The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1917-07-28
Automobile News

use is said to give a smooth action
on the accelerator and prevent chok-
Ing of the engine on rough roads,
wearing of the heel of ones shoe,
wearing holes In the floor mat, and
wearying of the leg. 1t costs $I.25.
The county commissioners Of Shaw
nee county. Kan, have ordered all
farmers to cut down their hedges at
road intersections, so that automobile
collisions may be avoided. There Is
law in Kansas that requires the cut
ting OF all hedges, but II is a dead let
ter, and there are hundreds of miles
OF big ugly useless and wasteful hedges
in the state, standing up as insistent
law violators. About so per cent
would be added to the beauty of Kan
sas II the law could be rigidly en-
forced.
A convention to determine the un-
its which shall finally comprise the
contemplated Ozark Trail highway
from st. Louis to the Mexican border
will be held on wednesday. Thurs
day and Friday of this week at Anna
rillo, Tex Senator owen Of Ok'm-
homa. has Introduced q resolution \
the United States senate providing for
government cooperation in choosing
the route, and under its terms a gov
ernment representative went with the
party which has Just completed an in
spection of the tentative trail thru the
Ozarks. in Missouri thru Oklahoma
from northeast to southwest, thru the
Panhandle of Texas. and across New
Mexico.
Niagara Falls manufacturer Of
fers type OF tire chain designed to be
applied without tho brother of lacking
III a 20
the device into place. Instead of
series of cross chains fastened to side
chains, each cross chain Is separate
and is attached individually to a spoke.
The fasteners are covered with leather
70 avoid marring paint on the wheels.
rhe principal objection to an anti-slSid
device of this type-that a chain fix
ed in one place on the wheel subjects
the tire to constant wear-is said to
be obviated by the fact that the chains
are smooth and round where they
come In contact with the tread. The
devices are packed i'm bags of s, a to
a wheel, and cost SO, 81 and IS, ac-
cording to size.
In 1916 there were 1.O67,332 more
motor cars registered in the United
States than in 1915. This was an in
crease of 43 per cent. The gross to-
tai OF registered cars. including COM
mercial cars, was 3,512 1895; the num-
ber of motorcycles registered was
25O,S2O. The several states collected
in registration and license fees, in
Guiding those of chauffeurs and op-
orators, total gross revenue OF $25,-
S65, ,S6975. OF this amount 90 per
cent, or s23,910,S11. was applied di-
rectly to construction, Improvement
or maintenance of the public roads i'm
AZ states. according to figures COM
piled by the office of public roads of
the United States department OF ag-
riculture, in Circular 73, automobile
registrations. Licenses and Revenues
In the United States, 1916" The fig
ures for 1916 correspond very closely
with the annual percentage increase
OF motor car registration of the last
years. This yearly increase has av-
eraged 40 per cent in the number of
cars and 80 per cent in revenues.
When viewed over a period OF years
the Increase in motor car registration
and gross revenue has been remark
able. In 1906 the total state regis
trations were approximately $4,000
cars, on account of which the several
states collected in fees and licenses a
total gross revenue of about $4,000.
Only a small part of this was applied
to road work. In 1916 the s25.S65,
369.75 collected formed nearly per
cent of the total rural road and
bridge Ie"enues of the states. Recent
years have shown an increasing ten
dency TO put the spending of the
motor car revenues directly In the
hands OF the state highway depart
ments. OF the total amount applied
to road work In 1916, 70 per cent. or
SIS .411. $40. was expended more or
less directly under the control or su-
peryision OF state highway depart
ments. Only IS states did not exer-
else any direct control over the ex-
pending of the net automobile reve-
nues.
The possible injury to tires by tire
chains Is serious enuf to warrant the
discarding OF the chains whenever II
is safe to run without them. They
tear the raised portions of anti-skid
treads and probably tend somewhat
toward tread lOosening in general.
Unless the whole chain can creep
slightly around the wheel the injury
to any kind of tread is localized, so
that distinct Impressions of the chain
may appear upon the surface. Links
, should not be allowed to wear until
they are thin and sharp. The harder
the road surface the more harm they
do, other conditions being the same.
The clutches of modern cars are
generally so well designed and con-
structed that their careless use can
do very little damage to car. In
deed. many of them can be let in alb
ruptly without taking mold in such a
way as to produce a detrimental or
even disagreeable shock to the car
or it's passengers. Still there are
some that require gentle and gradual
release of the pedal 10 effect a prop
erly easy engagement. Many of them
will Withstand almost unlimited slip
ping without serious injury. With
the introduot ton of engines possess
ing very wide ranges of speed and
large margins of reserve power, the
required use of the clutch has be-
come very slight In fact almost re-
strieted to starting the car from IA
state OF rest. There are. however.
certain general rules as to the oper-
alton OF the clutch that still apply in
a general way. Too many operators
use 1t too freely as means OF car
speed control, throwing II out and in,
slipping 1t inordinately and allowing