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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1918)
1918. GREAT AUTO SHOW I some Portland live-wire auto dealers judging from smiles, business is good TO OPEN THURSDAY YEAR HERE IN 1917 Hundreds of Lights to Flash More Autos Sold Than Ever, and 1918 Will Be Better Yet, if Cars Arrive. On as Governor Withy combe Presses Self-Starter. RAILROADS GRANT RATES WORKERS GOOD BUYERS! TIIE SUNDAY OTIEGOXIAX, TORTLAXD, FEBRUARY MOTOR GAR HAS BIG sa- ' " -"- - - --e ayS;.----s.. :r -gp - .... . . ....... -. , 0Hm''K '.---" 1 --?-.., ..... .. ....KtKmmftm. '. i; ' . ; . " 1 " ' ' r ' .V-M;V - " 71 Visitor to IUs;r-t Show Ever HId la Northwr-t Will See Fittest la frrnirrabl Car. Track aad Trartoe That Caa Be Made. r.T im ii. nKftwr.r. 'er romi the great automobile trnt af ll la th Pacific Northwest. Pertlaed' atntb aaaaal autatnobil. trark an-l trarter show, which will Hi in th Portland city auditorium ait Thursday Bight. Krbraary T. at clork- The Aadileriom doors wiU a opened la tha aablM at o trior a. Put th fermal opentac af th ahow will aa at 1 3. thfa ;avvmar Jimn Wlthy roaibe will prna his foot against aa aatooaobil .-lf -starter on tho stag. CatU that moment the ataia floor af tha Aadttoriam will aa kept In dark ness. Th only illumination will ba la tha balconies, ah era tba audleoc will aa ated. Hat at tha pressure) of the nortrnor! faoc against tha itart.r, kandmli of liarhta. flashing up, will reveal for th flrat time tba rowa and rows of motor car a aa tha Aexlitortom floor. atala omrtala s AMe-ad. , At tha eonclaaion of the Coventor's address tha main floor will ba opened ta tba visitors and the how will ba on. Far these who coma before tho formal opening, a special musical pro gramme has ben a rra n a; rt Krom 7:9 an 1 11 S li Professor W. K. Boons will give an oriran recital an tha great Aeditorium organ. M. O. Wllklns, manaser of tha nhow. at :1S will bear in tha brief forma exercise with a few word. of welcome. Then will corae a vocal solo, after which Mr. Wilkins will introduce Gov ernor Withrromba. Among those who will attend tho bow a guests of honor oa opening night ara (Jflttrnor Wlthycombe. See. retary of State Olrott. State Treasurer Kay. members of tha State IHchway , I'aamMalon and other Mate official, county officers. Mayor Baker and city officials, members of the State Supreme four! and Judge af tha Circuit Court. Frank K. C atkins, president, and James I. Abbott, secretary, of the Oregon State Motor Association. Governor Lister, of Washington, was Invited to be present. In a letter ex pressing regret that he cannot do so, lie wished the show every success. Opening on Thursday night at 39. the automobile show will continue until tba following Wednesday night at II o'clock. It will be open every day from 1:3 to S:JO In the afternoon and from 7:3 to II o'clock at night. Interest In this coming automobile show Is greater than In any other ever held In the Northwest. Kvery day Mr. Wilkins receives letters frem dealers, good road workers and others In many Oregon and Washington towns saying they will coma to Portland for the bear. Heanle Dealere raaalag. A bier delegation of Seattle automo kile dealers will come either on opening Bight or later in the week. Spokane and Tacoma probably will send delega tions. The motor-truck and farm tractor department of the show ara arousing much Interest among the farmers, who mora and more are turning to the motor-truck and the farm tractor to speed up food production, replace man power departing for the war and In crease the efficiency of their farm log work. Special ona and one-third round trip rate ta the automobile show on the certificate plan have been granted by the railroads from all Northwestern Mini. Th. Kiifrini.r nf nn. nr tickets pays full fare to Portland, but obtains a receipt which he presents at the show for validation. This receipt tben entitles him to return for only ae-tbird the regular fare. The coming show will be by long odds the greatest aver held In the Northwest. It is also the onlv show to be beid In the Northwest this year. Mora cars will be shown than ever be fore. Thirty-eight different makes of pas senger cars, it makes of motor-trucks and 11 makes of farm tractors will be shown. Several models of soma of the rare and trucks have been entered. There will be more than ! different passenger cars, at least Si trucks and probably li tractors. tare Better Tbaa V.vrr. Visitors to the automobile show this year will see the very finest In service able passenger cars, motor-trucks and fans tractors that the manufacturers can Produce. They will see how the third largest Industry In America has responded to the needs of wsr and made the motor car more economical, more serviceable, A rri-i nf nn- n fit I . h .- 1 ! there are any who have doubted j I "' ' whether the motor-car Is really easen- I J ; t at what they sea at the show will ' -- j " " ' . ' surely give them a new atutude and ! . " J ', a new realisation or me vital necessity I of the motor-car If America is to keep I up the industrial and commercial and I transportation pace necessary to win I the war. It Is. Indeed, true that w could do I without the automobile. We could also I do without the telephone, the telegraph. I tha electric light, the locomotive. But I who thinks of then as anything but I necessities? Suppose the use of the automobile I were stopped during th war. Suppose! the manufacturers were told to mak I no more cars To what would wa turn I to fill the place In transportation now I taken by tha automobile To the horse Tea. and wbera would I the horses come from, even supposing I ror a moment that they couid replace I the motorcar? Kor three years this country exported! every horse it could spare to the allies. I Now there is an actual horse shortage. I All the remaining horses are needed I for our Army. Harare Eat read Seeded! fee Mrs, Suppose again It were possible to I produce the millions yes, hundred I million horse necessary to take th I place of tb motorcar? What would I be left for the allies to eat? It takes I five acrra to raise foodstuff for one I horse and every horse less is Just that I mach gained In the race with the sub I marine. Tba matter of gasoline shortage. I which alone ha caused the use of I privately owned pssscnger cars to b I curtailed In Ungland and Franc, doe I not enter the question at all. Tiler 1 a gasoline shortage la America. That fallacy has lca o'ficiaUx ex- I - .L - i ' - f rr ... IN V n.t.n .vimwa.-l.r 1 k . i - ' I ? V - - .V 7 "1 ' V'-. S.-wl" .f ' l , ' et--" I , - . . , H tLl W M Ae"e-.e f v- 9 S - " " t ? N : I l.'-V. ' I f ' :J ; ' J WHO THEY ARE: I f ' " 'i t ! . r, 1 ! .' t, ? . :-.,.. . -1 H. H. (Bert) Ellag. Maaager I . f 'V " ' II 1 .'.: . ,. a ,...?. ' - a af Ovrrlsnd-Paclfle Branch la I & f, " S M h j f ' f I - L ''xf5 I Portland, pel I 4 f) a W J J " J 1-1 J " A rfrf-f 1. I I ' SI r.g.. -ta-ager t the P.- . , r 3 I I i a-" i. f fc .' - I I el He Hlaaelttar Company, D, If f f t - 1 - 1 x4 I' 4 . J? i ' t - II tredaclng G. K. Horn, of An- If, ' " if. If f 4 -i a; j f ?. .ti mr r i r, j ? i m i . " "X X " fl I .'v l Portlaad Motor Car Compaay, I If"" St? T s1 " ' V . A.. :''.J C. 1- Baas, Talklag l tieod f , : if If J ,1 , "''"N.- , 'I I Pelat af the Hndaoa, C, M. f 1 It' I I 1 '. .. . ' - ' - iV 4r4TT-X. V ; - I Measlea..of .Northwest Ante , ' I f I I 4 -I v- V - x I ...Vs.i cor.T,...;.T w. tt v - ' I E If I 1 - . V, 4 I H. ...gfard. -..berty aad 1 El f A 1 . a : VV 1 1 A".- ' I - We-tera Motor Car Com- I . artJ f .1 5 ? ' - I ( v. , ...r . . J I aaavt Edward E. Cahesi. at la . ? i li' v)- - f - "V - V . '7 --TlV . I Oldsblle C-a, ef Ore- I I - ' 1 la V 3 ' f" ";'' ; ' j Vti.awa. f Company, W. C. Garbe, af Or- I I ?'jt 1 ; 1 1 l I i I 71 e... M.,.r Car Compaay, l J H .'a 1 f I , i IV, . ... I t I aac Braan, of Braaa Meter II . f i .iVA 2s jp ? if 5 I r.r Company, Lee IV. Gilbert. I t ' 1 . 0Zf,H ?S f . . ' . .1 s, ' I New Harroan and Elal Til.- I - 1 " r '- H ' . " ' ' . I '. I I trlbator, Harry W.'Ljaa. of II"1 f-""V ' J i !j ' f T f .asspasi7P ueorge " . una, I t f t S e i . .jj I il 1 " I S---ot . ' , f I Manager Howard Aato Cam- i f I - I ' o'v::s-- ' II i- - Taas--sajfli r . t n' , ; ' a v ' - . ... --4 t ' I' ' -:;-. i f . 4-l';v' v r (.' I v.- -".s ' 1 f - -a? .il, - r" S XJ f " f , - - I ? jT -X ' f . I - v X 1 I'M . ! I t J ' ' 11 i f a r it 1 f '16 " . - S r J i i r 3 V -v. r-: k i f .... 1 1.1 I ' 11 f , :.'x- v- Nwi L i ! A ) tL L 3 KrS.2.r aX r '14 I f Nscs.- And Hark to tho Dealers Toll Owu Stories or Themselves, Tliclr Cars and Business, With All Censorship Rules Off. Portland automobile dealers have had! a pretty good year f it since the last,1 automobile show. More cars than ever! have been sold and If deliveries from the factories can only be maintained, 1918 will be a better year by far even than 1917. It is notable that the months of De cember and January, always tha Quiet est of the year, when a dealer figures that his books are certain to show en tries In the red. were better than has ever been the case. The people of. Oregron are good buy ers of motor cars. It is a state of ions distances and its people naturally take to automobiles. As tne roads are im proved the number of cars in the coun try districts will be greatly increased. The field has scarcely been tapped yet. The total number of motor vehicles for which lioenses were issued up to November 12, when Secretary of State Olcott closed the 1917 license series,' was. in round numbers, 48,700. Thisl is an average of one car to about 161 persons. Ship Workers Bay Cars. The extent to which the automobilel business was better in 1917 than m, 1916 Is Indicated by the number of new' cars sold in the state in each ot thosO years. In 191 10,542 new. cars were sold. In 1917 he number was 14,914, an increase of considerably, better than' 40 per cent. The principal reason for this in crease was, of course, the tact mac business conditions generally in Oregon.! were more healthy than in the previous year, when the state was just getting on its feet again after a long spell of depression. In 1917 the wheat farmers ana tne. stockmen got good prices for their wheat and wool for the third year in a' row. Those who had not already bought cars hurried to do so. In Port-1 land and other cities of the state the industrial prosperity brought on through operation of shipyards and other war activities and the resulting large payrolls opened the market for a great many more cars. The day has passed when the motor car is only for the very rich. One of tha best fields for the sale of low-priced cars this last year in rortiana -was among the workers in the shipyards. The same conditions that livened up the automobile market so well in 1917 are working this year, only to greater extent. The question of selling a large number of cars this year depends en tirely on the number of cars dealers can get from their factories. Dealers Tell Who's Who. Rail transportation is the 'big factor,. though at the same time there has been a curtailment outright of about 40 per' cent in the number of automobiles man ufactured- If the railroads can brine: the cars to Oregon the dealers will sell them. Every additional car sold in Portland or the state outside is that much added to the. resources of this state of much mileage, where one man n an automobile can accomplish sev eral times the work of one not so equipped. Portland Is favored by naving an ex. ceptionaliy active and live set of men in its automobile row. f or tne most part they are young men and there Isn't a really old. one among them, nor slow one. Heretofore it has been a sort of fine old annual custom to tell something about these dealers along about show time. This year The Oregonlan is re versing the custom, instead or tewing about the dealers it is letting the deal ers tell about themselves. The censorship rules are on: for this occasion. Anything a dealer wants to say about himself or about his car goes this once, if he can get it into 300 words. Starting off with Howard M. Covey, as dean of the automobile men in Port land from point of service, who doesn t use his full 300 words in telling about note what the boys have to say about their favorite automobile dealer n this and following pages: H. M. Covey By Himself. Dodge and Cadlllae Distributer, Dean of Portland's Ants Dealers, Has Handled I'adillae since "One Lung" Days ot 1905. w Y AUTOMOBILE business was started in February, 1905, at the northwest corner of Lownsdale and Alder streets. And "it happens to be my good fortune to have survived to the point where I am now me oiaest dealer in Portland in length of service. The business has not been a bed of roses, as many of the public have been Inclined to believe. I have seen many dealers come and go, which goes to Drove my point. What measure of suc cess I have had I attribute to my good care in selAtion of cars to sell and the continuous and conscientious "effort so to conduct the business as to merit the good opinion of my customers. My first experience in selling cars was with the famous "one-lung Cad illac of 1905. It certainly is a far cry from that day to the present, and tbe present Cadillac illustrates the won derful progress made in the industry as well as anything could. I gained quite a bit of publicity and somewhat of a reputation as a driver by winning the Portland Auto Club 60- mile road race in 1909 and. 1910. I drove a Cadillac on both occasions. In the Spring of 1911 I moved to my present location, which I believe I can safely say is the largest and most com plete garage, sales and service station the Northwest, employing approxi mately 75 people. COLD WATER AND CVUXDERS It They Are Too Hot, Sudden Cold May Crack Them. In the main there is no danger in pouring cold water into the cooling system of the engine, no matter how hot the latter may be. But if so much of the water has been lost that the tops of the cylinders are uncovered, the engine should be allowed to cool off before the water system Is filled. The reason is obvious; if cold water is poured directly on the hot cylinders where they are exposed, there is dan ger of cracking them, owing to the con traction due to the rapid cooling effect o the water, t