Evening star., 1915-01-31
BY HOWARD S. FISK.

branches of our industrial
life" says John \. WHY'S
business is already beginning to poon'
The optimistic spirit Of the pahhel
farmer, merchant and manu1acture'
alike plainly indicates wave OIL pros
perity. He continues:
"In view of the fact that the totai
automobile business last year approx l.
mated s4OO. 900, 900, fell safe in saying
that this year it will be increased at
least 25 per cent. This prediction is NOT
by any means made at random, but Is
based on facts.
The fourteen years of progress IN
the motor car industry have brought 1t
to a state of permanency unsurpassed
by any other industry in this country.
I The market for American cars Is COLI
| Itinually increasing both on this side OF
the Atlantic and in foreign countries.
The man who has once owned a motor
car never willingly is without one. This
is one OF the main facts on which the
sta bility of the industry is based.
I'm addition to this, the number OF
purchasers who have never before
owned Il car is increasing by leaps ana
! bounds. The farmer, the doctor, the
real estate agent. business and profes-
have awakened to the realization tllt
the money invested in car pays big
dividends in time saved. health ana
! recreat ton.
! tion of sales were actuated by pleasure.
/ today the combination OF utility and
pleasure in connection with the motor
! car is proving the life of the business.
| The sales during the coming year de-
pend not only upon this country. but
the world. Last year American manu-
facturers exported cars and parts val
ued at $34.500,0oo. When we realize
that France alone exported cars valued
at S44,oo0.o00 in the same period, with
Germany and Italy totaling about the
same, it is not hard to see what the
cessation of European car manufacture
means to the American builder. A
Worldwide trade already is being
gathered by the American cars-and
once gained 1t can never be retaken by
Europe.
! The commercial car end of the busj
ness must have healthy growth dur
ing this year. About 100000 CONNER
cial vehicles are now in use, 10000 of
these having been manufa ctured during
the past year-a ratio of increase
greater than was ever known in the
passenger car field
The Chicago Speedway Association
has let the contract for the construc-
tion of its sI.000,oO speedway on 4
3.O-acre tract Of land in Haywood.
twelve miles distant from the center of
Chicago. Calling for the completion Of
the work by June l, the contract specl-
fies track of wood. concrete and steel.
two by four-inch planks to be laid on
concrete piers. On the straightaways
the width will be seventy feet. on the
turns eighty. The management wishes
to have a grand opening on June 13
with 500-mile race. 1t is claimed
that every seat in the grandstands-
the plans call for j seating capacity
of 3oO, ,000-will give full view of the
track throughout the whole distance.
Inside the track will be a $4,000 club
l(house and two golf courses. one OF
eighteen holes. the other of nine. The
golf field will be used as an aerodrome.
Around the inside of the racing track
will be parking space for automobiles
i-"enough for all the automobiles of
the state of Illinois, When not in use
this space may be part or driving
course for horses. The entire $50 acres
are to be inclosed by 4 wall. 1t is
said that the exits will be so arranged
that the grandstands can be emptied
in a few minutes.
y x :;
That the. course inside the exposition
grounds at San Francisco will offer
the crack motor car race drivers op-
portunities greater in several respects
than those of the Indianapolis speed
way is the prediction of Billy Carlson,
new worlds nonstop champion. who is
now in the exposition city and who
has just made all Inspection OF the
course in his Maxwell car.
Carlson predicts that, as the result of
the two fine straightaways on the
four-rnile course. new records VIII be
established for both the grand prize
and the Vanderbilt cup events, which
will be raced February 22 and 27, re-
spectively He believes that the VIM
ner of the former event will log close
to seventy-nine miles an hour, ana
that the Vanderbilt winner will be
able to go about L mile an hour faster,
due to the fact that this event is for
300 miles instead of the 400 in the
grand prize.
AS Carlson predicted accurately the
sensational time at Corona and San
Diego-the last two big events on the
road racing calendar-race critics are
justly expecting his promised sensa-
ton to he fully realized.
There are two stretches i'll the eX-
position course where my ear will
travel for more than a mile at from
10 to 120 miles an hour" asserts
Carlson. That is faster than any
it not for the fact that the course in
cludes Two fiat, right-angled turns
where we will have to apply brakes,
we would have fine chance of equal
ling or lettering the worlds road rec
ord of eighty-seven miles an hour, set
at Corona.
The fact that the course is entirely
within the exposition grounds and
win be thoroughly guarded VIII also
enable the racers to add to their wild
rights of speed, in Carlson's opinion.
Most Of the San Francisco race will be
over asphalt streets of the exposition
broad leve, and straight. At one
end the racers will make their turn
on the banked end of mile dirt track.
! To Make Territory Trip.
William p Barnhart expects to leave
| Tuesday on an extended trip through
Maryland, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio.
Virginia, West Virginia and North
! Carolina He will be gone about u
|