The Oregon statesman., January 13, 1929, Page 13, Image 13

i)
Talk of the Road and News of
the Day for Motorists and
Outdoors Folk
II Agriculture , anJ Industrial .
'V. A. 'olotanLanwaim: News or
rie Form onf FieJ
.. , Automotive Information
SECTION
ll-- i r - " J ,
! i.t'J;..' .'h "
Safety-Responsibility Law
Framed By A. A. A. Solution
To Reckless Driver Problem
iode for National Adoption Would Outlaw Careless
From, Highways and Prevent Obtaining Permit to
Operate Auto in Other States
By OWEN' B. AUOSPURGER
. Chairman, A. A. A. Committee of 8event-n
Through its special national committee of seventeen and
Its executive committee, the American Automobile associa
tion has framed a Safety-Responsible law as a constructive
measure designed to protect all the users of the highways
against the reckless, incompetent and irresponsible driver.
The measure is not submitted with the recommendation that
the proposals it makes shall be adopted in or by every state.
since tne committee recognizes
that there are states where no
problem of this kind exists
and where there is little or no
demand for such legislation.
Directed primarily at the
menace to persons and prop
erty, from a reckless and criminal
minority, the Safety-Responsible
law seeks to: control this minority.
To accomplish this purpose, it
sets up simple legal machinery
whereby the state, as the unit of
local government, is empowered
to deprive of-the use of the high
ways those i drteVators who have
demonstrated . that they are an
11 .'. . .. .
actual or potential menace to their
fellow motorists andlto the public
in general. j '
Driver Control Provident
Restoration of the right of such
people to use the road is made
contingent in this proposed la
on the establishment of specific
safeguards against possible future
damage to persons or property.
That Is, of course, in addition to
whatever disabilities, restriction
end penalties are provided for in
the motor vehicle codes of the var
ious states for such offenders. In
other words, the Safety-Responsibility
law, while embodying sever
al fundamental principles. ia
the nature of supplenIfajf VstV
la t ion.
Here are the cardinal principles
It I Ttf itaA In tViA law
It pnovi
the Uniform Motor Vehicle Oper,
ators' and Chaufferua' fLicen.
fcc-t by all states that doSriet no-
have such'a law on thefr ''statute
books. The) control of the privilege
oi driving" rests with each stat
and Jt is obvious . that control;!?
more; complete In thos estates
quiring arivers to secure an oper
ator's license.
siupensiop j.ianuatoriv uibiuty la wis sound in principle.
v ifiuTiutjs lvi ; iuauitui Sn
pension of the driving permits of
all persons found guilty at a&ilmis.
violation of motor vehicle laws.
In addition to whatever penalties
lithe state laws provide for these
offenders, the. Safety-Responsibil-L
Jty law definitely bars them from
the road uutife they have estab
lished satisfactory proof of their
financial responsibility against fu
ture injuries' to persons or prop
erty. It providesfor the suspension
of the driving rights of all persons
against whom a final judgment
has been legally rendered and who
have failed to meet the Judgment.
This suspension Is to remain In
effect until the judgment has been
satisfied and until a future guar
antee of financial responsibility
has been established. While this
provision does not absolutely guar
antee the payment of a first Judg-
ent the prospect of permanent
expulsion rrom tne roaa is sucn a i
compelling alternative that it will
inerltably tend in time t oreduce
unpaid Judgments to the vanish
ing point.
Protects Careful
It provides for the insertion in
the driver's license law of every
state of a proviso which will for
bid the. Issuance of . a permit to
any person whose right to drive 1
at that time suspended in any oth
er state because of failure t6 re
spond to damages or because of
other serious violations of motor
vehicle laws. This, in effect, pro
vides for lnter-exchange of sus
pension rulings, as between the
FOR PUBLIC APPEAL
WASHINGTON. D. C, Jan. 12.
. Revision of specifications for
racing cars, In order that this ma
jor national sport may have a
greater popular appeal through
cars built ' more In line wlhh
those seen on the highways, will
be considered at. the annual meet
ing of I the contest board of the
American Automobile association
at tbe aldorf-LAstoria hotel. New
-York City, Jnuary 8.
Captain .. V. Rlckenbacker,
noted war ace and chairman of
the contest board, stated in issu
ing the call for the meeting that
it promises to he one of the most
far-reachlng In the history of
track and speedway.
Pending consideration at the
annual session, the official gov
erning body of automobile racing
was not In position to disclose the
new specifications. The hoard said
however, that it realizes, that rac
ing will have more appeal If .the
cars are somewhat alone the lines
of those with vrhich.tha ubplic is
most'famllfar. '
REVISE CE RULES
state, and would render "the dis
ability nationally reciprocal
ine committee Which formu
lated the bill has had constantly
In mind the fact that the streets
and the highways are public as
sets; that the automobile Is a vi
tal factor in the country's business
social and economic lite, and that
the large mass of law-abiding,
careful drivers should be permit
ted the use of the streets without
subjecting them to unreasonable
burdens financial or otherwise.
Directed at Keckless
For th.it jtaOit, the Safety-Re
sponsibiliSyM Law is frankly di
rected at tbe small minority of
reckless and Irresponsible motor
vehicle operators to whom are
chargeable the mounting toll of
loss of life and Injuries to persons
and property.
The committee concluded that
it was manifestly unnecessary and
unfair to compel the overwhelm
ing majority of motorists to carry
insurance to protect the commun
ity against the damage caused by
the small minority.
The same unfairness would re
sult from the proposal for the
state to enter the insurance bus
iness and compel all motorists to
contribute to a state fund. Com
pulsion of any sort is not popular
with the overage American and
he resents being compelled to pur
chase insurances This is particu
larly true of the large "body of car"
owners who live in sparsely set
tied territories and whose use.pf
the car and exposure to accident
is relatively small!''
Experience may develop the
need for modification as to the de
tails of any proposed legislation
re-frlie all-important thing, however,
is that legislation should be sound
in principle. The Safety-Respon-
since, It approaches the subject
from the standpoint of national
safety and since it confines Its
penalties, burdens and disabilities
to those proven guilty of offenses
against the public welfare.
NEW FIRM ME
With the beginning of the new
year, one of America's most im
portant .corporations takes a "new
name; but one that retains all the
main features of the old one
known to so many hundreds of
thousands of people. .
From now on. Shell Oil com
pany is the correct designation
nt the hi nrortnrino- refininc anrl
dl8tributinK organization hereto-
, ev,ii
fore known as Shell Company of
California.
Growth of the Shell business
and the desire for a name more
nearly explanatory of the com
pany's work are given by off!.
rials as the reasons for the change.
Shell has long been a major fac
tor in. .the petroleu mlndustry.
producing from its own wells, re
fining in its own plants, and mar
keting through its own Shell ser.
vleevice stations and through hun
dreds of dealers. Its. principal
products are Shell 400, the "dry"
gas which protects motorists from
excessive oil thinning, and Shell
Motor oil that fdrms no hard grit
ty carbon. A great variety of oth
er products marine fuels and
lubricants, industrial fuels and
lubricants, aviations gasoline,
household soecialties also are
produced and marketed by Shell
With these Shell products being
sold in all Pacific coast states and
Hawaii, Shell officials decided
that the new name would be more
appropriate for such a widespread
business. Besides, many persons
often wrote the odl name and
spoke of the company as Shell Oil
company, so this change will be
right in line with public thought
and will not cause any confusion
Needless to say. the change in
name does not contemplate any
change In management, policies
or operation
Intricate Codes
Bewilder Driver
One of the most Interesting let
ters we received of late was from
a motorist who apparently had
some trouble In keeping: up with
the traffic regulations of his home
town. He hazarded a stiff bet that
Dr. Einstein, the. scientist who de
veloped ; the "Theory of Belativ
Ity. would be pinched twice a day
for failure to comprehend the . in
tricacies of the traffic system. '
OIL M l
Traffic Congestion Can Be Relieved
Segrave's "Golden Arrow"
Expected to Travel 240
Mlies Per Hour at Daytona
WASHINGTON. D. C, Jan. 12.
-Although considerable mysterj
still surrounds the design of the
"Golden Arrow." the car in which
Major H. O. D. Segrave of Eng
land hopes to regain the world's
speed record. It represents the lat
est achievement in streamllnlnr
and Is the exact antithesis of tlu
"Sunbeam," the first car to trave.
over 200 miles per hour, accord
ing to Val Haresnape, secretary oi
the contest board of the American
Automobile association.
The A. A. A. contest board ha?
reserved a sanction for the speed
trial, which will be held at Day
tone Beach, Fla., some time in
March and preparations are now
underway for the event which
promises to startle the world of
speed.
Design Radical Change
"Major Segrave Is following the
usual custom of keeping exact
measurement figures secret until
such time as it will be too late
for competitors to copy ; them."
Mr. Haresnape said. "However,
he has made no secret of the .gen
eral design of the car. 'Golden
Arrow' it name, describes It ir
general. so far. as. its looks arc
concerned.' It has been stream
lined to the ultimate. Captain J
8. Irving, who designed the first
car ever to go 200 miles an hour,
the car with which Major Segrart
made the record of 203.79 mile:
an hour at Daytona Beach, March
29, 1927, is the designer of the
present car,
"The design Is a radical change
from the huge bulk of the 1.000
horsepower, two-engined "Sun
beam of 1927. Segrave has de
parted from the idea of brute
power to drive a bulky speed car
Just as Sea grave in 1927 calmb
announced that he would go 200
miles an hour, so now he just a
(calmly announces that his car will
have a theoretical speed of 240
miles an hour!
The Golden Arrow has been In
process of construction In England
since last June. With the execp
Uon of the engine, every part of
the car has been specially designed
for the part it has to play la the
British attempt at: the world rec
rd, which now is held by Raj
Keech, wfc in the White Triplex.
made 207.582 miles an hour.
Single Eaeiae ITsed
" The power plant a a Napier
aviation engine ef 1 1 2 cylinders.
capable of delivering feers:
power. ,Thta f ngje l 9 gxper
menu
One of 1U type "drove the
Salem, Oregon, Sunday Morning, January IS, 1929
Narrow Road No Speed, No Safety
Wide Road Speed With Safety
British seaplane to victory In the
Schneider cup race over the pick
of the world last year. The en
gine has three banks of four cylin-l'
ders each and the body fits almost
glore tight over them, causing
three distinct bulges In the hood.
With the single engine In tbe
front of tbe car. two shafts will
ake the power to tbe rear wheels,
which will be driven Independent
ly of each other. The gear ratios
are: Top. 1.475 to 1, estimated
speed over 240 miles an hour;
second, 2,195 to 1, estimated
speed, 160 miles an hour; low
speed, 4.47 to 1, estimated speed
SO miles an hour. The tire size
is 37 by 7. The length of the
car overall will be in excess of 25
feet and its width slightly over 6
feet, according to reports.
The wheels will have stream
lining extended backward In both
front and rear, but there will be
no streamlining to tbe front of
the wheels, nor will they be cov-
sred, as were Frank Lockhart's
The radiators probably will be
placed along the side of the car
in d there has, been some talk of
using ice as a cooling agent for
the water.
To get Its weight of 2 tons
;oing at sufficient speed, a start
nz course of four miles has"been
et off at Daytona Beach, then
will come a mile for the measured
record, with "four or five miles
beyond to stop the car.
Sign Floating in
Sky Used at Show
Of Auto Industry
Nightly daring tbe automobile
how which has drawn to New
Tork City the automobile leaders
of the world, the gaxe ef throngs
on Qotham'a Greats White Way
has been drawn to a ruby red algn
floating high In the heavens and
flashing to pedestrians 2,000 feet
below messages of the premier po-j
ution of Cadillac and LaSalle
fare.
The eiga is carried la bright
red neon tabes beaeath the wings
jf a giant bombing plane knows
is Sign Carrier 1. Xt has a wing
ipaa ef 90 feet and the .greatest
jring area of any commercial
plane In tbe United States. The
3vent has made the Cadillac Mo-
or Cr company the first to adopt:
'his for mof aerial edwu-Uelng -a
well as the ; only member :otr the
Industry to use It. v.
TIRE TEST FLEET
MOVES
BUFFALO. N.T. Jan. 12. This
week, Dunlop's test cars are mov
ing south. For eight months a
year, they burn up tne roaas
within a radius of 100 miles of
Dunlop's $22,000,000 factory at
Buffalo. During the winter, they
avoid the enow difts so that each
car can pile up more miles each
day than would be possible in
blizzardly weather. Altogether
Dunlon burns up over a million
road-miles a year.
"This road-testing has but one
purpose, said John coiiyer. vice
president of Dnnlop at Buffalo.
"The object Is to find out the
truth about our tires and other
tires, so that we can continually
Improve our own.
The fleet of test cars consists of
Forda, old and new, Chevrolets,
Bulcks, Oaklands, and Cadillacs.
The average dally mileage of eaeh
test car is 450, for about S00 days
a year, with 2 shifts of drivers.
The tests are conducted by
mounting usually two Dunlop
tires and two competitive makes
on the same .car, The load is reg
ulated by sand, bags to conform to
the average carried in a five-passenger
sedan. Thus they are un
der a constant full load, not a
light load. The inflation Is pur
posely held at. about 25 per cent
under the proper figure, for this
comes nearer being the average
pressure the average car owjaer
has his tires.
At 80-mlle intervals, the
right and left tires are exchanged.
Those that start on the rear al
ways remain on the rear, and
likewise those on the front re
main on the front. Wheel align
ment and brake adjustment are
qept true, and never permitted to
get away from proper adjustment.
Roadside Courts
Cause Outbursts
' "I could learn more about law
In a week through a correspon
dence course than that J.,P. could
learn in a century. Why, he could
not even read the clauses of the
Motor Vehicle act intelligently!"
This is typical of outbursts tbe
A. A. A. receives from motorists
who have run foul of speed trap
artists and roadside courts. One
motorist produced a voucher at
testing to the fact that he had
paid 1.25 for violating "Pages
17, and l& ;ot tha. Mqtpr Vehiclel
laws. . ...
IN
STORY TOLD
Wide Effect Of Industry Ac
credited to Man Ma
terials Used
Interesting facts on the quan
tity of raw material required for
the construction of a single auto
mobile body were related here
yesterday by Chas. H. Vlck of Vick
Bros., local bakland-P o n 1 1 a c
dealer.
From information supplied by
the Oakland Motor. Car company.
of Pontlac, Michigan. Mr. Vick
stated that every five passenger
sedan in the new Oakland Ail
American line: required for its
construction 286 bord feet of lum
ber. 21.9 square feet of plate glass
and 252 square feet of sheet steel.
"The large amount of materials
that go into a single body," he
stated, "explains the wide Influ
ence the automobile has upon tht
economic picture of the United
States, and the number of people
directly or Indirectly affected by
the industry. It shows, also, why
the automobile annually absorbs
more than 60 per cent of all plate
glass produced in the United
States, fourteen per cent of all the
steel, and more than a billion
"oard feet of hard and soft wood.
"The lumber and sheet metal
used in building an Oakland sedan
body serves mainly to construct
the framework and paneling, and
does not include special metals,
textiles, and other raw material
essential in giving the body the
finished appearance evident when
you see It on the road.
"The plate glagu r.. ourse is
cut up Into windows a:,i the wind
shield, the large quantity re
quired for a single car showing
he wide vision possible In all di
rections from the interior of the
car. '
The steel and wood go into
the composite construction of
Fisher bodies on all Oakland and
Pontlac closed models. Basework
is of wood, with steel overlaid-
a combination making for greater
safety, comfort and efficiency
than either, material used alone.
"Total weight of the finished
body on the Oakland All-Ameri
can sedan Is 9&0 pounds, or ap
proximately one-third the total
weight of the car on the road.
in preparing the steel panels
usoa in building Oakland bodies
the Fisher corporation has put
into service a toggle press said
to be the largest and only one of
its kind In the world.
"It is a huge mechanical press
weigning tour hundred tons and
performs five pressing operations
simultaneously. So large is it
and so ingeniously designed that
it Is capable of stamping out ev
ery body panel except the rear
one from a single sheet ef metal.
"Formerly body panels were
stamped in two sections, a mould
ing concealing the line where they
were Joined. The new press, in
turning them out at a 6ingle
stroke, adds greatly to their
strength and assures that abso
lute accuracy of line and curve so
essential to body beauty. In this
operation, too, is formed the
smart new body moulding on the
latest Ail-American.
"Approximately 13 yards of 54
mch material Is used in uphol
stering the Oakland sedan. Ad
ditional material also is necessary
in head lining and side lining.
The upholstery material Is mo
hair in Quaker gray or antique
blue to match the new exterior
Duco combinations.
Caterpillar
LOGGERS & CONTRACTORS MACHINERY CO.
PORTLAND SALEM
tr
Vehicle License
Clause That Will Provide ,
For Several Special Cases
.egislators Expected to Make Provision to Cover Use,, t
of Motors for Short
Hauls as Those
. . - . .
rTo visions ior special cases ana ior emergencies are
1UU11U IliUOt UCllUCUb 111 Va
va. a. ivvi o .i vvia rribii viivii v -
cense for only a short time at the beginning of the year or a' "
truck or bus driving on Oregon roads for only a few miles
lours nnv t V ir V ns na4o44int Tioa luukn eot PoaQQ era rf it.i
CHILDREN GET
SAFEponK
Increase Of Child Injuries
Found Less Than That
For Grown Persons
Approximately 2,000.000 school
children receiving safety education
in correlation with their regular
studies through affiliated A. A. A.
motor clubs, according to the safe
ty department of the American
Automobile association.
The national motoring body
says soma 300.000 school safety
lessons and 12 5,000 school pos
ters have been prepared and dis
tributed within, the last four
months. "Moreover, excellent co
operation has been given by the
school officials," it is stated.
The A. A. A. safety department
states that the development of
the school boy patrol U worthy of
note.
"In 400 of the 1.065 cities and
towns in which A. A. A. clubs are
now established. There are over
5.000 patrol units with more than
150.000 boys serving in them. It
is estimated that these youngsters
afford protection to more than 5,
000,000 school children.
'As a result of this educational
work with the children, we now
have substantial proof that the
increase in child injuries is not
so great as the increase In injuries
to adults, thus reversing the situa
tion some years back. This should
encourage all communities to sup
port the movement."
Scientific Detour
Service Offered
Nation's Drivers
To combat the inconveniences
to motor travel caused by erron
eous Information from "roadside
sources," scientific detour service
is now available to motorists
through the 105 motor clubs af
filiated with the A. A. A., accord
ing to the national motoring body.
A nation-wide survey by A. A.
A. motor clubs has disclosed that
inaccurate information on detorus,
given to motorists at ga3 stations,
stores, farmhouses and other un
official sources, has In thousands
of Instances, caused the driver
to take longer routes over bad
roads, when correct data would'away rrom a commuu.,, .vH..
have routed him over a good road
and the shortest route.
Law Needs
Period and Intermittent
Made by Stages
Hv J P PRESCflTT . .
,
CRU11 J. 0 s a, 41, VAVa'&O VJ ; h I'M
a,w ,aav a mv uwv, ca
cial cases and others is e
pected at the coining legisla-tl(!
L. Ill C. , S . - til i
A member of the forest ? ,l
service is to soon leave the!1 ' V
state ior several years. un-H!
der the present law he would nave
to buy a license which be will use
for less than a month without
any refund. The situation was
one that could not be solved by
any precedent or interpretation of
the law.
Refund Wanted.
A clause in the traffic coda
permitting the secretary of state,
i " ' Mu
to make refund where it is shown
that the car has been operated in
this state for only a short period
at the beginning of the year,
would settle all such caa. Al
lowance is made for the vurchase
of a license late in the year but
none for Its discontinuance be
cause of moving to another sec-1
tlon of the nation.
The use of nine miles of Ore
gon road twice a dayf by a stage
company that would bring many,
tourists to Portland presents an
other problem In license legist,
lation that will probably present,
itself at the 1929 legislature.
May Divert Tourists
Daily trips to Portland are on
the proposed schedule of a stage..
line operating to a national park,,,
in Washington. The only stretchy tjs.(
of Oregon highway the busses nu-i
wmilH hm la hplwpen Vancouver, k t . .
. . - - - - - . -
and Portland. Existing laws
would require a llfense fee of
$190 for each machine used oil' ''tm
the run. Machines running hu'n"
dreds of miles in the state would-1 -"i
pay the same fee
Officials of the line will
make the Portland run for
itat
th,
two month park season with such
high proportionate fees. Hun-
areas or tourists mat wouia b-j ,ji
guided to Oregon by the service A ,i (ol.
from the park would he di verted, at !,j!.t
to Puget Sound cities by lack of '
the service.
Accommodations
For Motorists
Found of Value
"Where do we eat?" This la then..- i.
thought uppermost In the minds )t
of most motor tourists nowadays. '
That the question or eating amr""1"
sleeping Is of vital concern to mo
torists is Indicated by hundred!
of inquiries reaching the national
. t t at M iLa A m atl ao r
touring aivision oi iu ftiuww ,i,.ti
Automobile association. i4utii
These Inquiries reveal the very t)
significant fact that hotel and re-, ri
sort Information Is every whit a .
Important as information regard-
ing road conditions. Poor accom-
modatlons will bead the tourist " 'j
community ana ui-
vert the traffic almost, as t t)iK
washed out bridge.
as a
F.O.B.
Your Farm
Salem
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