The Competition Grows Keen, With Four of the Great Automobile Manufacturers of the United States in the Low Priced Car Class
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AUTOMOTIVE
BETTER HOMES
GOOD ROADS
SECTION TWO
PAGES 1 TO 8
WAY BETTER THAN LAST YEAR
SALEM, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING,! JANUARY 15, 1928
SEVENTY-SEVENTH YEAR
PRICE FIVE CENTS
WORLD PROSPERITY
COMPLETE ROAD PROTECTION WALL?
U. S. HELPS BUILD
ROAD WITHSTANDS FLOOD
ID OUK FROST
I
45v
M B WIG
I STORE IN 1928
jir
MILES C I S
'Automobile Industry Furn-I
ishing Some Impetus To
Forward Trend
By Roy D. Chapln, President,
National Automobile Chamber of
Commerce.
HOW MOTOR BUSINESS
WILL AID WORLDWIDE
MARKETS
1. Automotive employment .in
U. S. will total 4,000,000.
2. Production will be on new
high levels, baying raw ma
terials in larger quantities
than ever before.
3. Pent np demand for trans
port, held back in 1927, will
keep sales active through
out 1928.
4. Highway building on all
continents creates new
transport needs.
As 1928 begins, a new year op-
eng with the greatest promise it
has ever held for the automobile
business and for world-wide pros
perity. Part of the business of the com
ing year Is delayed trade which we
might have had in 1927 had con
ditions been more favorable, and
a still larger part will be due to
the growing use- of automobile
transportation in alt parts of the
world as a result of the gains in
highway building.
There are two significant things
which we must bear In mind when
considering' the automobile indus
try. The first is that its activities
influence all other lines of trade
In a complimentary rather than a
competitive manner. -The second
is that. the horixon of this industry
is worldwide.' not national only.
Oniy a short time ago there
were many who viewed with alarm
any promise of vast activity in the
automobile field, fearing that this
would be at the expense ot other
forms of commerce.
As the technique of studying
the causes and effects of business
conditions has improved and
great strides have been made In
that science in the past ten years
it has become evident that when
the automobile industry achieves
any high levels, other lines of
manufacturing and trade also feel
the stimulating effect.
The reason is clear. The auto
mobile industry is making an ar
ticle which is in Itself productive
Hence in a period in which the
pubi c is making large investment
in motor vehicles these expendi
tures are not dissipated but con
tinue to exist in the form of time
saving, efficiency creating prod
ucts. In short, the public spends
its money, but continues to have
an equivalent of value in its pos
session. Furthermore, tne very
activity of the motor plants ere
ates employment and furnishes
markets for raw materials which
helps greatly to keep the entire
industrial structure in motion.
Extent of New Business
So much has been said about
possible production totals for next
year and about the new records
which will be set in 1928. that it
is necessary to mention only the
.high- points.- Everyone acquainted
with business conditions realizes
that 1927 was an abnormal year
in the motor industry. The maker
production. While all the other
makers averaged a 10 gain in
their output compared with the
year previous, there still remained
a tremendous market which was
not being cared for. A vast area
of the low priced field was un
supplied, and a considerable part
of this public did not come in and
trade at counters where somewhat
higher priced goods were offered.
But 192S opens with every pro
ducer In "action, and with this de
mand, held up during 1927, eag-
. erly in the market creating the
need for full-time operations.
In 1928 motor transportation
will give employment to 4,000,
000 persons in the United -States,
or close to three hundred thous
and more than it has required be
fore.
. - It . will use cotton from the
- South, from California and f torn
. Po-vnf T will Kn IiMaa ttm
South American countries as well
as the home market, and rubber
from the Far East. It will create
new high business records . for
railroad and steamboat shipments.
It will buy. dyes and tools from
New England, Germany and Great
Britain.
It will supply a payroll which
will enable a great population to
puchase products from all 'parts
f this country , and abroad. .
International Outlook
internationally,' tha gains in
1928 win be perhana even mora
fag reaching . than in our own' wide. ETery leaf of every spring
.. . . Is ,of heat treated chrome vandi-
;(Uontlae4 ea par S) im steel
Mlf jrrt :f r
Daring the rush of waters (a tho New England I Vermont was wash! away. Pfles were placed un
Flood, the soil under this pieco of concrete road la Ur the pavesseat and it was opened to traffic
BIG IMPETUS GIVEN
UW
BUILDING
Gyp" Operators Being Sent1
To "Chain Gangs" Mot
orists Protected
WASHINGTON. D. C Jan. 14
Impetus is being given to high
way construction throughout the
country as a result of organized
motordom's campaign to send tor
the "chain gang" all "gyp" ope
rators apprehended and convicted
of selling fake motor club mem
berships. One of the most striking ex
amples of the access of this drive,
the American Automobile Asso
ciation announced today, was the
recent arrest and conviction of
Charles S. Kneeream, alias K. N.
Morris, alias N. Norrls. who was
given six months at Salem. Va.,
after he had left a trail of take
memberships in several states.
"Road sentences for 'gyp' ope
rators," says the national motor
ing body, "is the plan of procedure
upon which all of the 950 affilia
ted A.A.A. motor clubs will func
tion. They will use all means at
their command to secure., convic
tion and make those who. cheat
motorists build roads for them."
Kneeream. according to the A.
A. A., was sentenced at Mt. Clem
ens, Mich., last March, and given
three.months for fraudulently rep
resenting bimselt as an agent of
the American Automobile associa
tion, but this failed to curb his
nefarious operations.
The A. A. A. statement con
tinues:
"The conviction of Nneeream,
alias K. N. Morris, alia N. Nor-
ris, of Reading. Pa., one of the
most persistent of fake motor
salesmen, is but one example of
how these confidence men who
fleece the motorists are being
iven an opportunity to help build
roads for the use of the car owner,
a proof that 'poetic Justice' Is still
possible.
"At the time of Kneeream's ar
rest, after he had secured a check
from a gas station operator, he
had in his possession blanks for
membership in the Associated Au
tomobile Owner's association. of
Reading. Pa., and the Southern
Automobile Owners' association.
of Tampa, Fla.
"When haled into court a Sa
lem. Va.. through the swift action
of the Roanoke Automobile club
which secured the 'gyp's' dozier
and his photograph from . the
rogue's gallery kept at A. A. A.
national1 headquarters in Wash
Ington. Kneeream plead guilty to
obtaining money under false pre
tenses and to using the name of
the A. A. A. He threw himself on
the mercy of the court. He admit
ted that he had been dishonest,
and with tears in his eyes begged
for leniency. His record was too
glaring. He was adjudged sound
of body and sentenced to six
months with the Virginia road
fang.
"Advices from Roanoke are to
the effect that other sharges will
be pressed upon ' completion of
his present terna. rr.
"Disposition of Knee ream's case
is -hut one example , of many such
cases where A.A.A. motor clubs
are protecting motorists from be
ing swindled by : unprincipled
salesmen of fake motor club mem
berships. Every motor club is co
operating in the nation-wide cam
paign to protect the unsuspecting
car owner from the worthless
promises of .'gyp operators."
CHROME VANDIUM STEEL
The- front springs . of Dodge
Brothers Victory Six arc S? Inches
long by 1 2-4 Inches wide and the
rear are 64 Inches long by 2 Inch-
' f iMiirtn . " i-VAl11'-1 ""' "' nwt'ii ii rf i-j imii in i iiiinn J;mjgVi
All Dodges Using Late
Standard Gear Shifts
k three models of Dodge
Brothers cars have the Society of
Automotive Engineers' standard
gear shift; namely, left and back
for low. right and forward for sec
ond, and right and back for high.
Reverse, of course, is left and for
ward. The change was made, after
more than 1.932,000 Dodge Broth
ers cars had been built with a dif
ferent .arrangement of the gear
shift; la line with the national, au
tomotive engineering society's ef
forts' to simplify the driver's task
when he changes from, one car to
another.
- The great majority of Ameri-
eanrbuilt motor cars are now us
ing the S. A. E. standard shift.
TIRES PRESENT SPECIAL
PROBLEMS
Many tire problems and trou
bles can be overcome, says Mr.
Watkins of Smith and Watkins.
through a willingness to become
acquainted with the details of tire
care, through the fundamentals of
traction, and its relation to power.
It Is not merely guarding against
the unprotected cut in the tire,
but also a matter of learning to
adjust driving to suit road condi
tions.
I Li." 1 i ! , j"-it !
j"- VsL '- , . 1 r &H
Ir- SLV 3 L "V; - h j9 . -. - .nS'T ' - W-mh"i mm - r-aggi-. -f mA
- Highway stnietares which are helplag to snake motoriag safer. .
1. Wacker Drive, Chicago. A doakle-decked tkoroagkfaro aloag
the city's river Iroat. , -
2. : Lowor'aad apper decks of tka highway the Jersey City
id of the HeUaad TaaaeL 3 Upoa ,iU coavpUtioa this highway wSl
deahle-deckcd for sdao tailos.; ' ; ' ' - ; :V
3. Cakaeaga PaM Road, mu Ln Aagcbs. ! Tkie Is a coacreto
aveaaeat 72 feet wide. , U:V---w;5:C'.v;i.
: d'.A grade separatioa la UaoIa Pai Chicago wluck perauU
PICE THAT KILLS
E
Behooves Each Motorist To
Regulate His Speed and
Play Safe Always
The Oregon State Motor Asso
ciation after giving thought to the
various causes of accidents sim
mers the chief causes of accidents
to taking the right of way from
the other fellow; failure to give
signal of intent to stop or turn;
cutting in" ahead of the other fel
low's car and exceeding the speed
limit. 1
No driver ever left home In the
morning with the intention of
killing or injuring someone during
the day. All accidents happen in
emergencies, and any man who
drives so fast he cannot stop in
time to prevent the taking of a
life when that emergency arises,
is "exceeding the speed limit", noj
matter what the legal rate of speed
may be. j
In the residence districts where
cars are parked on both sides of
the street and children are playing;
(Continued on par 3.)
ss
CCD
NTS
SAFE HIGHWAY STRUCTURES
Damager of Roads May
Yield Secret As Many
Tests Conducted
By John L. Cooley
(Artociated Pre science Editor)
Cambridge, Mass. (AP) Civil
engineers at Massachusetts Insti
tute of Technology are gunning for
Jack Frcet. that elusive imp who
plays such; havoc with highways in
northern climates. 4
They hare prepared several am
bushes for him in New England
and hope this winter to wrest from
him the secret of how he spoils im
proved roads.
This destructive prank, known
to the profession as heaving, is not
fully understood by engineers, but,
it causes large annual repair bills
in ; the colder states. In order to
get a clear conception of the Inside
process of heaving, the federal bu
reau of public roads, in coopera
tion with Technology experts, has
selected several New England sites
ati which careful observations of
the upward and downward move
ment of the soil are being made
this winter.
Samples of soil taken at various
stages of the experiments will be
sent to laboratories at the institute
and at the University of South Car
olina where research workers will
study the distribution of the ice
layers and crystals and will en
deavor to duplicate in the labora
tory the freesing conditions that
exist in. nature.
Dr. Charles Tertaghi, an asso
ciate professor In the department
of civil, engineering at Technology,
says that little or nothing Is known
either about the freezing of soil
orthe cause of excessive heaving
of roads oh clay sub-beds.
"We only know," he explains,
"that during the frost season fair
ly large pockets and thick layers
of ice form In soil. But we don't
know from: where the water comes
or whether the seat of heaving ie
near the furface of at a greater
depth. '
"It has been generally believed
that the heaving due to frost was
exclusively caused by the expan
sion of the water associated with
freezing. If all the water contain
ed in the voids of the soil down
to a depth of four or five feet
should freeze the heaving due to
(Continued on page S.)
trade to pass witkoat Jaterraptioa.
! 5. Amerieaa Lagioa Parkway,. Br ecktoa. Mass. ; This thorough
fare ka a overall width of 07 feet.
6. Skeridaa Driva, Erie Coaaty, New York, coaalaU of two aarai.
Id caacrato pavemcat. '';;- :v.: .;"'"";-" 'Jr.,-,. ' '$";-:Z'. .
1 7. : Tk Jpcdcctriaa taaael at Browaiag Beahnrard aad Wcatcra
Avaae Los Aagelc. ; '"a.. : :H'f'I7': , ' :t
1 9. The grada aeparatioa ! la River JUaga Park, Detroit.
j SU Cccnta Railrcwd VladacC Daapkia' Oninty, Pa.
1
- - - - - - v ' a
- - - - - ' - s , ',v jJm
The longest road protection seawall in the world will be com
pleted in January. It runs along the Gulf coast of Mississippi for
a distance of 24.3 miles, from Biloxi on the east, through Gulf port
and on to Pass ChrlHian on the west. It protects the old Spanish
trail. Top photo shows a section of the traiL and. below, a view of
the walL '
"THEM WERE TI
Remembering Ruts and Mud
How Many Would Like
To Revert To Them
The Oregon State Motor asso
elation often hears fishermen,
hunters, etc., who come In to ask
for information regarding fishing
streams or roads, swap stories rel
ative to the supply of fish and
game that formerly were found in
the state. These talkfests always
end with the same trite saying.
'Them were the good old days."
The question is, were they the
"good old days"? and if these per
sons were given the opportunity.
(Continued on pace 3.)
COOD OLD DAYS"
r
STAR FOllfi TO CO
Sweeping Sales Drive To Be
Launched Under Dur
ante Direction
New York. (By Direct Wire
Exclusive Dispatch) W. a Durant
has placed the Star Four in direct
competition with the new Ford
car.
From the offices of Durant Mo
tors, Inc., came the official an
nouncement that the 1928 Star
Four will match the Ford in price,
model for model, F. O. B. eastern
factory.
This startling announcement
from the headquarters of the wiz
ard of the motor car industry the
man who founded General Motors
and who is today the third largest
individual stockholder In that cor
poration, is taken as Durant's chal
lenge to the leading automobile
manufacturers of America. It
means that W. C. Durant is in the
streat battle for supremacy in the
field of volume production and he
will fight to firmly establish his
products among the leading con
tenders for honors in the low cost
transportation field.
In matching the factory liet
prices of Ford with the Star Four.
Durant now offers the world a
modern motor car at the price of
the lowest priced car on the mar
ket today. This car has many
other outstanding features beside
the Continental "Red Seal" motor
mounted in rubber through the use
of the Masury patented rubber mo
tor mounting which has 'won for
the Star Four the admiration of
engineers throughout the world.
On April 7 of last year when
W. C. Durant announced his re
turn to active management of Dur
ant Motors, Inc. he commenced
work on an extensive program of
production which culminated in
the breaking of all previous Star
production and sales records dur
ing the months of September, Oc
tober and November. Then came
the startling price reduction an
nouncement of this morning which
again places the name of TW C.
Durant on the battle-roster of the
automobile industry.
When W. C. Durant returned to
active management of the affairs
of Durant Motors, he gave out in
formation relative to the creation
of other new models and during
the past six months he has had en
gineers working day and night in
the engineering laboratories of the
Elizabeth. N. J. Durant plant. The
labors of those Durant engineers
have been crowned ' with success;
and today, the veteran motor ear
manufacturer also announces a
new six cylinder creation that
promises to take its place among
the quality products In the six
cylinder field. V : ". '-"A. ;: ' 4 ;
During the past few weeks Dur
ant has been' in daily conference
with Norman de Vaux, bead of the
Durant interests - throughout the
west and other associates, shaping
plans for a determined drive to
place Durant products among the
outstanding automotive offerings
of America.'
;Th list Star Pour, at the un
precedented new low prices, and
the new Durant six. will both be
backed op with tha greatest ad-
m
CQMPETtTinrj
Lends Financial Aid For
Building Main Arteries
During Year
Mileage of' improved roads in
the federal-aid highway system
was Increased more than 8.300
miles during the past fiscal year,
according to T. H. McDonald, chief
of the bureau of public roads.
This brought the total length of
roads improved with federal as
sistance to 64.209 mileB.
Payments by the United Stateo
on federal-aid projects were about
$6,000,000 less than for the pre
vious year, and amounted to a to
tal of $81,371,013, the road
chiefs report to the secretary of
agriculture states.
Spend Billion Dollars ;
The annual highway bill of the
country Is more than one billion
dollars. Including construction,
maintenance and administration
by federal, state and local govern
ments. Of this amount the fed
eral expenditure is less than 8
per c?nt. The states alone.' cf
their own funds, spent more than
six times as much as the federal
government.
The well-organized plan under
which rederal-aid roads are being
built Is girtng the country a net
work of connecting national high
ways which will be second to none
In the world, highway engineers
declare. Because the United States
Bureau of Public Roads resertv
the. right to superintend con
struction, excellent . permanent
highways are being built and the
roads so constructed fit in with
a unified national plan.
Nation Aids States '
The federal-aid system outlines
a plan for 185,770 miles of roads,
nearly all of which are part of
state . highway systems. All this
mileage has been selected by state
and federal highway engineers as
essential links in a system which
will easily handle Interstate, or
-transcontinental traffic.
Not only does the federal gov
ernment supervise location and
construction of these roads;, it
sees that they are properly main
ta'ned by the states. Last year
n their Inspection of federal high
way projects, the engineers of the
Bureau of Public Roads traveled
1,723.000 miles. '
Use Concrete
Progressive improvement, or
stage construction, is used by the
government in selecting the type
of road for given sections. High
type pavement, largely concrete. Is
built where the traffic warrants
"t. Transient types, which will
be permanently paved "when traf
fic increases, are built In less trav
eled areas. Transient type roads
are constructed with wide shoufc
ders, well-graded slopes and broad
curves to provide for later paving.
Provision is also made for grade
crossing separations and other de
velopments which are expected to
become parts of future highways.
Expenditures for federaUald
roads to July 1. 1927. totaled ap
prox'matcly a billion and a half
dollars, the Bureau of Roads .re
ports. Of this total. $657,000,000.
or 44.7 per cent, was spent lor
concrete. $222,000,000 or 15.1 er
cent for all other types of pave
ment, and $353,000,000; or 24.1
per cent for transient tyes, stfch
as gravel, sand, clay and wattr-
bound macadam.- The remaining
16.1 per cent was spent for con
struction of bridges and for drain
ing and grading. , " I
Develops Specifications (
The United States Bureau ;of
Roads, through its department of
research, has developed specifica
tions which require a high type, of .
construction. .The bureau has rec
ommended materials, construction '
practices and methods which have c
greatly Improved the standards jof
highway construction, not only for
federal-aid roads, but for state
and conn ty roads as we 11. '..
Pavement construction of the
higher type has been used on some
19.200 miles of the federal-aid
system. Of this pavement. tb
government report shows, 87 per
cent has been concrete, 4 per cent'
brick and 9 per cent bituminous
concrete. Illinois, Missouri. Penn-
sylvanla and other states haire
utilized concrete for most state
highways Including the . federal
aid roads.. - - ; a--.;'
. .Importance of this unified, na- '
tlonal system of highways "can
hardly be estimated, government
authorities have pointed out. 3n
time of war It will be invaluable
in mobilising troops and , trans
porting supplies. As a means of
drawing tha states closer together
and uniting the parts of . the na
Uon It is already aecomplishfn
much. 'i:''::.:v-r. 'c '';.-, A.y.
Build Interstate Roads
The first appropriation, made la
U . : t or 7 5 .00 o. v o o pay-
able in nro mbbw uh""""-"
This sam has, been Increased froir
rear la year so the total, to tr
(OontlaMd oa ;f a t
'(Continue psiS 3
i