THE 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.