Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-11-04
AUTOISE SAYS
TOURING EASY
european Custom Law
No Longer Trouble
Traveller Says

GOOD news for Americas thous-
.nus Oh motorists who ere planning
\ .our Europe by automobile, and q
iNiu account OF the experiences like
y 70 be encountered there. were re-
ps.eo recently by W. Clcgg Butt. OF
eeriy Hills, just returned from a
'"1r OF ten months on the continent.
customs regulatiens-that hane OF
.ae foreign traveler-need not deter
we american motorist, Mr. Butt re-
ported. THE American touring Eu-
Top by motor has little trouble with
customs regulations at the various
International boundaries, and re-
seiveS good treatment from the OF
iicals as well as from the natives,
he said.
u had 70 get a license al once, AZ
tne rate OF five dollars Tor each
horsepower of the cars engine. ms
method of taxation explains why
small cars of only eight or nine
horsepower are so popular N Europe
All foreign ears receive the Qtl m
transitional license plate, and the
number remains the same for the lie
Ok the car
Mr.. Butt left Los Angeles last NO
Vem5er IN his 1926 Pontiac SIX sedan
anc drove 10 New York, where the
car was put on board the liner
olympic. landing at southampton.
Among the experiences he reported
vas having to pay So cents 20 have a
tire pumped up. and idling along IN
traffic while myriads If hcrse-drawn
vehicles and bicycl;sts took their
time.
In touring through France and
Germany. | found that motorists
there arc not bothered With any speed
| limit Mr.. Butt told an official OF the
oakland Motor Car company. gu
mny drive as fast as road conditions
will permit. | made the 1lsF kilo-
meters from Paris to Monte Carlo IN
two days. or at the rate Of more than
900 miles a day.
"As n tourist, I vas impressed with
Europe as just one biz garden, but !
missed the open spaces We are accus-
toned 10 here in AmerIca.
an England and on the Continent,
gasoline, or petrol. costs about 10
cents an imperial gallon, which con-
tsins five quarts. This IS because
Of the heavy governmental tax I'M
posed. In one place in France had
to pay at the rate Of Sl.25 a gallon.
Il was quite surprised at one Eng
Iish garage where | had 10 pay one
and four pence. or about ~ cents IN
American money. to have a tire
pumped up. Even 1t that the pump
ing was done with an old-style hand
pump. There is no free air IN Eu-
rope. and the quality Of service we
are accustomed to at American gas
stations and tire shops IS unknown
Roadside gas stations IN Europe
are conspicuous by their absence ard
sometimes you ret petrol hy the can
and rour IL in the tank Yourself
when I took my Pontiac = Eurore
Il had already ron shout IO'uoV
miles. 7 travelled $4,000 miles more
abroad. ard when I took the car of
the boat at Wilmington after shin
nin- IL from Chelsea. Wales. the
speedometer reed 100000 miles. Ny
driving was made pleasant by the
splendid performance Of The car as
= developed no mechanical trouble
vhatever."
4 While in England. Butt who Is N
aren't tennis fan. was one n the oI-
tal referees AZ the Wimbledon
lair tennis meet in July. He oihcl-
,ted al a number 81 matches
rsrticipated in by Helen Wills. "Bill'
Tilden, and the famous European
stars.