The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-17
AMERICAN AUTOISTS
TO INVADE EUROPE

In the days when Marx Twain wrote
''Innoeents Abroad, the proper way
TO visit the historical places of Europe
was any old way you could reach them.
Now the way to see Europe TO the best
advantage is via motor car. The good
highways and beautiful scenery OF
France and other European countries
have attracted many tourists who love
motor touring for its own sake, while
the advantages of motor ear for
travelling rapidly, comfortably and in
dependently of railway trains, have
recommended it to tourists who wish
to visit both the usual and unusual
points of interest on the continent.
The various automobile and touring
organizations have made touring abroad
more attractive than it was in the
early days of motoring by having sim
plifed the formalities of customs, pass
ports, routes, ct cetera. Several OF the
national and international organiza-
tions now supply triptychs and all nee
essary information and papers in such
form that an American can tour abroad
practically without bother. Also, the
express companies cooperate to take
the burden of shipping cars off the
hands of the owner Commenting on
the great number of Americans who
tour Europe in motor ears, the Paris
edition of the New York Herald, says:
"'There are so many doorways into
France that it is practically impossible
to determine accurately the number OF
automobiles who annually pass
through for the purpose of touring over
Republican highways. Such figures as
are available, however, show that the
touring season, just closed, brought a
larger number of automobile visitors
from America and England than any
preceding year.
SIT is not always realized what a
valuable asset the American and Eng
lish automobilist is to France. The
average automobiles remains one
month. The American rarely stops less
than six weeks, while the Englishman
is satisfied to "run over' for a much
shorter period. The minimum expendi-
ture of party of touring automobiles
is 80 fr a day for each person, this
sum representing hotel accommodations,
food, upkeep of the automobile and in
cidentals, but ignoring amounts spent
on works of art, presents and other
items. In view of such train Of
gold the proposal of the French gov
eminent to impose a tax on visiting
I"automobilists appears to be unsound
policy.
:" A feature of the development of
foreign touring is the number of Amer
leans wh1 now visit Europe in Amer
lean automobiles. Everything has been
made 50 simple by the various touring
associations that the American auto
mobiiist plans for a tour through Eu-
rope with as little fear of difficulties
as if he were about to make run
through the Berkshires.
<The extent of this movement is
shown by the fact that three leading
factories have opened Paris touring
bureaux in the last two years. H. D.
Wilson, the head Of the Packard Motor
Car Company s Paris Office, says that
from January I to September 80 he was
! in touch with more than two hundred
Packard touring parties, and expected
to have . total of two hundred and
fifty at the end of the year. The
actual number is doubtless greater than
this, explained Mr. Wilson, for, al
though. | am supposed to be advised
of all Packard machines coming to Eu-
rope many owners slip away without
giving MS any intimation of their pres
ence -