Omaha daily bee., 1916-02-21
ELEVENTH AUTO
SHOW WILL Open
ITS DOORS TODAY
Magnificent Exposition Of the Latest
Cars to Be Thrown Open
for the Approval of the
Public.
DECORATIONS ARE UNIQUE
Dealers and Manufacturers Vie
with Each other to Present the
Most Attractive Display.
MUSIC IS TO BE A FEATURE
Lend a hand, you"

Lend a hand, you.
All day Sunday this unending
command rang out in the big mu-
nicipal Auditorium, the motto of
preparedness for the Auto show.
Scores of men in their shirt sleeves
with collar and tie astray and dust
and dirt on their clothes labored and
toiled preparing for the opening of
the eleventh annual Omaha motor
exposition today.
Bright and early yesterday morn
ing the advance guard was on the
job. In twinkling a great staff of
decorators was Transforming the
Auditorium into section of cherry
blossoffflng Japan. Pink blossoms
bloomed out against clear, blue
sky overhead. Pink blossoms twined
around matsura pillars and gigantic
green grasses suddenly grew up
where steel rafters showed.
Cute, little gabled fences were
stretched hither and thither and
Pagoda-like towers divided the
fences into sections and from these
into little Oriental gardens.
LAS soon as these little Oriental
>gardens, vulgarly termed booths by
the motor men, took shape the work
of wheeling the expensive automo-
biles into the building and to their
allotted section began.
Everybody Lends Hand.
Then started the never-ceasing COM
mand, lend hand. you." as the auto
men pushed and pulled. "Gangway,"
came shout as half dozen toilers
pushed big Cadillac or White or Mercer
o. Hu6son slowly along and into one of
the beautiful little japanese gardens.
: There are no drones among the auto
men, everybody helps.
All day long this continued until over
800 machines had been placed. But the
work is not over yet. There are still
more machines to he placed I'm the Audi
tarlsp AID the alite men win have q fuEi
mornings work before them today before
the exposition can be thrown open to the
public
An inquisitive reporter slipped by the
guardians of the doors yesterday under
cover OF police badge and slanted his
expeer orhs toward the transformation
Job. "KeIier had nothing on these boys
he breathed as he took careful note Of
the beautiful decorations which make the
auditorium look like a veritible palace
instead of the barn that 1t is.
UgIy, Painted signs Go.
There is one thing very noticeable this
year in the decorating scheme. Noticeable
by its absence. The slovenly painted
signs which hung over the booths last
!. year are gone. In their stead are modest
NS$tle electric signs. The electric signs
carry merely the name of the exhibitor
or exhibiting company. The names OF the
cars handled are gone. The old painted
signs, done ON cheap canvas or cheese
cloth in careless manner. sometimes
carried the names OF half dozen ma
chimes, They were unsightly to sey the
least and the modest. electric signs are
great Improvement.
To George REIN of the Cadillac COM
pany must go the credit for this innova-
tlon. REIN recognized the unsghtliness
of the painted signs and he entered a
strenuous kick. The other dealers saw
that George was right and quickly ac-
ceded to his suggestion.
Directors of the Auto Show association
expect TO see all attendance records
shattered at the exposition this week. The
automobile show has become more than
nero display for the curious. as It was
when first established. but has become
an educational feature AS a result il
attracts every person who is in any way
interested in the motor car.
The 1910 display has been we'll adver-
tised throughout the middle west and Il
is confidently anticipated that hundreds
from. Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri
Wyoming. Colorado, South Dakota and
Continued on Page Two Column Six