Show motor scooter first used as adults toy now transportation role by NATHANIEL WAYNE released by western newspaper union NEW YORK A young man motored into new york one day not so long ago he had started from los angeles for chicago and when he arrived arrive d there decided since he was averaging miles to the gallon he had enough money left to go on to new york when he arrived in new york the trip had cost him 8 3 for fuel naturally the lad driving a tenton ten ton truck not even a an n ordinary passenger automobile he was riding in a motor scooter a vehicle that started out several years ago as a toy at an amusement park and has ended up has the transportation as a machine that industry agog even the builders thought of them in the beginning as a frivolous adult plaything the idea then was to install i them in amusement parks that was back in 1936 much to the manufacturers own amazement they soon discovered the scooters shooters oters being used by hollywood actors and for recreation inside the stud studios icis during rest periods and more or less youthful vacationers started riding them for sport in florida winter resor it necessary for this to go on for long without attracting attention A few enterprising men soon established scooter stations and rented by the hour the p power ower driven magnified mag d childrens toy the proprietor of the establishment at jacksonville beach fla stocked 50 for use on the 37 mile stretch of smooth firm beach that appears there at low tide original model redesigned however it was not until the manufacturers redesigned the scooter and gave it more power and mechanical ch durability that business began to give it attention while this has been less than three years ago already more than are in operation telegraph companies have found that messengers can deliver twice as many telegrams with greater speed by use of the scooters shooters oters instead of a bicycle retailers have discovered that it offers a swift and cheap means for light deliveries garages are buying them to speed up deliveries of cars to owners who ask that their automobiles be sent to their homes the scooter is hooked on the rear bumper as a trailer airfields are stocking them to alimi pe 01 RA R A A above is the youth who st arte from los ange les and wound new york his scooter is of the older type set to carry b baggage V the girl in t he lower picture is r riding one of the neav streamlined models nate na te the long walks between runways and hangars what is making the automobile industry think twice however is increased use of the motored gliders for noncommercial commercial non purposes some potable notable cases of long distance touring are being recorded A 5 55 year old missouri ma man n in 18 months traveled miles in 37 states canada new brunswick nova S scotia t mexico cula cuba and the bahamas he towed a trailer containing a folding C cot ot blankets clothing and a radio he averaged more than miles per gallon and his expenses were 1 a day low cost operation two boys of 15 and 18 made a six week journey last year fr from 0 in minneapolis to monterey mexico and returned carrying bedding tent clothing and some tools the total cost of the mile trip was they used less than 40 gallons of gasoline retail sales agents of automobiles tide are asking how long has this been going on they also would like to know where it is going to take them As yet none of the larger manufacturers of automobiles are turning out motor scooters shooters oters that may be changed any day now meanwhile there are about 10 specialist companies making scooters shooters oters and they are laying down a nation S wide sale organization this year the tha improvement and business application begun in 1938 1933 increased in 1933 1939 and is being vastly since spring new models have gone gona in for streamlining and even more horsepower telegraph companies are reported to be motorizing their messenger service at least on the pacific coast and are expected to be using scooters shooters oters by the end of this year the new type of machines are also doing service for parcel de livery delivery companies druggists grocers butchers confectioners confection ers automobile dealers garages printers army and navy police departments postmen and many others in large industrial plants they transport tools supplies and men passing through gL gates and doors too narrow for motor trucks and also do pickup corb worb outside of the plants export sales also although no drive for export sales has been made scooters shooters oters have been shipped to countries all around the world from alaska to argentina and from northern europe to south africa and to hawaii the philippines china new guinea australia in dia and palestine light licht pleasure and messenger messen gei ma models dels have a top speed of 35 miles per hour and travel to miles on one gallon of gasoline the beav ier parcel carriers can make 25 oi 01 more miles per hour and run 75 miles on a gallon the weight is close tc the pavement the doughnut tires give nonskid non skid traction and all have brakes brake for safe operation the numerous models are suited to many uses foi convenient transportation over shori distances or on tours of thousands ol 01 miles and for the carriage of liadi up to pounds lastly they are ar priced from less than to power of the engines has beer tripled in many models and nov nom ranges from 14 to 2 horsepower all the engines are of single aylin der air cooled four cycle type anc operate at high speed delivering deliver im power and torque with wither r a range of 2000 to revolutions ns per minute they are self contained little power plants complete with accessories and fuel tank and ar are e manufactured by four small engine companies primarily for stationary power purposes and for driving d r iving lawn mowers sma small 11 agricultural implements and the like engine equipment the engines are quipped equipped c with air cleaner generator starter speed governor govern or fly flywheel heel air blower fuel tankard tan tank kand and lighting coil to supply electric current for horn and lamps I 1 some in models have driving belt pulleys I 1 ays eys that give automatic change of speed through all ratios from low to high speed one has a two speed sliding gear transmission and some have an automatic c lutch clutch that releases tension on the th e belt so the engine can idle when the scooter is standing still arrangements for carrying two persons take the form of an ext extra ra seat scat on the scooter for tandem tande in alq of a passenger sidecar designed tg harmonize with the scooter |