Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-18

| membership Of nearly 400. less than 50 re-
| sponded. The same may be said OF nearly
| every prominent club In the country, and 1t
| Is now serious question whether automo-
bile club life VIII mean anything in the fti-
ture no more than It has in the past. Money
does not necessarily mean success in CLUB.
neither does the building Of a large cub
| house and the investment of club FUNDS
| therein. That is usually speculation with
| the clubs finances, but. 1t does not mean
| much for automobiling as a sport or busi-
| ness.
| THE athletic club and the old bicycle club
| was an entirely different proposition. Large
| bicycle clubs fourished vigorously in the
| old bicycle days Clubs with 1000 members
| were not uncommon. There is a bicycle
| club now in Newark, N. j., which has
membership of 500 and Is known as the
| Bay View Wheelmen. Like a giant oak in
the path of a storm 1t has withstood the
| tornado that rooted up cycling and its club
life. 1t goes to show. however. that club
life can be made successful.
The lack of interest in club life as re-
CARDS automobiles is caused. it Is thought,
| by the fact that the owners of automobiles
are usually married men who have homes
and families that claim their attention and
that the percentage of single men who own
automobiles is very small indeed. Tnat IS,
| young men cannot afford to buy aItomo-
biles. therefore they do not belong to auto
mobile clubs.
with the advent of the low-priced
runabout automobile it is expected that
club life will loom up and that they will
then be successful but until the arrival of
the cheap machine it is doubtful IL clubs
will be much more than organizations in
name only
j: =
A quarter-mle hill is the longest climb
that Chicago Automobiles can find to
climb. and that hill is situated about a half
days run from Chicago. ten miles the other
eli o nf Oil hot ota
billing country Illinois must be. The hill
climbing car is not wanted in the west, it
seems.
The young men of the west should come
east If they want the real thing in hill
climbing. The eastern automobiles has a
variety of going galore. With our hills our
plains and seashore drives, the east can
offer every variety.
E. R. Hollander states it to be his opin-
ion that the reason foreign are so
much better than American cars is owing
to the fact that a better and more skilled
class OF workmen are employed In the
building of the foreign car Mr.. Hollander
points out that the average boy in
European factory has to serve an appren-
ticeship of five years before he is al
lowed to do anything of Importance in
taking part in the construction of an au-
tomobile. Mr.. Hollander says that in the
workmen are allowed to take part in the
| making of an automobile. afttimes making
some of the vital parts of the machine
Many of these workmen have never mad
any experience in automobile building, but
have been employed in some other capacity.
and he thinks that great damage is done
| to the industry through the employment
| of such help.
Mr. Hollander also thinks that the quail
| ity of material used in foreign cars is su-
perior to that used in American cars, and
ba tauSjle strength of the steel is OfttlmeS
twice as great in the European material as
that of the American product. Inc Iact
tablished testing plant and are calling
for higher grade material he thinks Is
proof that there has been something lack
ing in that respect and the American man
ufacturer knows 1t.
That motoring has claimed many men
whose names rank very high in the social
and financial world was shown this sum-
mer in the White mountains. At Breton
Woods. Palatial Hotel. was noticed a
group of active automobilists who need no
introduction to the public. They were H.
H. Rogers. New York; H. M. Flagler, Palm
Beach. Fla; George w. Perkins Of J. p.
Morgan's firm: T. NJ. Emerson. Whining
ton NJ c.; Michael Jenkins, Baltimore:
George Wheatland. Boston, and L. c.
All those mentioned are very fond of
lions of capital
An eminent nerve specialist and alien1st
is authority for the assertion that two new
plaques are due to the automobile. He
says that speedy motoring causes loss of
memory and alcoholism. This is not so
hard to believe If the alcoholism is con-
ceived as coming first After 1t has ar
rived most drivers forget not only the
roads, but the rules Of them. Alcoholism
has been blamed for everything. and the
specialist is not so rough on the motor
car, after all, 1t is said.
Water on the outside of the tires has
no injurious effects, but 1t is better not
| to have the wheels washed when the tires
are Debated, lest the water carry some
grit to the inside Of the tires.
Save your tires as well as the high
way by driving on the crown Of the road.
it is urged.