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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1922)
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 12, 1923 AUTO STAGE LIES HANDSOME HOME OF COLUMBIA TIRE CORPORATION IN KENTON IS RAPIDLY DRAWING TO COMPLETION. i ' MOTOR WORLD HAS EYES ON FRANCE 5 Tl Washington State Controls . Great Motor System. New Ideas Are Obtained at Great Show in Paris. cMotor Cars LAW PROVES EFFECTIVE NEW FEATURES FOUND Rules and Regulations Include All l'huses of Transportation and Safeguard Patrons. Decrease in Engine Size, High Rotative Speed Are Among Striking Points. OC.H.W. Ce. 1 IRC IB WILLS SMIE CLAIRE isN Imp!?" ifvrxf ' ' BY SAM L. CRAWFORD. OLYMPIA, Wash., Nov. 11. "All the world s on stages." This Is almost literally true of that part of the world which is western Washington, where some thing: like 500 motor vehicles, rang ing: In passenger capacity from 8 to 35 persons, are In dally operation. In the state of Washington there are nearly 700 such stages operating, making approximately 1100 trips week days and 1200 Saturdays, Sun days and holidays. ' Theee stages are owned and op erated by nearly 200 individuals, firms and corporations and naturally their control and regulation, with a guarantee of good service and fair rates, must be vested in some part of the state government. The task in Washington falls to the lot of the department of public works, tender a law passed at the 1921 session of the state legislature. In the first year of this law, the department found it necessary to blaze many trails and pioneer much new territory in the motor vehicle transportation field, as Washington was among the first states to attempt any organized reg ulation of business of this character. Good Faith Important Factor. First,1 there was the question of "good faith" operation which the legislature defined as .an operation carried on in good faith January 15. 1921, the object of this being that certificates of punlic convenience and necessity should be issued to all operators who were regularly in the business that date regardless of competive conditions. After that came the question of convenience and necessity warrant ing the establishment of new or ad ditional service. To the extent that existing stage lines, railroads and steamboat lines served the needs of communities for transportation, they received protection from further competition. Many instances have arisen where in the department has found that the transportation afforded by railroads and steamboat lines was insufficient for the needs of growing communi ties, and the older carriers being un willing to grant increased service a motor vehicle operation has been au thorized. Rate wars have been avoided by giving the department jurisdiction over the tariffs of the motor vehlcU carriers, but by the same action rates which would pay more than a fair profit to the operator and exact an unfair toll from the passenger, have been avoided. Average Rate 5.0 Cent". - The one-way mileage of all pas senger stages In the stte of Wash ington up to September was 5378.5 and this entire mileage could be traversed on an expenditure of $302.69, making the average rate the jnlle 5.8 cents. This average rate is considerably higher for the state than it would be for western Wash ington alone, because some of the stages in eastern Washington travel ing through heavy snows in winter and over only partly improved roads in summer afre of necessity charging much higher fares than are charged for the same distance on the west side. The result of a little more than a year of regulation has been the stablizing of the industry to a re markable degree. Better equipment, more reliable schedules and safer operation, are the three features of stage service in which there has been notable improvement within the year. While the development of the stage systems undoubtedly has taken considerable business from the rail lines, the heaviest effect on other carriers has been on the pri vate cats. Before the advent of the eater and more dependable stage service that has developed with reg ulation, many persons used their own cars at considerably greater cost in preference to patronizing the stages. In the Western part of the state, where concrete roads and limousine type cars have made pos sible the highest type of stage serv ice, many individuals who formerly relied on tie private car are now -using stage serv'ce for all ordinary travel. Went Has More Vehicles. Comparing the number of stage lines in eastern and western Wash ington Bhows the greater number west of the Cascade mountains, and particularly In the Puget sound section. The extent to which motor transportation has developed around Puget sound may be judged from the fact that out of 203,583 motor ve hicle licenses issued for the current year, up to September 1, 1922, total ing fees to the amount of $3. 177,766, 26.31 per cent was collected in K'ng county, 10.04 per cent from Pierce county, 4.S0 per cent from Snohom ish county, and 3.13 per cent from Grays Harbor county, wherein are located the largest cities of western Washington. The Washington regulatory act, which became effective June 1921, embodies a clearly stated policy of protecting operating rights by re fusing permits for parallel serv'ce unless actual public convenience and necessity can be shown. However, when the law was passed many motor stage lines were already op erating and the legislature con cluded that the only fair plan was to authorize the granting of cer tificates to all those who were op erating "In good faith," made Jan uary 15, 1921. This was done upon the affidavit as to "good faith" made by two reputable witnesses. The extent to which stage business had developed prior to the time the act became effective is shown by the fact of 181 stage lines now operating under certificates, 85 per cent were granted on showing of "good faith" operation January 15, 1921. Service Sometimes Duplicated. The "good-faith" certificates were issued, of course, to many lines that duplicated service over the same route. There seemed to be no fair way to eliminate this duplicate service at the outset. Hence there were, for example, 13 "good-faith" certificates granted for the run be tween Seattle and Everett and 12 between Seattle and Tacoma. With out interference or suggestion from the department of public works, both of these routes have now only a single system. As in this case, so it has been on nearly all the routes where com petitive operation existed at first. In some instances the weaker, less efficient organizations could not II IS St . ITAttl I w I I IT g----' L l "TW J I give service that was popular enough to be profitable, and In other cases enterprising operators got to gether when they found more profit in co-operation than in competition. From whatever cause. It is notable that, although each competing line had full legal right to continue, in most cases competition has now ceased with resulting material im provement in both service and equip ment. One of the big problems in Wash ington now Is the regulation of "for-hire" cars or "taxicabs," ac cording to E. V. Kuykendall, di rector of the department. The term "auto transportation company," as defined in the present law, spe cifically excludes the operation of "taxicabs," The term "taxicab," as used in the present law, has not been interpreted by the state su preme court. ' Conflicting opinions are held with respect to the extent that "for-hire" cars or "taxicabs" may be allotted to Interfere or operate over a route covered by a certificate of public convenience and necessity. No RcKnonaihllity Ansumed. The "for-hire" cars and "taxi cabs" do not operate "between fixed terminals or over a regular route" on a fixed schedule of time or rates, says Director Kuykendall. They do not file tariffs showing rates, neither are the vehicles covered by insurance policy or surety bond on file with the department for thfi protection of the public. They as sume no responsibility for regular or continuous service, despite the fact that they cut into the revenue of the regular certified carrier. The first insurance policies or surety bonds filed with the depart ment; under the provisions of the present law, described each in dividual vehicle which such policy or surety bond covered. Thi3 was not satisfactory because of break downs, emergencies and unusual de mands for transportation, making it frequently necessary to hastily get out new insurance policies or surety bonds, or to operate Illegally the cars pressed into service. In order to correct this the department adopted a form of indorsement for insurance policies and a form of surety bond commonly known as "blanket coverage," which covers all motor vehicles operated by the named auto transportation company under and by virtue of its certificate of public convenience and necessity. This allows the substitution of in dividual cars and is of great con venience to the auto transportation company In handling Its equipment, and furnishes the public tire protec tion contemplated by the law. Safety Requirements Beneficial. , The insurance and bonding re quirements have proved to be very much to the benefit of the public In the main and as tending to el'ml narte the "fly-by-night" operators, which Is not considered as a loss. However,, the insurance require ments have doubtless worked to some disadvantage in the case of small operations, particularly in thinly settled districts. If proper distinction was made with refer ence to the vehicles operated ex clusively over the route of the cer tificate holder, where such route Is In a remote district, where the traf fic hazard is comparatively low, the premium for such insurance should be materially lower than that for the operation in the thickly settled region, it Is held. It Is also con tended that the minimum coverage set out in the present law should be materially reduced In the rural or remote districts. Under the present system, the premium for insurance or bond is based upon practically the same hazard that has been figured out for motor vehicles which may travel to all parts of the country, particularly in larger cities whre traffic hazards are high. Still another difficulty not yet remedied is the amount of fees paid by stage operators to the depart ment of public works, which is sup posed to cover the cost of their reg ulation. This fee is now based on each vehicle operated, depending upon the passenger seating capacity. There is no convenient and econom ical way to keep a check on the substitution of vehicles used for short periods, in emergencies or un usual temporary demands for trans portation, hence, it is suggested that an Improvement would be the bas ing of fees to be paid by each auto transportation company on a per centage of gross operating revenues, same to be paid quarterly. This, it is believed, would simplify the rec ords and reduce, to some extent, the cost of supervising and allow . the auto ' transportation company more freedom in handling its equipment to meet Immediate needs for trans portation. The rules and regulations adopted by the department of public works governing the operation of auto transportation companies under cer- p 3I dill UMBimMi I i ? - j, 1 i Above View of eastern portion of new tire manufacturing plant, the home of Portland's newest industrial enterprise. The plant face on Columbia bouievard and in about half way between the Union avenue and the Denver avenue approaches to the interstate bridge. The rear of the plant l adjacent to the main freisht line of the O.-W. H, fc N. company, and a spur, shown in the foreground of the picture, has already been built to the plant to bring In crude rubber, cotton and other anppliea going? into the manufacture of the tire. Center Closer view of the eat-t aide nines of the main huilillnn, of which there are four, each two stories in height and built entirely of 'reinforced con'; crete and steel sash windoxvs. At the right is shown; stile1 power plant now being: constructed, which will provide steam for. the srreat vut ranlzers in which the tires will be "cooked." Below Okie corner of the interior of the first floor, showinit sriant vuicanlxer being; put into place. This is one of several such vulcaiitxers to be inntalled In the plant to handle its prospective output of 500 tires and 500 tubes per day. Much of the machinery for the new plant, which is of the latest approved design, is of such weight that foundations of solid concrete 1- to IS feet in depth have been sunk to hold them. tlficates of public convenience and necessity, are considered very com plete and tend toward the comfort and safety of the traveling public. No unnecessary burdens are placed upon the auto transportation com pany and they contain nothing that an up-to-date legitimate stage com pany operated on a business basis cannot comply with. Among some of the most import ant things are: Thirty days' notice to the department nd to the public effecting chances In time schedules or rates, unless special authority is given by the department. All passenger carrying vehicles must ba equipped with: At least one extra serviceable tire. One fire extinguisher of type approved by underwriters' laboratories. A standard speedometer. A suitable heating system sufficient to keep the vehicle reasonably comfortable. Drivers aifl not allowed to smoke while driving, and are prohibited from driving more than a maximum of ten driving hours in any 24-hour period, with eight consecutive hours rest in each i4-hour period. No passenger carrying vehicle may be operated wUh a trailer or other vehicle attached, unless specially authorised by the department. Front Seat Is Emergency. The rules consider the front seat an "emergency seat" and prohibit passengers from riding thereon until all other seats hi the stage are oc- I cupied. Each stage Is required to carry in a conspicuous place on each side, and in letters at least two inches high, the letters W. D. P. W. followed by the number of the certi ficate of publlo convenience and neceslty granted the operator for the route which the vehicle , s marked is to operate. All accidents resulting in injury to any person or In damage to prop erty to exceed the sum of $50 must be Immediately reported to the de partment in writing. - The department has adopted a uniform system of accounting for all auto transportation companies, divided into three classes, a8 follows: Class A Unincorporated whose average annual gross revenue te in excess of t-3.000. Class B Unincorporated whose average annual gross revenue is $25,000 or less. Class C All incorporated regardless of average annual erating revenue. Auto transportation companies are required to file their annual reports with the department on or before April 1 of each year as of the 31st day of the proceeding December, on form prescribed and furnished by the department. Replacing a Rim. 1 To replace a rim on the wheel tighten one lug a little, then the one opposite a little, and so on until all are snugly in place. companies operating companies operating companies gross op- NEW YORK, Nov. 11. While the motor car industry in the United --tates has far outstripped the rest cf the world, the engineers still look to France, the birthplace of the industry, for new ideas. The annual Paris automobile show is therefore visited by- many Ameri can manufacturers and this year they discovered much of interest in the woy of new developments. The most significant trend abroad, 'as indicated by the Paris show which was recently held, is the production of small cars of 10 and . 12 horsepower, but said to be extremely efficient. This is due to the high taxes based on horse power and the high cost of fuel abroad and it Is not likely to be reflected immediately in the United States. It was noted that there was a tendency toward ' higher prices. Commenting upon the mechanical aspects of tie Paris show, W. F. Bradley, writing to Automotive In dustries, says: "The show embodies many points- worthy of close engineering study. Its most pronounced tendencies are a decrease in engine size, high rota tive speed made possible by lighter reciprocating parts including, in particular, the extensive use of aluminum pistons. Some magne sium pistons are in evidence. There is a great increase in the number of overhead valve engines being used in sport cars. The progress made by battery ignition last year has been arrested, magneto ignition having recovered some lost ground. Four Cylinders Dominate. "Four-cylinder engines dominate the show. The Fiat is the only 12 cylinder model exhibited. There are no new eight-cylinder jobs shown and there Is very little production on the eights already in existence. Some gains have been made by the six-cylinder engines, but they have been of little importance and have been confined to engines in which the piston displacement is 122 cubic inches or less. "Four-wheel brakes are being used far more extensively than ever be fore. The. Parrot system alone is used on 35 makes. The Adex sys tern is used by three firms, while the Isotta Fraschini and similar types are employed on about dozen different cars. In addition to these, there are about 20 Individual types of front brakes now applied by conservative firms of high repu tation, such as Unic, De Dion, De launay-Belleville, Hotchkiss and Renault. Front wheel brakes are also found on small cars with a piston displacement as low as 9.1 cubic inches. 'In addition to the large number of firms now using four-wheel brakes as standard equipment many others announce them as op tional equipment. When front brakes are fitted they are usually operated by the foot. Hand brakes operating on the propeller shaft are still used, but in many cases have been abandoned altogether. There is some tendency to do away with rear wheel brakes. This practice is the result of racing experience. The hydraulic brake system has not made any progress. "Considerable attention has been given to changes in the construc tion of the rear spring suspension, No single type predominates but th-j cantilever and semi-elliptic types are -strongly in evidence and About equally divided. Several unconven tional spring suspension types have made their appearance, one of these being a combined hydraulic and coil Spring. This is somewhat similar to the type of front springs on the Lancia frameless chassis. The prac tice of building shock absorbers as an integral part of the chassis is becoming more pronounced. Poppet Valve Engines Lead. "Poppet valve engines dominate the field, although Panhard has continued its sleeve valve engine and has dropped all poppet valve) models. Mors, Minerva and Voisin also continue to use sleeve valve engines. Peugeot has added one sleeve valve type and Is also pre paring to market the special two stroke cycle sernl-Dlesel type en gine for passenger car work. Big- nan has placed on the market thia year a valve gear which positively opens and closes the valves. "The great demand for economy in operation has been responsible for considerable work in connection with high speed engineB of the over head valve type with small piston displacement. Speeds of 3000 revo iutlons per minute for normal type engines are quite common. Sixty sever, per cent of all the cars made by continental manufacturers are fitted with aluminum pistons. " lu developing valve-in-head engines continental designers have favored the location of the camshaft in the crankcase. This construction ap pears in a majority of cases. The overhead type of camshaft generally is used on tne more expensive cars. although there are some exceptions. Flat, for instance, has produced a high grade six-cylinder valve-in head engine with the camshaft in the crankcase." FIVE-PASSENGER COUPE IS LATEST ADDITION TO STUBEBAKER LINE. sa----g-;i 1 ! .3 A m vw- '4-MSMtftWtSy 3 f v 1 f JS -.? - -..f.vs- L JvV''- - '"-' - - Xi- "w. : '-...if; . K,-,SWi - Z '4,ikaJ.-'-lS8 Photograph of new bis; six model, the first shipment of which is expected here within if few days by the John K. Leauder company, local Studebaker dealers. The new coupe hns a two-door body, and is arranged to hold five paxxen-cer by havlnK a wide rear seat for three, a separate driver's seat and another front seat, which folds back to allow ready access to the rear. The car Is finished with all the .usual equip ment and accessories of the Studebaker closed models. OREGON TRAIL LOGGED (Continued From First Page. ) under contract for grading and rock sur facing, grading practically completed, surfacing wen underway. Kamela to Ora Del 18.8 miles, sur faced with broken atone. Ora Dell to La Grands One mile, old road being. usd pending future elimina tion of a grade croselng. La Grande to Lone Pine Five miles, paved. . Lone Pine to Union 12 miles, surfaced with broken stone or gravel. Within City of Baker 1 mile, paved Baker to Baker-Malheur County Line South of Huntington 49.5 miles, under contract for grading and eurfacing,, erad ing practically complete, aurfacing 50 per cent complete. Malheur County Line to point opposite vveiser, idano ii.o miles graded -and under contract for surfacing. Surfacing ot per cent complete. Weiaer to Ontario 14.5 mileB, surfaced with broken stone ajid gravel. Ontario to Idaho State Line 1.4 miles, paved, - Maxwell Controls Chalmers. The new Maxwell organization in Detroit has taken another step to ward the final acquisition of the Chalmers Motor Car company, through the appointment of D. E. Hutchinson, the treasurer of the Maxwell corporation, as receiver for the Chalmers. This Haves the Max well corporation still in charge of the Chalmers company, which it ha What Do You Want In a Motor Car? "Its power is astonishing. During my entire stay in the East I do not recall a single hill which the car " could not negotiate on h'igh gear. It seems to me the Wills Sainte Claire makes an ideal automobile to own." v A- B. Dewey, Jr. Northern 'Trust Company, Chicago, HL What do you want in a motor car? What IS "The Car You Always Have Hoped For?" Power in abundance at your in stant command Roadability that smooths the roughest roads and that gives to you a sense of , security and comfort hitherto ' unapproached that enables you to ride fromsun up to sun down without fatigue and that gives to you an exhiliration and thrill never before experienced in any motor car. When C. Harold Wills designed the Wills Sainte Claire he prom ised a new experience in motor ing And the Wills Sainte Claire is expressing in actual perform ance a realization of the promised The eight cylinder, V-shaped motor with its overhead valves and cams, the Mo-lyb-den-um steel construction, the perfec tion of balance of the car, the exact proportioning of wheelbase to weight, the specially designed springs, together with rare beau ty of design and richness of finish these are some of the things that make the Wills Sainte Claire "The Car You Always Have Hoped For." The IS'ew Enclosed Models- are now on display. We invite you to see them ride in them experience for yourself the thrill of Wills Sainte Claire performance. Chas. C. Fagan Co., Inc. Ninth at Burnside Broadway 4693 ill, -aria'-- - - operated under lease for several yeijrs. This latest step is one neces sary to conform to legal procedure In finally obtaining full ownership of the Chalmers by the new Max well organization. This information was conveyed in a telegram received by H. M. Covey, local Maxwell dealer, and is a step carrying out land production tntistlcs gives rlsa plans of which he was told on a re-1 to the prophecy that the motor truck cent trip to the factories of the new i industry will jump into the billion Maxwell In Detroit. dollar class before the end of the - - year. Xot counting supplies and Truck Business Jumping. accessories, production A recent review of rejrlstratlon I $2ri0.nno nno. it is estimated that the value alone will reach Tit r wEk' -.jf ' $1075 at Portland, including war tax. Buick "Four" Also Drives Through the Third Member Whether it is a Four or a Six, every Buick measures up to the same rigid Buick standards of design and construc tion. Whatever is Buick, is Buick throughout. The Buick Four, like the Buick Six, drives through the torque tube third member on the axle. Buick springs only support the body and ensure easy riding. A Buick rear spring, accidentally broken, cannot mis-align the axle and tie you up on the road. This design is generally found only on high-priced cars. The Buick Line for 1923 Comprises 14 Models The rnctfle Const Prices Including; War Tax. FOlH-CYLIDEH MODELS ROADSTER, 2-passenger $1050 -Touring. 5-passenger. . $1075 uoupe, J-passenser $138.1 Sedan, 5-passenger $1625 Touring Sedan, 5-passenger. .. $1540 SIX-CXIDER MODELS Touring Sedan, 5-passenger $2210 Roadster, 2-passenger $1400 Touring. 5-passenger $1425 Sedan, 5-passenger $2270 Coupe, 4-passenger $21S0 Touring, 7-passenger jl90 Sedan, 7-passenger $2495 tiport Roadster, 3-passenger. . .$1890 Sport Touring, 4-passenger. .. .$1915 Howard Automobile Company LARGEST DISTRIBUTORS OF AUTOMOBILES IN THE WORLD. ' TWELFTH AND ALDER STREETS ' BROADWAY 1130. WHEN BETTER AUTOMOBILES ARE BUILT. BUICK WILL BUILD THEM