New-York tribune. [volume], January 04, 1920, Page 8, Image 42

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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N. Me P. La Crowing
At Rate of 50,000
Members a Year
. 6 Months* Record Reviewed'
by President Gaston;
Good Performance of Pre?
ventive Work in Traffic
By Barry W. Gaston
President National Motorist?* Pre
teetivo Leaguo
Six month? ago the National Motor?
ists' Protective League was organized.
The first three months of the league's
existence its purposes were so entirely
new and foreign to those of any other
organization that the public was slow
to grasp its principles and its pur?
poses. In the last three months, al?
though the motoring season was on
the wane, .the growth has been at
the rate of 60,000 members a year,
which means that by the* first of July,
one year from the date the organiza?
tion was born, the membership no
doubt will have reached the 60,000
mark.
Many of my acquaintances and un?
fortunately aome of my friends have
frequently insisted that there must
be a ?elfish motive behind this move?
ment. They could not understand why
a man would devote capital, time and
energy to the promotion of an organi?
zation committed to the propositions
that it would not engage in business
on its own account or seek to promote
the business of others, that it would
be non-political and that no officer
would receive a salary. Therefore, I
feel that the time has arrived to admit
that a selfish motive prompted me
from the outset.
Aa set forth explicitly in the
original announcement of June 29 last,
I had for the last fifteen years partiel
?iated in the automobile industry,
argely in the sales end. During those
yeara I had silently watched the
f rowing menace of reckless driving, I
ad seen good drivers lose all pleasure
in operating motor vehicles because
the Bolshevink of the boulevard, the
radical of the road, or, as he was
originally designated, the Hun of the
highway, had steadily added to the
dangers growing out of the operation
of motor vehicles, especially in the
more congested districts.
Aa an automobile dealer, whose
future was inextricably identified with
the industry, whose interests, financial
and otherwise, must of necessity, be
affected by the growing evils referred
to, I came inevitably to the conclusion
that the time had come when some man
or group of men must take the lead in
promoting caution among car oper?
ator?. Automobile manufacturer? and
dealers who have their fingers upon
the pulse of the situation must realize
that the industry in all of its branches
-has been retarded and will be more
seriously injured in future unless this
increasing menace is controlled. i
A canvass made by the league re?
cently among owners of gasoline sta?
tion? disclosed that there was less Sun?
day driving in 1010 than there was in
1918, although in 1918 there were many .
restrictions upon the use of gasoline ?
and there were not so many cars in
service. Owners of these gasoline sta?
tions have made inquiries among
motorists, many of whom have stated
frankly that they had ceased to derive
pleasure from motoring on Sunday
owing to the growing dangers incident
thereto.
Clubs, associations and organizations
of various kind?? committed largely to
disseminating touring data, and espe?
cially to the promotion of good roads,
had been organized from time to time,
but one and all seemed to feel that
making these good roads safe for
motorists, was of secondary importance.
The league and these behind it hold
to the theory that safety on the high?
ways is of first importance.
The American Red Cross, one of the
most splendid organizations in exist?
ence, has done more, perhaps, to allevi?
ate suffering than any other, yet it
must be admitted that the Bed Cross
devotes its energies to binding up the
wounded and burying the dead. On
the other hand, the National Motorists'''
Protective League is seeking in every
possible way to prevent injuries and
deaths. By propaganda, educational
and otherwise, it will be possible to
bring about a marked reduction in the
number of accidenta that result in
death, injury and damage to property.
It is pleasing to note that since the
league announced its existence and pur?
poses publie officials and other organ?
isations have manifested a greater in?
terest along these lines. Following
closely upon our original announce?
ment and outline of our plan of opera?
?on?that 1?, using report? from in?
dividual member? a? a basis for in?
vestigation by eut he__dc. carters?Dr.
John A. Harris?, Special Deputy Police
Commissioner of the City of New York,
Invited the police reserves to report to
him infractions of the. highway laws
that came under their observation.
Later we announoed that we would
shortly inaugurate in the schools of
th? state, with the cooperation of Dr.
John H. Finley, Commissioner of Edu?
cation of New York, an educational
course in caution. Some time after
that Secretary of State Hugo and Po?
lice Commissioner Enright announced
that early in January a meeting would
be held at th? Capitol Theater, In New
York City, to discuss plans for a simi?
lar educational campaign among th?
children of the ?t?te.
Tho State Automobile Association,
some months after the league was
founded, called upon its member? to
exercise vigilance on the highways and
furnish reports of any flagrant in?
stances of reckless driving.
All these things ?how that the publie
conscience has been ?wakened and ty
must be true that during th? next flv?
year? motorists will devote far mor?
thought to way? and mean? of enforc?
ing caution, whieh is the league'?
watchword, ss distinguished from
safety, caution, et rying with it the
idea that it is exercised in bohalf of
th? motor vehicle operator as well a?
in behalf of every one else, whereas
the word safety ha? a ?elfish signifi?
cance in that it harks back to the in?
dividual operator and his own welfare.
The league would Ilk? to point out
that public officials come and go, but
an organization euch ?s this one goes
on forever. A secretary of state and a
chief of police may foe enthusiastic ad?
vocates of such a.plan as our?, and yet
their successor? might be interested
Coupe Is Leader
little, if at ?11. Thus, if ?uch work
should be carried on by publio officials
the efficiency of the movement might
be greatly impaired by the changes that
would occur from time to time. There?
fore, we suggest that public official?
should cooperate with an organization
of this kind rather than take the lead,
, although the league is perfectly willing
jto do the cooperating and permit others
Ho take the lead if they cannot see
through the league's eyes'.
The league was organized originally
a? a local institution, but has been ex?
tended into Connecticut and Pennsyl?
vania. There are now on file in the
league headquarters letters from promi?
nent motorists in practically every
state in the Union, one of the latest
being from Harry G. Moock, secretary
and business manager of the National
Automobilo Dealers' Association, with
headquarters at St. Louis, which indi?
cates that within a reasonable length
of time the league will be firmly in?
trenched as a national organization,
and it was for this reason the name
was changed to the National Motorists'
Protective League.
Aero Eight line of
Nine Cars Described
Engs Goes Briefly Over the
Points of the. Line He
Represents
"Nine models compose the present
Cole Aero-8 line," says Russell L. Engs,
the metropolitan distributor. "The
Tourster is an open touring car of
full seven-passenger capacity, built
with all the spirit and dash of design,
the reserve power, the speed, the com?
fort and economy necessary to satisfy
the popular demand for an all-round
passenger car.
"In the Sportster Its designers have
created a car with an extraordinary
range of performance, without sacri?
ficing comfort and economy associated
with touring models. It is a car ca?
pable of racing speeds at the driver's
beck, or equal to the less trying re?
quirements of city driving.
"The roadster is a fashionable two
passenger conveyance whose appoint?
ments and accessories make it as prac?
tical for the country club, tho seashore
or the city as for a long tour.
"There are six all-season models?tho
Sportosine, the Sportsedan, the Sport
/. D.Dort
l'resldent Dort Motor Car Co.
coupe, the Toursedan, tho TouroBine
and the Towncar. Plush panel con?
struction employed throughout elimi?
nates the overhanging of the super?
structure and eliminates permanently
many of the inherent limitations of in?
closed car use. Automatic window reg?
ulators are used throughout, and the
glass panels so installed that they may
be dropped down into the lower body
pane's and the car thrown almost
completely open for summer driving.
"The Sportsedan is a four-door, four
pasBenger model, in which the rear
quarter sections are solid and
have octagonal windows. The Sport?
osine combines the features of a
toy limousine with those of a
diminutive sedan. It is distinctly
a sport car, and the adjustable glass
partition between the front and rear
compartments is an addition. It has a
Beating capacity of six. The Sport
coupe has space for, four passengers.
The Tourosine is essentially a chauf?
feur-driven car. The partition between
the front and rear compartments in?
sures tonneau privacy, although it may
be lowered completely out of view into
the back of the front seat. The Tour
sedan is a spacious family sedan, coun?
terpart of the Tourosine, with the ex?
ception of the central glass partition."
... o
Haynes Increases
Output to 15,000 Cars
Th? capacity output of the Heynes
Automobile Company, Kokomo, Ind.,
has been Increased to 16,000 cars an?
nually with the completion of the large
new factory and drop forge plant, ac?
cording to an announcement by A. G.
Selberling, vice-president and general
manager of the company, under whose
successful management the Haynes
company has attained Its present posi?
tion among the leaders of the automo?
bile Industry.
The new factory building is 600 feet
long, 150 feet wide and four stories
in height, making an additional fac- !
tory space of 820,000 square feet. It 1? !
the largest structure of its kind in
the state of Indians. ? It Is of modern
fireproof steel and concrete construc?
tion and will be used for assembling,
trimming, painting and storage. The
new forge- shop has a floor space of
12,000 square feet. A 750-horsepower
plant heats the new building.
Indirect Lighting on Dash
Among the features of the'new series
Maim?n 34 shown at the Grand Cen?
tral Palace none is causing greater
comment than the new instrument
board on which all Instrument dials
are grouped together in the center of
the board. The group is glass covered
and supplied with indirect lighting,
which is guaranteed not to glare.
Room for Sport Gear
In th? rear deck of the National
Sextet two-passenger roadster is a
special sportsman'? compartment, large
enough to provide storage space for a
bag of golf clubs, brace of shotguns,
or several fishing rods. Provision also
has been made In the regular com?
partment of the rear deck for the
carrying of bac?, clothing and bed
rolls. .
of Oakland Line
lit? ?*? ?ItM? ?MT wMs.lt ?s* 4topi?jr ?i ike show ig the ?coup? ?htmn her?.
Wiik. It if ?a? ??* t*W l**?er? of tae ^?Mslfele 81*'* IIre?
H. A. Matthews, president of the
Jackson Motors Corporation, looks for?
ward to the biggest year from, every
standpoint in the history of the in?
dustry.
"Automobile d?signera and en?
gineers*have had more than a year of
research and development work, ?o
Dual Valve Engine
Adds Greatly to
Car Performance
Improvements Recorded in
Pierce - Arrow Ignition
and Transmission as
Well; Gain in Efficiency
Because of the fame gained through
the performance of the engine the im?
proved Pierce-Arrow dual-valve six
promises to command great interest at
the Automobile Show at the Grand
Central Palace this week.
"It is an engine that answers every
whim of the driver," says Clarence W.
Cady, passenger ear executive of the
Han-olds Motor Car Company, Pierce
Arrow distributors. "It can crawl
along at four miles an hour and sud?
denly spurt to a racing speed; it can
hold steadily to the road at seventy
four miles an hour with top and wind?
shield up.
"Because there are two exhaust and
two intake valves for each cylinder,
the 'breathing' capacity of each cyl?
inder is increased enormously. Dead
gases are exhausted perfectly. Like?
wise, a full charge of fresh vapor is
assured through the double intake
valves."
The dual-valv,<> engine Is more eco?
nomical in gasoline consumption. The
saving amounts to 11 per cent in the
48-horsepower model, and 25 per cent
in the 38-horsepowor size. The identi?
fication of Pierce-Arrow cars as 88 or
4.8-horsepower models gives no con?
ception of the force actually generated.
The actual horsepower developed is
enormously greater than that indicated.
Pierce-Arrow engineers have bet?
tered the ignition system. Instead of
the battery-magneto system, difficult to
synchronize, a special dual ignition
system has been perfected by Pierce
Arrow and Delco engineers. This sys?
tem uses two sets of spark plugs, two
distributors and two timers, working
independently, yet in exact unison.
Gear shifting now is accomplished
wjth an ease not possible formerly. A
shift can be made noiselessly and
quickly from, fourth speed to third
while the car is speeding at a rate of i
fifty miles an- hour.
Two exhibits are offered by the
Pierce-Arrow company. One is at the
Grand Central Palace. A supplement?
ary exhibition is being held in the
showrooms of the New York City
Pierce-Arrow distributors, the Har
rolds Motor Car Company, 233 to 239
West Fifty-fourth Street, near Broad-/
way. j
At the Auto Show itself one 88
horsepower and two 48-horsepower
? I? ? I ?.II.HI U.11,1 m i
that now we will see visible evidences
of the latest advances in designs and
mechanics that have been made up to
date," Mr. Matthews says.
"In the case of all Jackson models
experiment and work have been going
on for,a long time. There will be
found plenty of the features which
nfodels are displayed. The 8_-horse
power car represents one of the most
popular closed models, a town brough?
am. The 48-horsepower cars both are
touring models. One is a six-passen?
ger and the other a four-passenger.
The latter car is fitted with a Victoria
top...
At\ the Fifty-fourth Street show?
rooms of the Harrolds company may
be seen five 38-horsepower models and
two 48-horsepower sizes. The former
include a four-passenger roadster, a
four-passenger sedan, a fiat-roofed
brougham, a coup? and a five-passenger
touring car, with two additional auxili?
ary seats. One of the 48-horsepower
chassis is fitted with the standard
seven-passenger touring body and the
other is ,_ French brougham.
Little Attention Saves Money
"Motor car owners could very easily
cut down repair bills if they would
occasionally examine the various
mechanical units in their cars," says
F. L. Sanford, manager of the Dort
New York branch. "It does not take
much time, nor for that matter any
great amount of mechanical knowledge,
to tighten a bolt here and there, and in
the long run this may ?ave a serious
repair bill."
Rear End Built Strong
The frame of the new Saxon ex?
tends far enough to include the gaso?
line tank, which is under the rear end
of the tonneau. Not only does this add
to the lines of the body, but it affords
protection to the tank in case of a rear
end collision. A slight lengthening of
the spout makes filling easy.
W. J. Coghlan
President Moon Motor Car Co., of
New York. He is the designer of the
Moon body styles
Follow the Crowd to
the Jackson Six
? There's a reason for the crowds that
line up around the Jackson at the
show ! No motor car ever designed had
more freedom ?and a greater combined
<a GXP*?*1** in its make-up than the
\r\nvmmjU Jackson Six for 1920. It is the ex?
pression of the ideals of America's
acknowledged leading automobile engineers?a new
standard in moderate priced sixes.
Many of the finer features of the highest priced cars are
here perfectly balanced with every essential of mechanical
progress. See the three beautiful models of the Jackson
Inspect the lithe, modish Touring model; the crowd'
attracting Sport car and the luxuriously fashioned
Sedan. Look for "The Car with the Keystone Radiator.'*
Ask for descriptive literature. Touring, 551885- Snort ^
$2500; Sedan, $2850. ' P *'
JACKSON MOTORS CORPORATION
"Motor Car Builders for Over 16 "Years"
JACKSON, MICHIGAN
were tested ?nd proved during the
war and others which were developed
later."
The distinctive mark of the Jackson
for 1920 is the nickeled radiator, with
its sloping top and side?, making a
distinct keystone ?hap?.
'? ' n ?"
Briscoe 1920 Sedan
With New Features
Is a Show Feature
Four Models on Same Chas?
sis Are Exhibited as the
Latest Thing for Tour?
ing Cars and ttoadsfers
The feature of the Briscoe exhibit is
the 1920 Sedan, which has been await?
ed with a great deal of interest, owing
to the fact that it was expected to in?
clude many features heretofore cot -id
ered exclusive to the higher priced cars.
The car itself fully lives up to its
advance notices. The body, of massive
straight-line design, is finished in a
special shade which has been christened
Briscoe True-Blue.
The interior is upholstered in at?
tractive mohair velvet with the excep?
tion of the driver's seat, which is fin?
ished in leathertcx to conserve wear.
An exceptional amount of passenger
room is provided, and there are four
doors, each fitted with a lever-operated
disappearing window. A successful at?
tempt apparently has been made to
c&rry out the inclosed-car builder's
ideal?the perfect car for all seasons
and all weathers.
The touring car carries out the same
body lines as the sedan: An added
feature in cars of this type Is four
weather-proof curtains opening with
the doors. Another is the attractive
instrument board, which contains, in
addition to the usual switches for igni?
tion and for operating the lights, a
pressure oil gauge, a gasoline gauge
and an ammeter. No-glare headlight
lenses are regular equipment on all
models.
The Briscoe unit power-plant motor
is used, with foqr-point flexible sus?
pension, and there is a three-bearing,
scientifically counterbalanced crank?
shaft of unusually heavy design, thus
providing unusual pick-up and get?
away. The drive is of the genuine
Hotchkiss type, through the rear
springs.
Follows the Nash Six
The motor of the new Nash Four,
except for a reduction in the number
of cylinders, is built ?long the same
lines as the perfected valve-in-head
six.
Bread Comes Hot^by Truck
In the delivery of food speed is an
essential. The MacBride's Bread Com?
pany has bought a Federal truck to
get the warm, fresh loaves to their
customers.
- ? -' I
Moto-Meter Election
The annual stockholders' meeting of
The Moto-Meter Company, Inc., of Long
Island City, N. Y., manufacturers of
Boyce Moto-Meters, was held recently,
and at that time the following directors
??^'??????????????????????????????????????^?????P
I ? " ',
were elected i O. H. Townsond 2d, chair?
man; H. H. Boyee and H. O. Kons,
The election of the offl?sers was as
follows: C H. Town send 2d, pr?sident!
fe. H. Boyee, vice-president; H. C. Eons,
secretary and treasurer.
Packen Use Naah Tr3j
Morris * Co. are users ?fi
trucks. One of their two-ion WS
trucks, painted In standard nW^
colors, is included in the exhibit tfC
Nasb Motors Company ?t the ?fi
show. *??
THEARGONNB
There are two
types of fine Cars
in America ? one
it the chauffeur
driven family car,
the other is ( the
owner's favorite?
That car is the
ARGONNE.
\*V E take pleasure in introducing our
car to the public at the HOTEL
^COMMODORE, Mezzanine floor, dur?
ing, the coming Automobile Show
week.
With a combination of the best ideas
of foreign design and detail, but
arranged to conform to American con?
ditions, our product will meet a demand
which up to the present time has re?
mained unsatisfied.
ARCONNB >-0T0ICCAR:C0MPANY
JEHSBY C1TY.N.J.
At Last! Lighting Problem
Correctly Solved !
YOU should attend the Automobile Show if for no
other reason than to see the 2-Way head lamps
on the Lexington cars. These wonderful new lamps
give full light on the road at all times?no blinding
glare. They are vacuum-controlled from the dash?
Ask about them at the Lexington exhibit.
2-Way head lamps are just one of the exclusive
features which- make the Lexington so desirable.
Higher quality with manufacturing ?conomie* 4$ \
possible because ten large factories, specialising im
motor far parts, are closely allied with Lexington
lost-Sedan, $as8$; Touring Cor, $i8S$i Thorobroi (Sport Uodtf), $i?8j; Sedas***,
$2850; Coupe, U8S0?AU series "S" models equipped with cord tiros
LEXINGTON MOTOR CO. OF N. Y., INC.
New York, 1848-50 Broadway, eer. 61st St.
PHONE COLUMBUS 1260
Brooklyn, 1S27 Bedford At?., cor. Bastara Parkway?
PBONB PROSPECT ?OS
Islington Motor Company, ConnersTille, Indiana, U. S. A*
Lex-Sedan Solves
the problem qf making top
sud body 0 ptrjett unt%