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.