Evening star., 1928-04-22
A. A. A. OPENS NEW
OFFICES TO PUBLIC
District Quarters in Mills
Building Planned for
Tourist Facilities.
Members of the American Automobile

Association and the general public are
invited tomorrow and the remainder oi
the week to visit the new and enlarged
quarters of the District OF Columbia
division Of the A. A, A. in the Mills
Building. Seventeenth street and Penn
Sylvania avenue, A reception committee
will be present TO assist the visitors in
gaining q complete idea Of the workings
OF the motoring organization.
The new Offices occG " 1000 square
feet of floor space on the first floor of
the Mills Building, almost doubling the
sire of former quarters. This expansion
was made necessary. A. A. A. officials
state, because of the great increase IN
membership and the extensive demands
on the facilities Of the touring bureau
during th> long season in which throneS
OF motorists from all parts Of the United
States visit the National Capital.
IN planning the new touring bureau
organization officials did so with the
definite purpose of making it accessible
and convenient and so equipped as 70
offer every facility for serving persons
who 80 there seeking information to
guide them in their motor travels For
the comfort of persons visiting the tour
ing bureau there Is q reception room.
and among its facilities is a ticket win
dow where theater tickets may be OBJ
tanned.
Strive to Become Model.
The work OF the District division Of
the A. A A, according TO Manager T.
F. Behler, naturally falls into two
claSSeS-giving assistance TO tourists
and members who are travelling or PLAN
ming a tour. and maintaining for them
emergency road service when they en-
counter difficulty along the road. Its
enFxvIpnS fhArafnrn 10 ENNlnfS 0iif have
been planned TO meet these objecnveS.
Since it is operated in close conjunction
with national headquarters. the District
division Is administered with the special
endeavor Of maintaining it as model
club unit.
The new quarters are planned with
the idea of giving the applicant for in
formation service from the moment he
enters its doors. The tourist usually
wants TO know the time and the date
and is anxious about weather con6i-
tions. When he enters the first things
he sees are an electric clock. large
calendar and weather forecasting ma
chine placed in q convenient position
on the counter. A branch Office Of the
Western Union also is available
The next information for which there
Is great demand is directions either in
or near the city. or for local members
In more distant parts of the country.
There are eight touring counSelors on
duty. and they are trained TO give in
formation accurately and concisely.
Maps and Guides.
A comprehensive variety Of maps and
touring books are published continu-
ouSly. 50 as to be up TO date at ali times.
The latest publication is a touring book
Of 400 pages. covering the Northeastern
States and other sections of the United
States are similarly covered in books
containing maps and other touring in
formation 10 assist the motor traveller.
Since a tourist always Is in need of
accurate road information, the A A. A.
publishes every two weeks detour map
which shows the location and nature of
GetourS
A member can 20 TO the touring bu-
Teau and have a trip Of any length out
lined. Even If he proposes TO so abroad,
the A. A. A. will make arrangements TO
have his car put on the boat and taken
CT al the lancing place. 1t also assists
IN obtaining passports TO expedite travel
from one foreign country 70 another.
As indication OF the demands made
on the touring bureau. its records show
that the number Of persons served last
gear totaled 37.4O3. For the first three
months Of this year the number has
been 5.464, notwithstanding the fact
that there Is comparatively little motor
touring during that period.
In planning It's emergency road Sery-
ice the A. A. A. has installed in its Dis
trict division headquarters equipment
for handing calls IN the shortest posSi-
bic time. A 'spsedoserVe' telephone
system has been installed, On which IL
calls may be received at the same time.
This switchboard Is connected with 40
service stations scattered throughout
the District and available "a hours a
day They are equipped 20 give any
mechanical assistance, from slight
adjustment tn towing the car into a
shop for extensive repairs.
BfInute and Half for Call.
Calls for emergency road service may
be received and dispatched within a
minute and o half Within three min
tItee from the moment the call is re-
cetred q car can be pulling out OF a
service station bound for the spot where
the stranded members car has broken
Gown
To assist members whose ears stall
where a pay telephone is not accessible
Che A. A. A. has made il possible for q
9nOtoriss 10 use any taxi stand telephone
maintained by the Black and White
end Yellow Cab companies. These
phones are directly connected with the
A. A. A. switchboard.
During 1927 the total number Of
emergency calls received was n ,748
So far this year there have been 1924
calls. indicating tremendous percent
age Of increase. The peak for 1928 was
reached on January 2 when there were
SIT calls The total for the first five
Gays o. January was .075.