Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-05-31
AUTOhOB|lESNOW
BEING MADE MORE
TROUBLE PROOF
Auto Is the Most Abused
Piece of Machinery in the
w orld Says Hugh Cham
bers.

The boast of every automobile man
ufacturer is that his car each year be-
comes more serviceable-and more
trouble proof, in the opinion of Hugh
Chalmers.
THE public now recognizes the mo
tor car as one of the safest and sturd-
lest OF the worlds machines, for in
spite of the abuse to which they are
subjected, standard cars nowadays
rarely give any trouble to their driv-
ers," he said. while manufacturers
are constantly building better and rem
dering better service. it is a fact that
there is a decreasing need for service
on each years production Of cars.
There Is no question that motor
cars are today much better built than
they were a few years ago. 1t is a
rare exception nowadays to see a car
laid upon along the roadside by engine
trouble But however much we may
credit this improved condition to the
better designing and better building
of cars, we must attribute a large
part of 1t to the education of those
who drive cars.
Most Abused Mechanism.
"The automobile, generally speaking,
is the most abused piece of machinery
in the world. The manufacturing lin
it's in a motor car are as accurate as
those in a watch, yet we drive this
finely built piece of machinery at high
speed over all kinds Of roads. 1t
often goes for a long period of time
with insufficient fabrication. 1t is not
cleaned as frequently and as thor
oughly as It should be. And yet the
almost universal attitude of drivers
has always been that this wonderfully
fine and woefully mistreated mechan-
ism should render perfect service.
THE people who drive automobiles
are becoming more reasonable, how
ever. They realize that a motor car
repays in service every attention 1t
receives. And in exact proportion as
those who drive cars appreciate that
they cannot get uninterrupted service
without proper care does the useful
ness bf the automobile increase.
"A big Mogul locomotive. weighing
approximately 80 tons, spends 8 hours
of every "a in the repair shop. Loco
motives are built for endurance. They
are heavy for service. They run over
scientifically built roads on heavy steel
rails. Yet each locomotive spends one
third of its period OF service being
overhhuled and repaired. The railway
companies don't complain on this ac-
count They recognize that any piece
of machinery must receive careful at
tention to keep It in running condition.
Contrast this with the average au-
tomohile. II the owner of an auto
mobile has to put his car in the shop
for overhauling eight hours in a month
his attitude Is one of condemnation. II
Is human nature to shift responsibility
to an inanimate object which cannot
defend itself
Often Owners Fault.
Ard so it used to be almost uni
versal for automobile owners never to
acknowledge the responsibility for car
trouble as their own. They invariably
blamed it on the car. An owner fire.
quently Will neglect to lubricate his
car for hundreds of miles, and for in
stance blame the car because the mo-
tor overheats. Not infrequently an
owner will accept his chauffeur's word
that b car Is giving constant trouble
when as q matter of fact the chauffeur
pays practically no attention to the
mechanism. But drivers are becoming
more and more familiar with automo-
biles, and there is a natural tendency
for them to give better care to their
cars. AS a result, motor troubles are
decreasing.
In the same way, motorists now
more fully recognize the principle of
safety first Mishaps OF all kinds are
less frequent and less serious. The
wise driver realizes that he saves time.
protects himself and his car by obey
ing the speed laws. The day of the
Joy ride is passing; and with 1t. too.
is passing the once familiar sight of
automobiles in the ditch or smashed
against curb. Safety first has done
much to conserve the motorist and his
car. 1t is a slogan-and a practice
which automobile drivers should never
forget.
Actual repairs to the average car
cost very little. There Is. however, n
tendency among owners to charge all
Of the expense in connection with
their cars up to repairs. l have seen
statements in which tire maintenance,
gasoline and oil were charged against
the car as actual repairs. The sepa-
ration of tire and gasoline expense
from the repair costs will convince the
average owner that he gets mighty
good service from his car at very lit
tie cost.
but the fact remains that there was
never an automobile built that at
times the owner would not sell for
almost nothing. Those who drive