The Washington times., 1911-08-20
LACK OF MOTORING
CONTESTS IN CITY
CAUSING WONDER
"Has Interest Faded?" Au-
tomobile Fans Are
Asking.
STOCK CAR RULE
CHIEFLY BLAMED
Machines Must Be Registered Be-
fore Entering Any Com
petition.
By HARRY WARD.

| Ing AdCl tnere nave oeen but few
automobile sporting events In Wash
ington this year has caused motor
] fans" to wonder If interest in the
game in dying out. Several events,
Including a hill climb, were talked
about early in the season, but each
event had to be called of becar Sc a
sufficient number of entries could not
be obtained
| Ted" s. Johnston, chairman of the
| contest committee Of the Automobile
/ Club Of Washington, has worked bard
to arouse interest in the sport but the
! stock car registration rule of the
American Automobile Association has
. served to keep the entry list down to
such an extent that no headway could
| be made.
Cause of Situation.
Commenting on the situation, Cap
tain Johnston said:
AT present 1t is necessary that
stock cars be registered with the
three AS contest board before they
can compete in reliability runs, hill
climbs, and other automobile sports.
There are a number of mauufactur-
ers who have refused to register their
cars this year. They have done so
In order to keep their dealers and
the owners from entering contests.
The question came up at the recent
meeting of the Manufacturers' Contest
Association, when it was suggested
the stock car registration rule be
abandoned, but the association voted
to make no change in the rule
May Promote Hill Climb.
Some of the leading makers frankly
admit they do not want owners of
their cars to enter contests and had
refrained from having their cars reg
istered in order to prohibit owners
entering such 1 believe the 1912 reg
istrations will be greater than those
this year, and If that is the case there
is chance the club will promote a
hill climb"
The suggestion of prominent
automobile manufacturer, published
this week in The Times, that a cam
patgn of education among those using
the streets beside motorists, would be
a desirable thing, is timely" said a
Washington motorist.
The utter disregard with which
people cross the street in the MIDDLE
OF the block, apparently obliyious
TO anything else, is amazing. 1t is a
FREQUENT occurrence to find people
paper. and looking in the direction
opposite to which the traffic is COM
ing: Drivers of horse-d drawn We
hicles, to a certain extent disregard
everything but themselves and turn
corners the wrong way and drive up
the wrong side OF the street If an
automobil did that the arrest of the
driver would follow almost immedi-
ately. BY all means let US have a
users of the streets"
Driving Speedwell so from Kansas
City to Los Angeles, distance of 4270
miles. without engine trouble. has been
the good fortune of two residents OF the
former city," said A D. Loffler, presi-
dent of the Speedwell Sales Company,
rf this city. 1t required three weeks
to make the trip to the California city.
days. During the entire run Of 4.210
miles the engine worked perfectly"
James Nolan. of the Pope Automobile
in a Fopc-T oledo roadster. He will be
away about week
The Commercial Automobile and Sup
ply Company has sold a Flanders fore
door touring car to Major Buckley. L
s. A, and the machine will be shipped
to the Philippines, where Major Buckley
has been detailed. The company also
reports the sale of an EMF fore-door
touring car to William H Ritchie.
r. c. Smith. president Of the Over
land Washington Motor Company, re-
turned Yesterday from h visit to the
Overland factory in Toledo. II found
the IA ctory working day and night in an
endeavor to catch up With orders said
Mr.. Smith The outlook. according to
President Willys and Sales Manager
1atiop fs bright -