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Show MASTER LOCK KEEPS Ml MOTOR THEFTS Would-be Robber Has a Small Chance to Hit Upon Correct Combination. If anyone feels the statement that the automobile is the most potential thief -producer the world has ever known is putting the -situation too strongly, all one needs to do is to stand on the curb some night and look for the car he left there only a few moments before. The loss of automobiles by theft in many cities already exceeds $2"per capita. It is stated on excellent authority that the number of such losses is increasing far 'more rapidly than Is the output of new cars. In Salt Lake the number of thefts of automobiles has grown so steadily that the situation has become alarming. Therefore, the announcement today by officials of the Intermountain Electric company of this city that they have secured se-cured for their automobile accessories' department a patented lock for automobiles, automo-biles, called the master lock, will come as important news to thousands of automobile auto-mobile owners who live in daily dread of having their cars stolen and wrecked. The officials of the Intermountain Electric company declare that the master lock makes it absolutely impossible for a thief to get away with an automobile. automo-bile. In the dash, or in any other convenient place, all that can be seen of the device is an etched metal plate, two inches wide by four inches long, in which are ten push buttons. This lock is to an automobile auto-mobile what a combination lock is to a safe simply a device which makes it impossible to get a spark in the engine except by pushing a combination of numbers num-bers known only to the owner. In this way no key is necessary to lock the car. Tests of the master lock have disclosed that on a combination of four buttons a person attempting to work the lock would have but one chance in over 150.000 of striking it. The officials of the Intermountain Electric company have already installed a number of these locks. The locks are working out satisfactorily. It is pointed out that when it is nec- . essary for attendants or machinists in garages to test the engine the owner can leave the switch open. If the combination com-bination is not known to garage etn I ployees, unauthorized use of the car will be avoided. Another motor car accessory the Intermountain Inter-mountain Electric company lias just received re-ceived is a standard demountable wheel set. When the owner of the car has a blowout or a puncture it is simply a matter mat-ter of unscrewing four nuts, changing the wheel and replacing the nuts. The time required is only four minutes. No toots are necespury other than a common wrench and a round file. There are no wheels or parts to throw away and no oversized tires to buy. The owner is i-efuiie-i to use only the reguhir wheels and an extra wheel to carry an inflated tire. |