Evening star., 1934-05-06

lOI Ille LII 81 Qudl ICI VI A0oo.
Court Aids Motorist.
The decision handed down by the
Supreme Court of the United States,
through Justice Cardozo, last month,
in the case of John Pokora VS.. the
Wabash Railway Co., will materially
improve the chance of motorlSt re-
covering damages from the railroads
in grade crossing accidents where
contributory negligence is a question
in issue, according to the American
Automobile Association.
The significance of the decision,
said the A. A. A statement, lies in
the fact that it practically reversed
former opinion rendered by the Su-
preme Court in the case Of the Baltl-
more & Ohio Railway VS.. Goodman.
The latter case" said Thomas P.
Henry, president of the national mo-
toring body, made it practically I'M
possible for the operator of an auto
mobile to recover damages from the
steam railways.
THE wording in the decision in the
Goodman case left the implication
that a motorist whose view on ap-
preaching a railway grade crossing
was obscured was guilty Of contrib
utory negligence if he did not go so
tar as to leave his vehicle and walk
forward to a point where the view
was unobstructed.
Many courts interpreted this as a
general rule of law, which placed
motor vehicle owners at great dis
advantage. 1t appears that the
courts relied on it in finding for the
Wabash Railway Co. against Pokora.
who was injured by a train at a
crossing at Springfield. Ill.
In reversing the judgment of the
lower courts and remanding the case
for further proceedings, Justice Car
dozo declared that while the decision
in the Goodman case in itself was
correct by reason of special circum-
stances, the conduct that was thought
the part of prudence in that case,
namely, to leave the vehicle and walk
ahead, was not rule OF law and
should not be interpreted as such.
He added that questions of Wheth-
er the driver of a motor vehicle
should stop, get out of his car. look
and listen, and other similar ques-
tions should be left to the jury to de-
termine whether or not under any
given set of circumstances the driver
behaved as prudent man should be-
have
Anent German Travel.
Motor traffic over Germany's i'm
proved network of highways is reg
ulated by much the same traffic rules
as exist in this country, according to
a pamphlet just issued by the Ger
man Tourist Information Office, 665
Fifth avenue, New York City, entitled
Drive Your Own Car in Germany"
The American will find motoring
both easy and economical. the PAM
phlet points out. Gasoline costs from
13 to II cents gallon. The same
system of traffic lights exists in Ger
many as in the United States, and the
roads are clearly marked with nota-
tions familiar to Americans. Garages
are labeled by the same word-"ga-
rage"-and offer American gasoline as
well as the German product. The po-
licemen, it is said. are lenient with
foreigners who unWittingly violate
traffic laws. The German Automobile
Club, with headquarters in Berlin. has
81 principal branch Offices and $500
subsidiary Offices and is at the dis
posal of the visiting motorist.
Aims of Auto Racing.
More publicity comes in from the
coming racing event. Economy of
operation. safe and perfect perform
ance at minimum weight and durabil-
ity of necessary accessories are among
the principal aims of passenger auto
mobile manufacturers and automobile
racing constantly contributes to their
attainment.
Strict motor requirements, which
are often changed from year to year,
demand some amount of mechanical
genius to overcome the deliberately
placed obstacles and racing quickens
the strides in the advancement and
development of the modern automo-
tive vehicle, leading to perfection
which might have otherwise required
many years to obtain.
An excellent example is the new
limitations set up by the committee
for the annual 500-mile race here at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on
way OO. 41lC G1Alo oCCO-
ration day restrict the total volume
of gasoline consumed to As gallons,
the total amount of oil to six gallons
and two quarts for the entire race
and require a qualifying speed of 100
miles an hour average for distance
of 25 miles. This almost guarantees
that the 80 starting cars must have
engines which will give high perform
ance with economy.
Performance in acceleration. for
example, and such performance is
certainly demanded by the two-and-
a-half-mile brick racing oval at In
dianapolis, is obtained through an in
crease in the horse power-weight ratio
of the car. A weight limitation.
minimum weight of pounds per
cubic inch piston displacement with a
final minimum weight of $50 pounds,
is imposed on the cars in the race A
car may be light and still be sufh-
ciently strong because of superior
material developed for this specific
purpose The racing car has taught
us considerable about the proper dis
tribution of material to obtain re-
quired strength for the tremendous
strain of a 500-mile run with min
tmum of weight.
Durability Needed.
Of course, durability must be char
acteristic of every part of racing car
to stand a test which is often esti-
mated to be equivalent to $4,000 miles
of ordinary travel When methods Of
building each part of a racing car
with the necessary durability are de-
vised, the stock car manufacturer usu-
ally sets about a manner of duplicat-
ing these features at cost that per-
Solution Of Yesterdays Puzzle