Evening star., 1936-12-13

suggestion, acnleVemenC, OF example.
This plan. 1t was stated. has the
wholehearted approval Of william A.
Van Duzer, director Of vehicles and
traffic.
Awards will be made in the following
categories:
! A. Elementary school group-pub-
lie, parochial or private.
! B. Junior high school group--pub-
lie, parochial or private.
c. Senior high or prep school group
public. parochial or private.
/ D. Private citizen group.
! E. Commercial fleet owner, bus
company. or utility group, operating
five or more commercial vehicles.
The decision on the awards will be
made by board of judges, selected by
the Advisory Board of the Keystone
Automobile Club.
Under the plan submitted by the
committee, and approved by the board,
the awards will be made at a public
meeting, probably at the annual meet
ing of the club.
The committee was composed of the
following members: Greed Fulton,
chairman; E. c. Baltz, Arthur J.
Sundlun, j. B. Luttes and Melvin
Sharpe
Details of the regulations governing
the awards will be announced later.
THE automobile industry will COM
plete about 108,425 cars and trucks
of its scheduled 119,850 units this week,
says Automotive Daily News in its mid
week survey Of the industry. The
fgure compares with 99.2l5 in the
week ended November %, says A. D. N.
The reduction in output from the
schedule set up in the early part of
the week was caused by the suspension
OF assembly operations at one plant
due to shortage of frames, as a result
of the strike at the. Midland steel
| plants.
| 1t is generally believed that assembly
will be continued sporadically at this
plant whenever materials are available.
No other factories are reporting any
difficulty at the present time
Production in the United States and
Canada during November Is estimated
by A. D. N. at 443, ,290 units. which
brings the total for the first II months
of the year to 4,135.OO0. The November
production on this basis was about 8.3
per cent higher than in November last
year and If this increase over the cor
responding month Of the previous year
is continued in December. A. D. N. esti-
mates that the total output for the
year will run to 1895, 900 against its
estimate made early this year of
1900 900.
| Commercial car sales continued their
record-breaking course during October
with the total for the month running
to 41,207 units. This brings the 10
months total to 539.217 against SGT ,057
for the entire year of 1929, which was
the previous best year in the industry,s
history. With the October figures
available A. D. N. estimates that COM
mercial car sales for the entire year of
1886 in the United States only, will
run to 1000 units.
Passenger car sales during October
reached total of I'll ,319 units, which
brings the total for the year to 1885,
634 units. On this basis A. D. NJ esti-
mates passenger car sales for the CAL
ender year of 1896 will total 3,425, 900
units, which gives a combined total
of new passenger cars and trucks of
approximately 1000, 900. This would be
the second best year in the history OF
the industry, being exceeded only by
the record year 1929, when 4,407 1858
new cars and trucks were registered
in the United States
A UTOMOBILES, like human beings,
are living longer! The average
life of the average family bus" now
is estimated at 81 years. as compared
with an average life Of only "a years
about decade ago.
This increase in "automotive life
expectancy" it is believed, makes pos
sible the reduction of special addi-
tional automotive taxes, now equiva.
lent about to one-fourth of the vehi-
cle's value. The Is per cent increase
in longevity will permit government
to derive an equal amount of revenue
at lower tax rates.
Taxes on motor vehicles now aver
age roundly $50 per vehicle per year.
If all the $4,000 900 motor vehicles
now travelling the roads of the United
States keep going for the estimated
"a years, they will have paid $1O,-
900 ,000, 900 in taxes at present rates.
Since the prolongation of the aver
age life of an automobile by a single
year increases expected automotive
tax revenues by an estimated $780,
900 900, the possibility Is seen Of pass
ing on to taxpayers, through reduc-
ton in rates at which gasoline sales
taxes and other automotive levies are
imposed, the savings achieved by
American inventive ingenuity.
Not only is the current "life ex-
pectancy" of a motor vehicle ex-
tended, but also its tax expectancy"
is greatly increased. In 1920 the
average motor vehicle had a life ex-
pectancy of only six years. 1t paid
special additional taxes of only $32
per year. Its tax expectancy" was
1892. BY 1929 the number of motor
vehicles in use had doubled, while the
tax expectancy had increased to $235
per vehicle. Since 1929 automotive
taxes and tax rates, particularly levies
upon motor fuel, have increased so
rapidly that the tax expectancy of
the average car now is estimated at
$400.
The increase in the life expectancy
of motor-vehicle operators also Is ben
efiting the tax collector. and is seen
as increasing the possibility Of re-
ducing the rates Of such levies as
State sales taxes upon motor fuel. A
person who acquires q motor vehicle
at the age of II now has q life ex-
pectancy of A years. In that period
he will pay $4,000 in automotive taxes
at present rates.
AUTOMOTIVE BRIEFS.