MOTOR TRANSPORT

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19853, 14 February 1930, Page 22

MOTOR TRANSPORT

Increasing Popularity VALUE TO THE'DOMINION j Almost everyone who can afford to do so owns a car these days and most of the remainder hope to be in that - happy position as soon as funds allow of it. Motoring has taken such a grip in New Zealand, that at the present time, the Dominion has a total registration of over 200,000 petrol-driven vehicles, and the number is increasing by leaps and bounds. In the Canterbury Province alone there, are over 40,000 motor-vehicles, and it is due to such competition that the railway and tramway transport systems are so hard to manage to-day. Between almost every centre there are motor services, which continue to grow, while the number of passengers carried by other means becomes steadily less. In several parts of the Dominion, steamer services which used once to be payable propositions, have been displaced by the. •motor land ; transport, and realising that over short distances the railways cannot hope to compete successfully against passenger and goods motor transport, the Government has declared that its policy to-day, so far as the railways are concerned, is not to construct any more branch lines, but to concentrate on the completion of trunk systems. In the Poverty Bay district, where there is no through railway, practically all the transport is done by the motor, and users of the roads there are familiar with the sight of lorries carrying live stock. It is safe to say that if motor transport were suddenly to be stopped, the Dominion would be paralysed. Yet, in spite of the great hold that motor transport has, there are people who are firmly of the opinion that the industry is as yet only in its infancy, and the tremendous strides that it has made here in the past twenty years would appear to justify their opinion. In the early days of motordom, to own a car was regarded to be a luxury to be indulged in by the few, but such is not the case to-day, when it is possible to purchase such a vehicle at a low figure. The novice who sets out to buy a car is often embarrassed in his choice. He will have the advice of many alleged experts, some telling him that such and such a make of car is the only one to suit his requirements, others assuring him that some other make of. car will, suit him. His confusion will be increased by the study, he .has given to numerous catalogues. Fortunately, however, all cars are reliable these days—rthesy have, to be in view of the fierce competition that exists. Put into a few words, the car he seeks should possess power, speed, sound brakes, comfort and reliability, while low petrol and oil consumption must be taken into consideration. A trial in a car will soon demonstrate its virtues, there being hills within a few miles of the. City—and roads, too—which will serve to, bring out any weaknesses. -What the' petrol and oil consumption are will have to be learned, but it should not be forgotten that Christchurch has the distinction of supplying fuel at a lower price than it is obtainable anywhere else in the Dominion. When buying a used car there is need for more care, as one finds it difficult in the majority Of cases to. learn just what kind of treatment the previous owner or owners have subjected it to, but if one gets the vehicle from a reputable firm, one cannot go far wrong in tikis respect. Tlie time was never more opportune for the purchase of a reliable used car than it is to-day.

5000 MEMBERS.

CANTERBURY AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION. LARGEST IN SOUTH ISLAND. The strongest motoring organisation in the South Island, the Canterbury Automobile Association, whose headquarters are in Worcester street, Christchurch, at present possesses a membership of over 5000, which it is confidently expected will shortly be increased very considerably thanks to th© membership campaign now being conducted. It was away back in 1903 that, the Association had its . inception, the first president being Sir Henry Wigram, after jvhom the Aerodrome at: Sockburn was named. It is interesting to.learn that the membership was once; a modest

27, and ib'is: a tribute to the zeal of those early - enthusiasts that the Association. ha§ grown to the position it occupies to-day. The success of the organisation has been due to the keen interest it has always taken in matters concerning the motorist, and go where one .•will in the province one is guided by the C.A.A. signposts, which are to be f6und. wherever there might be doubt as to the direction of any point it' is debited to reach. Not only in the country but in the City itself has the Association erected signs, many of them" in. the vicinity of schools, warning motorists of the likelihood of children suddenly running out on to the Toad.- At the last meeting of the Council of the Association, the secretary (Mr J. S. Hawkes) received instructions to communicate with the. City Council on the question of co-operating with the municipality in the erection or parking and other -signs, "with the object of assisting in bringing about a better control of traffic. The Association has also conferred from time to with the City Council on various matters concerning motoring, and •fi. 01 jS an ' se d deputations to confer With the Government on motoring legislation and allied quest-ions. Another activity of the Association iui3-been the organisation of an outing ror the .children attending the various orphanages in the City and suburbs, f ™ which the little ones look e n ery -T ear with the keenest delight. On such occasions the CanterSIW -l- 6 New Zealand Motor Xraders Association is always pleased Good wo rk Toll during the War period in the direction sLw f g WoUnded and invalided soldiers returning from the Front and transporting them, to. their homes, and next month the British Empire farmers touring party will be taken for a tr l . aroun 4 Banks Peninsula. Ihe increasing popularity of campinogrounds for motorists has not been lost sight of by the Association, which now has a chain of .such places throughout the oistnct. The best-appointed' S^r IS JH, whIC J? is situated at the Addington Show Grounds and which is conducted in conjunction with the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, but two others which might be mentioned are the sites at Goose Bay, near Kaikoura, and Hanmer, the latter of which was some little time ago purchased by the Association. Other Dominion 'motoring'-associa-tions have paid a great deal of attention to the patrol wherebv stranded motorists are given first aid by patrolmen in motor vehicles equipped with material for the purpose, and there has been some criticism of th 6 local organisation in this connexion. As was recently stated by the president of the Association (Mr F. W. Freeman), however, the Association

lias for five years had an ouUrf-doon representative on the road in'.a m carrying the C.A.A. sign and.eqnipprf for such a purpose, although he lm no fixed "beat," and,; an extension <J the system is at. present under odw sideration. There is one matter in which Association stands in a unique positi® so far as motor organisations in tin Dominion are concerned. Thig-is tk possession of clubrooms. where jaeis. bers and visitors from sister organia. t'oiLs may attend. The secreteM office is on the grounds floor, on which is also situated a hall for social gatiw. irrgs and meetings, and on the second floor is a commodious lounge, readiat and writing-room, a; billiards-rom buffet, and dining-room. The Association does : juch good work on behalf of the motoring fraternity and its annual subscription is so rea. sonable that there is every reason to believe that it will continue-to M 4 the proud position 'which it at present occupies. |:

MOTORING IN (BRITAIN,

WHAT STATISTICS SHOW. Statistics in connexion: with the British motor industry, recently issued bf the Society of Motor i JlanufactaierJ and Traders (England),;are interest** We find, for instance,; that m bre " Britain there is one private ear every 50.1 individuals and one to e* 23 if all kinds of motor vehicles «» included. ; ■ . , ' „ Over 93J per cent, of are used all the year round, the distance travelled being 6000 miles* 7®" average horse-power is 13;71, which on again proves the popularity of the car. A total of 253,009,800 petrol was used by private cars ia and the passenger miles twelve months numbered: 10,120,39 , The average tax paid in respect o motor vehicles other than motor-cy is in Great Britain £2B, as coffljpW™ with £5.3 in U.S.A., £16.7, in Pra^ £13.9 in Germany, and £O.l m Cw*<> Expenditure on 178.914; miles °f was £55.156,916 in 1925-20 the laslt y for which figures are available. Of vast sum £16,165,223 came out o Eoad Fund. . -j Last year 211,877 private car ® commercial vehicles were, built in Britain, and 254,150 workpeople hand directly in building tkcnv _ interesting to learn that 160,30j Pv vate ears were constructed in , l pj, factories in 1928. The efforts- o , tish car makers to reduce produ _ costs is shown by the price of which in 1914 would have sold at is to-day £80.2, assuming the value money to be the same in the two Even when allowance * or .v. fall in the value of money slßce leW war, prices to-day are 25 per cen ' tV than they were in 1914—a wonOtestimonial' to the industry. NEW DOUBLE-ACTING DOOR. An interesting innovation in coaehwork has been made in mention, of: a door which g a^ oor to both front and rear seats. " has a handle and lock on each si > well as a means of hinging, so, OJJ t may open the door on either tne or hind pillar, according to one wishes to enter the front or seat. It is understood that *"6 °P. tion of one. handle ■ engages the on the other side, and when thejl is closed it is locked on both (