Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
OF CARS
HELD BIG PROBLEM
Industry Must Take Part in
Solving Traffic Issues,
Philip Believes.

Highway trafic in the United States
confronts the automobile industry as
one of its major problems, according
to A. I. Philip, chairman of board
Durant Motors. Important. far-reach-
ing measures to cope with 1t are be-
ing taken by Federal and State govern
ments and by counties and munich
palities
1T is my hope and belief" Philip
said. that this year will see definite
action by the industry itself on several
suggestions that have been before the
National Automobile Chamber of Com
merce for some time. The principal
one of these is the proposal for junk
ing q certain proportion of all used cars
taken In trade by automobile dealers.
Would Reduce Hazard.
such procedure would rebound to
the public benefit In various ways.
First of all. it would reduce the hazard
of traf1ic by eliminating from use old
cars of questionable condition. Many
an accident has been caused by the
failure of wornout parts to function at
a crucial moment. Moreover. 1t seems
to follow as an infallible rule that care
lesSneSs in driving increases in direct
ratio with the age of the car. BY the
time the roof and tenders of the ancient
ark are tapping to the four breezes
the driver would just as soon run over a
curb as alongside of it-and by the
same token. would consider it good fun
to test his tenders powers of resistance
against those of a 5000 limousine.
1T is to the credit of q number of
cities that they have already taken
definite and drastic measures to remove
such cars and driver from the streets.
Unless they can pass mechanical mus
ter. they are prescribed forthwith and
sent to the junk pile.
Secondly, the plan would remove
thousands of cars from the already
crowded highways. In that sense it
would be q major contribution to the
relief OF traff1c congestion.
The third consideration in my In
dorSement of q national salvage pile
may be regarded as selfish. Perhaps,
but it also entails definite advantages to
the buying public In addition to those
already set forth I refer to the greater
new-car outlet the junking plan would
create.
Anything that can be done to accelo-
rate motor car production Is to the adj
vantage of the buying public, because,
as production increases, prices go down.
AS production descends, prices ascend.
Moreover, as production increases en-
ployment Is provided for more people
The result Is greater purchasing power
and improved prosperity.
Would Cost Millions.
at Is true that the junking plan
would cost millions of dollars annually,
but when the total is prorated among all
the manufacturers it really amounts to
very negligible sum. BY the time
each manufacturer, in turn, has alIo-
Gated his portion of the total against
each car he produces, the amount will
have reached insignificant proportions
Even ii the effect on new car
sales Is not of enough magnitude to in
fiuence production costs, the automobile
industry will at least have the salts
faction of knowing that it has contri-
buted UNNECESSARILY to the freedom and
safety of traf1ic.
Dealer association in several cities
have already set the standard for the
industry. They are operating the junk
ing plan success fully on q local CO.
operative basis. From the cars that 90
TO the junk pile they are Salvagina cop
per, brass, soft steel and other metals
for reconverSion into new metals-and
thus protecting themselves and the
public against waste.
THE national plan would operate on
the same basis. Only the worthless.
dangerous parts would actually be de-
stroyed and much material of value
would be salvaged. When all manufac-
turers and dealers cooperate to do this
on a broad, national scale, the public
will be quick to feel and appreciate its
benefits"