Imperial Valley press., 1919-04-05
MOTORING NEWS
NOTES BY s. {.
AUTO-CAR CLUB

Scores Of motorists are getting
the Mexican border when they dis
cover that they are still being re-
quired to show their registration
cards. According to information is
sued yesterday from the Automobile
Club of Southern California, every
motorst in the draft age is being
halted when too near the border and
asked for his registration cards.
Passports are also still required for
crossing the border.
Snowballs, diluted with clay and
few pebbles, have caused motorists
so much grief in the mountain re-
gicns of this part Of the state that
they have taken the matter up with
the legal department of the Automo-
bile Club Of Southern California to
see if some kind of restraining
order" can't be issued against enthu-
siastic snowballers who line the high
ways in some of the canyons and try
their skill, with the occupants of mo-
ter cars as their objective. Some of
the complainants register particular
annoyance, says the clubs chief coun-
sci, because the snowballs are too
often built around young brick as
a core, A damage suit very, nearly
ball caromed off the head of driv-
er onto the face of the fair occu-
pant of the tonneau of large tour
ing car in the Cajon Pass and nearly
ended the career by hitting six
months old baby. Fewer bricks in
the ammunition or less skill in the
aiming is asked by those motorists
who find it necessary to tour in the
canyon regions when snow makes it's
infrequent visit to Southern Califor-
MIA, says the Automobile Club.
Pointing out that it is no longer
| a "stunt" or pioneering expedition
to cross the country from the Allan
tic to the Pacific by automobile. the
Automobile Club of Southern Califor-
mia, through it's headquarters tour
ing. bureau in Los Angeles and it's
eighteen branch offices, is to open
| the most active campaign of its ca
reer to encourage transcontinental
motoring for the purpose of indicat-
ling the necessitv of government aid
in building highways. According to
an announcement made yesterday by
Fred l. Baker, president of the or
ganization, the club is not going to
follow a plan which would tend to
indicate that cross-country routes are
in poor condition, but just the oppo-
site, showing that they are better
than ever, only that the increasing
traffic they are bearing calls for ma
terial improvement in order to keep
up with it. The expression of indi-
vidual opinion that such and-srch a
route is one fraught with untold per-
lis is to be discounted as far as pos
sible, club officials believing that
publicity should be given to the tes-
timony of touring experts rather than
to that of one who possibly has never
strayed far from his own fireside
and is therefore not qualified to say
whether or not a road is good. At
various times a false expression has
been given of the condition of trans
continental routes through the pub
lication of the experiences of some
individual motorist who was either
not prepared for a cross-continent
journey or who wished to indicate the
superior qualities of some particular
make of car in standing up under
what he chose to term as terrible
hardships," says Mr.. Baker. Motor
lists who have not made the trip over
land in late years cannot have the
slightest conception of the vast
amount of road improvement that has
been accomplished and the efforts
that have been expended toward pro-
viding accommodations for the trav
eler, states the touring bureau.