The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-06-04
AMONG THB A0FONOBILEIS
RACING BOARD CHAIRMAN GOES
ron EUROPEAN TRIP.


S4Fersoh De Most Thompson. chairman
Of tie racing hoard OF the American Auto
mobile Association and OF tho Vanderbilt
cGp>comr6ission. Will sail tomorrow on the
ocesnic for his annual tour OF Europe. lie
hopes TO hsve n sufficiently quick voyage so
as 20 reach Chcrbourg in time to be present &C
the races for the German Emperor's cup on
june II, He will be present at the running
Of the Grand PriS NJ the Automobile Club Of
France on July ?, and expects TO spend some
time in England before returning to this
country again. late next month. lie will be
Rent fully informed by cable regarding mat
ters affecting the Vanderbilt cup race and II
thinCs turn out satisfactorily will confer
With the French makers who have requested
Information concerning this years race.
He will probably hold an informal conference
to-day with several member Of the executive
COMMITTEES Of the A. \. 4 racing board.
Mr. Thompson diSlikes travelling on railroad
trains and shipped his Hotchkiss runabout 20
Franc last week.
For several years automobile hackmen and
their vehicles have formed a picturesque
group at Long Acre Square. where any one
could obtain a car at almost any hour OF the
day or night. They did not solicit fares like
regular hackmen but made a uniform charge
Of SIS per hour, and many n man in a hurry
and strangers who wished TO visit the suburbs
we're glad to avail themselves OF their services.
As they only went on long service calls, they
did not interfere with the regular hackmen
and they remained in undisturbed possession
n their stand until April 1. when Inspector
Schm!ttberger Of the trafic squad drove
Them away on the ground that they did not
have o hack or coach license. Many Of the
men then applied for and received a hack
license. All went we'll until about two weeks
ago. when the Mayors marshal revoked all
Of their licenses, without assigning any rea-
son for his action. Some OF the men retained
e. F. F. Mccain, who got an order from Judge
Davis or. May = compelling the Mayor to
show cause why the order revolving their
licenses should not be set aside Three times
the Corporation Counsel's Office has obtained
a postponement of the case, but Lawyer
Mccain is confident that his clients will re-
ceive a favorable decision to day. when the
case will be tried before Judge Mccall In the
Supreme Court. The men will make their
fight under the ordinance approved on No
vember =. 1905, which reads as follows:
Any vehicle kept for hire shall be deemed
two persons inside shall be deemed a cab.
and a vehicle Intended to seat four persons
inside shall be deemed a coach, and the term
driver or both"
Representatives OF the American Motor Car
Manufacturers Association. the Automobile
Club Of America, the American Automobile
association. the American Motor League and
me ASSOClatl0nOt Licensed Automobile Manu-
facturers will meet to-day at the offices OF the
National Association of Automobile Manu-
factgrers to discuss the present status Of the
ing the Interest of the public In this question.
The State of New York is doing very well
30 far as the automobile business is con-
cerned, for the Secretary OF State issued /
reElstrstion number for 200 motor vehicles
IRON. his ONCE at Albany during the month
Of May. OF the. machines registered, I72
we're cars that had been imported from Europe;
more machines Of a single American make
registered than all the foreign cars for which
the fS" list with Nffe 22 SO reEistr,ati lone f tRe cl sdiTlIna
being second with 1913 and the Maxwell third
with lao.
Probably the time is nearly II not quite
past when the average. motorist attempts
Or with the S~asolene cut on from the car
E~asolene AMI without first strainins the fuel.
times, and to use, it religiously wherever
on this habitual precaution. is the fact that
to otwi nan,;nfa e this his careful treatment, mo
and to be deplored causes. Perhaps the most
live and general cause for this is the treat;
thing when not in use. However carefully
the fuel may be strained, the care Is Of no
dirty.
Highway, Improvement is a topic that has
been broadly discussed in all sections and
ne nR'i roads she Of S ZEE GIFTED ff States Ia s s az al lines
effort toward a betterment Of this condition
s,xcept in a few isolated instances. says Motor
World. Meetin gs are held with a remarkable
countryis roads, the cry for a betterment
Of the highways has gone up in all directions.
been ardent advocates s1t Of Tefo STnS.N but "t tRe
reform is still in the dim distance, notwith- !
ssmite that the need Of a change is generally
Now comes a proposition TO turn the rural
free delivery carriers into a corps of high
the condition of the highways in ali sections
Of the country. In making this proposition
the Bellerue Gozete. that the rural letter car
rier understands the highways comprising his
He trav wells them each working day Of the week.
That means about three hundred inspections
each year, covering all conditions. Each
Jolt until he remembers it's location and
either avoids, 1t by turning out or ,humors IL
o oS d for Pin 'i SNtil he hH learns @'v The mole e r siii ss
how Il might be removed, Each snowbank
strip OF sand pleads for q proper covering.
In fact. he becomes OF necessity 50 thoroughly
that a minimum of technical reading would
make him with reference to that particular
route a very capable highway expert: and
not only IL each rural carrier intimately
acquainted viii the highways comprising
his route, but he becomes very acutcly int err
ested in them. Each working day. no matter
what their conditions, he must go over them:
he suffers severely when their condition is
bad, he profits accordingly when their con-
dition is improved. He is selnshly interested
In each mile he must travel over. He would
have no favored strips. The nearest i'm
passable places would receive his earliest
There lie no need Of Il corps Of inspectors
TO locate and export on the bad spots In the
country's. system Of rosds-it would be an
easier task to change the proposed order OF
lhings and TO have the curriers' report the
loration Of the good spots in the highways.
60 that by a process OF elimination the total
mileage OF bad roads would he an easy matter
10 determine, Until the States adont plans
similar TO those in vogue in New York and
Massachusetts, whereby state aid is given.
here is little need TO locate the bad roads.
Bad roads exist In every State. and the plan
ought 10 be to provide a remedy before any
further effort is made to discover something
that has been discovered.
After a motor car has. been used a good
deal the en- gine will often begin 10 show
signs OF stu Rishness or want OF power, and
cgDnOt climb hills or reeDOnd 10 tho cont oI