The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972, May 16, 1915, Image 21

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The Oregon daily journal., May 16, 1915, Page 21, Image 21

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Newspaper Page TextTHE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 16. 1915. UNIFORM POLICY OF SERVICE IS URGED BY OREGON DISTRIBUTOR Need of Public Education on This Point , Strongly Em ' phasized by F, C. Riggs, REPAIR WORK IS FEATURE SIGNS PLACED IN. 1911 ALONG SNOQUALMIE PASS REMOVED All M&snfactnren WIU Adopt Xt When zt Xm Proved Bnocessful, Declares aa Expert. At the luncheon of the. Portland Automobile Trade association, Thurs day i noon, atl the Commercial club. ; Frank C, Riggs, Oregon distributor for Packard and Jeffrey cars, ; intro ! duced the mueh discussed problem of fcerviee. Mr. iRiggs pointed out the i need of public education on this im portant subject and indicated that, in Justice to themselves and their busi ness, the automobile fraternity: must .sooner or latef adopt a uniform serv ice poljcy.- said, in part: i - "The term Tservice' was adopted by motor car companies in the early, im perfect days of motor car development, when manufacturers were all ex ceedingly sensitive on the subject of repairs. It would have been better, I feel sure, to have handled 4he situa tion straight tout from the shoulder, calling- repair; departments by; their right names. Three Branches Covered. "The term 'service' at present covers three branches; of work, as I see it. "First, trie correction, at the nian- uncjurera expense, 01 aerects m ma teria or workmanship, for which the .manufacturer is properly held ac countable. "Second, the "repair of vehicles thai have deteriorated through use or' abuse. Third, an indefinite something be yond legitimate repair work which is performed, gratis for the purpose of showing the broad gauged good will of, the motor car manufacturer toward the owners of vehicles. "The good will element of service varies widely with different manu facturers, and even with the differ ent dealers of the same manufacturer. It is supposed to cultivate a multi tude of things the manufacturer will do gratis for anyone who purchases Ills vehicles, and which he is under no -obligation, morally or otherwise, to perform, but , which he does or agrees to do because it will make his patrons talk of his liberality; in other words, it is. good advertising. "I think it is. correct to' say, there fore, that 'service' consists essentially Of repair work and advertising:. . "In .the absence of specific prom ises to his patrons the manufacturer's obligation extends only to the point of delivering to his patrons cars or trucks of .his standard. Of material and workmanship. There is no ob ligation upon him to deliver a perfect vehicle, especially since such a ve hicle has probably not yet been de vised: But there is a strong; oblU nation to deliver to patrons that qual ity of material and workmanship which he has previously j established as his standard of excellence. r-- ,v:':- te',4f i -4 STUDEBAKER PEOPLE PAINT OUT SIGNS ON SNOQUALMIE TRAIL Aftermath of Greaf Endur ance Run Comes as Result of GTovernment's Request. GREAT CHANGE IS FOUND Boad Wow 70 to 80 reet. Below Pa ti Broken by Patoflnder la 1911. ' ' "Beyond this point, we are under jo moral obligation and what we may do additional constitutes the advertising- element of . service. Up to the point where moral obligation ends and service for advertising purposes begins there should . be little difference of opinion among: us. But when we en ter the good will or advertising, ele ment we vary widely in promise' and performance. , Is there any common ground which it is advisable for all lng it to be true, as I believe it la, that evfery one of us is quite willing to fro the full length of his moral ob ligation?. "Assuming that we have delivered to an owner a vehicle fully up to our standard, the amount of service he Is satisfied with depends in general, wholly upon what he has been led to expect. You well know, from experi ence, that your dealer who promises the most to his owners is not neces sarily the dealer who has the most satisfied owners. It is not even true that theJdealef who actually does the most for his patrons is the one who has the most satisfied owners. The fact seems clearly - to - be that that dealer baa the greatest proportion f pleased users who, at the time of making his sales, explicitly and care fully makes It unmistakably known to his patrons exactly what they will receive in the way of free service and who thereafter promptly and effi ciently makes good his promises. "It" is a truism that cannot be de nied that in the long run patrons are better satisfied to pay a fair price for service work, if it is done imme diately the. need develops, and if it Is thoroughly well done at the first effort, than with careless, slipshod repair work, for which no charge is made. "No other branch of industry with which I am familiar gives, as a gen eral proposition, so much in the way of free service as "our own automo bile business. "What kind of service is promised you when you buy a yacht, or a gun, or a locomotive, an installation fpr your power plant, machine tools, an elevator or what not? In all 'of these lines we expect the manufac turer to make good if he 'sells, us an article that is below his established standard of excellence. Also, we know perfectly well that if we ask him to do ; anything more, we . shall expect to pay the bill for time and materi alsj and a reasonable profit. Custom has educated us what to expect and we accept the result without any feel ing but that it is only fair and right to pay the bill. Uniformity Xm Trgred. "Some of the troubles connected with service grow out of the diffi culty of maintaining uniformity in the various dealers' establishments and among the various manufacturers. The case is found frequently in every city, where a new dealer locates and starts in to create a clientele. - In order to quickly secure a following, he makes large promises as to the lib erality of this service, and for a time, at any rate, , he does give more than other established dealers can afford to give. The pressure is very strong upon the established dealers to meet the attractive service conditions dan gled before the public eye by the newcomer. So, temporarily, in that town, a new standard of service is established, which cannot be perma nently maintained because the margins of the business will not permit It., "Another condition that makes against uniform service is the almost irresistible temptation of the dealer to favor the influential owner. "Education is what is badjy needed education along broad lines of fair and uniform dealing, untainted by in fluence or pressure. "At. the beginning of our existence we were very liberal indeed. I could cite you many instances of free re pairs after three or four years use of the car but gradually it became borne in upon us that what was given for nothing was not appreciated, and only whetted the appetite for more. The gratuitous element- of service work in a large measure, lost its ad vertising value because many others promised a great deal more than we could possibly perform. The second hand trading problem loomed large on the horizon, margins narrowed, and we realized that it was time to re form our service policy upon a busi ness basis.jinder which we would fully and completely discharge all of our moral obligations to our patrons, and even go somewhat beyond that for good measure, but also, on the other hand, to definitely limit the gratis work expected of us. Sew Policy Complete. "The basis of : our new policy was a complete, thorough advance under standing with our owners as to just what we would and would, not do. We have not restricted our written ser vice policy from what it was before. Top, left to right P. E. Sands painting out sign . onjshore of ,ake Keechelus; Lake Keechelus, We natchee National park, on Smoque Pass road. The government is employing 600 men making dam -which will raise level of lake 60 feet. Bottom Newly constructed convict built road. for. And the new policy 'we' have proven will,; if firmly adhered to, hold all our friends and, at the isame time, put our service ; departments on the right side of the ledger. "Can manufacturers adopt a stand ard service policy? Of course they can, but they wont, probably, until the absolute necessity is brought home to them through the financial showing of their dealers. It will come in time as a matter of self preservation. I hope it will come soon, because the margin of profit from the manufac ture and sale of gasoline vehicles is narrowing rapidly under the intensive competition "I believe all" manufacturers are ready to adopt a standard service pol icy as soon as they s are shown one that- is in successful operation and which of bei SPEGULA1N ORD Fi 1916 PRICES IS RIFE Some Declare That Produc tion of 500,000 Makes Reduction Possible. There is much speculation now as to what the price of the Fords will be for the 1916 fiscal year. Some have It that a the s in successful operation ana tne J916 fiscai year. Some haTe ,t th. is fair to owners and possible 50o,000 will be turned out, making ng carried out by the dealers, j price reductlon corresponding to tt UJr "i'c,,m !cut of ,agt year possible, policy indicates that i we have taken , gome day whe"n FonJ getg a long airy i.i auvAHuc j . u snumub I building assembly plants, it e:eieiii iautiB.auu """';(j0 making complete cars in in " ,V ent factory here, but will si that we want to change it. I don t art tn . -s-mw, , mean that we have had no trouble in introducing i it. Any change brings complications but the difficulties have not been serious and . the policy has 'teen successful in every case where the dealer has really tried to establish it." Dr. Strong Asks More Men. Washington. Jlay 15.-An appeal for reinforcements to aid in the campaign aeainst typhus and cholera in Serbia has been cabled to the American Ked l'i oss jieudquai ters here by Dr. Richard, P. Strong, head of the American com mission sent to Serbia by I the Red I Cross, in' co-operation with the Rocke- As a matter of fact we have enlarged s feller t oundation. At least 1 1 o more it. The essential difference is that i Physicians, ) medical inspectors and we have cut out indefiniteness by a fourth-year students are needed to car clear, concise definition of what we ! ry on the work; and hospital supplies will do gratis and what we will charge are badly wanted. PORTLAND FIRM HAS NOVEL SALES" EXH I BIT tired of will aban- the par- mply pro n the ter ritory in which they are sold. " While this is merely speculation; it has been voiced several times as an opinion toy business men. Word "Used" Urged As an Injustice Term "Exchanged" Motorcycle Za Pre ferred by Edward Irwin of the Day ton Cycle Comany. "Tn speaking of the used motorcycle." said Kd Irwin of the Dayton Cycle Co., I have given the proposition con siderable thought and have decided that the term "used" -motorcycle should be The aftermath of the great Stude-1 baker endurance run to Hazelton, B. C, made by P. E. Sands, the Seattle man- j ager of the Studebaker corporation, in ! 1 1911, when he vtook one of the little Flanders 20' s" over an unbroken trail Into the wilds of the north for a dis- tance of more than 1200 miles, was ; enacted a. few -weeks ago when the de- j partment of agriculture, Washington, j D. C?., requested the f Studebaker people I to. eliminate the, great signs they had painted on the rocks through the for- ;est reserve of SnoqUalmie pass and the Wenatchee national park. P. K. Sands, who is now head of the Waterhouse-Sahds - Motors company, jlhc, of Seattle, selling agent of the 'Studebaker, on a lsit to Portland last week to. consult Mr. Brown, northwest manager of the Studebaker interests. related a few of the Incidents in con nection with the recent trip made through the national parks for the pur Ipose of painting out the signs he had ! placed on the cliffs in 1911 when mak ing the trip to I laze Hon. Bequest to Paint Oat Sign. About two months ago, Mr. Sands re ceived a request-from the factory to take a crew of men and paint out the signs he had placed through Snoqual mie pass and Wenatchee park. After racking his brain considerably he was able to remember only one great cliff overlooking Lake Keechelus,-. where it had taken them a half a day to scale the side of the cliff and paint the sign, "Studebaker, Kirst to Hazelton, B. C. So after thorough preparations for (undoing his advertising stunt, a party Iheaded by Sands left Seattle several ,' weeks ago and Journeyed up the raoun tain sides painting out'slgns every few 'miles that had cost much ' time and . labor. In fact, Mr. Sands can't remem-a i ber painting as many signs as they, had'; Jto unpaint. He said it looked as if the big "Studebaker, First to Hazel ton, B. C," met him "face to face. Siena Nov Hirh.TTp. . On account of the great amount of new road construction through this section since 1911, in many places the t signs were 70 " or 80 feet above the roadbed now, while when the Stude baker car went over in 1911 the same spot was only a few feet above the road and the signs could be easily painted from ' the seat of the machine. After several days' hard work the work of eliminating the markers was accomplished and the party returned to Seattle. However. Mr. Sands was much ! pleased with his second trip over the road, as he says it will only be a short while until the. road through this sec tion will be In fine shape for touring. He was greatly impressed with the fine grades and wide road being cori- Snoqualmie. At Lake Unheralded Car in -Lists for Honors Barrooa Special acakea Its Data a Contender la . Xnteraatioxial , Sweep , stakes. One. of the many surprises follow ing the closing of entries in the 600 mile International sweepstakes at In dianapolis is the appearance in the field of an unheralded car. the Har- roun Special, As may be inferred, this car is from the design of Ray Har- roun, chief engineer of the Maxwell Motor company, incorporated. The en try has been made by Mr. narroun personally, ,Tom Orr. I experimental engineer of the Maxwell company, be ing named to drive. The car is now being tuned for the race with the other three entries, made' some time ago. While differing from the other cars in several interior details, the Harroun Special is along exterior libes that are virtually identical. It was built in the Maxwell shops and in lines and dimen sions was originally' one of the family of quadruplets designed to represent Maxwell in the 300 cable Inch class events. : Several weeks ago. however, it was taken over by Chief Engineer Harroun, who installed ' in it a trans mission of his own, along with several other experimental ideas he had devel oped during the time that the other cars were being built.; While this car will- race as a Hairoun Special at In dianapolis, it is more, than possible that at later meets In the season It will resume Maxwell- ownership, and nomenclature. " i . '";' ACOMA'S SPEEDWAY IMPROVEMENTS ARE COMPLETED ALMOST Boards 2x4 Laid ion Sides Half tnch Apart Is New Feature for Racing Tracks changed to "exchanged" motorcycle. The word "used," in my estimation,. does not give the machine justice and structed over in reality is unfair to the motorcycle Keechelus the government has 600 men Decause ail 01 tne macnines mat are . working building a dam across the taken in on new machines are usually lower end of the lake, which win raise only a year or so old In model and this body of water some 60 feet When besides the machines of recent years completed It win act as a storage basin have become ho substantially built ! ior the entire yakima valley. The Tak that the average life, of them is from'inja, river is the outlet of the lake, five to seven years and, as a general j Mr. Sands also Vtatd while In Port.- 4 rule, the owner being desirous of a iand that the Seattle automobile deal- later model with a few newer improve- er8 hotel men expected at least ments, buys the new machine only for 2000 eastern tourists to cross the that and not for the reason that the northern trail and tour the Pacific old one he Is exchanging on a new ma- i northwest before visiting San Fran chine is not giving- entire satisfac- ldsco and the expositions. Especially tton. So if all the dealers would co- now that Yellowstone park will be open operate and accustom themselves to tqr aut0mobiles August 1. It will be a using the word! exchanged motor-1 gat drawing card for the northern cycles it would eliminate the impres- rouje . . i pion of the used ; machine being a pile , m - ' . of junk and get: away from the sec-! T . . . ,. . . - ' ond-hand idea. Every machine that is Live beware allowed in the mails vh,. r w throughout Great Britain. ! . eral rule, is put in the shop and com pletely overhauled, reenameled.N if needed, and the j mechanical condition thoroughly inspected before it is Tacoma's new planked speedway is now almost completed. For the entire length1 the track will be 60 feet wide. This fs twice the width it was in some parts last year. The great curves look like the sides of a bowl, their elevation reaching 18 feet. . j " Plank tracks throughout the country' are in abundance, but, never before has the Tacoma plan, in which the- two-byJ four boards are laid a half Inch apart, on their sides, been tried. Gravel Is being shoved into the interstices, and the aspbaltum oil is expected to take hold of this iand make the track so fast that all word records for speed will -be broken. . Douglas fir bas been used ex clusively on the track.' About 2,000,000 board feet will go into the course. In addition to the work being done on the speedway proper, there has been made a complete rearrangement of the parking spaces. The wood track will prevent a large amount of dust which troubled last year, and oats have been planted In the field' adjoining the track wher pleasure machines raised great Clouds of dirt before. Two large bridges have been constructed crossing the track, making four entrances for automobiles ! to the Inside field. Only one row for parked automobiles la pro vided 'by the new plans. This is with in 25 feet of the track and behind the pits. There will be space for 108 auto mobiles. , , It-. "Year of Hunger" In Portugal. Lisbon, May 15. Six. months ot con tinuous bid ' weather, frequently marked by torrential rains, have done so much' damage' in agricultural reg ions that it is freely predicted 1913 is to be a "year! of hunger" for Portu gal. . ; -, . Regulates Names of Babies. Berne, Switzerland, May 16 The canton of Berne has prohibited the christening of 'babies with the names of famous generals. "In a few years,' says the order,! "our schools will be full of such names as J off re, Hlnden burg, Beulow, Castelnaa, Pau, Kluck, ; Cailieni and French.' j SALES OF AUTOS AND OTHER MOTOR CARS IN OREGON GAINING More Than $14,000 a Day Has Been Spent in : First Fou Months of 1915. OFFICIAL RECORDS GIVEN BemarkaMe Showing Takes to Indi cate That Business Conditions la State Are Good. More than fourteen thousand dol lars a day has been spent by the per pie of Oregon. in the purchase of au tomobiles and other classes of motor driven vehicles during the first four month's of 1915. At the close of the registration books In Salem, May 8, according to M. O. Wllklns, tho compiler of figure's and facts regarding automobile data, there had been registered 18,031 auto mobiles, more than 3000- motorcycles and nearly 2&00 chauffeurs. - THis is taken as one of the best In dications that prosperous tinier exist in this state, and that business con ditions have recovered from the shock administered at the outbreak of the war In Kurope. V Records compiled by the local statis tician, Wilkins, show that the people having been buying automobiles at the average rate of raoie than 14' a diy since January 1, the increase in cars being approximately 1700. This, of course, does not include the large num ber of motorcycles that have been purchased. A conservative estimate of the average cost of each automobile purchased is- 11000, which shows that at least a million and a half dollars has been Invested during the firtt four months of 1915. At this time there are approximate ly 18,000 automobiles, more than 3000 motorcycles and over 2500 chauffeurs registered in Oregon, During, the en tire 12 months last year only 16,34 7 automobiles, 2898 motorcycles and about 800 chauffeurs were registered. At the same rate of Increase as wan shown; last year, the secretary cf state's office says that, the automo bile registrations in the state will ap proximate between 21,000 and 22,0oi. The Increase in cliuuffeurs during the first four months of 1915 Is undoubt edly due to the "conversion of many motor i cars 'Into jitney buBses. Mr. Wilkins has just Issued his sec ond, book of owners in alphabetical and numerical rotation. The new book is ! very attractive, having a picture of the famous Horsetail fulls, Colum bia highway, as cover, page. The new book is up to and including May 1. Nurses , Stopped at Malta. "London, May 15. The British Red Cross unit, which was on the way to Serbia, has been stopped at Malta, where it was 'requisitioned for ser vice tn nursing British wounded. NOTICE TO GABAOES. -vm.OAJrZZBS, AU TOMOBILE COMPANIES, SUPPLY HOUSES AJTD BUBBEB COMTA-NXI31 We can pay you the folowing price for scrap rubber; T No. 1 auto tlrea, all ataodiiM rri('l make, free from bolted on type, tel atml, leather, bard ami unguaranteed auto tirea, 4A per pound. . No. 2 and bolted on type auto tlrea. all atandard niakea, (res from atael atutl, leather, bard and unguaranteed auto tlraa, 2$ic per pound. We don't boy hard, oxidlwd nr tmfearao teed iteel aturt or leather auto tires. Pure arum live inner tnhea free from riots and braaa, 18c per ponnd. Compound Inner tubea, free from rioth and braaa, 11c per ponnd. We lion't buy from junk peddler or Jank dea lera. Alao blhet eaab market prieea paid for crap metaia. A phone call will bring onr representative. PoeltlTeljr the largest, ollet and moat reli able dealers in strap materials la Oregon. J. LEVE WHOLES AX.E BE AX.X&S In all arntdes scrsp rubber, metals and mat Iron. Office and metst place, 1SH Columbia street. Phone 'Main B198. . Babber warehouse, 20 Hall street. Iron yards. 8. K. cor. Water and Mill sra. J i ; a IS put on the floor; for sale, so the man that does not' care for the late im provements and cannot afford the cost of a new machine, is not buying a second-hand pile; of junk but an "ex- changed" motorcycle. Panama Canal Has a Flag. I Washington, May 15. The United ' States has another new flag to be add- ed to the long list of squared bunting that must be officially recognized. It is the flag of the Panama canal, and consists of a blue square bearing the letters P. C In white and will be used by ail vessels In the marine equip ment division of the canaL It will fly at the bows of launches when on offi cial duty and en dress occasions, and at the foremast; head oftugs on duty. r i - JJ " I '""'"'T. " MKxJfea,.,,.. ...... -sjy Ti: .nl ?i&mmerrrz. w) Qui- s '"" r&u . 1 T Makes Motor Run Perfect SAVES i 20 TO 50 IN FUEL AND UP-KEEP IN CAR SWAN CARBURETOR MADE TO FIT ANY MAKE 10-DAY TRIAL. GIVEN Sold and Demonstrated by a pf 2-Ti s 1 i?8 ,J:fL WALTERS SUPPLY STATION BROADWAY AND ANKENY Ford Special $15 $23.00 $27.50 1.. $18.001 V4 $20.00 tyi An intensely Interesting salesroom display is the ' Overland chassis, sus pended in a strong cradle; now being exhibited in the salesroom of the J. WV- Leavitt company at Fifteenth and Washington - streets. The display chassis Is unique In trade circles in Portland and it' forms an educational feature of no' small Importance. The chassis is suspended from the cradfe and revolves j by the slightest pres sure of the hand, ' making it possible for the spectator . to . closely inspect both top and bottom of the machine. It has been a source of keen interest to prospective purchasers and classes of high school students who have vis ited the salesroom to studv motor, con struction. ' Gray & Davis Serving Station Northeast Electric Service Station CHARGING STATION FOR ALL MAKES OF BATTERIES 24-Hour Service Tourists Bring' Your Batteries to Us GIBSON ELECTRIC GARAGE & STOR AGE BATTERY COMPANY Marshall 1752 " 434 ALDER STREET, PORTLAND A. E. Foss, Mgr. A-7435 M i uii'iv'' .im? ... . ..-1 , . - - npHE people -who tires have never sac rificed real rubber and- first class .workmanship to the fetish, of price. It will pay you to buy Republicspay you in freedom from skidding in all 'round service in mileage. They are the tires that keep down the upkeep. REPUBLIC StAqGaRD TREADS AR1 THE ORIGINAL. EFrECTTVE, ' . NON-SKID TIRES REPUBLIC RUBBER CO. of California - 71 BROADWAY Portland MI! REPUBLIC HI taad Jill au m a tut, 1 r 1 1 TREAD lit mm A .Tp.E REPUBLIC RUBBER CO. J High-class dealers will sell Republic Tires. OREGON SALES CO. 12th and Alder. JOHN A. WALTERS CO, Broadway and Anlceny. PACIFIC HIGHWAY GARAGE, Oregon City.