Quality. You may expect from the 1937 Oldsmobiles, then, a new and even more generous measure of fine-car quality—in everything from advanced engineering and modern features to the finest in upholstery and appointments. ‘Watch for Oldsmobile’s two great new cars « . bigger and finer and safer than ever! “’The Cars that have Everything for 1937 LOOK TO OLDSMOBILE TO SET THE his precaution naturally lessens the | 1936—PART FOUR Automotive Briefs A message of modern business, por- trayed with the ‘effectiveness that is rapidly becoming the fashion in this Ppost-depression era of business show- .manship, was brought to Washington Pontiac dealers and their salesmen by Pontiac Motor Co, executives in an | all-day session last Priday, at the| Mayflower, according to H. H. Groth- | jan, zone manager in charge of local | arrangements, H. J. Klingler, presi- | dent and general manager; L. K. Mar- shall, service manager, and 8. C. Bray, sales promotion manager, also spoke. Initial presentations of the new Oldsmobile six and eight for 1937 will be made tomorrow to all Oldsmobile dealers and salesmen in the Washing- | ton zone, it was announced today by ‘W. T. Agee, Oldsmobile zone manager. Business meetings, the new car pre- view and a luncheon for all dealers and salesmen will be held at Washing- | ton Hotel. Agee will conduct the busi- | ness meetings, and announcement | plans for the two new cars will be presented by R. L. Myers, Atlantic | regional manager. Oldsmobile’s sales program and policies for the coming year will be outlined at the meetings by C. L. McCuen, president and gen- eral manager, and R. M. W. Shaw, as- sistant general sales manager, of the ©Olds Motor Works, Lansing. Business sessions will be held both morning and afternoon, during which sound motion pictures will be used to portray the many new features and advance- ments in the 1937 Oldsmobiles. David S. Hendrick, president and treasurer of David S. Hendrick, Inc., newly-appointed Nash-LaFayette dis- tributor for this territory, announces the appointment of E. N. “Ed” Bow- man to an executive position on his sales staff, “Ed” Bowman has been well known to the Washington auto- motive trade for many years, having | served here in sales and official ca- | pacities. W. T. Agee, Washington zone man- ager for the Olds Motor Works, an- nounces the appointment of W. G. McCormick as assistant zone manager. McCormick comes to Washington with many years executive experience with Oldsmobile and General Motors. His most recent connection was in the New York zone of the Olds Motor Works as district representative. Five railroad cars were required to ac- commodate the 150 De Soto-Plymouth distributors, dealers and salesmen from | the Washington, D. C., territory, who | left Washington last week for a con-| vention at the De Soto factory. Dur-| ing this convention the new 1937 De Soto and Plymouth automobiles will | be shown and plans for extensive merchandising and advertising for the | coming year will be discussed. Th ! group, which inclu R of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia dealers, was headed by Walter Evans and John Palmer, executives of Evans Palmer, Inc., distributors for this ter- ritory. The Cadillac and LaSalle distribu- tors and dealers of the Washington, D. C., territory are attending a lunch- eon nnd pre-view o’ the new 1937 au- tomobiles at the Mayflower Hotel to- day, according to George K. Arnold, Washington district manager. Merch- andise and sales plans for the coming year will be discussed, Floyd Akers, ‘Washington, D. C., distributor, will preside. Factory officials in attend- ance are R. L. Newton, assistant gen- eral sales director; W. A. Houser, serv- ice manager; R. M. Jordan, manager sales analysis, and W. H. Miven and George Mitchell of the sales promo- tion department. ‘Thomas Humes, sales manager of the Holleman Motor Co. at 1231 Twen- tieth street northwest, announces the appointment of his company as dis- tributors for the Motor Homes auto- mobile trailers, which are now on dis- | play. According to Humes the dis- tributorship of this trailer, made by the Hayes Body Corp., is to be handled CE UNDER CRITICISM - by his organization in addition to the present distributorship of the Willys automobile and the American Bantam. The Hayes Body Corp. has long been known as makers of automobile bodies, Canvasbacks Dwindle, CHESAPEAKE BAY each Fall sees a concentration of practically all of the canvasback ducks left in the world. Because the concentration comes there near the Susquehanna River flats, the person unacquainted | with the habits of this type duck might believe that they are plentiful. Last year it was estimated that there were about 200,000 canvasbacks on the flats, and hunters were in- clined to be irked by the order for= bidding that any be shot. They could not understand how there could be & scarcity with so many in sight. However, 200,000 in a concentration | may seem like a tremendous supply, but when that concentration just about totals the canvasbacks of the world the number seems small. Because the canvasback and the ! red top were the most prized of wild ducks, in fact of wild fowl, the shoote ing each year took a tremendous toll. SPARK PLUGS NEED CLEANING Take the CLEAN PLUG ROADto GAS ECONOMY Spark plugscleaned by the AC Method save as much as 1 gallon of gas in 10. They also cure hard starting and loss of power. Have your plugs cleaned today — while you wait— Sc each— wherever you see this sign. ——> PACE AGAIN