Evening star., 1934-02-04
BY G. ADAMS HOWARD.

AuCllOTluIn ldSG 1llSIll. Az
tendance records are believed broken
and, what is more important, actual
sales Of cars are remindful OF the
bright days Of 1929.
The exhibition of % makes of ma
chimes, including various models and
mechanical equipment, was an elab-
crate one, Great values were shown
for ~. prices asked and purchasers of
the nc. machines could not help but
be fully satisfied regardless of what
make they bought.
Each year. it appears. greater in
novations for speed, power safety and
comfort are to be found. Each year
1t is the last word" in automotive
fitness, and 1884 proves no exception.
Perfection is proclaimed to be eX-
istent every season. but its degree
must be without limit.
Reception Seen Pleasing.
Evidence in Washingtons reception
to the show must be pleasing to its
sponsors. The National Capital per-
hsps cannot approach Detroit with its
motor interest, but certainly this city
is motor minded. The trade aSsoCia-
tons puzzle contest. recently carried
with the cooperation of The Evening
Star, was in itself visible proof. APP
proXimately $4,000 submitted their
solutions and the work expended on
getting the answers out in attractive
form amazed the contest judges. A
card table was decorated, answers
sewed on cloth. elaborate drawings in
color constituted many of the ex-
hibits Of the contestants. The most
novel. perhaps. was % cookies made
In the shape of % machines with the
respective names inscribed in icing.
But the work Of the industry is only
begun. production is at hand.
Sales forces everywhere must be active
from now on. They have a real
product to sell Nineteen thirtr-three
marked the comeback year m motor
dom Nineteen thirty-four ShoIfd gO
further ahead. For the Washington
show the officials of the w. A. ]. A
are to be congratulated.
F.O. b. Signs Disappearing.
F. O. b. signs are disappearing and
this departure is good one. All deal
ers should follow the plan. per-
spective buyer wants to know what
the product will cost him delivered
to his door. OF course, any salesman
can eventually tell him, but why the
delay Of looking at figures that do not
mean anything?
A new automobile merchandising
policy whereby the purchaser will be
apprlsed of the full cost Of his auto
mobile delivered in front Of his door,
rather than having to rely on ambig-
ucus #. 0. b. prices, was announced
here as effective Immediately in
one entire organization BY general
sales manager.
A campaign is now being launched
among dealers and retail statesmen in
all parts of the United States in
structing them in the new policy and
eppraislng them of the suggested de-
ilvered price to be quoted in their re-
spective communities.
We are gong to take the binders
of the order blank it is stated. we
are going to let everybody know eX-
ectly how much their cars will cost
them delivered in front of their doors.
We are going to show exactly what
makes up the difference between the
list, or f. o. b. price. and the final
delivered COST"
SaTDOu heuOtd LOWs
Only 16 per cent of car owners had
carbon removed every 10000 miles or
less in 1888, survey shows. In 1881
the percentage was 81.
This is Just another indication OF
tho tendency of motorists during the
past year to operate their cars as
economically as possible" says re-
port of the survey.
OF 3.917 car owners in 146 cities
and towns, 849 or 2l.8 per cent, had
carbon removed less frequently than
every $4,000 miles: 5l3 or l3.l per
cent every 12.500 to l5,0C0 miles; 43I
or 112 per cent every 10000 TO 1880
miles; 344 or 8.3 per cent every 1900
to 10000 miles: l52 or 81 per cent
every 5000 to 1900 miles. and $50 or
81 per cent every 5000 miles or less.
Eight hundred and ninety-f1ve car
owners had never had carbon re-
moved. and 5s3 did not know whether
the carbon had been removed or not.
Solid Tires on Wane.
Solid or cushion tires are rapidly
disappearing from the highways and
this Is certain to mean less wear and
tear on the roads in the future, &C
cording to the District OF Columbia
Division of the American Automobile
Association.
It was declared that estimates in
dicate that only 80 per cent of the
1882 truck production had solid or
cushion tires. whereas in 1921 the
percentage of commercial vehicles so
equipped amounted to 298 per cent.
Solid tire use" it was continued,
els now confined almost exclusively to
o limited field Of specialized hauling,
including road construction. excavat-
ing and the transportation of struc-
tural steel and other extremely heavy
loads. mostly within cities.
Aside from the effect on highways.
solid tired vehicles are usually of a
moving variety which serve to
impede traffic. The general use OF
pneumatic tires for commercial We
hicles will serve to speed up these ard
thereby facilitate travel. This is par
ticularly true in metropolitan areas"
The A. A, A. points out that new
now being written into State laws pro-
vide for the elimination of solid or
cushion tires. with a reasonable time
for requirements.
Several States" 1t was added. |
"have already enacted laws banning
vehicles with solid tires from the high
ways and 1t is anticipated that
number of legislatures will give con-
sideration to such legislation in the
immediate future"
A Racers Opinion.
Fully 80 per cent of all motor car
accidents could be prevented if driv-
ers would exercise their common sense
and proper caution"
This is the belief Of prominent
racing driver
Every time I ride with someone
else I watch his hands on the steer
ing wheel, his feet on the floor and
GnIufinv, NJ VaSfordavsS puxzlA