The Washington times., 1919-06-29
By [. J. FAULKNER, AutOmOtive Editor.

- BY L. j. FAULKNER Automotve Editor
From Copy Boy to BIG CHIEF the Automotive
Section of The Washington Times is known as Faux
ner's Baby"
It is of the growth of this baby am asked to write
for our Second Anniversary Number
To do this it will be necessary to blow my own Auto
Horn, so to speak; from what hear from my COL
leagues this is stunt in which excel
In December, 1918 was dragged from sineeure
position (ny main duty being to elevate my legs at
the proper angle the edge of the desk and tell
oilers to do hings). and had the Automotve Section
wished on me then and there.
Up to this time, or at least since the versatile
Monte Sohn had relnqushed charge of the section and
assumed the editorial control of Motor Life very
little effort had been made to push the section
Candidly, did not know what carburetor's func-
ton was, or what the diferental differed from From
this it can readily be seen possessed the average
knowledge of most Automobile Editors.
One thing did lean at the very outset and that
is that the representatives Of the various makes of
cars and tires in Washington were the finest bunch of
live wires and good, game sports had ever met in my
many years of newspaper work Of course there we're
EXCEPTIONS but this only served to acceniate the
good qualities of the Others.
Let me pause here and in due reverence take of
my hat to the dean of them all, the late Joe Soddafd
1t to be greatly regretted that this oyable man did
not live to the spirit of fratemaSm that exists today
among the Automotve trades people, due in small
part to his efforts but Kpllng says chat is another
story"
/ believed at the outset, that Washington would
appreciate an Auomotve Section that contained live
up-o-date news coupled with good advice by experts
in the Automobile game; in fact, to make real news
paper out Of my section, was my main effort, and
felt that by doing this the advertisements. would of
necessity follow, advertiser matter how deep
his personal prejudice might be, would ever Sacn-
fee hi4business judgment on that account
That my judgment was correct is shown by the
statements of we-known advertising agencies con-
nected with the Automobile industries and whose bust
ness it is to know the facts who state unreSevedy that
the percentage of gain in AutomotiYe lineage in The
Washington Times during the first six months of toto
unquestionaby exceeded any other Automotve SECTION
in the country. y
One of nv beliefs is that paper should buy Ad-
verising rather than sell it and that the purchase
price should be SERVICE, MERIT, RESULTS"
Service should not be confined to the Advertiser
alone, but to the reader as we'll
With these latter ideas in view Isin2ugdrated Vari
Gus departments in connection with the AutomotlVe
Section-one of these is known as the information
Bureau" which is in charge of capable expert in
things AutoStS would like to Learn about
If you contemplate buying used car and doubt
its age call to Main $500, Auto Information Bureau
giving the car number will obtain for You the year
the car was made and the selling price at the time
If YOU wish to take tour information as to roads
and their condition, will be cheenuly given you.
Another department is known as "The Times Auto
Emergency Bureau" If in trouble on the road and in
need of tow home, repairs to car or tires gasoline
or help in other ways call to the Emergency Bureau
Main $500 will result in your being putt in touch with
the nearest Service Station to your location.
No charge whatever is made for any of these
services and that they have proved popular shown
that the Used Car Bureau receives an average of twenty
calls week. Emergency calls run up some weeks to
over FORTY Sunday easily leading all other days.
No record is kept of the calls relative to touring
but they amount to very many every day
StatiSticaly speaking, the Automotive Section of
The Washington Times has grown from average
lineage of twelve thousand a month in 1913, to an
average of nearly forty thousand during the months
of March, April and June 1919.
The recognized great success of the Automotive
Section of The Washington Times would have been.
impossible without the hearty friendly cooperation
given me by the Editorial and Composing Room Stats
and the Press Room.
| personally take this opportunity to extend my
sincereS thanks to the executive department of this
paper for the strong backing in every way they have
unStintedly given me in my effort to make The
Washington Times Automotive Section the leading
one in Advertising and News value in this part of the
country.