The Washington herald., 1915-12-26

would prove serious inconvenience.
Represent Portion of Wealth.
Transportation problems have been and
are being solved today in all cities by
means of the automobile. Delivery sys-
TENS have reached as near the acme or
perfection as is possible by means OF
them Suburbs that a few years ago
were nothing but farm lands. but today
which are thickly populated commun-
tiles, owe much of their DEVELOPMENT TO
this modern mode OF transportation.
Not only does the business of build
ing automobiles rank sixth in the in
dustries OF the country, but in every city
they in themselves represent a large
portion of the wealth sf the town, not
TO speak of the financial standing and
power in the community that Is rep
resented by those who own and ride
in them Every town has its automooile
dealers who, in every instance, are TO
be numbered among the up-to-date and
progressive business men of the COM
Inunity In most cases they are COM
paratively young men to be engaged In
a business that represents much in
vested capital. They are of the type
of citizen who believe that anything and
everything that tends to civic betterment
is also good for them. Any movement
that has for its end this purpose always
receives their hearty cooperation.
Though it is well nigh impossible to
determine accurately just how many
motor cars there are in Washington. 1t
has been estimated by those who should
be in q position to know that there are
about 1890 cars of various makes and
condition of usefulness in the city. Aver
aging the value of these cars at $500 each,
which is a very conservative valuation.
this would total Ssoo.O10 in motor cars
running about the streets Of Washing
ton.
Yearly Average 5000 Miles.
1t is very hard to determine just how
far each and every car runs in day, so
that an average mileage can be reached.
but II is fair to presume that fifteen miles
a day would be about the average. This
is at the rate of los miles per week, 40
miles per month or 500 miles year. In
striking this average, We take into con-
siderat ton that there are great many
cars that do perhaps five times this dis
tance per day. but they are in the mi
nority Besides. there arc many who only
use their cars to come to their office in
the morning and take them home at
night Then there are times when. for
various reasons. the car is not used at
all
Twelve miles an hour is the legal rate
of speed. Within the city limits, there
are few who average better than this
Perhaps for a short distance, they may
do better but owing to the numerous
stops due to traffic. the legal rate OF
speed will be about their average To
travel fifteen miles each day means that
the car must be driven for an hour and
a quarter.
Fifteen miles to the gallon of gasoline
would be an approximate rate OF gas
consumption. The average price OF Gaso-
line for the last car has been Il cents or
ssa05 per year for this one item
OH men figure that each car averages
about 300 miles to the gallon Of oil. This
is at the rate of twenty-five gallons of
oil for the year. Forty cents gallon Is
a fair price for oil and this means that
each and every car owner spends SO per
annum for this alone.
Small Cars Predominate.
Small cars predominant in this city. as
in every other. and thirty-two by three
and one-half will come nearest to being
the prevailing size tire. A tire and tube
Of this size, of reputable make. nonskid.
will cost in the neighborhood OF -
Thirty-five hundred miles is the presumed
mileage that tires are supposed to run
or rather the basis on which the tire COM
panies figure their cost per mile OF OPP
Grafton when adjustment is asked
for il one should be unfortunate enough
to have a tire fail to give service. Three
tires a year is about what each machine
will require. This means ssS every twelve
months for the rubber man.
Insurance is a very hard thing to be
determined for there are so many dif-
ferent kinds-fire, theft, accident, col
Iision, etc According TO the knd that is
taken out on the car. the amount of the
premium on the policy is determined. we
do not think that s. per machine would
be an unfair average for this.
Every owner of an automobile. at ono
time or another during the twelve months.
Is in need Of something in the way of ac-
cessories A spark plug fouls. the porce-
lain breaks or something else happens
and he needs a new one. Tools are neces-
sary for a motor car. the same as any
other piece of machinery. and for some
unknown reason. IL left around. have the
habit OF disappearing. What becomes OF
them is the unexplained mystery OF the
business. They must be replaced. and
good tools cost real money. Then, also.
there are numerous articles that the car
owner feels that he must buy. These pur-
chases in the course of a year will run
in the neighborhood of SIS.
Accidents Cost Money.
Accidents are bound to happen and the
broken parts must be replaced. Also. as
the car grows older. some parts wear
faster than others and they must be re-
placed. For five years. the average life Of
the automobile, II is estimated that the
money spent for new parts will average
$50 per machine per annum- OF course.
the first season 1t will probably be nil.
Motor cars must be overhauled now and
then. and it takes a mechanic to install
the new parts Eighty-five dollars Is an
average yearly repair bill
The weather has its effect on the paint
ing of the machine. Just how often .
car is to be painted depends largely on
how much pride the owner takes In his
machine. Fifteen dollars probably would