Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
In the Motor World
BY q. ADAMS HOWARD.

It Is one OF the last fields OF de-
velopment opened up by the mo-
tor manufacturers, and, therefore,
the block Is still a bit rough, al
though the finished products Of
the manufactures which were on
display during the past week look
anything but rough. Nevertheless,
there are still many ref1nementS
that can be made with the con-
vertible style.
Convertible Car Praised.
One dealer suggested that there
will come time when the CONVEX
tible car will be the only thing on
the show floors. He predicted that
from q rakiSh- looking open car,
top out of sight and the whole
passenger-carrying portion OF the
machine open, press OF a but
ton would transform the car into
a luxurious limousine. In these
days of refinement the idea is a
highly feasible one, and more than
one manufacturer is working on
that same idea. When enough
mental energy and expert work.
manship Is expended on the idea
and the demand becomes strong
enough-it will come.
It has been just the thing that
has brought the motor car from
the experimental stage to the
present necessity stage that has
brought about refinementS in the
motor car. Quantity production
is the answer to all Of the develop
ments. It has shaved costs here
and there in actual production,
and it has allowed less profit to be
collected on each car because of
more cars being sold. 1t has
brought to the manufacturer from
almost every owner of the car he
makes some personal suggestion
for the betterment Of the ma
chine-some good, some not worth
trying-but in the aggregate they
have had their effect. What the
carbuyer wants the manufacturer
will try to give him.
The automobile, due to the pres
ent flush condition Of the Ameri-
can pocketbook, rendered more
flush looking, at least, by install
ment purchase plans and the
other attractive inducements to
buy, has gone far ahead Of the
facilities for taking care of 1t,
however. The roads situation is
improving every day and bids fair
to catch up without much more
expenditure of effort.
Traffic Situation Bad.
But this is not true of the traffic
situation. The wheels Of the law
makers have ground out law after
law, and are grinding them out
by the dozens daily, but there still
remain a vast confusion and
vaSter misunderstanding to be
ironed out. Only recently has the
idea of uniform motor laws, uni
form traffic regulations and uni
form signals gained anything like
Nation wide prominence, and
there is long, rough and crooked
road ahead for it. Nearly all agree
that some sort of uniformity in
regulations for drivers should be
adopted, but the problem of get
ting them before all the States and
in force is one that Is proving a
serious factor for the various mo-
tor organizations of the country.
The Hoover municipal code is a big
step forward in the proper direc-
ton for the cities, where the need
for uniformity of regulations Is
most evident. But the amount Of
travel that is being done today by
automobile needs more than that.
A well-worked Nation wide plan
is a crying necessity.
Members of the Washington Au-
tomotive Trade Association were
unsparing in their praise Of the
work of the show committee
chairman, Rudolph Jose. Ham
pered by illness Of many members
Of his show force, Mr.. Jose has
stuck to the job of directing the
various details of showing of the
motor car to the Washington pub
lie and has stayed for days at his
desk, sending out for his meals.