CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

By Demox Mr J. F. M. Frasor is inviting all members of tlie Otngo Motor Association to join in a run to Honlcy 011 Saturday afternoon of this week. On arrival at Honlcy tho motormen will be tl:c gu«ts of Mr-Fraser at. the "White House. — The following aro some of the cycle riders nightly training at • tin Caledonian Grounds in view of the Sew Tear sports' A. Siugster, J. Mathcson, Shcphord, Brooks, ■ Smelt-/.. Schreuder, llandell, Tuelscy, C. Smith, 1\ Anderson. I/. Anderson, — Anderson, Pago, F. Cooke, Patterson. Besides these there is a fair number of Taiori men in training on tho Outi'am Ground, so that the programme of cycle events to )>e got off by "the Caledonian Society on Now Year's Day should reeeivo good entries from' local sources alone. — Messrs Cooke, Ilowlison, and Co. havo taken over the tricar lately in possession of Dr Fulton, the doctor becoming the possessor of tho 8-10 horse-power Rover car just landed by Messrs Ccokc-Howlison, who have cabled the Rover Company for another llover car of similar dimensions. The tricar has been a very faithful servant to Dr Fulton, and has travelled more than a few miles in and around our Duncdin roads, and is still in first-class order and fit toi travel as many more, — Mr.Gocxlman on Saturday drove Mrs Seddori and Mrs J. C. Brown (of the Telephono Exchange) through from Waihola after the Premier's spceoh at the 'lakeside village on the afternoon of that day. Mr Goodman was bothered with puncture troubles on his drive in, but. by intermittent pumping managed to reach Dunedin in good time, al! well. .— SJocnc: Main South road. Chauffeur of a motor car in the intricacies of mending a punctured tyre. Along comes another motor ear, driver of which has his gaze fixed,steadily in front—no "glad hand" for the perspiring chauffeur. A little later on 'another motor car comes into view, but though it slo-ved u;>, like the Pharisee of old, it, too, passed" on. Well might this chauffeur say, in .the words of our oldfriend Bobbie Burns, "Man's inhumanity to man inakes countless thousands mourn." —Tho machine ridden by Mr W..8. Bell in the recent .hill-climbing contest is one of the oldest motors about, here. It has already done over threo years' hard work,' has won most of the races on 1 he track here from scratch, and now makes the fastest time in the hill climb. This old warrior of an engine is notorious for the patches on it (breaks causcd by spille), but goes as well as ever, and is good for many a year yet. It is now owned by Mr 15. Creagh. ——It is to be regretted that Mr Sicvwriglit's Zoclcl and Mr Paterson's twin Clement happened to be slightly olf colour just before the hill-climbing contest, and these riders had no time to ■ get their machines in trim. As a rule, both of these machines are real hill-eaters—in fact, on Monday of this week I saw Mr Paterson ride his motor up High street at a ripping gait. — Messrs Stedinan and Creagh put up a splendid performance by riding through from Dunedin to Oamarn in throe hours five minutes net riding time, the gross time being only about 15 minutes longer, owing to a short wait on the road to repair Mr Creagh's belt. The return journey was almost as good, being 20 minutes longer. Mr Stedman used his 3 horse-power' Triumph, and never had to adjust it once. Mr Creagh rode his 3 horse-power twin Clement, .which went perfectly. — Mr Bamfield drove to Henley on Saturday afternoon in hij 15-20 h.p. Darracq. The distance out was covered easily in the hour, and with more experience on the driver's part this car should just about do all the hills going out without ever coiniuac down off the too gear. Mr Mills and parly drove to Henley in the 20 h.p. Oldsmobile car on Sunday; and enjoyed a fine spin, Mr E. Wilson has purchased a 1% Zedcl motpr cycle. — The 3 h.p. Triumph did not perform so creditably as it should havo . done in tho 'hill-climbing competition owing to the rider's indisposition, he not clccting to exert himself to the same extent to assist it as most of the other competitors did. Excessive footing of the motor horn is a sure symptom of the new chum driver. — Mr Gray, of Laidlaw and Gray, lias purchased from Messrs Hayward and Garratt a 7 h.p. Oldsmobile car. — As bearing on the accident to Mr C. J. Fox, mentioned in my. Inst week's notes, in which a collie dog running .out from the Evansdale Hotel in front of Mr Fox's motor was the cause of the rider being thrown hoavily to the ground and the machine rather badly damaged, the following extract from a. Home paper may be of interest:—The uncontrolled dog on the highway has a number of serious casualties to his credit, and a typical case, which unhappily had a fatal result, is reported from Sonthwater,-on the road from Horsham to Littlehamnton; England. A' local resident was driving a motor-bicycle .with a trailer attached, in which sat his wife. As they were passing through tho village a large collie dog, ran, apparently with deliberate intention,' at the engine of the motor, and seems to have got between the two wheels. The maohino was overturned, the motorist stunned, and the lady thrown on to lier head; receiving' injuries from which she died. Tho dog. it appears, belonged to a gardener who had been, driving his wife in a pony and cart. In her evidence the latter stated that she was. standing outside an inn in the village beside the trap, and hearing the motor called to her husband to hold the horse/ ; The she stated, had been playin? with others, but sho did not notice it at the time of the accident. Enrlier in the day it had had a collision with a bicyclist.: It was a quiet and .gentle apimal, and,: had never been known to snap-at anything. .She- did not r-wish to have the dog. destroyed, _ as it was valuable. The coroner. in summing up, pointed out the, responsibility, which rested upon dog owners' to keep them under control, and see' 1 .that .'no accident was caused by them—aiu admonition which _<£SllM .#EEBtt. to hate. ]bg?n very necfijaiy

in view of Me fact that this was tile second 'timo that the. dog had been the cause of an accident in 0110 day! Tho. fact/is not sufficiently appreciated that tho mere allow.-, irig of a dog to stray without' control on the highway, is enough, without proof, of any dangerous disposition in tho animal, to render the owner liable for damages; in the absence, 'of course, of contributory' negligence on the part of the other party to the collision.—[Owners of wayward dogs might do well to read, mark, learn,' and inwardly digest the last sentence of thg. foregoing par.—Demon.] . — Tho horse-power of molor-oycle9, as we know if here, must be considered very low with what obtains on the Continent, where tho average: is 4 h.p. or 5 h.p... For racing purposes 10 h.p. and 12 h.p. engines are usually employed, but it is on the. pacing machines that the most powerful are used. T. Hall,, the ■ English paee-fol-lower, has a 24 h.p. machine, which was looked upon as a monstrosity. Robl, however, has gone far beyond this, having had built a 36 h.p. motor-cycle—if eucli a term can bo applied. A.tandem frame is used, and two riders are (required to control' it, one to slcer, and the other to tend the engine. No expense has been spared, its. makers declaring it to be of the best possible construction in every- particular. —-In tho concluding stages of the Sydney Cycling Carnival some magnificent racing was seen, and the excitement of the onlookers was intense; The principal event of the night was the Sydney Wheel Race final. Of the 12 riders who had'survived tho preliminary heats and semi-final, 11' were local men, and tho other—Pye—a Victorian. 0. H. Brook, tiny Goulburn rider, who started from the 80yds mark, was, after his brilliant win in tho Orient Plate, a strong favourite. He was allotted such- a substantial start of 80yds before ho had displayed his brilliant form, and in the future i 3 likely to figure very close to tho scratch mark. Speaking of tho final heat of the big race, tho Sydney Daily Telegraph says:—"As the gun fired for .the start of tho big handicap final, the lights on the ground were all turned out with tho exception of those on the track, and thero was just a little excitement as the men got, off their marks. Tho field, with tho exception of Pye, who had a 50yds' gap to bridge, bunched in a little over a lap. Pye put up a great ride, and got within 20yds of the' field, but could get no nearer, and retired after the hell. Brook and George liorder bridged their gaps early, although the pace was on from the jump. As the field entered oil the last lap, Brook was showing tho way, and tho race looked tho gift it proved to him. He put in a fino lap sprint, and shook his field right off, winning easily by four lengths, in tho fast timo of lmin 56 l-sscc, against a stiff breeze. Although Brook won easily there was a great sprint home for the other places, and a blanket would have covered the next half dozen. Brook was accorded an ovation for his fine ride, after which tho Austral Wheel Race, of £650, to be run in Melbourne this month, and in which he has 120 yds in the two miles, looks a gift to him. Brook's great riding throughout the carnival was wcl rewarded, for lie won £81 in prizo money for two firsts and a sccond. He won the richest scratch race, the Orient Plate, and the principal handicap, a featwhich has not liccn performed in this State before by one rider." —'An inventive motorist says he is going to patent a. useful device, to be called tho ladies' auxiliary. This is a piece of mechanism so constructed that when a motor car encounters a nervous woman driving a neurotic horse, the auxiliary will step ahead of the car, blindfold the horse, plug its cars with cotton-wool, and then chloroform the lady. It would ho interesting (says Motoring Illustrated) to see the auxiliary in action, — Sometimes tho engine, for some almost unaccountable cause, refuses to start work. A' tip is to pour a small quantity of petrol through the compression cock or sparking plug hole. Now switch on the current and revolve the starting handle smartly. This invariably "gets a move on" the motor; hut petrol must only bo judiciously used in this way, as, in addition to the likelihood of back-fire, repeated doses tend to rcduco compression by washing away tho lubricating oil from the cylinder walls. On the Pare des Princeji track in Paris, Anzani, riding an Aleyon motor bicycle, with a cylinder engine of 6i> h.p., nuceecded in setting up new times for tho hour and 100 kilometres. In the hour he covered a distance of 93.78 kilometres, or 59 miles, while the 100 kilometres was ridden in lhr 4min 14 2-ssec, or bmin 2 3-ssec inside tho former record. — The Expert and Technical Committee of the English Automobile Club has passed a resolution condemning the carelessness of drivers of cars, who allow tho exhaust gases to leave behind them a trail of filthy pungci'.t smoke, and also condemning the placing of the exhaust cxactly behind the car, sc that when a stoppage occurs in traffic iho exhaust is blown directly upon any vchiclo immediately behind it. — Under the auspices of the Bordeaux Automobile Club a petrol consumption test was lield last month between Rorbeaux and Royan, a distanco of 87 miles. The first place was secured by a 10 h.p. Do Dion, carrying five, which consumed about three gallons; a 22 h.p. Mors, with seven aboard, used seven gallons; and a 10 h.p. Renault, with five, was third, with a consumption of four gallons.' — Some of our motor language comes frcm France; Anglo-Saxon of the ornamental order is largely used for impromptu purposes when a tyre blows out or something goes wrong on a bad road a long way from home. Besides tho word "garage," which is pronounced variously—garridge, garahj, garaige, etc., according to taste— wo have "chauffeur," a word that lends itself apparently to humorous maltreatment by people who call tho driver a chuffler, chiffonier, chaffer, and chaffcuttcr, as the fancy strikes them for tho time being. How the play upon the word will end it would be hard to guess, but in the meantime, while tho verbal evolutionary stage is being passed through, the unfortunate motor conductor is in somewhat of a dilemma as to his real descriptive title. Maybe a later aiid more settled day will give us uniformity in tho pronunciation of garage and chauffeur, but in the meantime things are mixed in respect to both words. ■ The Automobile Club o' Groat Britain and Ireland somo timo ago passed a resolution to the effect that tho word "motor house" should bo used instead of Iho French word "garage," but notwithstanding this decision the latter word became incorporated with the language, and is now largely used in tho old country as wel as in Australia. -—Thero is probably no point in connection with the operation of petrol cars which is less understood by tho average motorist than the self-starting of a fourcylinder engine. One of these equipped with a reliable ignition system can bo started from the seat whenever it is possible to observe a fow simple conditions, though in .some eases it . may be necessary to alter the mechanism to some slight extent. Olio of the essentials to self-starting is tight-fit-ting pistons with well-ground rings. Selfstarting depends upon the retention of an! ignitabic charge in ono or more of the cylinders for some timo after the motpr has been stopped, and it is clear that if this charge is permitted to leak'all chancc of selfstarting is lost.' The second essential is in connection with the stopping of the engine. If an engine is stopped by throttling down the fuel supply it will stop dead, with very lit.tlo else but air iii the cylinders. But if the throttle is opened wide after the electricity has been switched off a number of full charges of good gas will be drawn into the cylinder, and will remain _ there ready to bo fired as soon as tho switch is turned on. The distinguished visitor had been shown all the points of interest in the big lunatic asylum. As he was leaving, tho head doctor, as an after-thought, asked. "Would you like to visit tho Motor Ward?" Giving a delighted ; assent, ho was led into a spacious apartment apparently untenanted, though lined with rows of beds. "But where are the patients?" he exclaimed in amazement. "Patients?" replied the medical superintendent. ' "They're all here. They aro under the beds tinkering with the springs."—Motoring Ilustrated. —It is a matter of satisfaction to Australians that tho Tarrant, a locally-built car, has beaten the majority of the finest imported cars in the Dunlop Reliability Test, Melbourne to Sydney._ This car is one of several built and designed entirely at the works of the Tarrant Motor Co., Exhibition street, Melbourne, and though only completed a day or two before tho race, leaving no timo for even a. trial run, went throueh' the severe te3t without one mishap. The Tarrant cars have already won strong approval from expert 1 motorists,- arid are now looked upon as one of tho standard cars in the world's markets. ■ Writing to the editor of the Sy3ney Referee from London, uuder date October 13, Mr H. V. Foy says:—"l started from Paris' with three others in a 26 h.p.' Mendelssohn, and . drove to toch Fyno,. about 700 miles.- Wo followed the Seine'down through some lovely country till we reached Rouen. From there • to Dieppe the road was perfect. One stretch of road 17 miles wals as straight as you could'want, and .no. traffic. _ We made over 60 miles an hour on portions of'this road. I do not wonder at Continental drivers being fined every week in.England for fast driviug. tfhey oie. eo used tct these beautiful roac]s, with

next ' to ino; traffic, - that they forget they are in : England,:.arid let themselves' go; We crossed from Dieppet'o Newhaven, thence to : London. 1 From,' London 'I ran to Newmarket (70 'miles) for lunch, .went round some ■' of the stables, aiid wcnt to Melton' Mowbray .that night. Started early next day, Afent through Nottingham, Derby, Matlock, Manchester, and readied Carlisle that night. Went on next day to Glasgow, and cut across by Loch Lomond, and home,to St. Catherine's Loch Fyne. Tho worst hill ,in the wholo journey was 18 miles from our destination, called 'Rest, and Be Thankful,' only about a miic long; it is air turns, and a grade of linß in places. There is no doubt about the motor for pleasure. This trip was the most delightful I have ever had, and: I have travelled on cycry class of transit, from the camel to . the fast, express across the Rockies. The only trouble is to get a reliable chauffeur, as so many of them are careless." ' Tho question of using the motor is a brake is raised in the current issue of the Auto-car; London, and tho writer condemns tho practice , of connecting brakes with the clutch owing, to its making the motor of no avail as an auxiliary. . As is well'known, by throttling off the "motor, it bocomes a very powerful retarding influence, and, in fact, is sufficient to hold a ear in check down slight declines,' while in conjunction with the other two brakes tho' car may be held stationary- on the steepest gradients. It is always prudent, however, and especially on strange roads to use tho low gear when descending steep hills as an additional precaution/ The present design of internally expanding brake needs careful adjustment from timo to time, which should bo done with the car loaded to its usual complement of passengers. This typo of brako -is very powerful, and must not be applied too hard when the roads are inclined to bo greasy or side-slipping will result. A MOTORIST'S EXPERIENCES. BETWEEN. OHRISTCHURCH AND - DUNEDIN. TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY MILES • IN A 15 HORSE-POWER DARK ACQ. We were tho recipients of a very kind invitation from Mr and Mrs F. tirayton Bamficld to motor through from Christchurch to Dunoflni with them iri their new 15 horso-powcr Darrucq. Needless to say, the invitation was very willingly accepted by us. AYo left Christchurch on Thursday, November 16, and arrived in Duned'in on Saturday, the 18th. Tho experiences which wo encountered on tho way wcro many and various. At 8.45 on Thursday .morning, wo assembled at Warner's Hotel, and there Mr Wheeler photographed us. before wo loft the City of tho Plains, our Union Jack being in ■ groat prominence. Many wcrg tho salutations it received during our three days' journey. Wo wore to travel 53. miles to Ashburton before having lunchcon, but what a short distanco it seemed spinning along at tho rate of between 35 and 40 miles an hour. ' We had lunchcon at- tho Commercial Hotel, and when finished, we had to-mate our way to tho agents to procure sufficient oil to carry us on' to l'iraaru, which place was to bo our next "port of call." What a delightful run we had through. The grass was green, the birds were singing, and everything seemed to bo in a 6tato of perfection. The 47. miles of country, wore soon loft behind us, and what prodigious appetites wo developed on tho road! At the Grosvenor Hotel wo passod a-most pleasant evening, each with his respective friends, and after a good sloop wo all felt ready for tho road the following morning. It was hard lo toll which one. of the party was the most eager to get cosily seated in tho car.again, and onco mere to spin on towards our journey's end. In tho next run to Oamaru we had quite a humorous little experience. When wo reached the Waitaki River we found - thero was only a footbridge; and tho river, of .course, had to be forded. Four of our party took advantage of the bridge, and our chaulfeur was loft- to ford it alone. All went well till he roachcd the centre of the river, but there the car 'refused to budge. In despair, he jumped to the back of the car, mid for some seconds was busily engaged in pushing. The car moved oil' after several of his pushful efforts, and the opposite bank was reached in safety. Alas, for our poor chauffeur! how wet his boots and socks wcro! Whilst wo wore once nioro seating ourselves in the car he thought, he would remove tho bonnet, and dry his socks on the engine. Yes, wo all thought it a splendid plan, till suddenly wo felt a fearful smell §f burning wool. In great alarm, he sprang, to the engine to look to his. socks, but'all. he found was a few cinders 1 Wo all laughed heartily at his expense, land ho was not tho last to laugh with us. Wo had lunchcon at Oamaru, but on account or tho show, all tho shops wore closed, so our poor chauffeur had to .go "sockloss" until wo. roachcd Maheno, where ho procured a. pair of.it very rich brown hue. Aftor having dinner at the Mnheno Hotel,' we wended our way to the river bank, whore] we. spent two delightful hours before wo retired for tho night. Wo all made "a hearty breakfast in tho morning, after which we once more journeyed on. We had gone only a fow miles when an old man ran towards us waving his arms frantically and shouting in a shrill tenor for us to stop. Wo pulled up, and asked tho why and the wherefore of the stoppage, and imagine our amusement whenlie informed- us that the cow which ho was driving was blind in ono eye I Tho engine was then started again, and we ran for many miles over delightful roads; but when we reached the Horseshoe Range, wo discovered that our descent was not to bo as easy as we had anticipated. We. ploughed through' ruts inches deep, but down tho car went "just like a bird," as one of the party afterwards remarked. Wecould hardly haVe had a bettor test for car and for driver. Wo reachcd Palmerston safely, and had luncheon at Iho Northwestern' Hotel. How that meal was enjoyed by us one and all. At 1.45 a great number of tho inhabitants of Pulmerston turned out to see us' leave, and our car created not a little excitement. How our horn resounded through tho hills, and how the cattle and horses fled from us! All wont well till wo wore noaring Morton, and' hero a little incident occurred which added to the excitoment of the trip. At tho blowing of our horn; five horsos scampered in all directions, but unfortunately for us two of. them made, straight for tho engine. Anxious to avoid accident, our chauffeur gave tho car a sharp turn to tho left; but instead of finding ourselves on tho road again, we realised only too well that wo had run into tho ditch. When the car stopped, wo all jumped out, and thrco men who were on the road ran quickly to our assistance. Several.unsuccessful efforts wero made lo lift tho car, and thou a horse , was partly harnessed and roped to the car! 1 ' ■ We started tho engine, and off went, the horse, the car puffing and snorting after it. The car was out of the ditch, and our worst experience was. then over. Waitati, 12 miles distant, from Morton, was soon leached, and it being our last stopping place, we partook of somo light refreshment, and we ladies of the party mad,e ourselves presentable beforo entering Dunedin. The spin* round tho curves was' simply delightful, and our host, who was just learning to .drive, desorves •the greatest credit for the way in which lie drove us safely from Waitati to our jour- 1 ney's end. Our long-looked-forward-to trip was then over, and, needless to say, wc all wished' that, instead of. arriving at our destination, wo wero just leaving, our starting placa. May good luck always attend our host and hostess ■ and thoir 15 horsepower Darracq. O. E. A. MELBOURNE TO SYDNEY RELIABILITY RACE. . 'The event of tho past month in the Australian motor world was tho Reliability Race, promoted by the Dunlop Company.' There were 29 oompetitors in the car sections, and nine in the motor-cyclo, and the final stago from' Goulburn to" Sydney was covered on Saturday, fortnight, the last controlling station being !at Enfield, whence to tho Agricultural Ground an nllowanco of oOmin was made The appearance of tho competitors at the ground, shortly after 4 o'clock,.was tho signal, for a. great, deal of enthusiasm among the public, who had attended to witness the gymkhana. The cars, of course, had been "stripped" for the fray, arid presented;a novel sight. The rear .portions were loaded with • tins of naphtha, tyres; and sparo parts; and the colours of the cars • were completely obliterated by .the maS3 of mud a'nd dust which clung to them. So far as the occupants'were concerned, it would havo been a difficult matter to have recognised one's, best' friend, <and'their" plight i caused a deal of good-humoured .comment. The con-testants-were escorted into, the ground by several' cyclists, 'and formed up in-proces-I sional ordor, after which they gave an exhibition-of their speed round tho cycling track. . • . . ■ ■

. Tho aggregate times . of; tho cars from .Melbourne, 572 miles, were as follows:— ; ■ \ .h, in. "a. Mr Hobbs (18.28 li.p; Merocdes) ... 21 '44. 'Mr Stevens. (16 h.p. Darracq)':'.'.. 24 53. . Mr Wilkinson (15-12 h.p. Talbot).. 27 52 : Sir Moft'att (10 h.p. Do Dion) ■2S- 24"' Mr A. Fauvel (12 h.p. Richard .. Bresier) '.. .. .... , 29 47, .'3O Mr S. ..Day (8. h.p. Do Dion) .'. 33 20. Mr Gordon Dixon (IG-20 h.p. Talbot) .. ... .. .. ... .. .. ~ Mr, Grimwado (lb h.p. Argyll) . 2Si-a9 '30 Mr' Tarrant (B'h,p. Tarrant) ' 30 4' 30 Mr Wilber (12 h.p. Wolseley) .. 33 41" Mr Liddlo (21-30 h.p. Panhard) .. 28 ,9 30 Mr Rand (12-16 h.p. Dacauville) .. 32 14 Mr Coleman (7 h.p. Swift) ..' .. 33 43 . Mr E, James (3J h.p. Brown) ... 20 59 Mr Jenkins'(3s. h.p.. Griffon) .. ,33 3 Mr llobbs's oar was, the absolute winner of tho Class ;C trophy (for multicylinder cars over 12 horsepower); Mr Day carried' off tho honours in tho A Glass (for singlecylinder cars); and in the B Class (for -multicylinder cars that do not accelerate over 12 horse-power), Messrs Moft'att, Grimwade, A. Fauvel, Wilkinson, and Tarrant tied. These cars all scored full points - 3000. Of the others, Stevens received 2990, Gordon Dixon 2985, -Coleman 2957, Wilber 2784, Rand 2749,. and James. 2574 (out of a possible 2650). Mr Hobbs's car was fitted up with a-' temporary body, • the original weight of 25cwt having been rcduccd to 18cwt, while tho luggage (which included two cases of naphtha) brought it up again to 20cwt. Mr Hobbs was. accompanied by one companion, and it says much for his car that,' on .reaching tho ground, it was running as smoothly as. when it first started on the long overland journey. Mrs Cox, 'who accompanied her husband, was the only lady competitor. Asked if she. felt any bettor as the result of the experience, the lady smilingly replied; 'T certainlv do not feel any the worse for it. Throughout it was most pleasant, and we wero splendidly treated. If "ladies' only know how enjoyable it'was going to be, I am confident a number would havo taken part." Mrs Cox, 'though heavily veiled, was considerably sunburnt. . Mr J. M. Arnott. who had tho misfortune to disable a wheel during the earlier stages of the contest, effected what is described as a uniquo repair. He bolted two stout boards crossways to the rim, so as. to form spokes, all the other spokes having been smashed. To show how effective the repair was. previous to its being' made word liad been sent to Albury to send'a. dray and tow the car back; but when the dray arrived the ear was ready for the roads again.'and on this wheel it travelled over 300 miles more towards Sydney. Then it happened to hit a bank, "and collapsed. Mr Arnott and his friend were both thrown into the road bv the second catastrophe. and till! latter was so unfortunate as to fracture his ankle. The deciding trial between . tho seven motors which scorcd full points in the reliability contest between Melbourne and Sydney took place on November 22, Tho test was a non-stop run to Medlow Bath, in the Blue Mountain's, ar.d back. The oars which started were;— Class D (heavy car?)— G. Hobbs's 18-28 horse-power Mercedes. Class B (lighter cars, up to 12 horsepower)— A.' Fauvcl's 12 horse-power Richard Brasier, W, Tarrant's 8 horse-power Tarrant, W. Grimwade's 10 horse-rower Argyll, W. B. Wilkinson's 10-12\liorse-power. Talbot, and / .T; Moffatt's 10 horsepower Do Dion. 'Class A (light cars)—S. Day's 8 horse-power De Dion. The journey was a trying one. The roads in places wcro of the worst description. Loose deep sand and blue metal rendered steering extremely difficult. Tho onlv car to drop out, of the contest as the result, of the run was A. Fauvel's Richard Brasier.. which met with a mishap on 'the return trip, and iravft up the contest. W. -Tarrant lost three points owing to an inadvertent throttling of the engine, but a loss of 10 points was 1 required to put any ear out of the race. The actual drivinir times wore:—Day, 7hrs SjJmin; Moffat, 6hrs 31jhnin; _ Hobbs, shrs 33min: Grimwade, 6brs 35min:' Tarrant, 6hrs 33min; Wilkinson, fihrs 35inin. THE COMPETITORS. The participants in the contest • were a composite hotly. First, there was "the trade"—men interested directly or indirectly in tho sale of motors. Many of them were originally interested in bicycles. Somo were even "eminent cyclists." Mr 0. B. Kcllow once won an Austral, and cvcling stars take to : motoring naturally, their jmkment of pace Iscing a great help. Then there were the drivers. With the encepfion of the three Frenchmen (the fttivcls and Mniliard, the last of whom participated jn the notorious. Parie-Bor-deanx race, when the authorities' interfered to stop the slaughter).'all have learned their art, ; 'in Australia. Keen-eyed, alert young fellows, full of ouaint lore of the road; thoir talk of carburetters, ignition, niar'u-ctos, radiators, gears, and .the like. Kipling's M'Andrcw, who knew every pulse of his engines, was their prototype. A faint sound away in the distance—miles away. Instantly the chauffeur enthusiast remarks, "Here conies tho De Dion," or "the Humher," or "tho Brasier," as tlio o.iso may be. "He's running on three cylinders; he's missing on the fourth," is. added a moment later, with other technical details and diagnoses of tho condition of the ear and engine. Thus the professionals: but some of the amateurs are equally quick of ear and intuition, and can tell, not only er.ch make of engine by its beat, but also the way it is being driven. As the contest went on some professed to be able to toll similarly which chauffeur was at the wheel. These amateurs wero of various callings—sometimes their fathers bad been in similar callings, and in the. case of tho sons it was "tho motor a-calling"— but not in all cases. We had hardy, well-to-do young squatters, like the motor cycling James and their kinsman Card,'who are reputed to indulge in kangaroo hunts on motor cycles. Then there were inheritors of well-known Melbourne business names like the Moffatts. The winner of the big car test hails from Stawell. and is reputed to be drawing something like. £500 a week from the famous Maedala mine—to be in the position of Iho Max Hoggenhiemer of Mr Huntley, who invited the obicct of his affections to "have some automibilses." 'Die smart young amateur who piloted the press car the greater part of the way has .a parent who is princinal owner of the Gladstone tin. mines. Then there, were professional'and business men. They all "hear the cars a-callin'," and it is easy to understand the fascination of that call once the joys of the road have been tasted. These enthusiasts, amateur and professional, talk "car" as much as the ,ncw golfer talks golf. You cannot do more than that.