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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (March 18, 1928)
"Get Acquainted With American History" Competing-With "See America First" as Motorists Visit Historical Places of Nation r f - AUTOMOTIVE BETTER HOMES SECTION TWO PAGES I TO 8 WAY BETTER THAN LAST YEAR SEVENTY-SEVENTH YEAR SALEM, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, MARCH 18, 1928 PRICE FIVE CENTS WESTERN AUTO CELEBRATES TWELFTH ANNIVERSARY HUDSON PATENTS "F-HEAD" FORIMPLIIED fWM0 7EJS0LIE USAGE SERVJCE EXTErJSIDN MOTORING PROVIDES COURSE 111 HISTORY SIMEM V i Jt California Leads All States in Consumption of Fuel for Year WASHINGTON, D C, Mar. 17. . Consumption of gasoline by mo tor vehicles Increased 12.4 per cent during 1927, the American Road Builders' association esti mated recently. The- number of gallons of gasoline, consumed in the United States totalled 11,563.- J 490,000 gallons, according to fig- California led all states in the consumption of the' fuel, the ve hicles of that state burning 1,017,- 681.000 gallons. The state of New York ranked second with 892,800, 000 gallons. The average national consumption per motor vehicle was approximately 630 gallons. The total number of miles traveled es timated on a basis of 13.2 per gal lon was placed at more than 150, 000.000.000 miles. XT All but two states were impos ,! ing a tax on gasoline at the close of 1927, the association stated, Il linois and New Jersey having in augurated a tax during the year. New York and Massachusetts are the only states without the tax. Accurate figures on the amount of gasoline tax were not available, but are expected to run well over $200,000,000 as compared with $187,603,231 in 1926. The increased consumption of fuel was attributed to the greater popularity of long distance travel, and to the stimulation of vehicle transportation by a larger mileage of good roads. "These good roads" the association explained, "have Increased the number of miles per gallon of gasoline, but have giten such a stimulus to travel that a larger consumption has taken place. Registration of motor ve hicles increased approximately 5 percent during 1927, the total es timated being 23,125.000 as com pared with 22.001.400 in 1926 These figures do not Include buss- 4 es. J The gasoline consumption flgur ..... - ecr the states of New York and Massachusetts were estimated. The '.i Illinois and New Jeinev fimr. were estimated on the basis of con sumption far tbe months during which a tax was imposed and fig urea made available. In most of the states the figures were final and revised, while in Arizona, Ar kansas, California. Colorado, In- (Conlioufd on pt(. 3) PMCE SUDDS Whippet In Lowest Priced Group Feature Start of Year's Program Two triking moves by SETIIUTWOeROUPS . ii.ys- (!.( rland have marked the "start or this voir. The sensation- V. al pri, p drop oa the Whippet which ! ani:ouu,.-,i oarly in January j-; and thf intro.iurtion of a third Of the -:x y!;r.(fr cars, at the pri' ' ever set on anv lowrt Villys Kt!, it have fornseri ftt- tenii(,n oM ; hu orKanization. II: the s,:ie records achieved by S h. j.p- t since the Dresent pr;-.-- .: announced have been out ranri;, !a tacir relaUon to c-tu ra nio'iir , . - inc. n v i n. oaia iu ut? lyiv prici T' K r, : : a::: r . in ' re pption of the Wlllys t j-wiidard Six, which was '! nationally daring the February, has resulted vy demand for this car '-' of thousands of motor rs who find in the low I n f lnr: t on thii mouel, their "fi'oriunity to buy a car h Willys-Overland with a sleeve valve motor. I: l oth the low priced Whippet "! the recent addition to the (. ...i6ui. line, uisiiuciivB futures of design and equipment " offered. The Whippet is i .. ... .. -'-u.u.cu uy perieciea noay lines axia iuu equipment. The Willys-Knight SUndard Six is featured by an unasual amount of -oom in a car ot its price, by PlWcreations In body lines and ooddecorations and through the use of a non-breakable steering wheel, foot control of the head lights and dimmers and a new fihly decorative Instrument oard panel. The rapid Increase in Willys- vnlght sales all over the country hich followed the entrance of Willys-Overland In the six cylinder 'ype of power plant using a Knight iseve yalve. motor, three years igo, baa res sited in a demand for v." (OwsamU ea l ON PACIFIC CttAST . NOW CELEBRATING THE 12 ANNI- JMFwm MORE Ti335CORES IVERSAWY ON THE PACIFIC COAST yVtA- THRO06hoOT THE- WEST The Western Auto Supply Company has grown immensely in layout indicating pictorially how the concrrn has gone from a jimall than 10 stores today. An Anniversary Sale is being featured in April 2. TOM OF AUTOS .S. If All Cars Started at Same Time Great Traffic Jam Would Result European nations might be in clined to envy oar American highway system with ts 3,000,000 miles of paved roads, and, as a matter of .fact, we are not exact ly ashamed of it ourselves. But if erery registered automo bile in the United States were to be taken out tomorrow and if these cars were to be distributed equally over the 3,000,000 miles of road, a traffic congestion would result which would ap proximate the conditions ot a holiday jam. The inadequacy of American highways and a transportation problem which has . been created by a registration of 23,000,000 motor vehicles were pointed out by H. 11. Brooks, general sale: director of the Marmon Motor Car company. "It is difficult to visualize 23.- 000.000 automobiles," said Mr. Brooks, "but the slgnifcance of this amazing registration can be better appreciated when we t are told that if all these cars were to be started at once -and scattered the flood stage the saturation point. And the saturation point In automotive producton certan in automotive production certain ly is stll far dstant. . "A registration of more than 30.000.000 cars may be anticipa ted within the next five years but unless our road-building ac tivities are Increased to- a scale hitherto unknown. It will be ? case of being all dressed up with no place to go. , "It is true .that our road-build 'ng program has been one of the phenomena of the present agf The automobile has made almost every towns and hamlet of the country accessible by paved roads. Onlv vesterdav. as It were, a 50- mlle motor trip over the old dirt roads was something . of,-, an achievement. Tear by year we have increased the cruising radlue of the motor vehicle. "But. remarkable as the pro gress has been, the fact remain that highway building has . failed to keep pace with the production of automobiles. - The main ar teries of traffic, especially . those leading in and oat of the more rnncrested Donulation centers, al ready are dangerously crowded, and on Sunday and holidays are all but impassabls. "Highway Improvement and development in 1927 cost ns 11.- 350,000.000 a sum that rather takes the breath away.. But if we are to realize the value of the automobile and - derive, the full health-clvlnr benefits from the gas-driven rehlcler if we "are to enjoy the open road and the open country Instead of using oar cars merely as taxicabs, we shall hare to double ' our appropriations for hard roads' and for wider high ways." - . Aid Bill Meet Favor The , Phlppa Federal-aid bill. authorizing f 75,000,000 for Fed eral-ald in road construction In each of the years of 1930 and 1931, was favorably. reported this week by the Senate ; Post Office Committee. The measure, sup ported by the American Motorists Association; and other national or ganisations, Is a companion mea sure of the Dowell bill In .the House, which provided for an an nual appropriation of I T i.O 0 0,0 for Federal-aid. Passage of the Federal-aid measure is regarded s. certain. IN II Bv Oliver West Twelve years ago this March, the Western Auto :pp:y company opened its first store on the Pa- cific coast. Today more than 150'l59th store was recently opened. 3to33 . throughout the west carry the Western Auto banner. The first Western Auto Supply ompany store was opened in Los uigeles in 1916 by George Pep lerdine, founder of the company nd its present head. It has a tock of merchandise worth -approximately $4000. Mr. Pepper line had had some previous ex perience in the automobile acces sory business in a middle western itate and came to Los Angeles with a thorough realization of the value of advertising and the friends that could be made by sell ing standard merchandise at as low a cost as possible consistent with quality and standing abso lutely, back of every sale that was made. This policy has continued throughout the entire growth of the company. From the modest start with one store . in 1916, the Western Auto Supply company grew to an or ganization of twenty stores in 1920 and the business increased to an annual worth of about f 400,- 000. This business was then in corporated and additional capital was secured through the sale of stock, a large portion of it being purchased by the employees of Durant-Star v-r -n. , HiS- a.- " rrt"M Sm Mm - L'h , ' -. . ' '- ..." , i 1 . 'A Nor Stir two-door sedan, the largest dosed car for the world! lowest pnea, is sHowiLabove, At right center, new f ow-door sedan. At left, new DuraavSur radiator. Balow. the athctrre sport roadster, one of the most popular models of Ue sensational new Durant-Star Ene. Today the new Star, which was the sensation of ; auto shows throughout the .country, will be displayed her tor the first time on the sales "floor of fialem Auto mobile Co.. Durant-Star, dealer or ganisation. When the new Star was first ex-, hlbited at the New York Auto the last few years. The above store in twelve years to more all stores from Starch 17 to Ithe company. The business was the company. then extended to all the large cities and towns in the west and grew with such rapidity that the The growth of the company is actually the growth of an idea plus a determination on the part of one man to see his idea through. The Indomitable cour age of George Pepperdine in rigid ly adhering to his policies in the face of competition, both fair and unfair, has resulted in the build ing of a business that had a turn over of more than fourteen million dollars in 1927. The twelfth anniversary will be celebrated by the Western Auto stores with an anniversary sale. As a token of the company's ap preciation of the patronage that has made its tremendous growth possible this. money-saving sale of accessories and tires will be in ef fect in all Western Auto stores from March 17 to April 2. Automobiles Recovered A total of 14,274 automobiles, having a value of $11,949,382 haVe been recovered since the pas sage of the National Motor Ve hicle Act, passed in 1919, accord ing to figures compiled by the American Motorists Association. Daring the last fiscal year 3,000 cars, valued at $2,500,000, were recovered. Triumph of Motor Car Makes' Debut Show, it was acclaimed the great est triumph of the motor car in dustry. ! . . Interest .Jn v the new I Star ;:.was heightened . by the. announcement of astoundlagly low price to meet model for model the prices of the lowest-priced automobile In the Industry.' 1. Fourth Annual Conference of Secretaries to Be Held in Washington WASHINGTON, D. C, March 17 How it may extend and make even more effective its many ser vices to its large and ever-growing membership and to motorists generally will provide the keynote of the fourth annual conference Of secretaries and managers of local clubs of the American Auto mobile association which will be held in Washington March 21-23. The purpose of the conference is set forth In a statement issued to day by National Headquarters of the A. A. A. Coming on the eve of the per iod which is expected to see estab lished the greater motor migra tion in history, the conferences will bring to Washington the ex ecutive personnel of a majority of the 957 clubs that make up the nation-wide chain of the A.A.A. Secretaries and managers from Pacific Coast clubs, from the south, mid-west and Atlantic sea board already have made reserva tionsfor the conference and it is now evident that virtually every state in tbe Union will be repre sented. Providing an opportunity for an interchange, of ideas among club executives from all parts of the country and enabling national of ficials of the A.A.A. to acquaint their representatives in the field with every detail of the broad pro gram contemplated for 1928, the conference Is expected to be one of the most successful in the long history of the organization, the statement declares. In addition to the addresses by prominent figures in local, state and national . motor club circles, the delegates will hear several na tionally known leaders in other fields discuss subjects pertinent to the motor club movement, in cluding motor taxation and na tional road development. - General sessions of the confer ence will be devoted to discussion or tne mam features of the or ganixatlon's program. Important among these are those Bervics devoted to simlifyiag the path of the motor traveler. Industry Shown . ; The reception accorded the Star in New York, was duplicated at the Pacific Coast Automobile Show held in San Francisco and at shows' In Chicago, Seattle, Kansas City, Portland, Los An geles, and other Important centers or population. T i j i'-The. new. Star Js. sturdier .and Valve, spark plug, and combustion arrangement for the high compression Super-Six motor, patents for which have been granted to the Hudson Motor Car Co. P ONE DEALER RECALLS TESTING Mnay Things Happened In Motor World During Past 17 Years "Many things have happened in the motor car world in the past 17 v years," says Ralph Hamlin pioneer dealer in Franklin motor cars of Los Angeles, Cal., who was recently a visitor at the Franklin factory at Syracure, N. Y. "The present 60-mile with com fort Franklin in a long way ahead of the cars of the same make that were being sold in the early days. "My first real 60 mile an hour clip with this car was made in the Los Angeles Phoenix Desert race in 1912 when the Franklin fin ished first by a wide margin over as weird a list of contestants as ever were gathered in a fight I aSalnst eTerT klnd of known odds "Today, the roads between Los Angeles and Hhoenix are as dif (Continued on page 2) Here larger than its predecessors. Tbe new Starches a 107 inch wheel base, three Inches longer than be fore. The -frame la ' heavier and better braced. Insuring; greater comfort , and safety. For fthis longer wheelhase number - of (0 tia a afge s) , 1 S Announcement is made by the Hudson Motor Car company that it has been granted patent rights on the "F-Head" high compres sion motor which has been used in all Hudson Super-Six cars since early last summer. The patent No. 1,656.051. relating to internal combustion engines covers the entire arrangement of valves, spark plugs and combination chamber. A Hudson engineering execu tive says the patented design is important because it permits high compression benefits in a large motor like the Hudson Super-Six. High compression, it was said; has proved a far more difficult problem with large motors than with those of smaller dimensions. The task has been accomplished In motors suecifically designed for anti-knock gasolines, butlhe Hud son design is intended for any standard or even sub-standard fuel. High Compression Obtained With the new patented design Hudson motors now are built with a compression ratio of nearly 6 to 1 or 20 per cent above the average with correspondingly high standards of acceleration. fuel economy and power. The company engineers say that it is practically impossible to make the motor knock under even, the most adverse operating conditions. The motor is describe,(Pas the liveliest most powerful and economical Hudson has ever built. In the patented F-Head design. the intake valve Is located in the head of the motor and the ex haust valve at the side. In a way, the motor is valve-In-head as to intake and L-Head design" as to exhaust. The intake valve opens to admit fuel In a location just above the exhaust valve. Heme it is stated, the incoming fuel U drawn directly over the exhaust valve with a dual effect. First. all "wet" particlues of fuel are subjected to the heat of the ex haust valve and chamber, which tends to vaporize them and mcke them fit for clean and speedy combustion. Secondly, tho ex haust valve Is subjected to enough of this cooling action so that It never becomes excessively over heated. Avoid Knocking Causa Very hot exhaust valves have long been recognized as one of the chief causes of pro-ignition or knocking in high compression' motors. Hudson engineers have succeeded at once In moderating the valve temperature and at the same time making it serve the purpose of a "hot" spot. The fuel charge enter the motor so easily and exhausts so cleanly tha; only! moderate-size valves are used. Another important feature of the patented arrangement is tho location of the sparlc plug. This Is at the extreme side of the com bustion chamber. The effect of this Is that the first Intense ex plosion of the fuel charge is con fined to the small space around the valves. By the time the com bustion has extended Into the cyl inder proper, the action is a push ing instead of an explosive one. This results in especially smooth operation. The Essex System The new patent- which was ob tained, after several months' study by the U. S.-patent officecov ers all these ond other- arrange ments, "each In relation to and in combination with all others." The compression ratio made possible-3-about 6 to 1 Is prac tically the satme as that used in the smaller Essex motor, where an L-Head design has been found quite satisfactory. ' ' Many Motor Cars Made A. total of 3.3 9 S.8 8 7 motor ve hicles were manufactured In the Halted States during 1127, accord ing to revised official figures com- niled by the TJ. S. Census Bureau. DuringflstCa total of 498.793 ears were manufactured. At the present time, there are 1SS manu facturers of "passenger ears and struck. in the-UnltedSUtea.., j Strict and Approved Head-, light Law Real Necessity In Many States ' One of the most important by- products of motor touring is the keener appreciation of American history and national historic : shrines that has come in the wake of the ever-Increasing 'motor cara- . van, according to the American . Motorist, the' official publication , of the American Automobile As sociation. "Get acaualnted with American ' history," is a slogan, says the Mo torist, that is competing for first position with the slogan, "See Am erica First." It continues: "Indications seem to make It rather evident that tbe present-, day motor tourist is quite as in terested In visiting scenic, objec tives. It was inevitable that this should be the case, since motor touring provides the best possible post-graduate course In the study of American history. "This growing appetite for his tory on the part of the motoring masses is attested to by librarians and by national and state historic societies. Historical pageants of recent years were visited by hun dreds of thousands of motor tour ists and have focused attention in a concrete and intimate way. not only on the particular event cele brated but on all historic shrines. "A convincing testimony to the current interest in history is shown in the extent to which states and municipalities have been virtually compelled to pro vide roads between the main high ways and historic monuments ad jacent thereto. And still another testimony is provided in the brisk trade In old books, relics and alt kinds of antiques. "Thus, while the aatomoblle and motor touring has been more influential than anything else in eliminating sectionalism, it has at the same time become a powerful factor In the development of a more abiding patriotism and a higher type of pride In worthwhile achievements, because the patrio- tism and the pride are based on more extensive knowledge and a clearer perspective." America is rapidly becoming a , "map-reading" reading" nation and there is an unprecedented demand for up-to-date maps on which the readers can follow the trail of ex plorers In the search for the un charted and unknown and find tho (Continued n page 3) LieUT ENFORCEMENT Americans Rapidly Becom ing Map Reading Nation and Learn- More The experience of states and municipalities which have put into effect and insisted on strict en forcement of approved and effi cient headlight laws, proves con clusively that it is quite within tha power of motordom to remove the "glare evil" from the highways, according to the Research and Legislative Division of the Ameri can Automobile Association. The observation of the national motoring body is based on a com parison of the "encouragingly small" percentage of mal-adjusted automobile lights In communities where enforcement of headlight laws is rigidly Insisted on, as com--pared with the "deplorable situs-" tion" where both the law and en forcement Is lax. Says the state ment: 'Cars Involved in 22,500 aeci- dents in New York State were ex amined by traffic experts and only twenty-four had glaring head lamps. Forty-eight other ma chines had either one or both lights missing old cars. Two dozen other automobiles had tail lights obscured or out of service. "In Connecticut during a recent year, a total of 17,000 automobile accidents occurred. . Only . 3.6 per cent of these smash-ups and col lisions resulted . from . defective equipment. Less. than ond-hlaf of one per cent had .their Origin in blinding headlamps. "An amazing contrast Is pre sented in a certain eastern city which is annually .visited. by bun-' dreds of thousands of motor tour ists. In this particular, city, the enforcement of headlight regula tions Is extremely JeV. The Traf fic Bureau, ; however,. . maintains " free testing, statipps, .where the ' lights on resident, cars. are inspect ed and readjusted.. During the fis cal year ending June SO, .19 27, the headlights ion 5,071. cars were tested and only 124. of them were found to comply fully with the lo cal traffic regulations.. Only ap- PI BEING ED (Ceatia4 pf S) 1 -: