The Washington times., 1916-12-09
Frank Discussion Of Motor
Matters by The Times Auto
mobile Editor.
AN UHPREJUDIcED OPINION
A Column Of Judgment on Is
sues Vital to Motor Car
Owners.
BY MONTE soHN.

John G. Kicker gives us an acute
pain In the neck. a
He Is beefing.-if we must be po-
etic-that the country 10 headed for
the kennels. He complains that
Congress ought to do something"
about gasolene. In his opinion the
tire industry Ia a great combine of
fat corporations bonded in the pur-
pose OF making the motorist bear
the burden Of 100 per cent divi-
dends. Congress gives him q pain.
Why doesn't somebody do some-
thing7 His garage man soaks him
IS a month Just to leave his car in
the garage, and last week he had to
renew his batteries after he had
only driven tho car $1,000 miles.
Mr.. X. In the guy who complains
that "the car was never right In the
first place." because somebody he
knows is getting three miles moro
4 per gallon. with the same kind Of
car.
II We let old Pop Tcmpus con-
tinue on his way unattended and
slip back down the trail q little bit
we dig up . couple Of interesting
facts that happened In n sociability
run little while ago.
There were forty cars In this
II took those forty cars eleven
days to travel 1900 miies. Three
OF the cars could not finish. The
nrst ,1ni. OF rh these stripped a dineren-
epring and had so much tire trouble
that despite liberal application OF
the tape to the inner tubes. the car
was compelled to withdraw" The
third split It's front axle"
Another excerpt of the same story
reads. 1T 10 necessary to adjust the
brakes, rs rule. when half OF such
An nrduous run ns this Ia completed,
AZ least every Ave hundred miles n
I, necessary to adjust tho brakes
Mr.. Kicker and the rest OF hi.
tribe, new.mado motorists, whose
overhead expense 10 largely a
matter OF .gssoiene and oil, have
an unadulteratcd sinecure com.
pared TO the motorist Of yesterday.
above was. the famous Munsey
Tour-which took place about
seven years ago. In those DAYS
Of rosds which were mud oceans
IN bad weather and rutty. bumpy
torist was a man who had a long
kick coming.
In those early days Of the au.
temceiles popularity q 1900 car
y.ns,1. uS.id ssss,sa,s .ns rdn, ssPenditure for
from lib0 10 $500. FueI A.
true. was lower In cost. but M.
teen TO twenty-five miles 20 the
gallon In that dawning era OF mo.
car averaged twelve miles to the
gallon IL was something TO talk
about. Most of the early models
never achieved TO more than ten
Tires!
In the Munsey run above Indi.
stops for tirestroubie, Including
two blowouts In n single day.
In the big speedway contests,
rine strain upon tires, one set OF
tires were driven In a 3OO.miIe
classic In one city and three days
later In a 2oo-mile race; In the
two contests, one OF which was
won by the driver In question. the
average speed was In excess OF
100 miles an hour. Yet, in $50
miles OF terrific strain the driver
was compelled TO stop for not one
single tire change-no blowout. no
Mr. Kicker never has to bother
with road Notwithstanding oc-
casional tire changes and minor
mechanical adjustments. Factory ex.
perts have devised testing machines
which twist and pull and crush and
bend the super-steel thar goes into
his car. They plan the efficiency OF
the car he Is using as no other prod
uct manufactured In tested.
Springs mere are which make
bearable the toughest, rock.rfbbed
road the country knows.
Cushions In the modern car are
more yielding, more luxurious than
most drawing room furniture.
What Developments do come In
the car OF tomorrow must be mere
minor refinements OF convenience.
That radical changes will prevail In
the models OF the next five years is
extremely TO be doubted.
Mr.. Kicker II a regrettable fact
but, nevertheless, indubitable.
He Is among US now, as In the
past.
When the celestial siren, silyery
blasts assemble" Mr.. X. will be
finding fault with earth's acoustics
or Gabrlels hair.