TUB UKE: OMAHA, SUNDAY. MAKCH 12. 1922.
1922 Auto Buyer
Getting Better
Value Than Ever
CorJ Tirra, Ftniibnl RoJiVf,
Improved Moton, AH Sfk
inj; Economy, Await
Show Yiiitora,
Willi ptkt lmni ii it ihey
wirt before tlie war, value Ii the out.
undinir fliifitlerulie of the motor
cr of JVf.
The motor car buver U letting
more (or hit money this year than
evrr before. The price reduction U
fsr greairr than it hon by the
number of dollar each model of car
hts been reduced, because to the
landard prewar car hat been added
the accumulated refinements de
signed in the lt few yea".
Better Material ! Used.
The W2 car i made of belter ma.
teriali than any car before it It i
Membled with an accuracy which
wai known only to a few manufac
turer! a few yean ago. It ii better
equipped to ue the present grade of
gatoline and heller lubricated. The
ervice charge! are loer and it COM!
less to replace part. '
Cord tires, cowl lights better fin
fhed bodie! and other features once
ansociated only with the highest
priced can have become standard
equipment In the medium priced
model.
, Closed Car a Favorite.
Another striking development of
the last few month! ii the entry of
the inclosed model of itandard
make! at a price not much greater
than the open model of the lame
make in other days.
The principal change! include:
Improved intake lystenu to give
greater mileage and prevent "cut
ting" lubricating oil with unburned
gas
Pressure lubrication in JenRine
and chassis. Correct lubrication
means lower maintenance.
Improved machines irf factories
and better trained mechanics, mak
ing possible better workmanship.
Placing of engine and chassis
parts so that they are more easily
reached for repair.
Basic Design Unchanged.
Afmnet aa eiVmfiranr 11 the
change in refinement of motor cars
is the absence of radical change in
fundamentals of design. Such fea
tures as the block cast L-head mo
tor, the standardized valve-in-head
motor, battery ignition, and vacuum
fuel feed dominate this year as be
fore. The average bore and stroke is
about the same as last year. The
average wheelbase is 121 inches,
only fractionally different fr.om last
year's. All of which means the mo
tor car has reached a standard in
fundamentals in each class of car
and that the investor in motor cars
is making an investment in a ma
chine of proved worth, .
Reo Models for
1922 Attractive
New Seven-Passenger Tour
ing Car Feature Business
Coupe Offered.
The Reo line for 1922 includes the
light seven-passenger tourinft car, the
three-passenger roadster, the four
passenger coupe, the sedan nd the
business coupe. All models are set
on the "six'' chassis.
. Probably the feature of the Reo
line is the new seven-passenger light
car. This has been called one of the
most sensible touring cars ever built.
It is a family car for summer usage
that bas struck a popular" note. Seat
ing seven without crowding,, it can
be used for lone trips as well as
week-end journeys. Metal framed
curtains opening with the doors and
folding auxiliary seat! are a feature.
As a general utility car the three
passenger Reo roadster has taken a
high place in motoring circles. It
combines all the qualities of a tour
ing par in a vehicle for those who do
not wish a large seating capacity.
For winter use the Reo company
manufactures a four-passenger coupe
and a sedan. The first named is a
wonderful machine for car comfort
in cold weather. It has a full alumi
num body, is beautifully upholstered
and its appointments have features
hat appeal to women who like the
car for shopping and theater trips.
The sedan is even more attractive.
It seats five persons and its alum
inum body construction Is so com
pact that the machine weighs only
oOO pounds more than the seven-pas-
the highest quality fittings and a
heater in the tonneau floor are em
bodied in the model.
The other Reo model is the busi
ness coupe. This model is a radical
departure in passenger car design
and professional men have been loud
in their praise of its good qualities.
The car has all the conveniences of
the coupe, with the serviceable dress
of the roadster. It seats three pas
sengers and is upholstered in leather.
No Permits lo Be Issued
Children to Drive Autos
Sacramento, March 11. (Special.)
Persons under 14 hereafter will be
refused licenses to operate automo
biles in the state of California and
there will be no exceptions to this
rule, according to order promulgated
by Charles J, Chenu, superintendent
of the state motor vehicle depart
ment. Thirty-six such applications
now on file have been rejected.
Chenu, before deciding upon this
policy, took up the matter with At
torney General U. S. Webb.
The law requires that the applica
tion of a minor for an operator's
license must be signed jointly by
the parents of the applicant. Lnder
Chenu's ruling, however, regardless
of whether the application ii signed
by the parents, no one, under 14 will
be given a license.
" $100,000,000 in Thefta
Automobiles approximating a val
uation of $100,000,000 -were stolen in
the United States last year. In New
York state alone more than $30,000,
000 worth of motor vehicles and ac
cessories were stole j"
Dynamic Balancer
Trues Olds Shafts
Aprrtui far insuring bolu.
ly correct balancing of mnl.tufu
is among the remarkable pieces of
machinery in the plant of the Oldi
Mulor works. It is technically Vnowo
at a dynamic bilancer and look!
like a iptcd lathe. The crankshaft ii
cUmited In it and rotated al high
speed. The bed of tin machine rest!
en two very (leaibla springs at one
end and the other end is pivoted to
pint, so that the slighteii vihra
lion produces nioveitirnt of the ma
chine bed Ncfure the shaft ii clamp
ed In position, ail on pattagci arc
Illicit with oil and oluueeH. to aim
nUl ariiial rininiiiff conditions.
dm! Indicator is attached to the an
iirnu f tlimt.itiHthi ttl an inch and
in order to pasi Olds inipectioo the
cranksnatt muii te so accurate mat
the dial faili to register.
When the crankshaft has been ex.
haustively cheeked for running bal
ance, it is delivered to the assem
bly line, where it meeti the fly
wheel which has aUo had a run
ning balance test. These parti are
assembled and placed on a special
static balance machine which checks
for correctness of balance.
High Second-Hand
Values Important
in Automobiles
This Feature to Determine
Which Companies Will
Survive in Competition
of Today,
By EDWARD S. JORDAN
Fmldent, Jordan Motor Car C.
Six months ago I determined to find
out, if possible, what companiei and
what cars would be likely to lurvive
in ' the automobile
induitry. My
travels covered 75,
000 miles and took
me into every
state except two.
I found that 12
cars were con
spicuous in all ter
ritories through
out the country for
hieh second-hand
-"jy m vauatjoni
I'll J 0utIook for 1922
I Mt'Ty I The outlook for
I tft I 1922 indicates that
II I those dealers hand
ling cars of high
second-hand valuation will exper
ience a distinct shortage during the
period between March IS and July 1.
But the dealers, not being fully in
formed, or far-sighted enough to
visualize the situation, will be in
clined not to stock new cars until the
spring demand actually appears. The
result will be that many dealers in
all sections of the. country will find
themselves in possession of second
hand cars iii the spring, but very few
new cars.' Tire demand on the part
of thousands of owners who are wait
ing for spring to trade will, of course,
be for new cars.
Supply Versus Demand.
, Cars between $1,500 and $2,500 will
enjoy the largest percentage of sales
proportionate to previous production,
because those people wh decide to
trade will come largely from that
group of individuals who have more
steady incomes, uninfluenced by the
agricultural situation or the foreign
outlook. -
Cars will be purchased on the basis
of value and not list price alone.
There will be a great battle for deal
ers on the part qf manufacturers in
the low priced lines, with a tendency
toward curtailment of territories and
discounts in the struggle to compete
with the larger producers.
The mortality among dealers who
cannot compete in this field will be
great. Their only salvation will be
to acquire some line in the medium
priced field which will allow them
a' fair territory,' a fair discount, and
an opportunity to-trade with owners
rising from the great mass in the low
priced field.
Business-in all lines will gradually
improve throughout 1922. The busi
ness prophets who are constantly
warning (is not to be tod optimistic
about 1922 are simply calling to our
attention the following fundamental
fact. .
Success in business in the future
will be based upon good merchandise,
fairly priced and produced in a plant
where the overhead is low. These
business prophets are merely afraid
that vve have riot learned our lesson
and that we will become too ambi
tious upon the first spurt of business
which will absolutely appear in the
automobile industry on the first warm
day of spring. '
Some of the Cars Omaha Dealers Are
. Exhibiting at Big 1922 Auto Show
i cu u i jr"' ' v Uw, ii ra 1 r r va r - - vcs i
M - 0 y :f:.
Reckless Driving
Will Soon Put Any
Auto in Junk Pile
Reckless driving will put a car
in the junk pile in short order.
Install a good device for cleaning
rain or snow from the windshield.
Rubber mats on slippery runnning
boards prevent dangerous falls. -
Tire chains should always be dried
off before they are returned to the
tool box after use.
An overheated engine burns up the
oil, causing friction, loss of power
and scored cylinders.
Blue smoke coming from the ex
haust pipe is an indication that the
cylinders are over lubricated.
If the muffler is kept in proper
condition, the "cut out" is absolutely
unnecessary on a modern car.
The life of tires is shortened by
speeding, because the faster the
speed the more heat is generated.
Penalty for Overloading
' Commercial Motor Vehicle
The penalty of overloading any
commercial motor vehicle, tractor,
trailer or semi-trailer beyond : the
gross weight of the vehicle in New
Jersey is not less than $100 nor more
than $200 for the first offense, and
for any subsequent offense not less
than $250 nor more than $500.
Auto Runs 12 Months
Without Attention
IJke chiM, (t auMuw!.i! Is
peeled (4 git a tnUm amount el
fuulile. Yrt at times one limts rhil.
ilien and cars, too, tht da not nerd
roiutjiit attention to insuie gn4 be
havior,
iur a record hii been nude ly
th Stephen! salient tin, Tim retard
came iuio t iiriu- not through pre
pared trti. but were duilosed
through checking up on performance!
by the smiee department of 64 own
ed in Santa Haibaia, Cal.
A letter wa sent to all lhe own
ers detuned not W learn ihe best bill
the wrl about ihe ear that an un
biased rrrwrt might 1" made ti the
fsr liry as well i to a dealer who wai
Interested In aumlng .Stephen! rep
reeiitaiion. '
Answer nhowed that nne of the
(A car needed service; only eight of
the M ownen desired service of any
kind; only four of the 64 owner! were
ready to trade the can In on new
cars, ind every car wai running sat
isfarlonly. Ford Dealers Sec
Big Year Ahead
Reduction in Trices Helps
Tractor Una! Flivver
Popularity.
The recent price reduction brings
the lord car below the prewar
level, dealer! are buily informing the
public.
Although Ford price! are lower
than the prewar level, a starter and
demountable rim come as standard
equipment with the latest model.
Last year was the best in the l"ord
company history, more than 1.0W.
OH) cars having been manufactured
and lold. The big Detroit plants
now are running at normal capacity.
The local Ford dealer! also handle
the Fordson tractor, which ii com
ing Into as much popularity as its
road counterpart. The modcli show
no changes. Not only is thii tractor
coming into general use on farm!
but it is being used for many other
purposes, road making, truck haul
ing and running factory power
plants among other things.
19,000,000 Car Buyers
Only about 19,000,000 persons m
the United States may be classed in
the groups of actual or potential au
tomobile owners, according to Leon
ard P. Ayers, Cleveland banker.
Nearly half of these already own
machines. A large part of the re
mainder will buy smaller, cheaper
cars, he says.
if
P
Old Batteries
Sold for New
by Fraud Kin
Iiivritifatioii Uarci Vt hdewate
Swim!! Salvaged Vnri:
Nought JuuV, A "
Med mid uld.
lUtterin looking pic and IS'-
enmiih, hnl which in rttMf "
nothing bul lxci containing the
relic of junked batteries, are bting
maiketed to the unUPling pub.
he, jn ending to invriiif.itors who
lav been probing the miution tor
the nukerk of st.'irnkird buteriei,
A thriving buiuM. lhee niveau
gtnr! say. lias been built upon the
skeletons of le.l batteries. It l
waged under numroii names and
prices. 'Ihe practie Irs grown so
widespread and well otg.inii'd that
ear owner very emily mav buy bark
his own discarded battery in whole
or part, nicely boused in a newlv
paiiitrd box with a runic on u a
new as the paint.
The operation coiimt -f buym
up ill old batteriei. sold as junk, and
salvaging sucll parti of lliem a
show any bit of hie. particularly the
plile. and assembling the .
vaged part with a few new plate to
give the affair few d.ivs of power,
enough t. give it a Hurt on its vif.
tun. After the few davs or week
the buyer is out his purchae pri. e.
The scheme, of course, is ut new
In the automotive business. It has
been worked with variations with
tires. It lias been worked a number
of years with batteries in an tinor.
panired way, and not serious fash
ion. The success of the pioneer,
combined with the period of high
prices, which gave the practice bet
ter opportunity to operate, and b'S
wares a better appeal to the " ear
owner, fostered the system. It now
represents a genuine menace to the
automobilist buying a battery.
Jnveitigators who have torn down
these "salvaged" batteries say that in
many instances, not S rer cent .f the
battery represents new material. In
view of this fact, it is easy for prac
tically anyone with mechanical ex
nertnrss to put out these reassem
bled batteriei and sell them with
profit at almost any figure.
Discarded batteries, of course, are
sold entirely as junk, and at junk
prices. The batteries are torn down
and the old parts given a surface
semblance of newness. An invest
ment in a few new plates and elec
trolyte gives the operator his com
plete manufacturing expenditure. All
that remain is to assemble the junk
with a few "live" plates and sell it to
an unsuspecting shopper.
, ,
Few Owners Can Identify
: Own Autos When Stolen
Casual Scratches or. Dents Not Sufficient Evidence to
Prove Ownership on Recovery; Tricks of Iden
tification, Proved Effective, Told
" v by Police. "
If the average car owner were
asked whether he could identify his
own car under any set of circum
stances, his impulse would be to
return an . unqualified and indig
nant affirmative. The police of one
of the larger cities would disagree
with him just as unqualifiedly.
On Some Scratch.
As a matter of fact most car own
ers depend for identification on some
scratch on the body, some broken
screw in the chassis or some other
equally uncertain factor. They do
not stop to consider that big man
ufacturers are turning out models in
10,000 lots that differ -from-each oth
er in not the slightest discernible
degree. By the time a successful thief
has run a stolen car through his
"service station" it would puzzle
the most careful owner on earth
to identify his vehicle.
An instance m point is found in
the recent experience of a car own
er in a middle western city who
lost his car, a touring model of a
popular make, and after some weeks
of anxious waiting was summoned
to police headquarters-to see wheth
er he could identify a vehicle ans
wering to his description of his lost
car. :" -
The Same Car. ;
Arrived at the police: station .he
found a small group of other own
ers who had assembled to try- to
identify the same car -to see which
he had been summoned. The hopeful
owner had a number of marks by
which he felt confident he could
prove his ownership of the restored
vehicle. There was a bent screw in
one part of the chassis, a dent in
one fender.' a scratch, of . peculiar
shape on the dash.
The car with which he was con
fronted was undoubtedly of the
same -vintage as his lost boat, but
unhappily it was painted a rich ultra-marine
blue, instead of the dark
green that had graced his vehicle.
The most earnest scrutiny failed to
disclose any of the distinguishing
marks on which he had relied.
A slight chipping of the new coat
of enamel revealed the fact that it
had been put on over a previous
coat of the dark green that our friend
had described, but two of the other
assembled owners .had put in bids
for dark green cars and eventual
ly one of them managed to identify
the car by a chip in the gearset
housing. The identification was not
particularly convincing,-but in the
absence of anything better it served
to give the car to the owner who
had been able to describe the im
perfection. Casual Means. . "
As a matter of fact no car owner
ought to depend on such casual
means of identification as slight im
perfections that may have accrued
during the operation of the -vehicle.
When the professional, automobile
thief steals a car he takes it to what
amounts practically to a " rebuilding
factory. In many' cases the .entire
mechirtism "Is taken down and "the
different parts redistributed with
those from other cars of .the same
make and models to turn out what
amount to new vehicles.
The only safe method of placing
identification marks on a- car is to
place them on all major parts of
.. (
the mechanism. Perhaps "the most
satisfactory method of doing so is
to place punch marks on the vari
ous units. All such marks should
be put in places where they will rot
be readily discernible; for instance,
on the inside of the axles, on the
flywheel, on the upper side of the
gearset housing. Alter the marks
have been made they should be rub
bed over with grease- until they are
nearly indistinguishable as possible.
The car owner can have a prick
punch made with his initials on it
in very fine type and with this it
is possible to place identification
marks on the. various parts that will
generally escape notice and yet re
main permanently.
Small Holes.
Another clever idea 'is to bore a
few small holes a mere fraction of
an inch into the framework at a
given place carefully measured from
permanently located landmarks. Then
fill these holes with grease. If there
comes a time when it is necessary
to identify the car, it is-a simple mat
ter to measure off the proper dis
tance, scrape a little lead off and
prove ownership of the car.
In some cases an owner has been
able to identify his car. by reason
of some simple but ingenious mark,
so placed that it is apparently part
of car or equipment. Not very long
ago the NewYork police recovered
a stolen car and nabbed the thief
at the same time. The car corre
sponded in every way to a description
given by a certain bereaved owner,
except that id had been recently re
painted in an entirely different color
scheme. :
At the Clock.
At any rate, the police summoned
this owner to see if he could identify
the reclaimed car as the one he had
lost He came to headquarters,
looked the vehicle over, paying con
siderable attention to the dash, and,
turning to the detective in charge,
said: "This is my car, all right, in
spite' of the fresh coat of paint."
"Have you any mark to identify
it bv?" asked the officer.
"Yes sir," replied the owner. "My
name is J. K.. Smith, as you know.
Just take a look at the face of that
clock."
The officer looked. On the dial
of the clock was the legend: "Brown
Clock company, Boston. Mass." In
fine script beneath this maker's
name was "Sold by J. K. Smith,
Agent." The thief had acce'pted this
as a bona fide agent's name instead
of a really clever identification mark,
which it was.
In a recent theft case in Boston
the owner of a stolen car was able
to prove his ownership of a recovered
car by his initials which were en
graved In each of the hub caps.
The individual owner can prob
ably find a dozen distinctive ways
of mark'ing his car for possible Iden
tification, but the point is that this
should be done,, because when a car
has been stolen the police demand
something more than say so on the
part of the owner before they return
it to him. Be sure that there are more
ways than one bv means of which
you can prove that your' car really
is yours, in case you are ever unfor-.
lunate enough to lose it. " I
V
Kill I l i
(5
The New SPECIAL-SIX
Settee 22
147
f. o. k Detroit
In the New Models Studebaker Again
Establishes Its Right to Leadership!
Nineteen twenty-one was a Studebaier
year. -Nineteen twenty-two is well under
way uncertain in most things, but as
certain in One as tomorrow's sunrise. It
uill be a Studebaker year.
For the new models continue the intrinsic
values that made 1921 a Studebaker year,
PLUS the refinements suggested by an
other year of fine motor car building.
Beautiful new bodies hare been designed
and built complete by Studebaker.
Refinements have been made in equip
ment features that add to the comfort and
the convenience of driver and passenger.
Refinements have been made in mechan
ical details that make driving easier and
the shifting of gears an operation as
silent as it is simple.
We are certain that the new models will
maintain Studebaker leadership. We
KNOW that you will be interested in
them. We urge you to ace them at the
Automobile Show this week.
Look far These Feature in the Nw Special-Six at the Show
SISH. P., SVfrS-terfc sMtorwiifc itxickiN. htmd ' I i H i hill waktm&mt
IltfatfcwMfcM Hwi inn rnnatr
rulnTjir ti in' ii ' - -ij".!-.!..! , "'- 1liiiilMilfiliiil i.m
C I lllllflMH ootraUed frd-h Caamne leather apkafaut? ' Urge WtebwialaivMliMli
Imuinenili, hrfilfat Sey cloefc. frwjy pnl en deA
Tlnni ! iMn-imiifT 1 ---. tr-i i- - 1 i Vf Hut iii,,, ,,mmii ,Uk iiait., . .
fertot, Bha la lower camm al one-piece ttah-ftaol wimfahidil Windshield viper fnaiuai.im hj Hal Imk imi I
O.N. BONNEY MOTOR CO.
O. N. BONNET, President
2554 Farnam St, Omaha
C. S. CONNOR, Vie. Pre..
Phone Harney 0676
THIS IS A
STUDEBAKER YEAR