COURTESY FIRST.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 119, 22 May 1928, Page 16

COURTESY FIRST.

MODEL POLICE LETTER.

BIRMINGHAM'S METHODS.

Courtesy is the strong point of the police in Birmingham. Here is a sample of the letters they write to law-breaking motorists:—

"Dear Sir, —You have been reported by one of my officers for allowing your motor car to stand on the carriageway in Union Street, causing an unnecessary obstruction for 50 minutes, from 10.5 a.m. till 10.55 a.m., Friday, January 20, 1928.

"I have to point out to you:—(1) That an obstruction such as this in a street in the centre of the city is injurious to the public interest; (2) that during the time in question the person in charge of the car could not be found; (3) that this street is not one in which parking of motor cars is permitted. "I do not wish to be unduly hard in the matter, or to prevent you from doing legitimate business in the. city, but 1 shall be pleased to receive your assurance that under similar circumstances, in future, you will make other arrangements for your car, either by garaging it, or by placing it on a parking station, if for a short period only. The location of such parking stations can be obtained from any police officer in the city.

'If this assurance is forthcoming, I shall on this occasion register a caution against you and shall not institute proceedings. Your reply will oblige."

WHEW WASHING CARS. WATER SHOULD FLOW, NOT SPURT. The modern car, treated with new paint and polish, should be washed immediately after it has become dirty. If mud is allowed to remain on the varnished surface more than a day it is difficult to eradicate it. For the washing plain water should be used, neither too hot nor too cold, about 50 degrees F. being the proper temperature. A large sponge soaked in clear water, and then sopped against the sufrace so that the -water trickles down is best.

Never turn a stream of water at high pressure on the body. This will grind thick particles of sand and other grit into the varnish to the detriment of the finish. The idea is to float the mud or dirt off the surface. Soap should never be used on the body, except for removing grease or oil spots. A small piece of soft cloth, well covered with castile soapsuds serves very well to remove grease from the panels.

The hood should never be "washed while it is hot, as this will result in discoloration. In cleaning the radiator, send a stream of water from the rear instead of the front, to keep the moisture out of the mechanism. . In drying the body a clean chamois-skin should be used, rubbing being done in straight lines. t If spots of tar or road oil are found on the body, it is best to treat them with butter. The butter softens the deposit so that it may be wiped off easily.

MOTORING AT A HALFPENNY A MILE. Although much is said and written at times concerning the'economy of motor car travel very few actual demonstrations of it have been made that are convincing to the non-motoring public, says the "Field." Consequently the recent achievement of a 10 h.p. Rover saloon car driven by two sisters to illustrate the matter is worth noting. This car was put into the hands of the R.A.C. Trials Committee for official observahce, and so the result is beyond any dispute. The idea was to determine how far it could be driven at an expenditure of £5 —that is to say for running expenses and not inclusive of what we may call standing or overhead charges, such as road tax, insurance and depreciation. The result was a total of 2149 miles, with an approximate daily distance of 180 miles. That would have been materially increased but for bad luck in the shape of failure of a shock absorber and a seat strap, the repairs, of which cost 14/3, and in the hands of a private owner would have been covered by the makers' guarantee, so that it might well have been ignored. The selected route began at London, ran up to the Midlands and on to Hull, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Edinburgh and Stirling, returning to London via Carlisle, Liverpool, Chester and Shrewsbury. That such a journey should be possible in the comfort of a saloon at the cost of a shade more than a halfpenny per mile for three persons amply justifies the claim that motoring is cheaper than walking. BRIGHTER CARS. A writer in "Th* Autocar" recently refers to the fashion for having cars painted in two colours, ane avers that we shall soon progress from two colours to, three, and from three shades to jazz patterns and odd stripes. He makes the bold suggestion that men may ewhe to having their cars painted in old school or club colours.