The Legislature Might Have Avoided the $3 Auto Tax Fight Had the Oregon License Law Been Properly Adjusted at Last Session
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SECTION TWO
PAGES 1 TO 8
AUTOMOTIVE
BETTER HOMES
WAY BETTER THAN LAST YEAR
SALEM, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 19, 1928
PRICE FIVE CENTS
AUTO LICENSE LAW
3,000 HORSEPOWER IN ONE CA&
E
More Good Oregon Concrete Roads
E
j;F.VRNTY-SEVENTH yrap
SCENTFC
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CDLO SEEKS
R HMf PARKS
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SERVIC
GIVES
OPEN NHS
LOCATED
Interesting Letter Expresses
Beiief That Some Change
Needed Badly
Since the present automobile
license law was passed there
has been considerable dissatis
faction with it. There have
been promises made to change
it. There have been rumors
of changes and yet more
rumors. So far nothing ma
terialized! And now thi3 dissatisfaction
has reached the stage where
the people plan to take the
matter in their own hands.
Some say the license should
not be reduced. Some say it
should be placed at $3 and
some say at $10 with a tax on
gas.
This question is one that in
terests every automobile own
er in the state. Numerous let
ters have been received rela
tive to the matter and from
time to time they will be pub
lished in this section of The
Oregon Statesman. ' What do
you think about the proposed
reduction Mr. Automobile
Owner?
Write a letter to the Auto
mobile Editor of The Oregon
Statesman and tell just what
you believe.
Automobile Editor
The Statesman
Since there i3 little doubt now
In regard to the proposed $3 'au
tomobile license law being sub
mitted to. a vote of the people,
great is the anxiety in certain
quarters lest the measure carry
at the polls. While we believe
this DroDosed license fee to be
unreasonably low, there is no as
surance that Oregon's exorbitant
and inequitable license law can
ever be amended and the license
fee reduced in any other way, at
' least within any reasonable time.
It is well remembered that four
yeras ago a legislative committee
was appointed to devise ways and
means of reducing the automobile
"icene fee and at the same time
not embarrass the state road
building program, nor reduce the
revenue from tnis source of in
come to such an extent that Inter
est and payment of road bonds
as they became due could not be
taken tare of. Thia committee
made its recommendations to the
legislature two years later and ab
solutely nothing came of it. Pol
iticians from the highest to the
lowest offices in this state have
rieatedly embodied a "lower
automobile license" plank in their
platforms and upon election to
office these pledges to their con
stituency have a3 often been ignor
ed. Now, the highway commission
ar.d certain politicians are profuse
vith their promises that a lower
(Continued on paga 2
SCOTTlTTEiS
SALES MEEDS
Local Man Named as Repre
sentative For Harley
Davidson Company
Harry W. Scott, local Harley
Davidson dealer, has just returned
from Portland where he attended
one of a series of sales conferences
hnr rnn ducted in various Pacific
coast cities by officials of the Har-ley-Davldson
motorcycle factory.
At the conference, Scott was of
ficially notified that he had been
appointed representative of the
company in Douglas and Coos
counties. Scott has already estab
lished an airency at Roseburg
which will serve this territory.
Arthur Davidson, general sales
manager of the company, as the
nrincinai oDeaker at the confer
ence, said: "Never before in the
history of the industry have we
experienced such a widespread in
devest in the motorcycle ior pleas
ure, police and business uses,
Present dav traffic conditions
make it Imperative that the busi
ness man emolor delivery units
that can be easily maneuvered and
which can slip into small parkins
spaces. The motorcycle has prov
en itself the only vehicle to com
pletely fulfill these requirement!.
In addition, the motorcycle, be
cause cf its economical features,
has been a boon to all types of
merchants in providing a delivery
vehicle which enables them to cov
er a wme trading raaius ai a min
imum of cost."
In referring to the many fields
for motorcycle sales, Davidson
continued. "Municipal sales are
The TripJeif, facing iuto Equipped with three 12-cylinder Libertj
motors, with which its owner, j. M. White, a Philadelphia sportsman,
hopes to win back ,the -world speed record? captured by Major
Scgrave, of England, and his 203-ile-an-hour car. The two rear
motors, shown here, .together with the forward motor, generate
3,000 horsepower.
THE RIGHT-OF-WAY
111 CHUB LIGHT
'Button, Button, Who
Reaches the Button
First" Appropriate
I Myer Rubin, Attorney for Ore
gon State Motor Association
"Button, button, who first
reaches the button." appears from
the decision just rendered by the
supreme court of Oregon to be
again the rule as to who ha.s the
right in cases of accident in inter
sections. The supreme court, a little over
two years ago. laid down a defi
nite policy In the case of Ramp vs.
Osburn that the man on the right
at an intersection had. under the
laws of Oregon, the right-of-way,
and the man on the left must look
out for and yield the right of first
passage to the man on the right.
This interpretation of the law
pleased he majority of the traffic
experts in Oregon because it made
i definite and sound rule and
eliminated the mass of conflict
ng evidence that seemed to spring
up after every traffic accident.
The man on the left knew he must
let the man on the right go by.
and knew that if he tried to race
icross the intersection in advance,
he had to 'do so at his own peril.
The supreme court, however, re
ceded from its position in a series
of recent opinions and finally, in
the opinion above referred to
which was handed down on Jan
uary 24. 1927, in the case of Red
Top Taxi Cab Company vs. Cooper
set out a new rule which would
make the evidence in each case
control.
It must be noted, however, that
ill of these decisions of the su-
preme court are based on the law
as it stood prior to the amendment
adopted at the 1927 session of the
legislature. The legislature indi
cated that it approved the inter
pretation of the supreme court in
the earlier case of Ramp vs. Os
burn by adding to the old law that
the man on the right should have
the right-of-way irrespective of
whether he first reached the inter
section or not. Whether, when th?"
matter is presented to the supreme
court on the law as amended In
1927 It will again be compelled to
reverse Its position, is a matter
which remains to be seen. It Is
unfortunate that, under our meth
ods of procedure. It is impossible
for the Supreme Court to pa?e on
this very Important question and
settle it definitely at once so that
motorists might know exactly what
the law is.
In the case just decided the
facts were that Cooper was travel
ing on Fourth street In Portland
and at the Intersection of Fourth
and Oak streets, after giving the
required signal, turned to the left
on the right side of Oak sreet to
go east. At the time he made the
turn the taxi-cab belonging to the
Red Top Taxi company was 100
feet or more south of the Intersec
tion. Tre Red Top Taxi company's po
sition in the matter was, that since
Cooper could see it taxi progress
ing along Fourth street at any
distance where it could be seen, it
was Cooper's duty to stop and al
low the taxi to .pass before pro
ceeding farther.
Mr. Justice McBride. who wrote
the opinion for the supreme court.
in discussing the right-of-way the
ory above, said:
"Plaintiff (the Red Top Taxi
company) evidently bases this as
sumption upon some utterances of
this court in the case of Ramp vs.
Caburn. which opinion seems to
giva some cd.or to his contention;
HUPiBILE SALES
AT RECORD LEVEL
Output Since Announcement
of First Century Car
Shows Great Gain
Hupmobnc production and re
tail sales since the announcement
of it's new "Six of the Century'
and. later, its two "Century Eights
has been greater than ever before
at this time of year in the com
pany's history. According to R. S-
Cole, general sales manager, pro
duction during November, Decem
ber and January was 104 per cent
greater than for the correspond
ing months of 1926-27. During the
last quarter of 1927 the company
enjoyed an 87 per cent increased
volume over the corresponding
period of 1926.
"The strong demand for Hup-
moblles Is indicated in the fact
that that retail deliveries during
January were greater than our en
tire January production," said Mr.
Cole. "January, February and
March ordinarily are months in
which motor car dealers plan to
stock cars against anticipated hea
vy spring deliveries. In response to
orders we Increased our January
output 31 per cent over that for
January, 1927. Yet we have found
that our retail deliveries actually
exceed our production by more
than 400 cars.
"When it is remembered that
during January we announced and
introduced the brand new "Cen
tury Eight" and the new model
of the "Century 125 Eight," and
'.hat our distributors and dealers
naturally needed a considerable
Part of that month's entire pro
duction of these two cars for
showroom and demonstration pur
poses, the record becomes even
more remarkable. It is the first
(Continued on Pf 2)
DOWN THE ROAD
Diverting Traffic Away fromi
Construction Work Proves
of Help To All
in an errort to combat tne in
conveniences to motor travel
caused by erroneous information
from "roadside sources," scientific
detour service is now available to
motorists through the 950 motor
clubs affiliated with the A. A. A.,
according to the national motoring
body.
A nation-wide survey by A. A
A. motor clubs has disclosed that
naccurate information on detours
given to motorists at gas stations
stores, farmhouses and from other
unofficial sources, has, in thou
sands of instances, caused the
driver to take longer routes over
bad roads, when correct data
would have routed him over t
good road and the shortest route
The new service is described in
the following statement issued by
the National Touring Bureau of
the A. A. A.:
"The A. A. A. Is perfecting one
if the most complete and scientific
services to give correct informa
tion on detours that has ever been
attempted in the history of organ-
zed motordom.
"The importance of this service
"an be seen from the fact that on
December 1 there were 1758 de
tours on the main trunk line high
ways only, east of the Rocky
Mountains. When it is taken into
consideration that there are thou
sands of miles of subsidiary and
:ounty highways also carrying
construction projects, it can readi
ly be seen that it is impossible for
the motorist to make a trip of any
extent without running into one
or more detours.
"This service, particularly to
members, consists of issuing of
our regional detour bulletins, cov
arlng all territory east of the
Rockies. They are Issued for the
northeasstern, southeastern, north
central and south central states,
giving correct detour information
for trunk line routes and principal
connections.
"Diverting of traffic away from
construction projects on highways
not only adds to the peace of mind
of the motorist, but also allows
the project to be completed faster
and with more thoroughness. Ade
quate signposting of detours by
states is also advocated and many
states have fallen in line with the
suggestion and use a part of state
hlgway funds for this purpose.
Others are showing a willingness
to lend their cooperation by re
quiring contractors to signpost the
detours on the project on which
they are working."
Two doctoi-s of Haverhill, Mass.
were discussing automobiles. One
hoped they would bury his Frank
lin with him when he died. Num
ber two was curious. "Because,"
said Sawbones No. 1, "that car
has pulled me out of every hole
I ever got into."
A SHORT-CIRCUITED HORN
Efforts Being Made To Keep
Passes of Rockies Open
During Winter
DENVER. Colo.. (AP) Ever
since the westward-looking pio
neers of three-quarters of a cen
tury ago pushed the American
frontier beyond the Continental
Divide, winter, sitting oh 14.000
foot peaks, has defied efforts to
keep mountain passes oDen
throughout the year.
But experiments now under way
may lead to transcontinental mo
tor travel through avenues hereto
fore closed the year around. This
is the belief of Robert H. Higgins.
state superintendent 0f road
maintenance
Last winter the state hiehwav
department kept open one of the
northern passes through the Di
vide Berthoud to ascertain the
wind drift of enow and the actual,
amount of snowfall, with a view
to determining whether snow
fences would keep the road rea
sonably clear of snow. It was de
cided that Berthoud could be kept
clear only at almost prohibitive
expense.
This winter the department is
keeping open Tennessee pass
10.400 feet above sea level with
the same plan In view. Tennessee
is on the cross-country highway to
Salt Lake City. Several hundred
yards of snow fences and a rotary
snow plow may suffice to make
Tennessee a year-around mountain
pass, Higgins believes.
Immediately under the state
highway runs the tunnel of the
Denver & Rio Grande Western
railway, where trains escape the
annual battle with the snow in a
rockrlbbed protective tube. Ten
nessee ordinarily Is closed to mo
tor travel from six to seven
months each year.
Of eleven passes across the Di
vide in Colorado, only three gen-
3rally are free of snow which Im
pedes motor travel. These are La
Veta and Poncha passes In the San
Luis valley and Raton pass. Nine
of the eleven are between 10,000
nd 11,000 feet above sea level.
Iia ton pass, through which the
3pta Fe railway runs from Col
orado Into New Mexico, is 7,800
feet high.
The highest railway pass in the
state Is Independence, 12,000 feet
above sea level.
Among the passes closed defin
itely when winter sets in and
winter in the upper reaches of the
Rocky Mountains starts in Octo
ber and November and lasts until
May are Wolf Creek, Cumbres,
Monarch, Cameron and Fall River.
The latter. In Rocky Mountain na
tional park, Is open only three
months of the year and is then
cleared for travel only througi. the
efforts of the forestry department.
Tourists may ride through a
"Snow tunnel" on the Fall river
road when the remainder of the
country is sweltering under an
August sun.
AND THE OWNER AWAY
S . V.X . v
i) .
Canyonville-Galesville section of Pacific Highway, Doug
las County, one of the scenic spots in Southern Oregon.
DAY OBTAIKS TIRE
Goodyear Again Leads
Work and Maintains
Several Factories
In keeping with the progressive
policy of the Goodyear factory and
its dealers, G. W. Day has installed
the latest and most up-to-date
equipment for handling the re
pairing of the large size truck and
balloon tires.
The mold installed at the local
shop is one of the largest in the
state and capable of curing the
largest tires made. A factory
trained man is on hand to take
care of the work. Inspection of
the process and the work is in
vited.
"The enviable position of 'The
World's Largest. Rubber Company'
has been attained by the Goodyear
lire & Rubber Co. through a pol
icy of leadership and foresight and
not by accident," declared George
Day, who operates the Goodyear
service station at Chemeketa and
Commercial streets,
"Just as Goodyear has led the
industry in many improvements in
tire construction, so has it lead in
broadening Its manufacturing fa
cilities and thus taken advantage
of the ever enlarging field for tire
sales."
Mr. Day pointed out that Good
year was better able to supply the
big demand for tires during 1927
because of its five manufacturing
plants and big production and
service personnel.
"Goodyear has," he said, "be
sides two main plants at Akron,
one in Los Angeles, two in Can
ada, another at Sydney, Australia,
and a factory ready to start oper
ations in England.
"The year 1927 has been one of
record-breaking for the company,"
according to Mr. Day.
"In the first quarter, the com
pany produced 4,030,651 tires and
sold 4,101,457. In April. Good
year manufactured its 100,000,-
000th tire setting another record
A record six-month period was
followed with production in Aug-
(Continued on p;e 3)
By FRANK BECK
MOLD
H WiLLYS-KiaiGHT
BEING INTRODUCED
Formal Showing In Sales
room Follows Success
Won At Auto Shows
With the formal announcement
jf the new Willys-Knight Stand
ard Six. the lowest priced Knight
engined six ever built by the
Willys-Overland compffffyunusual
interest is being shown in the
special salon being staged the
week of February 20 at showrooms
of all Willys-Overland merchants.
When this new Willys-Knight
six was first introduced at the
National Automobile show in New
York City early in January, it
proved one of the feature attrac
tions of America's greatest gath
ering of motor car enthusiasts,
striking a new achievement for
Willys-Overland in the Knight en
gined field.
An entirely new market Is
opened for the new Standard Six
since it is the first time in Willys
Overland history that a Willys-
Knight six has reached as low as
the $1,100 classification.
The new Standard Six adhere?
closely to the general lines of the
Willys-Knight Special Six and the
WIHys-Knlght Great Six retain
ing the same characteristics of de
sign, performance and appearance
as featured by the two larger
Knight engined cars.
the Standard Six line consists
of a range of colorful body models
with an exceptionally complete
line of equipment and many inno
vatlons in interior appointments.
The body lines are striking in de
sign and insure this new model as
being among the most popular In
Willys-Overland history.
The Willys-Knight Standard Six
already has set a new high stand
ard of performance In Its price
class, showing unusual ability to
mount the steepest grades in high
gear and to maintain a high rate
of speed for long periods without
any strain or ill efect upon the en
gine.
An Innovation is provided ii
the Standard Six in the matter of
control of the headlights. The
double filament bulbs are con
trolled by means of a foot-operated
switch at the left of the toeboard,
thus making it possible to raise or
lower the light beams without re
moving the hands from the wheel
The interiors of the Standard
Six are marked by unusual roomi
ness while the smartly upholstered
-eats are set at the proper angle
to provide the utmost comfort for
driver and passengers.
Willys-Overland's announcement
of the new lower priced Willys
Knight culminates the company's
plan for a complete range of sleeve
valve engined cars in this class
following the company's lt years
experience in building cars pow
ered by a Knight engine.
The unusual acceptance given
these cars at both the New York
and Chicago national automobile
shows indicate that it will occupy
a conspicuous position in 192S In
the six cylindered field.
Coast Air Transportation
Shows Large Gain In Year
The cause of air transportation
gave indication at this year's coast
automobile show of the important
place it will take In similar shows
of the future. The budding air
Industry "stole the spotlight" at
numerous special events, notably
at the dealer luncheon of Graham?
Paige corporation in the Hotel St.
Francis.
Emory Bronte, now in charge
of the aviation division of the As
sociated Oil Co.," waa a leading
sneaker. In narrating the story
of his flight as the first civilian
navigator to reach the Hawaiian
Islands, he stressed the importance
of lasting qualities in pres. nt day
motors. Bronte starts soon on a
comprehensive survey of Pacific,
coast air-ports. .
Preserve Scenic Places;
Other Notes from State
A .
iviuiui Association
Twenty-eight stai parks. In
cluding many outstanding scenic
points on our state highways, have
already been secured by the high
way department. In addition, tim
bered areas along the highways
are controlled so that there will
be no timber cutting or undesir
able development in the nature of
hot dog stands or bill boards. '
This has been acv-.rapli.hed ip
the last few years in accordance
with the poliry of th highway
commission to keep tii? highway
of the future as beati iful ne it H
at present.
With this a a beginning, there
is being rapidly accomplished in
Oregon a well rounded out system
ui iftnu idi ss. n iaiisiae tim
ber preservation Is being carried
out in the Blue Mountain parks
on the Oregon Trail and the Wal-lowa-La
Grande lAghway; sea
beach and dune areas are being
provided on the Roosevelt high
way: lawn and desert types ar
exemplified in park along The
Dalles-California highway.
A beginning has been made.
The few parks acquired to date
are well scattered and representa
tive of various attractions and
scenic types. More yet needs to
be done. (
More parks for r-m place and
picniclng are needed on such ar
tries as the Pacific highway; more
examples of the superb rarletit
of attraction on the Columbia.
Roosevelt and other highways. The
river and ocean bach sceneries
are especially deserving of addi
tional attention. The timber res
ervations should go on with addi
tional Impetus as greatly Increas
ing the beauty and attractiveness
of the highway system.
According to the Oregon State
Motor association, many of those
highway park sites have come to
the state as donations and are
named oe memorials to the don
ors. They point out that lof-al
interest and initiative shown by
various communities and counties
should be promoted, and especiaK
ly possible donors of scenic points
should be further encouraged to
set up p?;rk memorial with conse
quent benefit to our state and our
motor visitors for this and com
ing generations.
A recent announcement from
Idaho to the Oregon state motor
association states that the Old
Oregon Trail from the Wyoming
Uate line to the Oregon line mill
be oiled for Its entire length by
August 1, 1928. From this point
to Portland the road 1 either
f
(Continued on pi'C)
M
Oil LATE POHTIflC
Oakland Motor Car Com
pany Again In Role of
Automotive Pioneer
The Oakland Motor Car Coni
oany, continuing its pioneering ac
tivities which brought Duco, four
wheel brakes, the fuel pump and
many other major developments to
the motorist, has scored again
through Its introduction of an en
tirely new principle of heat radia
tion. -
The "cross-flow" radiator, one
of the features of the New Series
Pontiac Six, haa attracted a large
share of attention among the crit
ical "new stuff" enthusiasts who
have thronged the automobile
shows and the Oakland-Pontiac
show rooms since the latest Pon
tiac was first shown on Jan. 5.
Flowing horizontally through 354
inches of radiator core cooling sur
face. Instead of vertically, this
radiator takes advantage of the
principle of condensation. It has
40 square inches more radiating
surface than the old radiator and
contains 12 quarts. ' It has two
side tanks, connected by a core
with horizontal wwter passage
and a top tank. Water from the
engine enters the Inlet tank and
flows cross-ways through the core
into the cool water tank on the
other side. It la then returned to
the engine.. The cool water tank
extends np the side and across the
top where the filling eap Is locat
ed. ..
While , passing c r o - w I s '
through the core, any water ; or
anU-freexe mixture . which' may
have become vaporized In the n
rine Is cooled and condensed be-
NEW
EM
(Coatimta ea r 3'"' ,."".
(OontiaA par 1)