THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, TORTLAXD, NOVEMBER 23, 1917.
AUTO CURTAILMENT
IS FORTY PER GENT
ft
MOTORING ACROSS CONTINENT CHEAPER THAN
STAYING AT HOME, KANSAS TRAVELERS FIND
Mr. and Mrs. James Fray, "Dad" and Mother and the Canary Drive 3002 Miles in Their Reo Car From Kansas
. City to Portland, via Los Angeles, at Total Cost of $80, of Which $50 Is For Gasoline and Oil.
5
17?
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C. L. Boss, Back From Detroit,
Jells About Voluntary
Agreement by Makers.
ii III
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8
NEW PLAN EFFECTIVE NOW
Manufacturers to Continue Produc
tion of Passenger Cars XTp to
6 0 Per Cent of Maximum
Capacity of Plants.
C. L. Boss, president of the C. L. Boss
Automobile Company, Hudson, and Mai
well distributors, returned from De
troit early last week with the first au
thentic first-hand information that has
reached here concerning- the action of
automobile manufacturers in voluntar
ily proposing- to the Government to
curtail the passenger car output of
their factories to 60 per cent of their
maximum capacity.
This will make available to the Gov
ernment for the making of munitions,
airplane parts, or for any other war
purpose desired, 40 per cent ,of the max
imum capacity of each plant. The
voluntary reduction In. output by the
manufacturers, to which they all
agreed, has already gone into effect.
Even if the Government is not able
to -use the 40 per cent manufacturing
facilities of any plant, or any part of
It, the plant, according- to the agree
ment will continue to make passenger
cars .only up to the agreed 60 per cent,
Mr. Boss says. He predicts that as a
result there will be a real shortage in
passenger cars in the coming year.
ISo Further Curtailment.
He also says It is the general belief
of automobile manufacturers and of
Government officials as well, that this
will take care of the Government's war
needs for a long time to come and that
there will be no necessity fpr further
curtailment of the passenger car In
dustry. Mr. Boss wrote out a statement of the
situation as he found; It, and the state
ment follows:
"On my arrival at Detroit I found
the automobile industry suffering from
a. number of rumors, in addition to dis
turbing conditions. It was known to
every manufacturer at Detroit that
there was a certain class at Washing
ton, D. C, in favor of curtailing the
production, of passenger cars, and that
others were In favor of discontinuing
the manufacture of automobiles in this
country the same - as", passenger cars
have been discontinued in England.
Reduction Is Voluntary.
"After I had been In Detroit a num
ber of days representatives from the
leading manufacturers went to Wash
ington to ascertain the wants of the
Government, the feeling at that point,
and to be advised in regard to the busi
ness as a whole. Upon the return of
the manufacturers' delegations to De
troit the majority of automobile manu
facturers had voluntarily reduced their
maximum output to 60 per cent of their
factories' production, holding 40 per
cent of their production for the bene
fit of the Government in carrying on
the war, which they figured would
cover all the requirements of the Gov
ernment from them.
"Some of the manufacturers have re
ceived large Government contracts and
are at work on the Government's re
quirements, but the majority figure on
having the Government take up shortly
10 per cent of their manufacturing ca
pacity, and later to receive additional
Government work.
t Plenty of Gasoline.
"Fortunately for our firm the ar
rangements for our territory were
made prior to the factory's curtailing
its .output, and our territorial wants
were covered by contract before the
restrictions or curtailment went into
effect. The curtailments by the manu
facturers of manufacturing and dis
tributing automobiles has dispelled the
fear that the Government might pro
hibit the manufacture of their cars.
"Another rumor has been completely
eliminated. A. C. Bedford, president of
the Standard Oil Cpmpany.of New Jer
sey and chairman of the petroleum
committee of the council 'of National
defense, has given assurance that there
is enough oil available to supply all
war needs and in addition all conuner
cial needs.
"Last August there was much, talk
about there not being enough gaso
line to supply all needs and that we
would soon reach the time when it
would be necessary to curtail gasoline
for pleasure vehicles. But today Mr.
Bedford's announcement removes that
fear.
Steel Enough for All.
"We have heard of late a prediction
concerning the fate of the industry
owing to the apparent shortage ,ot
steel and other materials, which were
to be denied the automobile factories
on the basis that the needs of the war
must first be served The real situa'
tion seems to be that no one knows
very clearly what is needed for war
purposes, but the expressed .opinion of
Judge Gary, of the United States Steel
Company, and Charles Schwab, of the
Bethlehem Company, that there i
ample steel for all requirements is
enough to set at rest the question of
materials for the automobile manu
facturer.
"During my experience in the auto
mobile business 1 have often heard the
statement made that there would be a
shortage of automobiles. If the dis
tributor and the dealer had properly
anticipated their wants there would
. have been very little shortage for. the
years that have just passed; but with
every manufacturer in the country cur
tailing his production to 60 per cent it
is: evident on the face of it that auto
mobiles will be hard to get, and the
shortage of cars that we have heard
so much about in years-gone by will be
realized during the coming . twelve
months.
Many Rumors Heard.
"The manufacturers are as anxious
to interview the district representa
tiVes and distributors as the dealers
arid distributors are interested in as
certaining all news at the manufac
turlng centers. There seem to be more
rumors and uncertainty about the busi
ness In general than has existed at any
time before.
"There seems to be a united feeling
among the manufacturers of automo
biles that they are glad to turn such
per cent of their factories as is needed
toy the Government to the Government's
use, but that questions of vital imp.or
tance to the industry shall not be over
looked by them and that no snap judg
ment shall be taken against the motor
car industry."
New Visor.
The visor of a new cap for motorists
carries a hinged eye shield that can
be dropped into position for use o
lifted out of the way by the finger
JLouch,
JLC;-
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1 Here Ther Are Mrs. Kray and Her Husband-la Front, With Young: Ray
on the Trip, However. "Dad" and Mother. Mr. and Mrs. R. F, Krpprl Are
2 This la How the Car Looked From the Back. Mote the Beddias Rolled I
BY LAIR H. GREGORY.
IF ANY gent knows a better recipe
for swatting the high cost of living
in the tummy than that used by Mr.
and Mrs. James Fray, late of Wichita
County, Kansas, let him speak right up.
This is the record he will have to
beat:
Mr. and Mrs. Fray have just motored
n their 1912 Reo car from Kansas City
o Portland, via Santa Fe and Los
Angeles 3002 miles by the speedo
meter In 26 days, with father-in-law,
mother-in-law, the canary bird and 600
to 700 pounds of household baggage
aboard, all at a total cost of $80.
Fifty bucks of this 80 went for gaso
line and oil. Which leaves only 30
to cover the living expenses of four
grown folks and a bird for the 36 days
of the journey.
Bird seed is a large items these days.
but not too large.
Do not get the idea that the Frays
made this trip on a skimping, scraping,
save-every-penny basis. They had two
big squares every day of the tour.
morning and evening, and a gooo
luncheon at noon. They enjoyed the
very fat of the land wnerever iney
went. The bird did even better than
they did. He had three squares a day.
"Dad" Is Sure There.
Father-in-law, otherwise R. F. Kep-
pel, better known to his daughter. Mrs.
Fray, as "Dad," gained 10 pounds and
a world of health on the trip. They
all gained weight even the bird, pre
sumably but "Dad" topped them all.
'Dad" was rather rundown when
thev set out. Two years of the grind
of Kansas ranch life had pretty well
done him up. but he looks the picture
of solid health now. What is more, he
feels the same. "Dad," by the way. is a
handy man to have along on any auto
mobile jaunt. He certainly earned his
board on this trip.
To begin with he Is the genius who
arranged most of the little contraptions
with which the Frays' Reo is equipped
to make camping out by the roadside
as comfortable as sleeping in the little
bed at home. He contrived an arrange
ment of hooks underneath the running
boards of the car, to which he attached
canvas beds when they stopped for
the night.
The inner sides of the beds were sup
ported by the running boards,, one bed
on each side of the car, while the
outer sides rested on wooden legs and
a framework, also invented by "Dad."
Tenting on the ' Way.
When they stopped at night "Dad"
and Mr. Fray would unstrap the bed
ding from the back of the car, take the
big canvas cover in which it was
wrapped, throw it over the top of the
auto and fasten each end to the ground.
It made a comfortable and rain-tight
tent on both sides of the car.
But this is not the gamut of "Dad's"
versatility. He was "there" whenever
and however he was needed in the
course of the long trip. That was
several times.
One day about a week ago as they
were climbing the Siskiyous into Ore
gon a wagon " team came down .the
narrow road. Mr. Fray pulled the -car
to the edge and stopped while the
wagoner squeezed past. But when Mr.
Fray attempted to start again the off
wheels of the car, resting a wee bit too
near the edge, began to settle slowly
but steadily over the brink.
It was a scary moment. If the car
sank far enough, and throwing in the
motor only caused the rear wheel over
the edge to whirl around and slip the
faster, it would roll a little matter of
several hundred feet to the bottom
of the canyon. But "Dad" was right
there to the rescue. Before they left
the ranch, with the true farmer's in
sinct, he had put a shovel in the car
and it came in mighty bandy now.
Shovel Saves the Car.
"Dad" grabbed this shovel and began
to dig like lightning to make a trench
under the slipping wheels. Well, he
did it, and then dug a trench path in
which the back wheel could get trac
tion tip to the solid road. The motor
easily, pulled, the. Reo hack, to. 6aX$tx
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A day or so later the car started up
the notorious 20 per cent Wolf Creek
Hill in our own Oregon. It happened
that the gas in the tank was so low
that it stopped feeding when the car
hit the main grade. Mr. Fray put on
both brakes, but even with the wheels
locked the heavily-loaded car began to
skate back down the slippery road.
Again "Dad" was right on the job.
He hopped out of the car and blocked
the rear wheels with rocks before any
damage was done. Mr. Fray always
carried several extra gallons of gaso
line with him and it took only a mo
ment to pour some into the tank,
whereat the Reo again moved sturdily
on its way.
But to return to that $30 "item for
living expenses on a 26-day trip. How
did they do it? It was very simple
after all.
Oh, Yon Birdseed!
" Generally speaking, there are two
ways of automobile touring. In one
the tourist lives off the country. In
the other the country lives off the tour
ist they figure the average hotel and
other expenses of each auto tourist at
$5 a day, and it's a grand little thing
for the country. .
The Frays lived off the country. Not
exactly as Sherman did, either. They
carried a small commissariat of flour.
bacon, birdseed and such with them in
a specially constructed box on one of
the running boards, but they bought
fresh eggs, vegetables and other farm
products even fresh meat at ' farm
houses on the way.
They cooked their own meals where
they made camp. They had a small
cookstove with them that stowed away
in the car in a small space another bit
of "Dad's" versatile handiwork and
Mrs. Fray and her mother cooked ' a
glorious dinner every night and a grand
TEX THOCSAXD ATTEND AUTO
SHOW IN ONE NIGHT AT
LOS ANGELES,
The annual automobile show
just ended at Los Angeles was
the biggest ever held in Southern
California, if not on the Pacific
Coast. Attendance on Tuesday
night of the final week was 10,
000, which was more than the
combined attendance on corre
sponding days of the two pre
vious shows. They continued to
pack In so thickly the remaining
nights of the . week that It was
necessary ' to stop the sale of
tickets. Interest in automobiles
has never been greater than it Is
now, and it seems certain that
the demand for cars this Winter
will tax the outputs of all the
factories.
breakfast every . morning, of bacon
eggs, and the like. They lived high
including the bird, who thoroughly
relished his bit of fresh farm lettuce
or cabbage leaf as dessert for the bird
seed.
Why Worry, Indeed?
The expenses eimply took care of
themselves. When you can buy at a
farmhouse for a quarter or 60 cents
enough potatoes, cabbage and milk to
last four persons for a day. why worry
about expenses?
The Frays and Mr. and Mrs. Iveppel
left Kansas City on October 26, and
they reached Portland on November 20
which was last Tuesday. On the whole
trip they didn't have to spend a cent
for repairs to their car. They had only
two punctures and one blowout, and
they traveled some pretty rough road.
Mr. Fray has always been a Reo
"fan," but he is more of an enthusiast
than ever since this trip. As a mat
ter of fact the car was loaded down
heavily enough for a couple of cars Its
size, but never once did it fail in any
test to which it was put.
Besides the four people and the
bird, who rode jauntily in his cage on
Mrs. Fray's lap there were four heavy
suitcases, a big grubbox on the run
niss beajrd a. sheet iron. tove, a. fcig
j-rfrMiht aiiffn-inWrrn-NWirif ' .
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Krppel. Who Was Not With Them
In the Rear. The Car la a 1U12 Reo.
p In the Tent Cover.
roll of bedding wrapped up in the can
vas used for a tent cover at night, four
camp stools, two guns, and a few other
things. When the car rolled into Port
land last Tuesday it looked more like
a freight train than one small Reo car,
five years old.
. Santa Fe Trail Followed.
It was so loaded down, in fact, that
the only place Mr. Fray could find to
carry two extra tire casings was in
front, between the fenders and the hood.
They presented a startling appearance
when viewed from one side, like great
round eyes of some new variety of bird.
From Kansas City to Los Angeles the
Frays followed the Santa Fe trail. They
went through La Junta. Trinidad and
Ratun Pass, Colo.; Albuquerque and
Santa Fe, N. M.; thence through Ari
zona and across 200 miles of desert in
that state and California to San Ber
nardino and finally Los Angeles.
Over most of this distance the tour
ists found the roads first-class. Once
in Arizona they ran through 10 miles
of sand, in places up to the hubs of the
wheels. It was a severe test for any
car, but the Reo went right along on
low gear.
At Wagon Mound, N. M., high In the
mountains, there was a night so cold
that It froze the water in the poor
bird's drinking cup. He was a game
little sport and made no complaint,
though he perked up considerably when
the sun came out.
Gas 43 Cents a Gallon.
At Springerville, Ariz., the high cost
of gasoline occasioned much more con
cern than the high cost of living ever
caused the motorists. Here gasoline
was 45 cents a gallon. Springerville is
one of the towns In a 200-roile stretch
of desert-like country where there is
no railroad, and gasoline has to be
hauled in from the rail line.
The party crossed the desert in two
days, making 100 miles a day. The
road was not bad, though so rutty that
slow traveling was necessary.
xne frays declared the California
roads from San Diego as far north as
Redding were almost perfect. But from
Redding north to Cottage Grove, Or.,
they encountered the worst roads of the
whole trip.
They got " through Pass Creek Can
yon in Douglas County, where the State
Highway Commission is reconstructing
me nignway, but they were in mud for
two miles. In places It was up to the
running board. The Reo sliDDe'd . and
struggled, for Mr. Fray did not put
chains on the tires, but It plowed its
way through nobly. When it got out
of the canyon if was smeared with
mud from tires to top.
'Reo Towa Blearer Car.
i From Cottage Grove north, the roads
were good though not as good, accord
ing to the Frays, as those In other
states through which they passed
owing to the fact that the macadam is
worn and jolty in many places.
Heavy laden as the Reo was. it
towed one big seven-passenger car in
the $3000 price class for 43 miles into
Bakersfield. Cal. Something had gone
wrong witn tnis car. and Its owner
asked If the Reo could tow it.
-sure.- said Mr. fry. He hitched a
rope to the big car and hauled it right
along. The rope broke five times whe
the owner of the big car applied his
brakes injudiciously, but after he put
the car in gear at the suggestion of
Mr. Fray there was no more trouble.
In the whole course of their long
Journey the travelers ate only two
meals in restaurants, and they did not
stay one night in a hotel. They were
lucky in being favored with almost
perfect weather throughout.
The Frays and Mr. and Mrs. Keppel
are here to settle in Oregon or Wash
ington. They are not strangers to
Portland. Mr. and Mrs. Fray lived
here until two years ago, when they
went . to Kansas to operate three sec
tions of land, more than 1700 acres,
which they now own there. But farm
ing in Kansas and farming in Oregon
are mightily different. Two years was
enough. They decided to dispose of
their Kansas land and trek back to old
Oregon.
SCtxey, ajre-ataying tejnporarUy la Pprt-
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BIG FOUR
S1050 Portland
CHE
The world's lowest priced electrically and fully equipped automobile, with
quality conceived in its design, carried out in its manufacture and proven by its
performance in the service of Two Hundred Thousand satisfied owners.
Salesroom (West
Broadway at Burnside St.
Used
land at the home of Mrs. Fray's brother,
C. R. Keppel. at 633 Everett street.
TIIIKVES KNEW GOOD
AtTO
Tliey Selected Chundler In Wlilcli to
Make tict-.Vway at Salt Lake.
H. W. Slauson. the well-known auto
mobile engineer who directs the Motor
Department of Leslie's Weekly, in a
letter to the Chandler Company says:
"Here is a pretty good one from a
Chandler owner living in Utah. He
advised with me some time ago con
cerning the selection of a Chandler.
In accordance with my custom I later
sent him a reply postcard requesting
that he notify me as to his decision
and what difficulties, if any, he had
encountered with the car he had se
lected His card has Just arrived and
on it he states that he purchased a
Chandler on July 29 through your Mr.
C. A. Quigley, of Salt Lake City, and,
under heading of difficulties encoun
tered, replies 'None, except that auto
mobile thieves also know a good car.
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R-v- '.-' I ; t -; ' .
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These iQLMiiO. JL mWJ3& Hold
the World's Endurance Record
HERE THEY ARE the original "Hyatt Roller"
bearings, dripping withgrease just as they were
taken from the "Hyatt Roller" at the end of its Jong:
grinding circuit of the country.
272,962 miles is now the official rec
ord of this car a greater proved dis
tance than any other car has ever gone.
When these bearings were In view of their past nine
photographed. It was the first time years strenuous service covering
they had seen the light since the world's 261,800 miles their latest 11,163 mils
long-distance veteran started Its jour- -.rf,m.. i. ,n ,v. . ...
ney "Around the U. S. A." PerfonBnce is all the more remarkable.
ney
Yet this eriginal set of Hyatt
bearings is still serviceable. Labora
tory examination shows an average
wear of only four one-thousandths of
an inch (.004) a wear perceptible
only to micrometer and microscope,
sot enough, to interfere with the good
service they have given and will con
tinue to give when returned to their
positions in the car.
AutomobOm
-Ten rme i'uuini
ItindK -
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. . - y- l - -n-f 1 T - -' l
LITTLE FOUR
S715 Portland
MEN AND WOMEN WHO
Recognize the Superior Construction of
VIROL
REGNER & FIELDS,
Side)
Phone East 92.
Cars Taken in Exchange Terras
and pinched mine, but I recovered it in
24 hours.' This speaks almost as well
for the efforts of the police department
of Salt Lake City as it does for the
perspicacity of the thieves."
NEW SEHVICE STATION OPENS
II. M. Nisbet Manager of Columbia
Battery Service Station.
The Columbia Storage Battery has
come to Portland with a service sta
tion. The station has Just been opened
at 109 North Broadway, with H. M.
Nisbet, an experienced storage battery
service man, in charge. The Colum
bia storage battery is well known to
motorists and has service stations
throughout the country.
Auto Eleld Attracts Them.
W. Owen Thomas and T. R. Thomas,
forming the consulting automobile en
gineering firm of Thomas & Thomas,
of the Garfield building. Detroit, are in
receipt of advices from a number of
ii niv I i. r . a l iraiirns,'. ir txx-
.They have surmounted all the
toughest conditions of touring gumbo
roads, mountain grades, desert sands
and have finished on schedule time.
This test gives you a definite
indication of the enduring, quiet, care
free service you can expect from your
Hyatt Roller Bearings.
Hyatt Roller Bearing Company
Dtr., Detroit Trmatar Div.,ClucMgoIndaatriml Di-r.,
BBARIMGS
n inTr r Til- n . '
Ti . O ' til
ii
TWIN FOUR
S1510 Portland
KNOW
the
INC.
Salesroom (East Side)
Grand Avenue at Burnside.
if Desired
firms who are large manufacturers In
other fields and who are about to enter
the field of passenger car and motor
truck manufacturing. These letters
come from every section of the country
and seemingly indicate that manufac
turers have no fear of war condition!!
and that they discovered a market in
their particular district for large out
puts, of which all speak. The South Is
particularly prolific in requests for
service of a consulting engineering na
ture. Lapping Pistons.
Varioussubstances may be used for
lapping pistons, among them emery
dust, ground glass and rotten stone.
Undoubtedly the best of these three
is rotten stone. The powdered glass
contains such hard granules that scuiki
of them are likely to become Imbedded
In the piston or cylinder wall. A little
cylinder oil mixed with rotten stone to
form a thin paste serves admirably in
this connection. In lapping the piston
should be given a reciprocating and
oscillating motion.
Iftwmrt, ff. J.
FT