SATIADAY, MARCH 10 107), THE AUTO SITUATION IN KINGSTON Over 2,000 Cars Operated Here--The Outlook For Thi Is Unusually Bright. Year The local automobile dealers are looking forward to an exceptionally good 'year Judging from the num- ber of Ontario motor licenses which have already been issued, no signs of a slump in business are evident. D. H. Wightman, loeal issuer of licenses, states that up until the middie of the week he had issued about 1,000 pas- senger car licenses, 80 commercial truck licenses and 10 motor cycle licenses. Last year there were issu- ed by the local office about 2,600 passenger car licenses, 150 commer- cial truck licenses and 35 motor cycle licenses there will be any for great rush licenses until about the first of April | at least, as there hundreds of owners | of autos who have not yet taken them out of winter storage. It is stated that in some sections of the country the roads are go soft that motor cars will sink to the axle in | mud, but as soon as people in the dis- trict are able to get to the city many more licenses will be issued. This year the license fee is higher than last year. year Ford cars and Chevrolets were taxed a $10 license fee; this year the fee is $13. All the license fees are charged according to horse power of the engine In 1920 the largest motor license fee was paid for the large motor trucks used in building the mew highway on the York Road. These trucks called for $110 license fee. So far this season the highest fee collected is $48. The local dealers expect that they will be able to sell more automobiles i this summer on account of the war tax being removed. For the past few years several people had planned on purchasing autos, but theys.seuld not consent to pay the war tax, Non-Glare Lights Necessary: A recent act of the Ontario govern- ment makes it necessary for all owners of motor vehicles to have them equipped with non-glare head- lights. For years there has been a feeling that something done to forbid the ownens of cars equipped with powerful headlights to drive after dark on the country roads. On many occasions people riding in horse-vehicles have been injured as a result of the powerful headlights blinding them so that they drove into the ditch. Some of the automobiles were equipped with "dimmers" could be turped on when other vehicles, but unfortunately the men. who were driving the cars did not use this device as often as was | necessary, The clause in the lighting device of over four candle power, equipped with a reflector, un- lesa the same shall be so designed, deflected or arranged that no portion of the parallel, beam of reflected light, when measured seventy-five | feet or more ahead of the lamp, shall rise above forty-two inches from the i level surface on which the vehicle ! To make sure that this non- ! the | highway commission has sent out in- | motor stands." glare provision is carried out, of structions to the fesuer licenses not to issue 1921 licenses un- i less the non-glare lenses are in use | on the cars. Motor League Busy. The Kingston Automobile League | is to be congratulated on the aggres- sive spirit which has been shown this year. Already over two hundred owners of motor vehicles have been enlisted as members of the Kingston It is not expected that ( For example, last | highway act | reads as follows: "It shall be unlaw- | ful to carry on a motor vehicle any | ing, the party should arrive in King- ston shortly after six o'clock Kingston Old Boys who reside i Toronto have never had the p of making the trip fr Kingston by automobiie should be much enjoyed The highwav from Toronto Kingston has scan practically com- pleted, so the mdtomists should ex- perience no difficulty due to bad roads. in to Kingston Roads Well Marked. é to the work ers of the Kingston Automo- gston have been so marked that g motorists have no difficulty | vis For years there in reaching the city. | had been a feeling | nothing was accomplished until the | Motor League took the matter in | hand It is safe to say that no | county in the province. has its roads as well marked as Frontenac, eral visiting motorists have remark- ed that if all the roads in the province | the ones | ol Hf be lower I | close to Kingston there would be no | B380line will be lower before the sea- | | were marked as well as ! { difficulty for touring motorists to | find their way from place to place. | At the different points where there are a number of roads large sign | boards have been erected by the local | league. Must Have Parking Areas. At the present time there are so many automobiles owned by Kings- tonlans and people from the district that larger parking areas mist be { provided by the city authorities. | = amma | | 1 | should be | whieh passing | Automobile League, which is affiliat- | ed with the Ontario Motor League. To become a member it is necessary %o pay the sum of $5. This carries S of several | Sev- | | Works department and the chief lege | m Toronto to | anc so this | | of tires. | vanced, but | prices that something | Maltese Cross | should be done im this direction, but | ) : { This will be good news to the automo- ! son is well advanced. [It is e i ! Many | Ss expected that in the course Many farmers who live a short dis- tance from the city cone to town for purposes of doing their shopping and attending [the shows. It is too ex- pensive to put their automobiles up at the garages, so they want places assigned where they can park their cars on the streets The Board of ot sO of a very short time new parking areas will be assigned, police are working out a scheme, Tires Are Cheaper. Recently the dealers have been able to announce a drop in the price This week some of the local dealers Informed the Whig that there | was a drop of § per cent. in the price | of fabric tires and 714 Per cent, on | cord tires. During the period of the war the prices were somewhat ad- now they' are getting One dealer said that 30 by 301%, back to normal. automobile tires, size League all the roads leading into | suftable for Ford or Chevrolet cars, were selling at $25.35 for non-skids and $23.65 for plain tires. These refer to Dunlop, Goodyear, and Dominion tires The prices vary according to size. bile owners as tires cost considerable money during a season. Gasoline Will be Cheaper. It is stated by those who are in a position to know that the price of During 1920 the retail price of gasoline in King- ston reached 47 cents a gallon, while at the present time it is selling for 43 cents a gallon. There will likely be another decrease of two cents per gallon. In some of the back towns gasoline sold as high as 50 to 55 cents a gallon last summer. The in- crease over the Kinzston rate was due to the extra cost of shipping. Repairs Are Cheaper. The Ford dealers report that the ed ns T | prices of new genuine Ford parts are cheaper than they were last summer. For years a number of firms have been making parts suitable for Ford cars, but the Ford company has evid- ently decided that they will make their competitors travel for the busi- ness, so they have decided to get back to pre war prices, Many New Garages. On account of so many people buy- ing automobiles many new garages have been opened in the towns and cities. People who have been privil- eged to visit the country during the past few years were surprised to find SO mmany garages doing business. Several blacksmiths in the small vil- lages, who for years made their lv- Ing out of shoeing horses and car- riage repairs, have gone to the cities and taken a course in automobile re- pairing and then returned to their homes where they run a garage in connection with their other busi- ness, -- Gasoline Tractors Are Popular. During the past few vears gasoline tractors have become popular in the country. Farmers who for years thought that nothing would take the place of the horses on the plow have placed their horse in the barn and purchased motor tractors. The men who have bought tractors state that ! there is such a saving in time that , they are a very good investment. Recently the Ford Motor Company, at Toronto, had all the agents and their chief mechanics make a trip to Toronto to get instruction in motor tractors. Vanluven Bros. of this city, who are the local Ford agents, have rented the Grand Opera House for March 28th and 29th and intend to 'run a motor tractor demonstra- tion, Farmers from all sections of the country will be present to see the demonstration. Women are smarter than men. If a man's vest buttoned up the back he | couldn't put it on without help. Frequent Curb: SHOW STEADY DROP IN DEATHS PER CAR Automobile use is constantly growing safer. Official figures compiled by the National Auto- mobile Chamber of Commerce show a steady decline in the ratio of fatalities to the num- ber of cars in operation. Auto- mobile deaths per. car were 0025 in 1914, and have been reduced to .0013 in 1919. Fig- ures for the year 1920 in De- troit and New York City show that the former city registered one less fatality due to auto- mobiles than in 1919, and New York's toll was 21 less than in * 1921. The reduction of 50 per cent. in five years in the ratio of fatalities to the number of cars shows that the public is quickly adapting itself to the problems of congestion, and continued progress in motor safety is confidently expected. PES r Pb rt Prd rS Gerd b hdd POLS PRS eS eB PEFLC IFIP RIE ERR Stop Bushings From Binding. Binding of the bushings that sur- round the push rods frequently causes trouble. This may be caused by the oil becoming gummy or by valve grinding grit that has got down into the interior. If the aper- ture is closed with a cloth before the valves are ground, this latter trouble will be obviated. Caps Off Tire Valve. A recent survey of 1,309 cars parked along Broadway, New York, showed 455 caps missing from the valve stem. This means that 455 tires were being run with the valve stem open to the admission of dust, Perhaps you would not talk so much if you stopped to think that people do not pay any attention to 99 out every 100 words you utter, JPICTURE the dazzling radiance of the car when new--that's how it will look when refinished the Berry way. A coat of BERRY BROS. AUTO COLOR VARNISH will impart a brilliant enamel lustre of great beauty and durability. You can, at little trouble and expense, do the refinishing yourself in any color or group. of colors, and it will dry overnight. Satis- faction is assured if you use Berry Bros. products. Write for instractivefolder BERRY BROTHERS i... Walkerville, Ontario Makers of Liguid Granite, the World's best floor varnish, Willard AttentionN ow WILL SAVE You ANNOYANCE AND EXPENSE LATER ON OUR SERVICE and ADVICE are the result of years of battery experience. We most strongly recommend great care in keeping your battery Well charged while car is.in use, and WINTER DRY STORAGE for it immediately when car is laid up. Our workmen are experts--o ur charges most reasonable, Send them to us--Kingston's only Battery Specialists, WILLARD SERVICE STATION 19 Brock Street Phone 1340. I. LESSES, Prop. ){ i SJ » ubb ing HEN a Test of the strength or endurance of tire construction, or of the everlasting toughness of tire materials, faces you, how grateful you feel that you have good tires skidding, on your car. Sudden starts, sudden stops, rubbing curbs or backing against them are real "\, _ With it free legal advice in case of | accidents, a subscription to the Motor | 'Magazine, a Toad map of Ontario | and an Ontario Motor League marker. It also helps to maintain | the Motor League which is a great | help to motorists who tour through | the country. Thousands of markers | 'have been placed 'through the coun- | try directing automobile people from one place to another and to do this Tequires considerable money, At the annual meeting of the King- ston Motor League, T M. Asselstine 'Was elected presiding officer, and D. H. Wightman, secretary-treasurer, Although this meeting was held only about six weeks ago, the league is already planning to co-operate with the Toronto motorists in connection with the Kingston Old Boys' celebra- tion this summer. It has been sug- @osted that instead of the Kingston Old Boys coming home this summer ~ by train or boat, as in the past, that they make the trip from Toronto to Kingston by auto, It will likely re- quire about one hundred cars to bring the delegation to Kingston, but those who have the scheme in hand figure that they will experience no difficulty in getting the required -mumber of cars. The suggestion has 'been made that the Kingston League members co-operate to try and bring _ 'this scheme about. There is a pos- ~~ sibility that several of the Kingston members will make it their business %o meet the Toronto motorists on thelr way from Toronto this summer, i and then lead the grand procession nto It cars ordeals of endurance--tests of quality. "Gutta Percha" Tires have stood the strain of city driving with epoch- making success. Whether Cord or F abric, "Gutta Percha" Tires have that in them which stands for the highest possibilities of satisfaction. ASK YOUR DEALER--HE WILL RECOMMEND THEM SOLD BY ALMOST EVERY TIRE DEALER IN THE DOMINION 'Go as far as you like on 'Gutta Perchs Tires | Branches in Leading Cities of the Dominion | { \ CORD and FABRIC GUTTA PERCHA & RUBBER, LIMITED Head Office and Factory: TORONTO = Kingston. 4s thought that, providing the leave Toronto early in the morn.