Evening star., 1935-07-07

lowest number OF accidents per nun
The rules of the contest define a
reportable accident as any mishap
'in which the contestants vehicle is
involved, unless properly parked.
personal injury, or property damage,
regardless of who was hurt, what
property was damaged, or who was
responsible"
TabulationS In the contest will pro-
duce figures illustrative of the degree
to which the commercial vehicle is a
factor in the total traffic CT WASH
ington, for it is required tllat all
contestants shall report total monthly
mileage together with the number of
accidents. These reports based upon
the calendar month must be in the
hands of Edward Towers. secretary
treasurer of the league, by the 18th
of the following month.
1t is provided that all such re-
ports will be considered confidential,
with identification by key number
only. The only exception will be in
the case of those fleets ranking first
in each group, and this only with
the permission of the contestant.
Monthly bulletins will summarize
the results of the contest.
In addition to Towers, other Of
f1cers OF the league sponsoring the
contest are: r. j. Murphy, president;
B. A. Stone, vice president. Members
of the Board of Directors are Maj.
c. H. Ruth, H. c. Schneider, r. H.
Pledger and James Carey.
Beneficial results in the CONNER
cial vehicle contest are more strongly
anticipated than in the case of the
general campaign for all drivers,
which closed during the past week.
It is pointed out in this connection
that the group involved is more COM
pact, more strongly competitive, more
easily reached and more subject to
control.
Moreover, in all such contests COM
mercial vehicle operating groups have
shown themselves much more capable
actually of bettering their records than
are drivers generally.
How would you like to take your
Summer motor tour at a cost of less
than three-tenths of cent a mile for
fuel? In other words, to cover 3l2
miles for penny's worth of fuel?
Naturally, there is not a motorist in
the country who would not like the
experience, but only one individual
has had it so far. He is Clessie Cum
mings, Diesel engine inventor, who
formerly was chauffeur. Making
q circuitouS journey, Cummings tray
eled 1900 miles from New York to
Chicago in his practical test of the
first strictly passenger car Diesel pro-
duced In this country.
The engine. an experimental type,
averaged $500 miles per gallon of fuel
oil-the kind you may use for heating
your home-on the trip. The total
cost Of the fuel was s3.47, including
taxes.
Carefully avoiding low speeds which
would improve mileage, Cummings
drove at a speed approximating that
at which the average tourist progresses
on the open road, in the neighborhood
of so miles an hour.
The engine is rated at 100 horse
bower at a crankshaft speed of 5000
r. p. m.
The two large handicaps which the
Diesel must overcome before it will be
practical in the passenger car field
nave been heavy weight and high pro-
duction expense. 1t is said Of the
Cummings engine that it weighs only
80 pounds more than the straight
eight gasoline power plant which 1t
has displaced in an otherwise stock
car and that it costs but 10 per cent
more to produce.
The whole experiment may mean
that the much-talked-of Diesel pas
senger car is not so very far away.
Those motoring agencies, CONNER
cial and private, which have sworn
q fight to the finish on high taxes are
firing new and more powerful ammu-
milton these days. With final figures
now recorded, they are pointing out
that Federal and State taxes on mo-
tor fuel last year reached an all-time
hieh-a grand total of $735, 10000.
The United States Bureau of Pub
!ic Roads, which tabulates the figures
OF State taxes, points out that 1884
collections aggregated $565, OPT, 900.
That represents q $36.000,000 in
crease over the previous high, which,
incidentally, was not in 1929, but in
1891.
Federal taxes on gasoline during the
II months of 1884 were S170, 100000:
The weighted average tax per gal
Ion of gasoline, including both State
and Federal levies, was 1855 cents
also q record.
These "tests to destruction" which
constantly are engaging the atten-
ton of automobile, truck, tire and
ether manufacturers in the motoring
field, really produce some startling
figures.
One of the largest tire companies,
for instance, has just taken look at
its records in connection with dura-
bility tests on its popular product. It
has found that the greatest mileage
ever recorded by vehicle belonging
TO its large test fleet was 715,000 miles.
The vehicle in question was truck.
Just how many miles this is in
terms Of average passenger car serv-
ice is indicated in the fact that such
q vehicle would last the average pri-
vate car owner more than 100 years.
The same company has another
truck In service which still Is going
strong after having passed the 500,-
OO0-mile mark.
Their owners may come back from
vacations looking well and feeling fit,
but automobiles usually return in just
the opposite condition. With regard
to preventing the cars decline. one of
the automobile industry's foremost
chemical experts offers the following
counsel:
'The damp salt air of the seashore.
accompanied by rain and heavy dew,