The Washington herald., 1911-11-29
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It appears that the Northern bust
ness will be better than at any previous
time. as the Northern motorist has
learned that the car is as useful in win
ter as in any other season, and there
will be fewer cars put in storage than
ever before. The custom OF waiting
until spring to buy seems to be one that
will soon lose its importance. The peo'
pie are buying right now, even witr
winter here, because they realize thai
the services of a car are more valuable
in inclement weather than in summer.
There are. to be. seen a decided num-
Der of new models in the small cars
and decided improvement and refinement
in many of. the large higheF-priced cars
on the streets and in the showrooms
these days. Where some makers have
sought the business of. the masses and
built for them, others have preferred the
trade of the classes, and have added
every detail that promises to please OF
attract such high-priced trade.
One thing particularly noticeable Is the
consideration given to the need OF the
feminine user. 1t is quite clear that
makers as never before are catering to
the vote of the feminine side OF the
household and supplying vehicles far
better adopted to their needs than any
in the past.
The fore-doors Of the past year were
one step that way. The lady who felt
conspicuous in the front seat and hesi-
tated to dEire on that account feels pro
tected and shielded by the doors, and at
liberty to handle the pedals and levers
as she pleases. She knows that the
winds and gusts which constantly
AIa he and
skirts to her annoyance are shut out
by the doors, AMI she drives with greater
confidence accordingly.
To-day many manufacturers are hitting
their cars with practical, self-starting de-
vices.
The same fact holds true of lighting.
The kerosene lamp, which has been both
the standby and the bugaboo Of night
driving, and which has to be kept going
to comply with the law, was a more or
less mussy affair and not attractive to
the fair motorist who wishes to keep her
hands and clothes clean. To-day It Is
being rapidly replaced by the electric
systems which only need to have a switch
turned to fill the road with blaze OF
light, or by the combined acetylene sys-
TENS which use gas for the fame and
ignite II electrically.
In many other ways the auto business
is moving steadily forward.
Even heating comes in for considera-
ton. The town car may be as COM
Portable as ones home by using the heat
of the exhaust gases to warm air which
rises through a radiator and keeps the
interior Of the car both warm and pure.
The thefts of so many automobiles, or
the taking Of them for Joy rides by un-
authorized persons. have become such
common occurrences that at the national
meeting of police chiefs 1t was decided
to ask the general automobile-owning
public to assist the police departments
to reduce auto stealing to the minimum
by using some system of locking device
when the car was not running.
The State of Massachusetts, passed a
law that checks auto thieves depreda-
tions. 1t provides that every automobile
of more than 10 horsepower shall have
at least two separate brakes and a lock-
ing device to prevent the vehicles being
set in motion by unauthorized persons.
In every large city. Washington includ-
ed, a number of cars have disappeared.
So comprehensive were the thieves plans
that the cars vanished completely, un-
til they were found either in other cities
where they had been sold, or in the
hands of some unfortunate citizen who
had snapped up a bargain" from a
stranger.