The Oregon daily journal., May 16, 1920, Page 64, Image 64

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THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL. PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING. I.IAY 16, 1CZD.
TIRE PRICES ARE
AGAIN TO ADVANCE,
SAYS MILLHQFF
Genera! Sales Manager of Miller
Company Blames Shortage of
Labor and Material for Increase
Brace yourself,! Mr. Automobile
Owner, for still higher tire price.
The pinnacle has not yet been
reached. , In fact, you may confi
dently expect several price raises be
fore the crest of (the high cost of
tires is reached, f
A statement to this effect was made
In Portland last week by F. C M1H
boff, sales manager of, the Miller Rub
ber company, who was here conferring
with the Northwest ( Auto company, dis
tributors for Miller tires. MiUhoff came
from the north on ( his way to attend
the foreign trades i convention in - San
Francisco next week,
"It's the same old story, scarcity of
labor and material and the consequent
steady Increase In the cost of both," said
he. "The wages of skilled mechanics in
the tire Industry are on a higher scale
than prevailed in our shipyards during
the war. In our own factory $10.20 per
day is cot an uncommon wage among
the men, and we have no assurance of
how long they will be content with the
present scale ; It may be a week.
month, or it may be tomorrow that
labor win ask for still higher wages;
and there seems nothing left for manu
facturers to do but to meet their de
mands. , - - , .......
COWSEBTl! tibes
"Strange as It may seem, coming from
one who is actively Interested in the
manufacture and sale of tires, my ad
vice to all motorists Is to save their
tires all they can and get the last mile
possible from them. I refer particu
larly to cord tires, because the demand
for these this summer is going to be
far beyond the supply. The greatest
number of tires In use are fabric, the
percentage Is approximately 1? fabric to
one cord, but the ratio Is increasing
rapidly for 'the latter because motorists
are learning tbeir greater economy.
"This will be a big year for tourists
and that means heavy demands for tires,
and with the limited possibilities of out
put there cannot be otherwise than a
shortage.. Get your house in order foF
a greater number of automobile tourists
this summer than j you have eve had
before.. . 1
OBEGOTC BETTEB KKOTTTT
Tour attractions are becoming better
known in the East, and reports' sent
to. our factory from our distributors and
branch houses east of the Mississippi
indicate the motorists generally are al
ready planning their summer trips and
that large numbers of them are coming
west. Automobile clubs throughout the
eastern half of the country- are con
stantly telling their members of the won
derful scenery, excellent roads and pure
air of the Northwest, and this Is natur
ally stimulating motoring In this direc
tion. While there Is still an automobile
shorts ge there ' will be sufficient for
most of the tourists ; and since engineer-'
' Ing has made the automobile more per
fect and with good roads motorists gen
erally are lookng for little else to do
on their vacation than to drive and en
Joy themselves. .: j ;
PORTLAND -AS EXPOBT POHTT
"So far as tire mileage is concerned,
that ancient ' pest of the motorist has
about been eliminated. Tire manufac
turers have Increased tire mileage 116
per cent within the past few years un
til we find, as In Miller tires, for ex
ample,. 15,000 miles Is not an uncommon
life of a cord tire with 8000 miles for a
fa brio tire. With ordinary cars the 1920
tourist should be able to take aj long a
trlp as he wishes and return home with
the original air in his tires. j ?---
i "Before leaving I want to say! a word
about your port development, tf Port
land equips Itself to handle export busi
ness on a large scale, you will get it
American manufacturers are going , to
invade the Orient and you may rest as
sured ,that It will result In many big
cargoes crossing the Pacific. Portland
can get this business just as soon as yon
are in shape to handle lt" ' 1
New Ford Home
Construction has begun at Grants
Pass of the new home for Ford au
tomobiles and Ford son tractors. Clar
ence Winetrout, local Ford and Ford
son dealer, plans a modern 100x150
one-story concrete garage building,
which will be completed within 90
days. This is the second large garage
building to be erected here this spring,
as the local business and tourist trade
la increasing by leaps and bounds.
BIG TRUCK TAKING ON CAPACITY LOAD
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Huge Mack track engaged in lumber work, taking on a capacity . load
of lumber and shingles at the yards of the Acme Iumber company.
The track was sold to the lnmber company by the Mack Internation
al Motor Track corporation nere, local Mack distributor, and is
equipped with Sewell cushion wheels, handled by Leavens & Howard.
The photo at the bottom shows George P. Howard of the wheel firm
explaining the principle of the "rubber roadbed,' one of the features
of the Cushion wheel. ' .
is scarcely to be expected! during a time
eB'B""!H"-g ..
Bureau of Mines ;
Shows Fallacy of
i Gravity Gas Test
.'I-. : i ' '' .: .., I ' E
Popular belief is that with the suspension or repeal of the existing law
requiring a gasoline of 66 degrees gravity to be sold In this state, the
present gasoline situation would be far less tense. , With an idea of getting
at the 4ottom of the law and finding out whether or not; the -provision
meant better gas to the people of -this state, George Chambers, secretary
of the Oregon State Motor association, at the request of The Journal, ob
tained an interriew with Henry M. Parka, director of the Oregon bureau of
mines, and geology, and in the course of the interview, where a system of
questions and answers was used to advantage, the following facts developed ;
Question ; "What is the matter with , refinery product for this state alone. It
the present Oregon law which prevents
the sale of gasoline testing lower than
56 Baumef
Answer; ! Specific gravity la practical
ly useless In determining the quality of
gasoline. It is not t even mentioned In
annroved eovernment specifications. An
Illustration will show how impractical is
a gravity test. It is a matter of common
knowledge - that gasolins sold In East
ern Oregon during the past summer was
superior to that which was sold in neigh
boring counties in Idaho.: 1 As evidence
of this fact a decided preference was
shown for Oregron gasoline all along the
state line.! Effective use was made of
the fact at the recent special session .of
the legislature in opposing the repeal of
the Oregon law tor prove the superior
quality of Oregon gasoline, which was
regulated by law over the unregulated
Idaho1 gasoline. In the argument, how
ever, the fact was overlooked that this
same superior Oregon gasoline had actu
ally a lower gravity than the inferior
Idaho gasoline. The Idaho gasoline wa
at the time largely furnished from East
era fields while Oregon gasoline came
from California producers.
Question : How does the present law
affect Oregon's supply?
Answer:' At the -present time, when
gasoline manufacturers have difficulty
in providing and distributing sufficient
quantities of gasoline to supply the
trade, the effect of the present arbitrary
law in Oregon is to require, the manu
facturers of gasoline to make a special
like this that the manufacturers will
have as their first concern the supplying
of Oregon iggSTpfficlent volume of spe
cial gasoline, ft is more logical to ex
pect that the trade which requires a spe
cial specification win be the first to be
neglected.'- '-y,;, : j f : ? i'jAM
Question : What is the most practical
test for gasoline to determine its quality
for a motor fuelT - ' !.--. . .
Answer : The best test is one which
determines the range of volatility of
gasoline. By this I mean the tempera
ture at which i the . liquid gasoline
changes into vapor or gas, in which con
dition only can it be exploded in the
cylinder. m - . ;t - '
GOTE&XMEHT SPECIFICATIONS
The following are the essential fea
tures of the present federal specifica
tions covering volatility -f ' -
1. The boiling : point must not - be
higher than 140 degrees Farenhelt.
2. Twenty per cent of the sample must
distill below S21 degrees ' Farenhelt.
3. Fifty per cent of this sample must
distill below 284 degrees Farenhelt. -
- 4. Ninety per cent must distill below
I74i degrees Farenhet. f-1 j
r 5. The end or dry point of distillation
must not be higher than - 417 degrees
Farenhelt. ' - -.
i These tests are the result of the best
technical and practical experience, and
are accepted by all automotive engi
neers, v
1 ! Question : What is meant by range
of volatility? .
Answer: Tou will not in the specifi
cations of volatility test we have Just
been discussing that gasoline is required
to begin evaporation at a low tempera
ture. This insures the easy starting of
a cold motor. Tou will also see that as
the temperature of the gasoline rises
there is a gradual and steady vaporiz
ing of the gasoline until the i high tem
perature : limit of the specifications Is
reached and all the gasoline has been
turned Into gas or vapor. This range
of volatility makes possible the opera
tion of the motor whether the engine Is
cold or hot and at the same time gets
the greatest degree of efficiency from
the gasoline under average working
conditions.," .
fBrEirBnrG" is explained
Question; Is it possible f to blend
gasoline so that it would have a gravity
above 58 degrees Baume and yet not
PERFORMANCE COUNTS'
Equip Your Trucks
WITH
THERMOIDSBRAKE LINING
The One Best Bet for Heavy Duty Work
' Distributed by
Wiggins Company, Inc. .
Formerly Arcber and Wiggins
Sixth St. at Oak Portland, Oregon
i """"" "
t. avc res n coi c o i$ft.
i
Features You
Get Exclusively in.
MACK Trucks
No. 1 The Motor
Accessibility is a prime requisite for the
successful maintenance of a motor truck
at minimum expense. j
You will find Mack trucks typify more
advanced principles of development to
ward the accomplishment of accessibility
than can be claimed for other makes of
trucks. This is the" result of Mack engi
i neering and twenty-one years of building
land perfecting motor trucks.
i Mack trucks are built in two types. The
models under 3 tons' capacity are known
as AB; those over as AC The motors
are identical except as to size. .
Examine these features of accessibility :
Ports in the . side of the crank case, re
moved by a thumbscrew, permit inspec
tion of the shafts; pistons and connect
ing rods may be drawn through the bot
tom without dsiturbihg either shaft; the
camshaft! may be withdrawn through the
front; the magneto and pump are located
in front of the engine.
The AB power plant, including engine,
dutch, transmission and . instrument
board may be removed as a unit The
AC engine may be slid out the front by
removing the bumper.
Next weeks Pistons end Cylinders
-MACK-INTERNATIONAL
MOTOR TRUCK" CORPORATION
Tenth and Davis Streets e s s
have the necessary range of volatility
which Is demanAed by the government
specifications? I '
Answer: Blends of ' gasolins can
readily be made of any desired Baume
gravity within certain limits by mixing 1
some of the ! light ; fractions ? (high'
Baume) with the proper amount of
heavy fractions! (low Baume). i It la
plain, therefore! that such a mixture
could be above i 56 degrees Baume and
yet not have the proper volatile range-4
to meet the government specifications,
but would Instead be bunched at both
ends of the temperature range, thus
giving a poor grade of gasoline. The
test, according its government specifi
cations insures ) a good distribution of
varying ' degrees of : volatility . through
out the proper range of temperature by
requiring . that! certain minimum
amounts be distilled off at four differ
stages between! 140 degrees Farenhelt
and 417 degrees Farenhelt. t-
Question : In ease the present law
should be suspended leaving the state
with no regulations concerning . gaso
line, would we i be worse of than with
the present law in effect?
Answer : The j repeal or suspension of
the present , law . with no substitute
would leave the! state on the same basis
as our. neighbor states, which have no
quality regulations and ws -would cer
tainly then be able to get the same pro
portionate quantity and Quality and at
the same price. ( ; . ; ...
- Question: What are the prospects of
a general shortage of gasolins In the
near future? - f ' '
nrcsfcASE oxtt of FBoroitTiojr
Answer : Statistics, published i by . the
United States bureau of mines, show
that there -has been a marked Increase
in the production of crude oil during the
nine years prior to 1919, being about 95
per cent. By improved methods of man
ufacture during these same nine years
the Quantity of gasolins manufactured
in . the ; United States , has Increased by
6(0 per cent, while the increased de
mand for gasoline, as indicated by the
number of gas engines In use.! has in
creased 1700 per cent. These compar
ative figures show plainly that supply
Is not keeping pace with demand. - Not
withstanding this tremendous demand,
however, it is expected that the manu
facturers will be able to supply the de
mand by enlarging their refinery capac
ity and by still further improved meth
ods of manufacture enabling them to
get a greater ! proportion of gasoline
from crude ofl. i
Question : What are the prospects for
relief through the manufacture of gas
oline substitutes? ,
Answer: Great progress has been
made especially during the last two
years in completing processes for the
manufacture of motor spirits from oil
shales and coaL These processes are
well beyond the "experimental stage. As
illustration of this fact , It may be men
tioned that , the Yellow Taxi company,
operating more than 2500 taxis in Chi
cago, use no gasoline but are operated
entirely by motor i spirits . derived from
bituminous coaL 'The next few years
will undoubtedly' see heavy investments
in the United States in manufacture of
motor spirits from coal as it can be
manufactured at a cost which will suc
cessfully compete with gasoline manu
facture. It has also been demonstrated
that such motor spirits are highly sat
isfactory in the modern automobile and
give more miles per gallon than aver
age grades of commercial gasoline, r
1 - r , .1
1 1 1
177737? A T7T7
i f s i
Are becoming greater factors in
I truck transportation
USEVTHE EXCESS
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Fifth
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Some features of the LEE Trailers
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-Have full motor truck steeL ?
Won't weave.
Furnished in any, wheel base.
Built according to the S. A. E. speci
fications. - .
Every LEE device is manufactured to afford an efficient solution of some
haulage problem. Our engineers are at your call.
WILLIAM L. HUGHSON CO.
m 'ff 60 North Broadway at Davis Street Broadway 321
Los Angeles San Diego, Seattle and Portland
11". -yum : i
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The Work : You Have ; for a TracEi
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328 Glisan Street DISTRIBUTORS FOR OREGON Phone Broadway 2199
Broadway 691
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