The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-07-30


ate gear is there for use when the pull
ing is too hard for high gear, and l do
not drive work horses to town just be-
cause the roads are too muddy to per-
nit driving on "high" most of the
way. I can make ten to twelve miles
an hour on intermediate without
overheating the engine or otherwise
harming the machine.
Because l travel over any and all
roads, except when absolutely out of
the question to use car, l do not
make the mileage from gasoline that
those do who travel only when the
roads are good. A basis of ten miles to
a gallon, for year around use, con-
slider conservative. When the roads are
good l can make eighteen to twenty
miles to the gallon, but it would not be
right to figure that as the mileage be-
cause it is possible to do that well at
times. When the sixty gallon tank is
filled, the mileage of the car is set
down according to the reading of the
speedometer. When the tank is emptied
the speedometer is again read and the
mileage per gallon is figured. As gaso-
lin evap6rates and wastes in other ways,
it is impossible to make use of all you
pay for, but as you pay for it, it is
only fair that the entire cost of gaso-
line be figured, waste as well as what is
actually used. Figured in this way, a
ten mile to the gallon estimate is not
far wrong, particularly if all sorts of
roads are negotiated.
Tires and Tubes.
Tires and tubes are now cheaper than
ever before. A 81 by 50 tire can now be
bought for around SIG, with regular
$500 mile guarantee. The second year
I owned the car new tire was bought,
which then cost me $3.50. This was
not the high point, however, as few
weeks later the price scared to over $32,
OF practically double what it is now.
Crude rubber is now very low in price,
consequently tires and tubes are much
cheaper, as well as averaging better,
since there is not the incentive to
adulterate or use second hand rubber, as
there is when the product is high. A
good quality of oil is likewise cheaper
than it was three and four years ago.
One can buy oil very cheap now, bat it
is cheap OIL I find that a grade cost
ing around 50 cents gallon is really
cheaper, mileage and real fabrication
considered, than poor oil that may be
bought as 10 was 80 cents or less.
Can 1t Travel?
Let us figure what it will cost to
travel 100 miles with the average five
passenger car, with the roads in aver
age condition. Ten gallons of gasoline
will cost $1.40. Wear and tear on the
tires will average 2 cents a mile, or
So for the 100 miles. Oil and grease to
make the 100 miles will cost about 25
cents more, making total of $3.50 for
gasoline, tires, oil and grease to travel
the 100 miles. This takes no account
of repairs or wear and tear on the ma
chine. If the machine is well taken
care of, however, and the few repairs
needed by the machine that is well
cared for are installed oy the owner
himself, thus escaping the garage bill
that is often exorbitant, the cost of
running 100 miles need not be more
than $5, or 5 cents mile. On the
whole, for the farmers car, taken care
of by the farmer himself, think that
an estimate of cents a mile is not one
bit too high or too low. This means l
cent per mile per passenger, a cheap
rate for transportation.
As Cheap as a Team.
One cannot do it for less with driv-
ing team, considering the high cost OF
hay and grain the team will eat. This
is not all; with account taken of the
extra time saved by the car, the cost OF
travelling by motor car is lowered still
more, for a farmers time is worth
money, and just when timo on the farm
is worth the most the car runs the best