Evening star. [volume], May 14, 1933, Page 4, Image 50

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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In the Motor World
»
BY G. ADAMS HOWARD.
MUCH has been said In these col
umns during the past two
weeks against the proposed
blending of alcohol with gaso
line as a farm relief measure.
Am in all cases there are two sides.
Therefore, in fair play, we are pre
MRtlng this week the side taken by
Representative Everett M. Dirksen of
the sixteenth district of Illincis and
member of the House District Com
mittee.
Mr. Dirksen's statement of the case
Is as follows:
This article is in the nature of a
rebuttal of the general statements, which
appeared in quotation marks in last
Sunday's edition, which came from the
American Motorists' Association, the
American Automobile Association and
the American Petroleum Institute. It
is not enough for gentlemen like Mr.
Keefe. the general manager of ths
American Motorists' Association, to in
veigh against this proposal to blend
alcohol with gasoline as a farm relief
measure by using mere platitudes and
generalities or by citing figures that
mean nothing. They say that figures
don't lie, but that there are a lot of
clever people in this world who know
how to use pencils and anyway, the
Devil can cite Scripture to his pur
pose and I'm afraid that is what Is
being done by the reverend gentlemen
who are attacking the alcohol-gasoline
idea.
Chemist Gets Idea.
So that the average reader might
get a clear-cut picture of this contro
versy. let me say that out in a little
town in Illinois a young chemist named
Paul Beshers conceived the idea that
if some of our surplus farm commodities
could be converted into so-called ethyl
or grain alcohol and that alcohol couid
be mixed with gasoline to improve its
fuel qualities, it would open up a vast
market for the American farmer and
bring about a speedy and conclusive
kind of farm relief.
First of all farm products lend them
selves to the production of alcohol.
Ethyl alcohol can be made from corn,
barley, sugar cane, fruit and most every
other agricultural commodity, but prin
cipally from corn. Now. there is used in
this country annually about 17,000.000,
000 gallons of gasoline. If by law the
distributors, producers and refiners were
compelled to add 5 per cent of alcohol
to every gallon of gasoline, it would
create a market for approximately
850,000.000 gallons of alcohol, and on
the basis of a yield of 2'z gallons of
alcohol from every bushel of corn or
its equivalent, it would create a mar
ket for approximately 325.000.000 bush
els of corn. When you realize that of
the Immense 2.500fi00.000-bushel crop
of corn that is produced annually in
the United States, about 85 per cent
of that crop never leaves the farm ex
cept in the form of pork or beef or
milk, the creation of a new market for
corn via the alcohol-gasoline route
would be more effective as a farm re
lief measure than anything thus far
proposed and incidentally would be a
farm relief plan that does not create
thousands of patronage jobs.
Corn Farmers' Situation.
Let's take a brief look at the corn
farmers' situation, and this applies to
every other farmer and to every other
commodity in like degree. Autos, trucks
and tractors have replaced horses and
mules to such an extent that the grain
that was once fed to draft animals now
goes into the surplus. Twenty years
and more ago these animals used the
products of 80.000.000 acres. All. that
now added to the farm surplus to
diminish prices. Millions of gallons of
blackstrap are Imported every year from
Cuba for the manufacture of alcohol.
Formerly corn and other grains grown
in this country were used for that pur
pose. The per capita consumption of
corn-fed pork and beef has decreased
about 11 pounds in the last 15 years.
This again curtails the farmers' mar
ket. Exports of corn-fed pork and beef
have likewise decreased and finally the
importation of starches and oils that
are in direct competition with ihe same
sort of products manufactured from
domestic grain have increased at a rapid
rate during the last few years so that
the American farmers' market is in a
sad state and it is only in proportion as
a new market is developed that he can
secure genuine relief. We can pass a
law providing for reduction in acreage,
but that does not give the farmer more
than a temporary remedy. We can de
vise complex ways and means of storing
grain, pegging prices, etc., but so long
as we fail to get rid of the farmers'
grain the farm problem is not solved,
and this the alcohol-gasoline blending
plan will do. It will get rid of the farm
products and create a complete market.
To this end a number of bills have
been introduced in Congress by mem
bers from the Central and Northern
Mississippi Valley seeking to compel by
law the mixing of alcohol made from
commodities grown in the United States
with gasoline by imposing a larger tax
on gasoline that does not contain such
alcohol blend than is imposed upon the
motor fuel which does contain alcohol.
The bill provides for a mixture of 1 per
cent for the balance of 1933. 2 per cent
for 1934 and a mixture of 5 per cent of
alcohol thereafter.
Oil Company Complaints.
Now the oil companies and those
who seem more solicitous about the oil
companies than about the distressed
American farmer have suddenly availed
themselves c, every means of com
munication in order to apprise the
motorist and the American people of
"the most iniquitous" and the "most
preposterous" attempt that was ever
made in the annals of legislation to put
one over on the American motorist.
The language in quotation marks ema
nates from Mr. Keefe, general manager
of the American Motorists' Association.
Lowel Thomas, the big Literary Digest
man. has attacked this plan over the
radio a number of times, speaking In
behalf of the Sun Oil Co. of Philadel
phia. The American Automobile Asso
ciation has issued a most beautiful and
illuminating pamphlet on the subject
and It would be infinitely more illum
inating if it were founded on fact in
stead of wild-eye conjecture.
In this article I propose to take every
one of the objections thus far advanced
against the alcohol-gaseline blending
plan and establish beyond any reason
able doubt that not a single argument
advanced against it is worthy of second
thought, that this anti-propaganda
comes from and is inspired by the
selfishness of the oil companies and
their cohorts.
1. Let us examine the contention that
this is a penalty on one industry to aiil
another, that it is an imposition on
the oil industry for the benefit of agri
culture. Let me remind the oil com
panies that nearly a quarter of a cen
tury ago when the truck, the tractor
and the automobile began to dis
place the horse and the mule so that
the American farmer, instead of using
some of his acreage to raise feed was
compelled to sell that surplus and
buy gasoline, there was no complaint
from the farmer. All the grain raised
on 80,000,000 acres that was formerly
used for animal feed has been dis
placed by trucks, tractors and autos
now goes into the marketable surplus.
Now oomes the American farmer and
says, "Mr. Oil Company, we are ask
ing that you return to us only 5 per
cent of the market that you have taken
avay so that we too might share pros
perity again." Against the complacency
of the farmer all these years, watching
his market being taken away, you now
have the nue and cry of the oil com
panies because the farmer asks that
only 1-20 of this market be rsturned.
Would you say that the resistance of
the oil companies to this measure is
founded on justice or pure selfishness?
Haid Old Borey Story.
S. The American Automobile Asso
ation, while admitting that alcohol*
ad has superior anti-knock qualities
that of ordinary gasoline, contend!
bat it would still be short of the quality
of premium fuels now on the market
and that this blended fuel would in
voke added operating costs because
of the deleterious effects of alcohol
gasoline on various parts of the motor.
This argument is cut from the same
cloth as the old bogeyman stories with
which mothers used to scare their
children. Now the fact is that alcohol
gasoline blend Is being used in 13
different countries. In England it
is featured by the leading oil com
panies as the motor fuel that broke
all air. water and land speed records.
More than a million gallons of this
fuel have b?en sold in the last few
months in Illinois and adjoining States
and every motorist sings its prnises
Independent distributors are constantly
writing to us to arrange that alcohol
might be supplied to them in un
limited quantities for blending pur
poses and in every case where there
has been a report here or in foreign
countries concerning the harmful effects
of this fuel, an investigation has dis
closed that it was not the alcohol, but
some acid denaturant added to the
alcohol that was responsible for the dif
ficulty. What will the A. A. A. or any
other organization oppossed to this
measure have to say in the face of
this cumulative experience?
3. The A. A. A. goes on to say that
the "readiness with which alcohol ab
sorbs moisture will Inevitably result In
separation of the alcohol and gasoline
in the blend and involve carburetion
and starting difficulties which will in
crease as the temperature goes lower."
This is a comical argument and shows
how far the oil companies and those
whose policies they shape will go in
setting forth misleading implications.
Every motorist knows that when you
have water in ordinary gasoline and
that water goes through the carburetor
the motor stops. When alcohol-gaso
line with water present goes through,
the alcohol dissolves the water and this
difficulty is obviated. That is why alco
hol-gasoline blend is easier starting in
cold weather than ordinary gasoline.
Contrary to the statement above, alcohol
and gasoline mix readily and remain
mixed at all temperatures, even though
a little water is present, and so far as
absorption is concerned, even the most
ordinary kind of Industrial alcohol is
199 proof and has so little water in it
as to be unnoticeable and there is an
inappreciable opportunity for this fuel
to absorb water from the air. If this
argument were at all tenable, why is it
that the thousands of users who have
and who are using so much of this new
fuel and who have been using it at
temperatures 12 and 15 degrees below
zero with superexcellent results continue
to buy it and to praise it. It takes
something more than the single-car.
single-test experiment of the A. A. A. or
any other association to match this
experience.
No Adjustment* Needed.
4. They contend that major changes
and adjustments are necessary to the
motor and the carburetor and that the
alcohol will eat the shellac from cork
floats and cause trouble. The actual
progress reports, on my desk, showing
the experience of users with this fuel,
driving even,- known make of car, with
every kind of float and carburetor, shows
that not a single adjustment was made,
no changes were made, and that not
even so much as the adjustment of the
needle valve on the carburetor was nec
essary for the efficacious use of this new
fuel. Against all these actual experi
ences of ordinary users, ranging over
many months, where is the soundness
or value of the empty conjecture of
any association or group that has made
a few individual tests, determined from
the outset to find fault rather than
to conduct such tests without bias?
5. They contend that the farmers
do not favor this proposal. If this is
true, how strange, then, that the Prairie
Farmer, the National Grange, the Amer
ican Farm Bureau Federation and its
State affiliates, the Farmers' Equity
Union, the Farmers' National Grain
'Corporation and the many State farm
associations have unvu^ifledly Indorsed
this plan. These organizations are the
spokesmen for the American farmer.
Are these able farm leaders so visionary
or so lacking In discernment and good
judgment as to have been completely
misled as to the soundness of this plan,
particularly so after they have spent
many months thoroughly investigating
its value to the farmer. Its feasibility
and its practicability?
6. The American Motorists'Association
stresses the fact that this measure will
entail & tremendous burden upon the
American motorist and that "it is esti
mated that use of alcohol-blended motor
fuel will increase motor fuel coet from
$100,000,000 to $300,000,000 annually."
The quotation is from Mr. Keefe, the
general manager of A. M. A. If Mr.
Keefe needs a latitude of $200,000,000
between the high and the low estimate
to make sure that he is somewhere close
to the fact, we might just as well throw
his conjecture in the waste basket so
far as its practical value is concerned.
The American Automobile Association
goes further than Mr. Keefe. They es
timate the increased fuel cost at$463.
000,000 and then add <146.000.000 more
for decreased efficiency and arrive at
the strange total of $610,000,000 as the
increased cc»t to American motorists
It's amazing what strange estimates
can flow from a pencil. Now what are
the facts? The bill, as Introduced, pro
j vides for an additional 1-cent tax on all
gasoline not blended with at least 1
per cent of alcohol until the end Of
1933. 2 cents on all motor fuel not
blended with at least 2 per cent ol
alcohol up to the end of 1934. and 3
cents per gallon on all motor fuel there
after that does not contain at least 5
per cent of alcohol. Now the provisions
of this bill will not apply and no ad
ditional tax will be imposed If the
| motor fuel sold contains at least 5 per
| cent of alcohol. To add and carry all
| the expense Incident to the addition of
5 per cent of alcohol to every gallon of
motor fuel will cost not to exceed 2
| cents per gallon. If every gallon ol
! gasoline sold in the United States there
i fore contained 5 per cent of alcohol tht
total cost would be $340,000,000 with
out figuring what can be offset against
this cost. The fact Is as demonstrated
by and attested to by the thousands ol
i vehicle owners who are now burning
nlcohol gasoline and will continue tc
do so in Increasing quantities that gaso
' line containing 5 per cent of alcohol it
a premium fuel which gives smoother
motor performance, better starting and
acceleration, less carbon, more mileage
than the modern premium fuels con
taining benzol or tetraethyl lead. Of
course the oil companies are not ex
pected to admit the truth of this state
ment. but there stares them In he face
the record of an actual continuing ex
perience by motorists which they car
neither deny nor refute. This improve
i ment of gasoline fuel Is secured by add
| ing the alcohol to the ordinary straight
, run motor fuel with the result that you
get a premium fuel for an additional
2 cents per gallon. This would still
keep the cost of gasoline below the
prices that generally prevail now foi
Dremium gasolines, so that as a mat
ter of fact, there is not one additional
cent of tax upon ttie motorist and that
he is getting more value for his monej
in he purchase of alcohol-gasoline blend
This is an altogether different story
from the conjectural and mlsleadini
figures that have been supplied by the
oil companies.
Generalities Hit.
7. Some of the opponents of this
measure have sought to point out that
after grain Is processed into alcoho!
there remains substantially the satru
amount of grain substance left in the
form of high protein feed which must
be sold back to the farmer, and thai
therefore you achieve nothing with this
measure. In strict faSfc, out of everj
56 pounds of grain converted Into alco
hol. there remains only 16 pounds ol
high protein feed. Why do the oppo
nents of this measure not give the pub
lic the exact figures Instead of resort
ing to generalities.
8. Here, as in a great many casei
where meritorious measures are proposed
the opponents. In order to mislead, re
sort to camouflage, and in this ease thej
seek to create the Impression that thii
SING HAUL
OF DRIVER URGED
Revamping of Habits of Op
eration Seen as Timely
Need.
It isn't possible to take off a driver's
head and scrape out the carbor.. but
a psychological process approximating
this is being urged as part of the
Springtime overhauling this year.
Safety advocates declare that, while
the car needs all the attention the
owner can afford to give It, the first
consideration should be to send him
self. figuratively speaking, to the (hop
-for a thorough revamping.
Old Miitake* Continued.
One reason why so many cars that
are petted and pampered in the Spring
! time fail to recover from their seem
ingly chronic ills is simply because
owners go ahead making the same old
mistakes year after year. A halt on
this is being advocated. Motorists are
being asked to face up to the fact
that what their cars are depends
largely on what they, as drivers, make
them.
Driving habits need to be ground cut
and mental slack taken up. There
should be a thorough oiling of common
sense and tightening up of control.
Even the balance wheel will need to
be checked over c id any missing
thoughts replaced. The Springtime
overhauling of the automobile Is on.
It bears directly upon service work
, itself. This year more owners will
, realize that, having been through an
overhauling, a car needs the bame
breaking in as a new one. Pistons are
tight, bearings snug. Valves need to
i be pounded down and everything must
I be watched carefully lest the oil
j pressure be off normal or the cylinder
head gasket spring a leak The pic
I ture of the motorist starting off on
a trip the evening his car comes out
I of the service station Is part of motor
J antiquity. He has turned over a new
: leaf.
New Car* Needed.
This year more than ever before
owners of older cars will need to rec
ognise the fact that they are making
j a mistake In trying to keep up with
j the newer models. A 5-year-old car
! cannot be expected to k°ep pace with
one of the current models, and this
I year particularly the differential In
capability between cars is more evi
dent. New cars are more advanced jn
design: older ones have not been as
well taken care of.
If drivers will take this fact Into
, account they will have far less over
' heating to contend with this Summer.
They will remember to drive at their
car's age. This *111 also r.pare them
considerable grief. It will keep them
from driving too fast for the breking
systems of the older cars. They will
not be so dispospd to try to pas.i newer
cars on hills. Knowing the limitations
of a car is part of the mental re
; adjustment which every owner owes Jt
to himself to bear in mind.
Motorists would do well to elim
inate a : ' of rubbish from their
minds—tho6e qur^r ideas which seem
to persist regarding what is right and
what Is wrong in the way of car care.
Let them resolve to inquire regarding
the facts and turn a deaf ear to the
notions that are too freely circulated
in motordom. The advice of an ex
perienoed mechanic will come In
handy.
uuara Ajpunst Miiramy.
He will advise not to lubricate the
front springs on the theory that too
much flexibility of the leaves will en
I courage front wheel shimmy. He will
: suggest that when front wheel align*
! ment is being considered the rear
wheels be checked with respect to the
front; ones. When headlights are being
' t^stao or refocused he will point out
the necessity for having a normal
passenger load on the rear seat. When
the rest of the car dips down, natural
i ly the front goes up.
The seasoned mechanic will call at
' tentlon to certain hazards which every
driver ought to bear In mind when
| rolling over the road. Too much re
, llance seems to be placed in the shock
absorbers, without regard to what
might happen if one of them hap
pened to break. This eventuality at
the front of the car might result in
j shimmy. A defective shock absorber
will encourage dangerous body sway
; when the car goes round a curve.
I Where cars have a remote control of
! the shock absorbers a good rule Is to
set it for the hard ride when driving
fast. In fact, set it for the hard ride
and ease up only when the car seems
to be riding too stiffly, excepting in
; cold weather.
Study of Nature's Laws.
In revamping his habits the provident
driver will take into account thoee laws
of nature which are always enforced,
regardless of how man-made laws are
violated. He cannot tamper with the
law of gravity without serious conse
quences. He cannot expect to swing
around a curve at too high a speed
without centrifugal fcrce asking him to
pay the piper. Momentum, force and
inertia are dynamics that cannot be
: ignored without penalty.
Revamp for the new season. Get your
ideas overhauled and ride forth to the
i sort of satisfaction Springtime, sign
posts and sandwiches suggest.
tCoprrlnht. ]!>:):(.)
measure is being sponsored by the llco
hol manufacturers of the country in
order to create a market for themselves
and reap a rich profit. "Oils is sheer
nonsense. The plan was conceived by
a chemist in a small town in Illinois,
sponsored first by the Lions Club of the
Central West, supported by the various
farm organizations and by many in
dustries that have no connection with
or interest in any alcohol plants or fac
tories. The members of the House and
! the Senate who are actively pushing
I this measure have no connection with
: alcohol manufacturers, nor has any
! alcohol manufacturer appeared to de
1 fend or to urge this measure. It de
rives its support from farmers and from
those who are sincerely interested in
the distress that abounds among the
farmers of the country.
If the oil companies sensed the trend
of the times, they would follow the ex
ample of E. B. Reeser of Tulsa, Okla.,
the president of Barnsdall Refining Co.,
who is actively and openly supporting
this bill. There is a reason for it. In
1932 auto registrations were 1,500,000
less than in the previous year and
2,000,000 less than in the two preceding
years. Gasoline consumption In the
corn belt fell twice as much as It did
elsewhere in the Nation. The reason
is that distress among farmers has made
it impossible for them to use their
autos and their tractors. They simply
cannot afford it. If we create for them
a new market and secure a restoration
of purchasing power, it means more
autos, with the attendant prosperity to
the manufacturer of motor cars, and
means more gallonage, with the Incident
additional profit to the oil companies.
Bmkm By Agriculture.
Agriculture is squarely behind this
proposal. The plan is a meritorious one.
Not a single sound argument has been
advanced against it. and it is only a
question of time until it will be enacted
into the law. The point that has been
made over the radio to the effect that
even the Iowa Legislature, located in the
heart of the corn belt, refused to pass
such a bill' providing for blending of
alcohol with gasoline is- easily ex
plained. The Iowa Legislature pur
posely refrained from passing such a
bill because they did not wish to preju
dice the chance to secure national legis
lation. Alcohol-gasoline is slowly but
surely growing into the consciousness
of the country, and the enactment of
legislation In this direction is only a
i matter of time.
DOWN THE ROAD—Popular People. —By FRANK BECK
^xi-yT
DEPRESSION PROVES
BOOST FOR CHURCH
Old-Time Sermon Stsrti Enroll
ment That Runi to 3.000
Member* and $320,000.
MEMPHIS. Tenn., OP).—The depres
sion has served u a stepladder to
spiritual and material succeas for Belle
vue Baptist Church.
Since the pastor, Rev. Dr. Robert G
Lee, came to Memphis five years ago
from Charleston. S C.. Bellevue Church
has added approximately 3 000 members
to Its enrollment and received offerings
amounting to about $320,000.
About 800 conversions are credited
to Dr. Lee's preaching, which he de
scribes as "old-fashioned gospel."
Dr. Lee says he has revivals every
Sunday at the regular services, averag
ing 11 new members a week.
Shortly after coming here he helped
remfidel and enlarge the church's build
ing and built a modern Sunday school
plant capable of accommodating 3,000
pupils
"I do not believe In cheap ballyhoo."
Dr. Lee says. "My sermons are based
on the gospel Sometimes we insert
an advertisement in the papers telling
of coming services, but If the advertise
ment seems sensational It always relates
to a sermon based on scripture."
Dr. Lee served at New Orleans be
fore hla pastorate at Charleston.
AUSTRALIA SPLIT GROWS
Rural State* of Commonwealth
Seek to Seeed.e.
CANBERRA. Australia t/F).—Secession
from the Australian federation Is be
coming a malor Issue In Australia.
The referendum on secession In West
ern Australia has now led to a similar
demand in South Australia—another
primary producing state—where farm
ers- organizations are urging the state
to quit the commonwealth.
There Is a similar, though smaller,
movement In the island state of Tas
mania.
The wealthier and more populous
States of New South Wales. Victoria
and Queensland, which find a splendid
market for their manufactured products
In the rural states, are strongly against
any breakaway from federation.
Joins Butler
CLINTON B. AMOROt'S.
Who for the past two years vice presi
dent and general manager of the Kemp
ton-Cadillac Co. here, has been ap
pointed vice president in charge of
Pierce-Arrow sales by Lee D Butler. Inc.
—Harm-Ewing Photo.
ASK PRINCES TO PARLEY
Japanese Seek to Win Support of
Mongolians.
CHANGCHUN. Manchuria (/*>).—In
order to win support of the large Mon
golian population in Jehol. recently
wrested from China and added to the
fledgling state of Manchukuo. the Jap
anese and Manchukuo authorities in
| vited seven Mongol princes to confer
here.
The princes were brought by Japa
| nese airplanes from Jehol City and were
welcomed by Henry Pu-Yl. Manchu
kuo's chief executive, and Oen. Nobu
yo6hi Muto. Japanese plenipotentiary
in Manchuria.
Speeches, banquets, receptions and
teas followed. The Japanese and Man
chukuo spokesmen pledged for friend -
; lier relations among the Manchus, Mon
gols and Japanese.
Milady's Motoring
BY FBEDEBICK C. BUSSELL.
You never know how hard it Is to
drive a bargain until you buy a cheap
used car.
A number of women who have given
serious thought to today's car have
asked me what would happen should
anything in connection with power
braking go wrong. I think we might
as well banish this fear once and for all
by pointing out that should the vacuum
boosting arrangement fail for any re
mote reason the breaks would operate
In the usual way. There is at all times
i a mechanical continuity between the
pedal and the brakes, even though
when «verything is functioning as it
should, vacuum power, and In some
cases momentum, amplifies foot power.
Engineers are fooling us In a num
ber of Interesting ways—for our own
good.
One of the most novel is the Inclu
sion of a certain amount of resistance
in the foot brake pedal where power
braking is used. It isn't necessary, of
course, for the driver to exert any pres
sure at all, but so accustomed Is she to
having to expend effort in stopping the
car It has been found advisable to pro
vide a certain amount of the "feel" of
doing the job. Some of the earlier
power braking systems did not have this
provision—and drlvera did not like tne
sensation.
Another simple little trick Is designed
to outwit the mechanic who doesn't un
derstand the particular make of car.
While the king pins need greasing at
regular intervals no greasing nipples
are provided. Instead there are dummy
plugs which uninitiated mechanics pass
by when going over the cat. By this
clever ruse It has been possible to save
many owners the anftoyance and dan
ger of having so much grease shot into
the king pin bushings as to have the
excess get Into the front brakes.
Woman motorists who are always
finding themselves without an um
brella when the weather turns out rainy
should equip themselves with a new
kind of sheltering device that tucks
away neatly In the car. It Is In no
Motor Don ts
Don't Ignore Fuel Leaks!
Stop them immediately!
, Gas leaks are wasteful and cok
| STITUTt A FIRE HAZARD. IF YOUR
[ CAR IS LOSNS FUEL, CHECK ALL THE
J POINTS OF TWE FUELING SOTEM.TANK,
I CAR&URETOR, PUMP,FILTER. AND ALL
PIPES AMD COffNCCTIONS BtTWEEK THESE
^DEVICES
sense a midget umbrella but covers one
as completely as does a man-size um
brella, only without the cumbersome
long handle. A special ca.se holds the
motor umbrella in any out-of-the-way
position you desire. It may be over
the windshield or at the back of the
driving seat. Some women prefer It
directly over one of the doors or over
the rear window.
It is one thing to be willing to an
swer a mechanic's questions and quite
another to be able to tell him what he
needs to know about the symptoms of
the trouble you're reporting. A woman
who wanted to co-operate said, in an
swer to his query, that she noticed a
good deal of smoking from the exhaust.
That led him to decide in favor of an
expensive piston-ring job. As a mat
ter of fact she had mitaken for smoking
merely the customory steaming from
the exhaust on damp days.
One rule that invariably applies when
you are eager to keep the car as clean
as possible. In spite of having to take It
out in the rain. Is to drive slower.
Speed kicks up slime from the road.
Also leave the car standing In the rain
for a while before putting It away In
the garage. Nature offers a handy
shower bath.
Some idea of exactly how much more
it costs to travel faster can be had
from published reports of gasoline con
sumption. Rolling along at 30 miles an
hour with no traffic, a test car showed
26 miles to the gallon. At 40 the mile
age dropped to 24. Later he dropped
, the speed to 20 and found that the car
I did 30 miles to each gallon. One of the
interesting features of the test was that
In heavy traffic with stop lights to up
set things the car did 24 miles to the
gallon at speeds ranging from 15 to 35,
demonstrating that It Is just as expen
sive to hit your touring speed as It Is
to flounder around In traffic.
If you are taking out one of the new
cars for a demonstration bear In mind
that your greatest danger today lies
in a slip in steering. You will find that
the new cars are so quiet you will be
driving much faster than usual with
out any conception of speed. To stop
in an emergency you have but to press
lightly on the brake pedal. To get out
of the way of trouble at almost any
speed you have but to touch the ac
celerator. But remember that if you
take your eyes off the road "for just one
second at 60 you will be 88 feet nearer
something else. Let it be straight ahead
on the road and not off into the ditch.
There is a great temptation to look
around or to steer a bit carelessly. Gone
today Is the roar of the motor that
used to be effective In making you grip
the wheel at speed.
Speaking of speed reminds me to sug
gest that if you are not satisfied with
the way your car stops you may need
to suggest to the service man that he
alter the distribution of braking force
front and rear. It Is customary to pro
vide more braking force cm the front
wheels than on the rear to compensate
for the,, way the rear end lightens when
the car's weight tips forward, but this
differential should be regulated in ac
cordance with the speed you ordinarily
drive and the characteristics of the car.
If the rear wheels habitually slide and
the ear tends to skid In a sudden stop
there Is not enough braking tore* m
the front wheels.
TIBET SYMBOLS PUZZLE
UNACCUSTOMED LIPS
Royal Academy Member Spends
Xrothi Studying Various Re
ligious Manifestations.
Br the Auoctsted Prt»«.
ROME.—Unaccustomed lips are ex
perimenting with "mc'od rten" and
"t'la fia" as a result of the publication
of Giuseppe Tucci's book on Tibetan
religious symbols.
A member of the Royal Academy,
Tucci spent months studying the re
ligious manifestations of the people of
Tibet. He reports they are Intensely
devout and mystical in their religious
concepts.
The "mc'od rten." pronounced "chee
or-ten," Tucci says, is a sort of com
bined tomb and receptacle for holy
relics. The "t'za t'sa" are small clay
vase?, usually heavily decorated with
figures of divinities.
The "t'za t'za" may contain a pinch
of the ashes of a revered priest or par
ent. a holy script or some other saintly
relic.
Tucci says that orations, prayers and
fervent Incantations accompany the
making of these receptacles. Once made
and the relic sealed within, the "t'za
t'za" ere placed in the "mc'od rten"
with solemn ceremony.
PUBLIC LIBRARY
WILD FLOWERS.
Spring Is the ideal season for expedi
tion* to the woods and field* to study
wild flowers. The Public Library lists
several popular handbooks, and a few
more scientific works for the serious
student of botany.
Popular Handbooks.
Nature's Garden, by Neltje Blanchan.
1900 NB59
An old favorite with large colored Il
lustrations which materially aid in
identification An excellent reference
work, but too bulky for field use.
Name This Flower, bv Gaston Bonnier.
1917. NC B646n.
A series of plates in color,- accom
panied by a descriptive key.
Flowers of the Field. Hill and Swamp,
by C. A. Creevey. 1899 NR C865f.
Swamps, bogs, marshes, the sea-coast,
waste places, sand, and other unpropi
tious spots are the habitat of the wild
flowers described in this volume.
Wild Flowers of the Alleghanies. by J.
E. Harned 1931. NR.H22.
An Invaluable text on the rich flora
of our nearest mountain region.
Field Book of American Wild Flowers,
by F. S. Matthews. 1912. NR.M422fl.
A pocket manual with illustrations in
color and many line drawings.
How to Know the Wild Flowers, by F.
F. Parsons. 1914. NR.P25h.
One of the best known wild flower
guides which has served to introduce
two generations of nature lovers to the
1 joys of amateur botanizing.
Flower Guide: Wild Flowers East of
the Rockies, by C. A. Reed. 1923.
NR.R253f.
The smallest of the pocket guides,
designed primarily for field use. Every
flower is illustrated In colsr.
The Flower-Finder, by G. L. Walton.
1914. NW.W 1761.
"The study of wild flowers offers an
unrivalled diversion for one who, on re
tirement from active work, feels the
need of something to replace the In
terests which have hitherto absorbed
him."
The Book of Grasses, by M. E. F.
Baker. 1912. NR B 17.
A finely Illustrated volume on the
more important grasses.
The Field Book of Common Ferns, by
Herbert Durand. 1928. ND.D93.
"For Identifying 50 conspicuous spe
cies of Eastern America, with directions
for their culture."
The Fem Allies of North America
North of Mexico, by W. N. Clute.
1928. ND.C828f.
A handbook of rushes, horsetails,
mosses, etc., many of which may be
found In the region around Washing
ton.
For the Student.
Flower Families and Ancestors, by F. E.
Clements St E. S. Clements. 1928.
N.C59.
An exceptionally interesting botany
which makes "the study of flowering
plants both simple and attractive to
beginners of all ages."
The Manual of Botany of the Northern
United States, by Asa Gray. n. 4.
N.G7 Bm.
A standard botany that has rone
through many editions.
Plants and Man, by 7. O. Bower. 1935.
N.B67.
The purpose of the book is "to ex
plain. for the general reader, in very
general terms, how plants fabricate for
their own life commodities that man
finds useful in his."
Plant Ecology, by J. E. Weaver & F.
E. Clements. 1929. N.W37.
A thorough text on the relation of
the plant to its environment.
Plant Sociology, by J. Braun-Blanquet.
1932. N.B738.
A study of social life among the
plants.
Pioneers of Plant Study, bj Ellison
Hawks. 1928. N.H31.
A history of man's conquest of the
plant world which Indicates briefly
"how far men have been able to cata
log the plants of the world; to trace
their distribution, to investigate their
structure, conditions of life, physiology,
and cultivation, and to discover their
many uses in the arts of life."
Authorised Distributors
Delco Batteries
CREEL BROTHERS
1811 14th St. N.W.
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AVIATION
>1 JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.
ONE of the most significant of recent signs of aviation progress
is contained in the announcement that the Army Air Corps
has graduated the first class of aviators ever to be qualified
as "blind-landing" pilots.
In this announcement aviation leaders see promise of a day in the
near future when air transport, as well as military operations, to a
large degree will be independent of the weather. Fog-shrouded air
ports today constitute the greatest menace to regular flying opera
tions. On the day when blind, or instrument, landings come into
general practice the obstacle of fog will have been virtually over-'
come so far as emergency air operations are concerned.
Most encouraging to those concerned with the solution of the
blind landing problem Is the apparent ease with which the Army
pilots took to the actual task of landing a fast-moving airplane
solely by Instrument, without a glimpse of anything outside the
cockpit in which they sat. An average of less than 12 hours of
practice enabled each member of the class to meet successfully a
test which a few years ago was regarded as almost beyond the grasp
of humanity.
The Army's success* is expected to
be repeated in the Immediate future
in civilian practice. The Department
of Commerce Aeronautics Branch, at
the busy New Yorlc air terminal, New
ark Airport, has Installed all the radio
aids necessary to blind landings, and
Department of Commerce pilots, chiefly
James Kinney, have made repeated
blind landings there. Three of the
great airlines using Newark Airport
have undertaken to equip training
planes for blind landing and will put
their pilots through a course some
what similar to that of the Army.
It now Is regarded as likely that
the time is coming when every trans
poi#"pllot will be required to demon
strate his ability to land by Instru
ments, as he now muat show his
ability to fly by Instruments. "Hiere
is little question that blind landings
will come to play an Important part
In military air operations or that com
bat planes will operate under all con
ditions of weather, by day or night.
The Army's blind flying schocl was
conducted with characteristic thor
oughness. The six pilots selected for
instruction had little previous instru
ment flying training. All practice was
flown with hooded cockpit, which pre
vented the slightest vision of earth, aky
or horizon. Count was kept of all prac
tice hours flown. An observer was car
ried to check results and to prevent
collisions with other flying craft, but
to be credited, all flights and landings
made by the blind landing students
had to be strictly unassisted and the
student remained under the hood until
he brought the airplane to a dead stop ;
on the runway.
Each pilot was required to make
! five flights completely blind. Including I
! takeoff and landing, covering sufficient
: distance on each Sight to make a re
] turn virtually impossible except with '
the aid of the blind flying system.
Five perfect demonstration landing*
j had to be made, the last three In suc
j cession, to establish a degree of ex
j pertness *ith the system and to elimi- 1
i nate the element of chance.
The most difficult part of the course
i for each of the six officers was the
' first blind landing, which Involved a
decided psychological adjustment. It
1 became necessary for each pilot to ad
just himself to the replacement of his
human senses by instrument senses, so
to speak. It was a tremendously tense
moment for each pilot when he first 1
made contact between his fast moving
plane and the unseen ground with
nothing to guide him but cold instru
ments.
Once the adjustment was made and
the pilot learned to place reliance in
his instruments, the system worked out
rapidly. The shortest practice time
flown bv a student before accomplish
ing the first blind landing was 1 hour
and 20 minutes; the longest, 5 hours
and 50 minutes.
The Army's new blind landing grad
uates are Maj. F. H. Coleman, First
Lieuts. G. V. Holloman, S. E. Prud
homme. R J. Minty and C. D McAl
lister and Second LJeut. L. F. Harman.
Their instructor is Capt. Albert F.
' Hegenberger, navigator on the first
flight from the United States to Ha
waii and first man in the world to
' make a solo blind landing.
Firing Pullmans Planned.
Airplane passengers will be able to
sleep In full-size berths In the latest
airliners, now planned for service be
tween New York and Chicago. Ar
rangements for the first aerial pull
mans are being made by American
Airways under direction of E. L. Cord,
who explained that twin-engined Cur
tiff Condors of the latest type probably
will be first employed for this service.
They are expected to carry berths for
12 passengers.
Though the plans are fairly well in
hand. It Is not believed the proposed
service will be inaugurated until next
Pall. There are a number of details
still to be worked out, among them
the problem of deciding whether pas
sengers shall prepare for bed in spe
cial dressing rooms at the airport prior
to talcing off or whether sorely needed
space in the airliners must be set aside
for this purpose.
The sleeper of the skies has not yet
approached the comfort of rail sleep
ers. due largely to lack of space. Night
passenger services are long-established
on a number of the Nation's longer
transport runs, but the passengers on
these lines make the beat of comfort
able semi-reclining chairs for sleeping
purposes, doing their sleeping fully
clothed.
Many passengers fly the night runs
and a majority of them appear to have
no difficulty whatever sleeping in the
chairs, though these, of course, are
not as comfortable or as conducive to
restful sleep as a berth. Even on day
light runs many passengers have a
tendency to dore, lulled by the roar of
the motor and motion of the plane,
and there is no reason to doubt that
a majority of passengers will take
kindly to the flying sleeper, in the
opinion of air transport officials.
Troubled Thnea Ahaad.
The National Aeronautic Association,
sole representative In the United States
of the Federation Aeronautique Inter
| natlonale. world governing b:dy for
sport aviation and for homologation of
official record flights, is facing a grim
Struggle for Its very existence.
The banner of revolt against the
long-standing reign cf the N. A. A. has
been raised in various parts of the
United States and disaffection is evi
dent within its own ranks. The bitter
dispute between the Washington Air
Derby Association and the N. A A.,
which was composed less than 34 hours
before the start of the Langley Day air
meet at College Park last Sunday, is
only one pointer which shows the way
the wind is blowing.
Most startling of the developments
In the troubled affairs of the N. A. A.
recently, however, was the resignation
as vice president and member of the
Contest Committee of Amelia Earhart
Putnam, for several years a leading fig
ure in the association. She gave as the
reason for her resignation the fact that
she no longer could agree with the
policies of the association. Her resig
nation is regarded as the first important
sign of crumbling of an organisation
which for many years has wielded
tremendous power In the affairs of
American aviation.
The most serious outbreak against
the authority of the association la to
come during the first four days of July.
During that period the National Air
Races will be held, with the full sine
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tion and support of the association, at
Los Angeles. During the same (our
days, unsanctioned, in complete de
fiance of the N. A. A. and in direct
competition with its great annual classic,
powerful Chicago interests will hold an
air meet of national Importance at the
Chicago Municipal Airport.
Ultimate Threct la Made.
The N. A. A. has made Its ultimate
threat in an effort to stave off the dis
aster of the Chicago revolt against Its
rule—to suspend for three years the
P. A. I. sporting licenses of every pilot
and official who has anything to do with
the unsanctioned Chicago meet. In
spite of this threat, however, many
pilots and aviation officials of national
and even world renown have indicated
that they will take part in the Chicago
meet. If the N. A. A. invokes Its power
of suspending their licenses, they will
be unable, for three years, to compete
In any sanctioned air meet, race, or
record attempt. That these debarred
pilots and officials *111 meekly with
draw from all aviation competition for
three years is regarded as unthinkable.
The creation of a new national body in
direct opposition to the N. A. A. Is
regarded as certain and If this come*
to pass the new group is very likely to
attempt to wrest from the N. A. A. its
last real hold on aviation power, the
representation of the International fed
eration.
The organisation which has been cre
ated at Chicago is sufficiently powerful
to give the N. A. A. a real fight for con
trol if the Issue is forced. It Includes
as officers and directors such men as
John Hertz, of Yellow Cab fame; Vin
cent Bendix: Errett L. Cord, now one
of the nation's outstanding air transport
leaders: former Vice President Charles
G. Dawes, Edward N. Hurley, Reed G.
Landis, A. D. Lasker. L. B. Manning,
Harold P. McCormlck and Philip K.
Wrigley.
Conflict Was Not Planned.
The organization owes Its inception to
Col. Robert R. McCormick, president of
the Chicago Tribune, who was instru
mental in bringing the National Air
Races of 1930 to Chicago. The inten
tion at first was not to conflict with
the National Air Races but to hold a
supplementary meet of national impor
tance at Chicago each year under th«
sanction of the N. A. A.
Application for the sanction of the
N. A. A. for a meet to be held July 1-4
was made last February. Application
for the sanction was refused and in
stead a sanction was issued for the Na
tional Air Races at Los Angeles during
the same period, though for a number
of years the National Air Races have
been held during the period ending on
Labor D»y and never before have been
held in July. •
The Chicago group has taken the
N. A. A. action as a direct affront and
has raised the standard of revolt. Many
of the pilots who threatened to strike
during the National Air Races at
Cleveland last year because they claim
ed their interests were not protected
by the N. A. A. are expected to fly at
Chicago.
In announcing its intention to go
ahead in defiance of the N. A. A., the
backers of the Chicago meet announced
that they are not "out of sympathy
with the Intended functions of the Na
tional Aeronautic Association, but It is
held that those intended functions have
not been lived up to by the present con
trolling factions in the national sport
governing tody."
Air Exhibit Prepared Here.
The complete exhibit of the Navy Bu
reau of Aeronautics for the Chicago
Century of Progress exposition was as
sembled and prepared at the Anacostia
Naval Air Station. Into the limited
space allotted it at Chicago, the bureau
is crowding an exhibit which represents
many phases of naval flying activity.
Flying activities wi hthe fleet and
other views of actual naval aviation
training and tactical maneuvers will be
*hown through the medium of the mo
tion picture, a specially prepared film
being projected continuously by an
automatic projector.
The exhibit also includes electrically
operated cut-away models of two of Uie
latest type Navy airplane engines, show
ing Internal working mechanism, a
parachute, collapsible rubber life-boat
and oars, airship and airplane propell
ers. a number of airplane models, a
model of the U. S. S. Macon and of one
of the Navy helium tank cars used in
servicing airships and a catapult model.
Express Gains Continue.
Air express, becoming more and more
a stay and hope for the air transport
lines of the Nation, rose to new pound
age records during March, according to
the latest monthly report of air trans
port operations made by the Aeronaut
ics Branch of the Department of Com
merce.
During the month of March the air
lines carried 124,454 pounds of air ex
press matter, as compared with 74,368
pounds in January, 82,237 pounds in
February, and 83,514 pounds in March
of last year. So encouraging has been
the development of the air express busi
ness that there is definite hope fer
purely express airplane schedules In
the future. One transport line already
has been organized to handle air ex
press alone.
The number of passengers flown dur
ing March showed a gain over the first
two months of the year, from 24.300 in
January and 23,046 in February, to 24,
945. The passenger traffic reported
by the airlines, however, continued be
low that of last year. In March, 1932,
33,812 persons flew as airline pas
sengers. The decrease is In keeping
with the drop in passenger traffic or
all kinds, the airlines having suffered
less in this respect than some of the
long-established carriers.
77%
Of all automobile radi
ators have improper
water How
THIS CAUSES
OVER HEATING
Let us thoroughly clean
your radiator to prevent
any trouble during your
summer driving.
NATIONAL
pwtltt IMC.
MMMNi