The Washington herald., 1915-12-15
MOTOR GOSSIP
By "sI" GROoAN


Too frequently II has been declared
that the word service With some bust
nesses il just 20 much conversation. The
word has carried 20 many riders that It
- all run down at the heels. Its trousers
are frayed.
| Service. a. II has been applied to the
automobile industry. Ii something defi-
mite. 1t has been genuinely established
and Ii given genuine. definite quantities
MISUNDERSTANDING the costs of service
departments at the factories and the ma
| tion-wide maintenance-now invests sew
eral millions Of dollars every year in this
goodwill quantity.
The manufacturer and the retailer Of
the American automobile do wish the
motor car owner to have the utmost OF
| pleasure. utility and satisfaction for the
| money he has invested. In no other
| world industry il the manufacturer
concern with the ultimate owner Of the
product of such consequence. The auto
| mobile industry IL more and more In
| clined. now that perfection Of motor. OF
design and Of refinement have about
| been attained to rest its future on serv-
| ice given to the car owner.
A better and better performance.
still greater durability, a more steam
| like power. a more luxurious degree OF
comfort and delight for the motor
car administrators. the manufacturer
seeks constantly to gain and his avenue
OF attainment Is the road OF service.
Service efforts are far-reaching. They
| take various forms. The point has been
| attained where the average man wishing
| to buy an automobile learns that no mat
| ter what part of the nation he may find
| himself In, nc will be close to an auto
| mobile station with free service. extend
| ing the hand Of help at the end Of an
| arm that reaches out from Detroit. In
fact, this service reaches into every civil
| lized country In the world. II Is as read
| lily available in the far corners OF the
| earth as Il is at the factory garage here
at home.
Service formerly was more or less an
indefinite quantity. This was so be-
| cause the manufacturer and his hundreds
| OF dealers had not As yet been able to
| work out a practical method OF applying
equal service generally.
Some OF the service plans now In ef-
feet required years Of painstaking in
! vestigations and analysis before they be-
came concrete and workable. The plans
| now are definite, as any one seeking the
purchase of a motor car will readily
learn.
The interests OF the Fisk Rubber Com
pany. of Chicopee Falls. Mass. have pur-
chased control of the Federal Rubber
Manufacturing Company. and hereafter
will direct the policies OF that company.
Byron c. Douse. president of the Fed
eral company. has disposed Of his hold
ings and resigned. At the stockholders
meeting the following directors were
elected: II. T. Dunn. J. A. Eepperly. of
Toledo. Ohio: B. ii. Pratt. III. A. Citizens.
r. c. Ward. Of Milwaukee: II. G. Fisk.
E. II. Broadwell. G. a. Ludinston. f. y.
Bogsrdus, OF Springfield. Mass. and from
this board the following officers were
chosen: ii. T. Dunn. president: B. II.
Pratt, vice president and general mana
ger: III. A. Citizens. assistant general
manager: II. G. Fisk. treasurer: H. c.
Ward. secretary and assistant treasurer.
E. NJ. Bogardus. comptroller.
The acquisition Of the Federal plant hS
the Fisk interests is one of considerable
interest to the trade. The Fisk company
devotes its entire energy to the manu-
facture OF tires. while the Federal COM
pany manufactures. in addition to tires,
general mechanical lines. such as solid
carriage tires baby cab tires, hoof pads.
rubber heels and mating.
The Fisk plant Is one OF the largest in
New England. comprising some twenty
largest exclusively pneumatic tire plant
In the world. The Federal plant is To-
Gated at Cudahy. Wis. a suburb Of MIL
waukee and comprises five acres OF floor
space.
The two organizations. both marufac-
turing and selling. will be entirely sepa-
rate and the Federal organization Will
extend its efforts in building up and
developing the jobbing and mechanical
lines.
Edgar Orme is wearing broad grin.
The reason is that yesterday he received
his Stearns-K knight five-pessenger touring
car Arthur Foraker, who sold him the
machine. claims that when man who
has owned and driven motor cars as
long as Edgar Orme. buys Stearns 1t
must be the best Machine on the market
for the price.
John Lutz has long been known as one
of the best automobile statesmen in Wash
inston. as his record of Oldsmobile sales
will prove He has essayed a new role.
however and is thinking Of following 1t
permanently-that of the man with the
fire eNtinguisher. A couple of days ago |
he enacted the role OF first-aid-to-the |
burning -motor-car, by rushing out of the |
Oldsmobile place on Connecticut avenue !
with fire extinguisher and quelchinS |
the fire. |
When a man moves into larger I,
quarters, 1t is a healthy sign. Leroy |
Livingston. local distributor for the Hood
tire. will move the first of the coming
month from his present location, 1911
Fourteenth street, to the two stores next
door,
II G PLANS EYHTRJTS