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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1917)
THE SUNDAY" OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, . DECEMBER 9,' 1917. LOCAL AUTO HRM LEADS WITH DENBY senger within the car communicates 2Z with the chauffeur. The dictograph, as installed In the Cadillac, is exceedingly unobtrusive.' A little plate set in the side of the body, flush with the upholstering, takes the place of the black tube and transmitter of the old-fashioned speaking tube. Be side the transmitting plate are two small buttons. When one of these buttons is pressed, a buzzer outside attracts the chauf feur's attention. Then the other but ton is pressed, and the line of com munication to the chauffeur is open. The driver is not obliged to place a re ceiver to his ear; the passenger's voice comes to him from a miniature repro ducing horn set at the top of the seat back. No sound is transmitted through the dictograph from the interior of the car to the driver unless the proper but ton is pressed. When the button is $985 - CHASSIS ONLY . B. DETROIT Oregon Motor Car Co. Tops All Other Distributors for the Year Just Past. ' TRUCK ERA ONLY AT START released the line of communication is closed. , ii ijpiiA 111 ""H ''I ' "'MW ' ' "y'""""""Wf" 1 " "" '" ' "'""IT ttt M. E. McKenney, of Detroit, Denby Sales Manager, Banquets Organ ization Here and Predicts Won- ' derful Anto Truck Future. MOTORISTS MUST HURRY 1918 REGISTRATIONS ARE SLOW, SAYS OLCOTT. The Oregon Motor Car Company has Just won the distinction of being the leading distributor of Denby trucks in the whole big country-wide sales or ganization of the Denby Motor Truck Company, of Detroit. M, E. McKenney, sales manager of the Denby Company, while in Portland last week with District Manager Bold man, of San Francisco, personally com plimented W. C. Garbe, president of the Oregon Motor Car Company; F. M. Leeston-Smith, general manager, and Dan Gilkey, manager of the truck de partment, on the showing made by their hustling organization during the year just ending. In honor of the occasion Mr. McKen ney and Mr. Boldman were hosts Mon day night at a banquet to which they Invited all the members of the Oregon Motor Car Comany's organization here, in the Salem branch, and its represen tatives in other cities. The banquet was held in the Multnomah Hotel and covers were laid for 50 persons. When Mr. McKenney made the an nouncement of the standing of the Ore. gon Motor Car Company at the very top of the list of all Denby distribu tors the banqueters rocked the hotel with their cheers. It was a most en thusiastic meeting, made none the less so by the ability of F. M. Leeston-Smlth as toastmaster. He had everybody hunting shelter from his wit, even Mr. McKenney and Mr. Boldman not being exempt. Demand Right Up to Production. Features of the evening were rous ing sales talks by Mr. McKenney, Mr. Boldman and F. M. Deeston-Smith. Mr. McKenney is a mighty young looking man to be sales manager of so large and efficient an organization as the Denby Motor Truck Company. Ap parently he is older than he looks, foi he is one of the pioneers in the motor truck business and one of the original Incorporators of the Denby Company. The demand for trucks Is ahead of production right now, says Mr. McKen ney, and it is going to become still greater as the effects of rail congestion become more widely felt. He says the commercial motor truck will have to take up the burden of the railroads t an extent hardly dreamed of. "The Army truck Is a very necessary war factor, but the commercial true, is doing just as important work," sale Mr. McKenney. The commercial truck In this country will have to take ovei virtually all short-haul freight traffic now going by railroad so as to leave the rail lines free to concentrate on long hauls. The motor truck will have to do this in addition to what it is al ready doing to relieve the freight situ ation in the cities. It will do it, and do it efficiently. War Shows Track Possibilities. "The war has made the motor truck. That is to say, it has brought the motor truck into Its own by opening new fields of activity for it and dem onstrating the remarkable possibilities cr motor truck transportation. "Sooner or later the efficiency of the motor truck would have brought it to the fore, but the war has hastened the process of natural evolution. After the war there will be a greater demand for motor trucks than ever. Especially win this be true of the export business. Europe will have to have trucks in great numbers to assist in the work of reconstruction. America will require trucks to keep up with its business rer quirements. As every undeveloped part of the world is developed motor trucks win be needed. "In the past year we have exported trucks to Hawaii, to the Philippines, to India, and even to Africa. Our business last year gained 40 per cent over that of the preceding year, and this year the gain has been 60 per cent. So great is the demand already that I look next year for a' 100-per-cent increase over this years business. "There will be a market for all the motor trucks that can be made in this country. "The coming world era is that of the motor truck. We are now only in the Beginning of that era." Internal Gear Drive Used. Mr. McKenney mentioned the fact that the new Class A Liberty truck be ing built for the Army has the internal gear drive. This naturally is pleasing to tne uenDy truck engineers. Tor the Denby was the first truck to adopt the internal gear drive. On his way to Portland Mr. McKen ney stopped at the Los Angeles Auto mobile Show. He said it was a re markable exhibit, and one that had stimulated the automobile business greatly in that city. From Portland Mr. McKenney went to Spokane, where the W. C. Garbe Company, of which W. C. Garbe, of the Oregon Motor Car Company, is president, has just taken over the agency for the Denby. Among the executive heads of the Oregon Motor Car Company's organi zation who attended the banquet given by Mr. McKenney and Mr. Boldman Monday night were: W. C. Garbe, president of the Oregon Motor Car Company, and of the W. C. Garbe Company, of Spokane; F. M. Leeston-Smith, general manager of both companies; Dan Gilkey, manager of the Denby truck department of the Oregon Motor Car Company: H. S An derson, sales manager of the Stude baker touring and commercial car de partment; Clyde Hurley, manager of the used car department; C. C. Hofele, manager of the service department of the Oregon Motor Car Company's Port land branch; C. H. Farnum. manager of the Salem branch; Mr. Harris, manager of the service department of the Salem branch; Bruce Hollingsworth, manager of the parts department of the com pany; Carl Lieberman. manager of the shop department, Portland branch; Harry Walther. of the Walther-Will-lams Motor Company, Denby dealers at The Dalles, and Mr. Dickson, proprietor of the Dickson Garage, Denby dealers at McMinnville. With Only SOOO Licenses Issued to Date for .Next Year, There la Liable to Be Congestion. Only 8000 applications for 1918 auto mobile licenses have so far been re ceived at the office of the Secretary of State in Salem, and Secretary Olcott is sending out hurry-up statements to motorists advising that unless they have their new license plates by Jan I ' I ' 1 ' pym BI. E. McKenney, of Detroit, Sales Hauler of Denby Motor Track Company, Who Wan In Port land Last Week. uary 1 they may be put. to much incon venience by being required to put up their cars until they have the tags. A total of 48.628 motor vehicle li censes have been Issued for 1917 since last January 1. so it will be seen that 8000 applications for new licenses is a very small proportion of the total. Up to January 1 of last year approximate ly 50 per cent of the motorists regis tered had applied for new licenses, or 15,000 more than is now the case. "The examination of the applications. assignment of license numbers and for warding of the plates and registration certificates involves considerable labor and unless applications are promptly submitted by those who desire their 1918 licenses prior to the first of the year the work is liable to become'eon gested and some slight unavoidable de lay be . occasioned - thereby, says statement issued by the automobile de partment of the Secretary of State's of nee. "Attention is also directed to the fact that the motor vehicle law enacted at the last session of the Legislature pro vides that the motor or engine number of the car shall be stated In the appll cation instead of the factory number, as the law provided before that time This office Is obliged to return many applications for lack of this informa tion. Motor vehicle owners, for thei own protection and to the end that thl office's record of their application may be kept intact, should check up the en gine or motor numbers on their cars carefully before they send them to this office. This will avoid much needles correspondence and annoyance, as th application is compared with the pre vious registration record of this d partment before registration is made.' There was a total of 316 new regis trations of motor cars during Novem ber. which is more than have been is sued in any November In Oregon. Only 257 such licenses were issued in No vember, 1916, and there were 112 in that month of 1915 and 44 in 1914. This brings the total number of 11 censes issued for 1917 to 48,628, which have brought in $196,542.50 in fees. DICTOGRAPH OX ATJTOS XOW Cadillac Uses It as Equipment for All Chauffeured Cars. The popular idea is that the dicto graph is a mysterious sort of instru ment whose use is confined solely to the detection of crime by recording for detectives the conversations of crim inals. But the Cadillac Motorcar Com pany has found other and more pleas ant uses for the dictograph. This little device is part of the equip ment of all Cadillac chauffeured ve hicles. Through it the owner or pas- VELIE FACTORY VISITED HOLLANDERS THERE I" COURSE OF HIKE AROUND WORLD. So Impressed Were They With Velie Cars on . Their Travels, They Wanted to See Them Made. Three years ago two members of the Brussels-Holland Athletic Club started out to visit every city In the world of 25,000 population or over. They are re quired to walk the entire distance, be back in Brussels within 15 years and, if successful, will win a wager of $15,000 each. They arrived in San Francisco July 15 and the past week reached Moline, 111., immediately expressing eagerness to visit the Velie factory. Every courtesy was shown the travelers and the minute and exacting details of Velie Six construction fully explained, much to their gratification. Mr. Van Den Enden, leader of the group said: "We have seen hundreds of Velie cars in our trip across the West and have ridden in many of them upon our sightseeing tours in towns visited. Invariably we heard nothing but good words for the car and the factory, and we wished to see where and how such a really remarkable automobile was constructed." The Ve.lie Company signed an affida vit saying that Moline and the factory had been visited, which proof will be required upon the return to Holland. It is expected two years more must be spent in the United States to visit the necessary cities coming within the re quirement of the wager. Detroit Auto Show. The 17th annual display of the De troit Automobile Dealers' Association will be held January 19-26. This event will bo the largest show ever held in Detroit. J. Elmer Pratt, president of the Higrade Motors Company, formerly of Grand Rapids, and now of Harbor Springs, Mich., has announced that the truck of the company will be exhibited at both the Grand Rapids and the Detroit- automobile -show. .. . O ' v odd 1Q. AtiF iL - Think what it means to your Business Standing when this 10 -foot 5 Worm Drive, Electric rolls ufi to a customer 's Door. IT ( BJI Trade in that cheap makeshift combination of pleasure car chassis and trailer and buy a Maxwell 1-ton truck for $985. It will purchase itself as it runs along and save its cost in a year's time. 10-foot loading space. 16 miles to every gallon of gas. A truck built for these driver-scarce times. So simple that a boy can run it. -So strong that he can't ruin it. Always ready when you are never begs a day off. Repair bills won't equal interest charges on your money. Remember the worm-drive featured by noted $5,000 trucks. Remember the electric lighting system and generator. Remember the low gasoline consumption. Remember that it's made by Maxwell. And remember that this is the lowest oriced, full grown, fully guaranteed 1-ton truck in the world. Pays its way from day to day, C. L. Boss Automobile Co. 615-617 Washington Street tmgatl!! "ll j.3nnlnnnlMtnnnM HEW APPERSOH CHIEF EDGAR . SUCCEEDS HIS BROTHER ELMER AS GENERAL MANAGER. New Active Head of Appcrion Company In Sportsman and Pioneer In Anto Industry KOKOMO, Ind., Dec. 7. (Special.) Edgar Apperson Is now general mana ger of the Apperson Brothers' Automo bile Company, of this city. He succeeds to the place so successfully filled since the organization of the company by his brother. Elmer, who has been forced to retire from active participation in the business because of failing health. However. Elmer Apperson still remains at the head of the company as presi dent. Edgar Apperson is one of the pio neer manufacturers of the automobile industry. He has been an official of the Apperson Company since its Incep tion and has been largely instrumental in its rapid and substantial progress. Many of the early achievements of the industry are his. It was he who won the first sjkeed contest la America at the Charles Power Park track, Boston, in September, 1897. In August, 1889, he made the first long overland Journey to be taken by - an American-made ma chine. This was from Kokomo.to New York City 900 miles. In February of the same year he won the Pasadena- Altadena hill climb at Los Angeles. Again in April. 1901. he drove the first car to run in a non-stop contest of over 100 miles. Mr. Apperson needs no introduction to American sportsmen, as he is a true lover of the great outdoors. Whether It be in the wilds of Northern Wis consin, where he has his hunting camp, or on his ranch down in Arizona. his gun is always his constant companion. If the Brakes Squeak. It has been well said that there is one set of bearing surfaces on a car which should never be oiled the brakes. This is not strictly true, as a squeaking brake must be oiled, but with caution. Use castor oil in mod eration until the squeak is stopped. Muffler Noises. The holes drilled In, mufflers some times are rough and ragged, with the result that the escaping gases set up a whistling noise anything but agreea ble. Smoothing off the rough edges will usually eliminate the unwelcome sund. CLOSED GARS IN DEMAND FORTY, PER CENT .OF". CADILLAC PRODI" CTION OP THAT TYPE. Inquiries Owners Show 37 Per Ce Chance Frn Open to Enclosed Car Models. The fact that enclosed motor cars are coming more and more Into favor for year-round use has been making Itself felt for some time. But it has never, perhaps, been Illustrated with greater emphasis 'than by data recently gath ered by the Cadillac Motor Car Com pany. ' For its own information, the Cadillac Company asked a number of its leading distributors to set down the proportion of their buyers who preferred enclosed cars to the open roadster and touring types. The statistics so far at -hand show that out of, a representative .list of new Cadillac owners who have also owned previous Cadillac eight-cylinder models, 37 per cent came this season from open to enclosed cars. This, of course, does sot .Utka .into account. the. normal. in crease in both' the open and the en closed car lines.- - It does reflect the un doubted trend. toward the latter, how ever. .... It appears,, also, that the large ma jority of the enclosed cars have gone to owners who' maintain but one car; showing that the enclosed vehicle is in tended for use1 tn'Summer as well rj in Winter.. Another indication of this ten dency Is the fact that 40 per cent of the total Cadillac production of the present model has been enclosed cars; aud that the number of these which have oeen shipped is greater now than at the cor responding time last year. Leaky Piston Rings. A good check on the conditions of the piston rings may be had by feel ing, the crank case. If it is hotter than usual it is probable that there is leak age past the rings, which either are worn or stuck in their grooves because of carbon deposits. A vehicle passing around a circle should keep to the right from entrance to exit. Elgin Man Tours. W. I. Brown, assistant sales manager of the Elgin Motor Car. Corporation of Chicago, has Just returned from a swing around the Middle Western dis trict. Including stops at St. Paul and Minneapolis and other Minnesota dis tributing centers, Omaha and Council Bluffs, Kansas City and St. Louis. He found business excellent and closed orders for a large number of cars. Haynes to Open Detroit Factory. The Haynes Automobile Company, of Kokomo. Ind.. will open a factory branch in Detroit. Mich., according to announcement received here by A. C Stephens & Co., Haynes distributor. The Detroit branch will bring the total of Haynes factory branches to four, the three others being in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. 1 Drain Vacuum Tank. At fixed intervals open the drain cock at the bottom of the vacuum tank. Usually a few drops of water and rust flow before the gasoline starts run ning. The fact that it often will not flow until a wire is run through the drain cock shows there is foreign matter which may cause carburetion trouble. Many Baying Cars There were 191,724 more cars and trucks spld during the first six months of this year than in the same period last year, and shipments in September exceeded by 2000 carloads the ship ments of the corresponding month one year'-fi'so.
