NOTES.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19463, 9 November 1928, Page 4

NOTES.

As no doubt hundreds of motorists will bo parking their cars in the Show Grounds to-day (People's Day) it should be remembered by them that in addition to the three entrances from Whiteleigh avenue vehicles may enter from the west side of the ground and leave tlieir cars near the. cattle pavilion. In England some enterprising coachbuiiders are making a feature of converting open touring car • bodies into up-to-date closed-in fabric saloons, thereby catering for the large number of motorists who prefer to thus modernise their still mechanically perfect automobiles rather than sacrifice them at a low trade-in price for new saloon cars. In this country there are no doubt many owners of open touring cars who would be pleased to convert over to the saloon body, if facilities were available for doing so at a moderate cost. There appears to be scope for a profitable business in this direction, should some up-to-date automobile body building plant care to specialise on modernising touring car bodies. The K.A.C. has now approximately three hundred road telephone boxes in various parts of England and Wales, and to encourage tire men in charge to keep them tidy and to male them ornaments rather than otherwise to the countryside, Sir Arthur Stanley, the chairman of the U.A.C., ■ has offered a challenge cup and cash prize for competition annually for the best-kept box. The age and situation of each box is taken into consideration, and, in addition, marks are awarded for the general cleanliness of the box and for the smartness of the .guide in attendance; for the display of general public information, viz., nearest doctor, hospital, fire brigade, police station, garage, etc.; for general efficiency of first-aid outfit and frr the immediate surroundings of the box; the latter, of course, including any general scheme of decoration with flowers, etc., that the guide may carry out. It is stated that orders from overseas are pouring into the offices of British makers, on the strength of preliminary notices of new models particularly suited to. work in the dominions. More than £40,000 000 worth o? British motor, cars have been sold I to agents, and one-third of that output is ' for Empire destinations. The symbolic signs whifeh the motor r'••ulation's require to be erected by local bodies to indicate curves, crossings, etc., were roundly condemned at a recent meeting of the executive of tlje North Island Mqtor Union. ''Absurd," ' "unnecessary," and "Causing hopeless confusion" were epithets applied to them. All the motor unions and associations, it was said, wer opposed tO' their erection, the Highways Board having had the provision inserted in the regulations with-, out the knowledge or consent of those bodies. "These un ted hieroglyphics are supposed to be in bhe interests of motorists,'? said . one member, "but if motorists are unanimous that they don't want them, why have them?" Some local bodies, it was stated, had been bluffed into erecting these signs, but others had not. It was decided to enter an emphatic protest against the signs.

"Not guilty,'? pleaded a motorcyclist in the Palmerston North Magistrate 's Court recently, when charged with having 110 tail-light on his motorcycle, telegraphs the "Post's" special correspondent. "I had a red roflector, and thought it was aa good as the tail-light," he added. The Magistrate: "You might, but others think it rotten. A red reflector is no excuse for not having a tail-light." Defendant: "I thought it was." The Magistrate: "Why should itf It seemß we are going to get this excuse a lot, but I must insist .oh motorist having, taillights. These. red reflectors are only an additional expej to motorists. I don't know how I would look upon a charge of having no red reflector, but so long as the tail-light* was going, I would probably throw it out."

More than 2 "00,000,000 passengers a e transported by motor 'buß in the United States within one year. Motor 'bus - lines of that country now cover more than twice the mileage of steam and electric roads combined. The figures give 635,609 miles for the buses, as compared with 297,094 miles for the railroads and trolleys. There are 44,836 'buses registered and used as common carriers, and 35,876 utilised in the transportation of children to and frdm school.

Traffic authorities and officials of motoring bodies in Australia are facing the problem of trying to reduce the number of fatal motor-car accidents. It is reported that the deaths last year were nearly 1000 and the great majority of them occurred in Sydney and . Melbourne. Besides this, more than' 10,000 people were injured. The numbe* of fatalities shows no sign of decreasing, and the record of motor accidents in the Australian Presß each Monday morning makes grim reading.

Three victories were achieved by riders of A.J.S. machines at a motorcycling meeting held at the Foxton Racecourse on October 22nd They were, as followsWhirokino Handicap, 6 laps—Pink; Foxton' Racing Club Handicap,. 10. laps—Kilmister; Marotiti Handicap, 7 laps—Bray.

FOUR YEARS' WORK. After four years' continuous work, a Reo Speed Waggon owned by T. J. Edmonds, Ltd. (Edmonds's Baking Powder) is receiving its first overhaul. Four years'_ uninterrupted service means a mighty lot in hard pounds shillings and pence for fche truck own er—just the reason why Reo sales are ever increasing. W. A. McLaren and Co., Ltd., 108 St. Asaph street, Christchurch, are direct factory representatives. _]