Evening star., 1915-09-12
AUTO|ST MAKES PLANS
FOR TOURING FRANCE
Writes He Has No Fear That War
Will Interfere With
Trip.

One of the members of the Automo-
bile Club of America, Francis H. South
wick, for whom the foreign department
outlined tour in France, has written
an interesting letter descriptive of con-
dlt1ons in that country for the current
issue of the Club Journal, in which, In
part, he says:
Il arrived at Aix-les-Bains a week
ago. and have had no difficulties what
ever on account of the existing war.
either in respect to the individuals of
my party. my wife, self or chauffeur,
or to the automobile itself
The Royal Automobile Club of Lon
don arranged matters SO that, after
having had our passports vised by the
French consul at Geneva. I was given a
'sauf conduit from there to Annecy,
and from there another 'sauf conduit
was issued by the military commandant
of that section of France to come here.
AS soon as 1 arrived here the commits
saire de police gave me permits de
circulation en- automobile which gives
IN the surrounding country over a ra-
d1us of hundred kilometers (siXty-
Two and half miles), practically suffi-
clent for any one days trip, and, If l
should desire to run further. special
permission can be had for the asking.
Assured Of Safe Trip.
THE authorities all assured me that
1 will have no trouble whatever in car
ryIng out the trip outlined by the
foreign department of the club be-
fore l left New York-that is to say,
from here to Nice and from there via
the Mediterranean coast to the Pyre-
neean mountains, thence by the Route
des Pyrenees' to Biarritz. Of course,
ones papers must be all right, and it
is well to have good letters of intro
duction to bankers or prominent busi-
ness concerns in the country; also 20
be provided with at least dozen small
unmounted photographs Of every one,
including the chauffeur, as each .sauf
conduit must have photo of every
person gummed to it.
PLENTY of good hotels are open in
any place where it would be desirable
to stop, and the prices for first-class
accommodations are somewhat less
than before the war. OF course, there
are very few guests at the hotels at
present, but they tell me they expect
quite a number of French people as
well as Spanish and South Americans
later, when the season in Savoy real
ly opens in normal times.
we had no trouble at all in Switz-
erland, but, of course, kept away from
the frontiers of belligerent countries
except when we crossed into Frame
An Excellent Center"
"Aix-les-Bains is an excellent CEN
ter for automobile trips, a most beau
tiful country surrounding it and ex-
cellent roads in every direction. We
have already been to Evian-les- -Bains
on Lake Geneva, returning via the Col
de Gets to Cluses and Annecy, 1874
miles; 20 Grenoble via the Col de
Frene,' returning via Chambery and
visiting the Grande Chartreuse en-
route, ninety-fve miles; to the summit
OF Mount Revant (over 1000 feet,
overlooking Lake Bourget and over the
Col du Chat $500 feeD, with mag
nfficent views of the Rhone valley and
Lake Bourget.
Gasoline and oil are about 90 to 25
per cent more than before the war, but
the former is much better than the or
d1nary quality sold in the United States.
retail. Both are easily obtainable AS
brought supply of tires and tubes
with me / have had no occasion to in
vestigate as to them, but (unless rather
small, metric sized French tires could
be useD l should not advise any one
depending on procuring them here"