7 Y
t FREAK DESIGNS
IN AUTOS ARE
NOT THE THING
Trend of Car Construction Is
1 Conservation, Getting Away
From the Gaudy ..d Fea
turing Simplicity.
"A careful inspection of the auto
show exhibits leads the seeker after
information concerning the trend of
automobile body designs to but one
conclusion, and that is that conserva
tism is the popular feature," asserts
G..W. Van Brunt of the Van Brunt
Auto company.
t "Back in the beginning of 1917 the
Willys-Overland, Inc., of Toledo,
caused more or less of a stir in trade
circles when it announced a complete
new line of cars with spectacular and
sensational body treatment practically
eliminated. The change in design had
to do : largely with improvements in
in terior body construction, such as
additional leg room, greater comfort
giving advantages, neat, but not gaudy
furnishings, durability in upholstery
and simplification of driving control.
Foresaw the Trend.
"The .Willys-Overland instance is
cited for the reason that an announce
ment a year ago of such an important
line , withso Tew radical changes in
I- exterior appearance was compara-
tively a new departure in the intro
duction of new models'. However, the
general exhibition ihis year would in
dicate that Willys-Overland design
ers accurately foresaw the general
trend of body construction.
"No' annual visitor at the show this
year can overlook the fact that freak
ish designs are more scarce than ever
before. .They are there, to be sure,
but as a rule they are not found in the
standard cars. They are there
simply to satisfy a limited number
of purchasers who insist on some
thing entirely different in appearance
from the average car, almost ir
respective of performance merits.
Little Change in Design.
"There is little change in the de
sign, of Willys-Overland cars this
year," said one of the men in charge
of the Overland exhibit. "Of course,
refinements have been added which
enhance the attraction of the car, but
the time is past when freakish and
sensational equipment furnish a draw
ing card for the majority of pur
chasers. "This is an age of conservation,
largely due to the war and the econo-
mies resulting therefrom, and the
popular car. must be designed accord
ingly. "It was not long, ago when the
wheelbase of a car seemed to be an
all important feature. The, longer the
car was, the more popular it was with
the buyers. Tdday, however, the
buyers have learned that wheelbase
is only one of many incidents in con
t nection with the car's makeup.
Think of Importance.
"Of much more importance are the
dimensions of . tjie body. It is well
balanced? Will'; it stand up under
year-in and yearrout service?
"Those are the questions to be an
swered and the-1. car which answers
them satisfactorily is the one the
public wants.,,
"The Willys-Overland;' , Inc.,' an
swers those'; questions .' in a satis
factory way, 'so far as the ptfblic is
concerned, and that is, the principal
Reason why the American public paid
into the treasury of WiilysOverhjnd,
Inc., more money forautdmobiles in
; 1917 than during any iprecedingyear."
Recalling Long Journey.
Made by Hyatt Bearings
Evidence was plentiful during the
New York show that the transconti
nental trip of the old "Hyatt Roller"
has not been: forgotten. "
The Buick section was- the scene of
If several "get-togethers" of Buick deal
ers from various parts' of "the country,
each of whom had his ov;i 'story to
tell of the old 1909 Buick and the in
terest created by its wonderful record
of mileage . on the original set of
Hyatt bearings. : ,
Proud of Perfect" Record
For Attendance at Shows
It is one of the proudest boasts of
George M.. Dickson, president of the
National Motor Car and Vehicle cor
poration of Tndiananolis. that he has a
I perfect record for attendance at the
New York automobile shows, having
participated in each of the produc
tions that Sam Miles first staged in
1900.
Internal Gear
MR. AUTO DEALER
and Others Interested
Conserve the motive power of this nation and
return to active service the old used car by
attaching the
GUARANTY UNIT
This will make a Real Truck out of ANY
CAR, Including an' OVERLAND. ,
Conserve the pulling power of your Truck aiid double
its hauling capacity by using RORER BROS. COMPANY
ALL STEEL TRAILERS
COME AND TALK IT OVER
During Auto Week at
PAXTON HOTEL ANNEX, 320 South Fourteenth St.
Rothert Motor and Supply Co.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.
Some ;
Battery Tips
From an Expert j
By ELMER ROSENGREN.
Wlllard Battery Kipcrt.
First Starvation of the battery
often begins before the automobile
reaches the salesroom floor. Cars may
be a long time in transit from manu
facturer to deler, and when they
finally arrive, in the press of other
matters, the need of caring for the
battery is overlooked.
Salesmen in selling the cars fre
quently demonstrate the lighting and
starting system and, since the car has
not been run sufficiently to permit the
generator to restore the energy thus
used, the battery is "so much out"
when it comes to the car owner.
One of the first things, therefore,
that the new automobile owner should
do is to visit. the battery service sta
tion and have his battery tested and
put in a fully charged condition, if
necessary.
Second If your automobile is run
sufficiently your generator should re
turn to the battery energy enough to
offset the outgo caused by starting
the engine and using the lights. If
you are using your car on service that
calls for short and slow runs and
frequent stops, you will have to be
particularly careful against starving.
If you do not run the engine suffi
ciently to offset this drain, you must
take your battery to an expert for re
charging. Regular tests with a hy
drometer syringe will keep you in
formed, as" to the condition of your
battery.
Third The most severe drain up
on your battery is during the few sec
onds in which it is supplying power
to crank your engine. Conservation
of your battery demands that this
work he made as easy as possible.
Half a dozen revolutions, at the
outside, ought to be sufficient to start
the engine, if it is in good condition.
In winter, when it naturally starts
hard, prime it. The - few moments
spent doing this pays big returns in
time and money.
Fourth You are "nothing in" if
you save power in the cranking of your
motor and then blaze away that power
at night in your lights. Here, again,
you must see to it that income equals
outgo.
In this connection a word about
extra lights. Your automobile should
be equipped with a generator and
storage battery of sufficient capacity
to take care : of the lamp equipment
which the manufacturer provided. If
you use extra or larger lights, you
will find it necessary to have your
battery charged regularly by a battery
expert, because your generator is not
designed to supply energy to offset
this extra drain.
Fifth If for any reason there is a
break or short circuit in your wiring
system, your battery is going to be
discharged. If, therefore, you find
that your battery is losing strength
although you are using your power
carefully, let the expert look over
your electrical system for a short cir
cuit. Sixth The automobile at rest does
not mean the battery at rest. Even
though the energy in your storage bat
tery may not be in actual use for
starting the. motor or for lights, there
is, nevertheless, a slow but constant
discharge going on. If you store your
car or leave it idle for any length of
time, see that the battery is charged
regularly. The best way to do this
is to take the battery to a service sta
tion. A hydrometer syringe will enable
you to keep posted about the condi
tion of your battery. If two succes
sive readings show Jess than 1,275,
your battery needs recharging. It
is being starved. You cannot tell the
condition of your battery from the
lights or from the way the starter
works.
South American Owners,
Prefer Fancy Colored Cars
South America furnished a rich
market to the automobile manufac
turers of this country during the year
just closed, the National Motor Car
and Vehicle corporation of Indianap
olis,, for example, trebling its exports
to the Latin republics during 1917.
All cars shipped to Central and South
America are given only a priming
coat, the automobile buyers of. these
countries having their cars painted a
brighter hue than the standard colors
offered by the National company
highway blue and highway gray.
Questions at Show.
In the exhibitions this year, says an
official of the Dort Motor Car com
pany, the interest in paint, upholstery,
and luxurious appointments will be
subordinated to features of utility.
Which car will serve best? Which
will yield the most efficiency at the
least cost? These will be the queries
most commonly put.
UAHANTY
Drive Unit
URGENT NEED OF
KEEPING TAB ON
COST SHOWN
Motor Truck Men Not Inclined
to Keep in Touch Vr'h Their
Expenses Is Idea of Man
:g:. Norton.
S. V. Norton. 1
(Manager of truck tiro sales of the B. F.
Goodrich Rubber Co.)
Mr. Norton's "Motor Trucks of America,"
Issued annually. Is regarded R1 tho hand
book of the Industry. The present volume
forms th Introductory article to tho 1918
volume.
Perhaps one of the most urgent
needs of the motor truck industry to
day is for a standard system of keep
ing track of truck operating costs.
A large number of truck operators
are either not making or are not sav
ing the money they should from their
trucks. Many of them are actually
losing money. Why is this? Sim
ply because truck owners have been
too busy delivering their goods to
ask themselves, first, "What does it
actually cost me?" and second, "What
ought it to cost?"
Vith4 the necessity for war time
economics, the need for keeping track
of motor truck costs is more urgent
than ever. In the past many cost
systems have been devised and dis
tributed to motor truck owners and,
while these systems were generally
compiled by experts and were com
plete, they were not uniform, and
different system treated various items
of expense in different ways.
For Standard System.
A standard-system setting down a
uniform method of figuring truck
costs would provide a common lan
guage by which the experience of all
truck operators in the country could
be related and understood.
MODEL 45-A
8-Cylinder
TOURING CAR
$1467
MODEL 45-A
8-Cylindr
CLUB ROADSTER
$1467
MODEL 45-A
8-Cylinder
STANDARD ROADSTER
$1467
MODEL 45-A SPORTSTER
$1550
All pricti f. . b. Laming, Michigan.)
25S9 Farnam St.,
Phone Tyler 3336
Omaha, Neb.
It would unlock a Rreat store house
of information which is at present
closed to the truck owner.
Any individual system, however
well deigned, cannot serve the mo
tor truck industry adequately so lo ir
as several other cost systems, which
also may he well designed, are in ex
istence. The diiTiculty conies from
a lack of uniformity in the treatment
of various items of expense. Truck
owners who use systems which have
been compiled by authorities on mo
tor truck accounting or by general
expert accountants, and which are
generally complete, show results
which are not subject to comparison
because of varying methods of com
puting identical items. There are, for
instance, at least four methods of fig
uring depreciation.
Illustration is Used.
Two truck operators, A and B, use
systems devised by competent ac
countants. A's cost system provides
that depreciation shall be figured at
20 per cent a year, charging off the
entire cost at the end of live years,
but B's system declares that deprecia
tion must be figured on a mileage
basis, alloting 80,000 miles as the life
of the truck. Both operators use
cost systems devised by experts, yet
the difference in computing this one
item alone may amount to $100. or
$200 a year.
If all or even the great majority of
truck owners began to figure depreci
ation according to the standard for
mula, an enormous gain would be ac
complished, for a common denomin
ator would be established, by which
one truck could be compared with
1,000 trucks in respect to this item.
The Cost System.
A well conceived motor truck cost
system should reveal:
Number of trips.
Customers or dcljvieries.
Total load in units.
Average, load in units.
Mites traveled. 1
Round trip distance. ' t ; '
Unit - miles.'.;' ',' '': ':
Miles per gallon of gasoliiie... .
Miles per gallon 6f oil. t
Standing time at plant in hours and
minutes. ' ' 1
rpHE SPORTSTER, the latest Oldsmobile creation,
whose marked beauty and demonstrated power so fully
meet the exacting demands of the practical business man as
well as the lover of smart and handsome design, will win the
admiration of everyone AT THE SHOW.
The long, trim, graceful lines of this Sportster design the rakishly
lowered and slightly narrowed body, suggest its speed and instantly
responsive power. The roomy body, with deep resilient upholstery, is
mounted on long underslung springs and provides unusual comfort for
four passengers.
The CAR of DOUBLE CHARACTER
AN IDLING PACE - A THRILLING SPEED
In common with all Oldsmobile
eight-cylinder models, its,;, silent, 1
simple and powerful perfected '.
V-type motor amazes even ithe!
seasoned motorist by developing a
two-phase power
Idle along boulevards or thread
tangled traffic at a speed of one,
two or twenty miles an hour, on a
lean and gas conserving mixture
then, with simply additional pres
Nebraska
Distributor for
Running time in hours and minutes
(.including stops).
Average loading time per trip.
Average speed in miles per hour.
Hstimated running time per mile.
Estimated time per customer's stop
tin minutes).
Cost per day (at work).
Cost per mile.
Cost per unit
Cost per unit mile.
Now suppose a standard svstem
were adopted and widety used, which
would enable a great many truck
operators to compute these items in
the same way. The benefits to truck
users-woitla be enormous. A compari
son of figures would bring to light
many possibilities of economy, as well
as many causes of waste. Expensive
methods would have to go, time-saving
and monv-saving ideas would
spread throughout the truck using
public.
Matter of Supplies.
Take the matter of supplies. A
great deal of doubt exists today in
the minds of truck owners as to
which oil, which tires, which accesor
ies of all kinds are the best. Many
owners admit there seems to be no
way of rinding out. Suppose now
that a considerable number of truck
owners kept their tire costs in the
same way.
The reports from dozens, perhaps
hundreds of truck owners, rendered
in a uniform way, would tell a con
vincing story. They would establish
proof where heretofore there was
guess work.
Consider the matter of maintenance
or repair. Every reputable truck
maker is searching constantly for in
formation which will enable him to
perfect his product. ,The world is his
laboratory, and he would like nothing
better than to receive reports from
all his customers which would de
scribe the short-comings and lay bare
the weak points of his truck.
Information Not Available,
fcfttfojtunatety' this -information is
not jrV' available to" hirt, except . in
fragmentary 'fornv And even in those
rara eAe where he Arte reer'w tho
complete history of an installation, the
SETS THE
sure on the accelerator, a veritable
burst of power is at your command
for lightning pick-up, steepest
hill or heaviest road. Investigate
this marked achievement.
There are seven other models in
the Oldsmobile line of eights and
sixes Touring Cars, Club Road
sters, Standard Roadsters, Sedans
and Coupes. qu
Co. (inc.)
Nebraska and Southwestern Iowa
story is apt to be, as it were, in a
foreign language, which must be
translated, or interpreted before it can
be of use. The same may be said of
the maker of parts.
What former attempts to establish
a standard cost system have lacked,
seems to be abundantly supplied in
the movement now well under way by
the Truck Owners' Cnn
at Chicago. It is hoped that this
movement will result in a cost system
being approved which may fully take
uie line or a standard system. The
movement is bv far tin.
encouraging sign of action toward this
cnci mat tne industry lias yet seen,
and as such deserves the support of
every truck owner, manufacturer and
maker of truck parts.
Convenient Control One
Big Feature of Allen Cars
"Conspicuous among the many im
provements found in the Allen new
series 41 cars are those adding to
convenience and ease of control." as
serts Carl Changstrome of the Stan
dard Motor Car company.
"A rotary switch on the steering
column, just below the 17-inoh corru
gated wheel, controls the entire elec
tric system. By a simple movement,
like turning a door knob, the lights
can be turned on, , dimmed or off.
Gentle pressure on the side of the
knob blows the horn, and the little
button towards the driver controls
the ignition.
'The whole rotary switch can be
locked with a small key of the Yale
type. It is not necessary to reach
over to the instrument board for
anything except the carburetor choke,
which is seldom used.- Gear shifting,
hand brake and foot levers are placed
conveniently and work easily. A foot
arch support is supplied for the plun
ger type accelerator pedal.
"The instrument board, of pressed
steel over wood, and finished in brack
walnut, mounts a Stewart , speed
ometer, ammeter, carburetor air con
trol, automatic ignition indicator-and
hooded electric Tamp all placed for
greatest convenience.
PACE
ALWAYS A DAVIS
FOR THE MAN WHO'
ONCE DRIVES ONE
"Drive a Davis once and you're a
spoiled motorist." That's the way
one Davis owner explained the ap
peal of his car to A. A. Taylor, of
the Prince Auto company. Omaha ag
ents for the Davis.
It so happens that many motorists
like to change brands whenever they
buy a new car. They buy first one
make of machine and then another
until probably half a dozen different
makes of cars at one time or another
have occupied his garage.
But with the Davis owner it's dif
ferent. Once a man buys a Davis car.
he becomes a Davis man, and no
amount of argument or persuasion
can convince him that any other car
on the market is the superior or
even the equal of his.
The Davis owner, when he decides
to buy a new car, never begins to
peruse automobile literature, examine
rival prospectuses and seek the serv
ice ot a dozen salesmen he knows
what he wants and it's another Da
vis. It is seldom the Davis owner needs
to buy another car his old Davis
will still deliver the goods and his
reason generally is to buy a newer
model, with its time-giving improve
ments. But he always buys a new
Davis, for he knows what his Davis
will do not what it won't do, for
there isn't much within reason the
Davis won't do and he doesn't want
to take a chance on any other make
of car.
Driving Gears Need Oil.
A much neglected part of the
mechanism is the speedometer tl'ive,
which the car owner seldom inspects
or lubricates. If the driving, gears
of this part are lubricated once a
week, they will operate more quietly
and for a considerably longer period.
MODEL 87
6-Cylinder
TOURING CAR
$1185
MODEL 37
6-Cylinder
STANDARD ROADSTER
$1185
"MODEL 37 - '
6-Cylinder
ALjL-SEASON SEDAN'
1695
MODEL 37 COUPE
$1595
14 pricis f. t. b. Living, Mithig)
16th and O Sts.,
Phone B-6522
Lincoln, Neb.
oil l