Evening star., 1941-07-16
Tests Show Faulty
D. T.. Autos Waste
100000 in Gas
Yeur's Loss Estimated
At More Thon
10000, 900 GoIIons

Test made by the American
Automobile Association in Coop
Grafton with the United States
Bureau of Standards have revealed
that Washington motorists last year
wasted more than 20,000,0O0 gallons
of gasoline, or more than IA per
cent of total gas consumption here,
through lack of proper car adjust
ments.
Announcement to this effect was
made late yesterday by Mai. Bev-
erly c. Snow, Assistant Engineer
Commissioner and chairman of the
District Petroleum Conservation
Committee as that group continued
its campaign for voluntary saving
of 20 per cent of customary gaso-
line used TO avoid compulsory re-
strictive measures.
$1,000 900 Wasted.
Failure to maintain their auto
mobiles in proper adjustment cost
local motorists more than $3,000,-
900 or about $40 each, during 1910,
Mai. Snow said. basing his estimates
on findings resulting from road tests
completed by the Automobile As
sociation Contest Board in co-opera-
ton with the Bureau of Standards.
Maj. Snow said the A. A. A. tests
revealed that of the 1877 37l 900 gal
Ions of motor fuel used in the Dis
| trict last year, 14.7 per cent, or more
/ than 20,000,000 gallons, represented
sheer waste" from the single cause
of lack of proper adjustment.
District motorists could have
added more than 300,000000 miles
to their 1910 travels at the same
/ fuel costs had there not been the
14.7 per cent waste indicated bv
the tests, Maj Snow continued.
This would amount to about 1000
additional miles per automobile, 1t
was explained.
Heating Policy Tomorrow.
Meanwhile, meeting scheduled
with spokesmen fQ the fuel oil
| heating industry to \develop means
of petroleum savings in that field,
has been postponed until 10 am.
tomorrow, in the squad room at the
New Municipal Center Building.
Traffic Director William A. Van
Duzer will preside.
Discussing tests showing waste OF
gasoline by the average car operator,
Mai. Snow said:
while the officials making the
tests agreed that the average car is
about four years old, the vehicles
put through the tests represented an
average age of considerably below
this figure. A greater saving might
have been effected had the cars
been more nearly average.
Actual road tests were run by
officials from the Bureau of Stand
ards, who put the cars through their
PAGES first just as they came of the
streets. where they had been in
everyday use. After carefully re-
cording fuel consumption on this
first test, the experts took the cars
into a shop. made the necessary
adjustments. and then put them over
the same precise measured course
on the Mount Vernon boulevard.
Several Adjustments Made.
Adjustments made included clean
ing and adjusting of carburetor and
fuel pump, checking and adjusting
ignition system and timing, and the
checking and adjusting of wheel
alignment, brake clearance and tire
pressure.
IF this substantial saving can be
made through attention to adjust
ments alone, it is plain that the
savings which may be added through
proper driving practices will easily
bring total savings per car up to 20
per cent which Petroleum Co-ordi-
nator Ickes says it is necessary to
save in order to prevent a motor
fuel shortage on the East Coast"