CAN YOU BEAT IT !

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 250, 21 October 1924, Page 12

CAN YOU BEAT IT !

JOHN BUIiL? COMES BACK.

1 The English car has enjoyed, since the very first', days of motoring, an enviable and well-deserved reputation for fine quality, finish, and superior stamina. During the last few years, with their country depressed and exhausted after its leading part in the Great War, English car manufacturers have been unable to keep pace with the tremendous output of foreign cars. As a consequence, motorists have become accustomed to seeing American and foreign cars figure prominently in the various track races and endurance tests. Now, however, the English car has come back. The demand for it increases every day; and in this connection motorists will be interested to hear of the meritorious performance of a standard ArmstrongSiddeley car in a recent reliability contest. This was the Royal Automobile Club's nine days' reliability touring contest, which, starting from Brisbane on September 20, embraced a tour of 1100 miles over rough roads and mountain ranges, in weather which varied from blinding heat to tropical downpours. Twenty-nine cars started in this gruelling contest. In the awarding of points, the judges took into consideration reliability, ipetrol consumption, acceleration, speed attained' in hill climb and "flying half-mile." The 30-horse-power-Armstrong-Siddeley car achieved third place in this great endurance trial, and the owner-driver had the honour of being awarded the Dunlop Cup for the best performance by a private member of the club. Mr. Henry, a member of the Executive Council of tlie Association of British Motor Manufacturers, is at present on a visit to New Zealand. Mr. Henry is optimistic ns to the future of the British manufacturer overseas. "Having travelled over 40.000 miles since leaving England last October," he says, "I am firmly convinced that British cars can and will, iii the future, be sold in j increasing numbers. It is an undoubted \ fact that, generally speaking, British ! motor manufacturers are now ollering j better value at lower prices than actu- I ally existed prior to 1914. although the ' cars have been improved, both in design and efficiency, and the equipment included is considerably greater than in pre-war days. Everyone knows that conditions prevailing in Britain at the end of the war prevented tlie immediate reestablishment of British motors in overseas countries, but to-day, the situation is vastly different. .Several British manufacturers are now displaying considerable alertness and enterprise, and it is gratifying to see that exports of British made motor cars for the first six months of 1924 have increased by 100 per cent over the corresponding period of 1921!."

SIX CARDINAL RULES FOR SAFE DRIVING. " I

1. Always keep your eyes open and your wits alert. 2. Always dr;ve a. you would wish others to drive. 3. Always ' keep yourself and yonr vehicle in safe driving order. 4. Always anticipate danger. * 5. Learn, give, and obey the recognised traffic signals. 6. Obey the law, in letter and spirit.

BEWARE OF THE CHILDREN.

"Drive at the slowest possible safe speed on streets in which any large number of children are playing. It is a known fact that youngsters become so engrossed in their play that they ofttimes forget to stop, look, and listen. And when you least expect it one may run right in front of your car and get pinned underneath the wheels.

SHOCK ABSORBERS.

Any car rated at 12 h.p. or less ranks as a small car nowadays. From motives of economy some owners of cars which approach this limit, and are heavy at that, have fitted the type of shockabsorber produced at a cut price to appeal to the impecunious owner of a light vehicle (says the "Auto Car"). In the small car class you will find vehicles rated at 7 h.p., and weighing a bare half ton, or even less; you will also find cars capable of over GO rn.h.p. and scaling two or three cwt over tlie ton. Some flimsy gadgets are iU u3 i V c; they will function quite well for a few weeks, but ere long the stresses will begin to tell. If the metal portions of the absorber possess a great reserve of strength, nothing will fracture, but the heart of the device—friction disc, or whatever it may be—will begin to disintegrate, and in any case the benefits will be less than they should be, as tlie device will require over-tightening to I take the stresses. Tt is well to spend j extra money and obtain a suitable device, especially if the car is fast as well as heavy.

THEi INSURANCE PROBLEM.

It may not be generally known (says the New Zealand "Times") that the fleet of about 600 motor cars owned by the General Post Office are not insured against fire. It is part of the duty of the Post and Telegraph Department to provide cars for other Departments, the use of the cars being debited to the Departments accordingly. These, together with the mail cars, go to make up a substantial fleet of about (100 cars, possibly of an average value of £200 to £300. The premium to insure these against fire would work out at something like £4 each, which on 000 cars would mean the substantial sum of _-2400 per annum. Tho Post and Telegraph Department lias been running cars for over ten y<*ars, and up to now has not lost a single car by fire. Assuming that over a period of ten years the Department had had in its possession an average of ">OO cars, it has effected a saving of £20,000. Even if the Department were to lose four cars by fire every year, it would still save money against paying insurance premiums.

STARTING SMALL SCREWS.

When working on small parts, such as the magneto, difficulty Is often experienced in starting the very small screws. It will 'ho found helpful t.o push these screws through a strip of paper, which forms a handle to hold the screw upright while it is being started with a screwdriver. When the screw is entered in the threads, the paper can be torn away and tho screw riui right home.