MOTORING

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20085, 14 November 1930, Page 4

MOTORING

"Roadster" invites articles' and paragraphs of interest to motorists for tfcis page.

MOTOR. . As' was .shown by figures published in this column, '.ic^yJuh& :S?Qtl», there were:. no . fei»er ttr.m 172 -. fatal motor accidentsrMpvdtjci in the pdmjnron for the tear endod Maieli 31st, 1930, involving the deaths of 186 persons. Impressive, though thasa -totals are, they fall into instgiuilcanoQ beeida those of the United States. In 1929' no fewer than 81,000 people were killed as 'ft result of motor accidents in America, -this- being equal to U3-8 per ocnt. of all traffic fatalities. in the States. Besides this, about 1,'000,000 people were injured, the money loss involved amounting to the vast sum of £170,000,000 An even greater increase over the figures of 1928 by 1929 arc shown in .those for the first four months of the present year, when compared with returns in respect of the corresponding mouths of last year. It would appear, therefore, that* the maximum figures have still to be attained. From 1920 to the first half of this year, motor-cars have been responsible lor the deaths of 190,850 persons in the United States, a figure greatly in excess of th© population of Christehurch. Of these fatal accidents nearly halt occurred during the past three years. The figures for last year represent an increase of 10.8 per cent, on those of 1928, and an inctGnso of X 47' per cent, on those of nine years ago. About 15 per cent, of the fatal accidents East year were ascribed to defective cars and about 55 per cent were set down to pedestrians being struck by motor vehicles.. Another interesting feature of the figures was that mora than half of the accidents .took place at street intersections. BRITISH MOTOR INDUSTRY. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders have decided to issue their annual summary, known as the "Motor Industry of Great Britain," in May of eaefi year, beginning next year. Hitherto it has been piiblished in October. In order to bridge the transition period, .the Society has just issued a booklet (British Motor Industry: Summary, 1930), in which the more significant tables are given in the familiar form. It is a valuable ! guide for all concerned, For instance, i it shows to what a remarkable extent | the output of British cars has increased during tha past twenty years. In 1919 only 11,000. cars and commercial motors wero manufactured in Great Britain; last year the total was 238,805, of which 182,347 were private ©lira. As showing how modern methods and' machinery have reduced the amount of labour required to produce a given number of cars, it can be said that _ twenty years ago six men were I required to make one car every year; now the number of employees is not greatly in excess of the number of motor vehicles manufactured. On the other band, the average wage of •killed and unskilled men in" the industry increased from approximately 41s week in 193 4 to 81s 6d per weak last year. , Tha output of. British motor vehicles in 1929 totalled 238.805, of which 152.3C7 were private cars and 58,459 commercial vehicles The figures for 1988 were 211,877. of Which 165.352 were private cars. . The..total number of motor vehicles exported from the United Kingdom in 1929 was 42,021 pf a total value of £8,439,157, «ComwHh 5«,777 vehicles of the value .year. Not from America this time, but from Britain comes an account vouched for by an authority of an invention which 'it *W claimed pill improve the efficiency of an engine, and enable it to run for its entire life without decarbonmtion. The invention is nothing less than a device which allows , water to be used in oonjuction with netrol for fuel purposes, both liquids o»ins drawn from the same tank. Inscribing the device, "Dhiltern,'' the motoring correspondent of the -'News Chronicle" writes that ho has seen iu working on a car, which did not only waafc it Was claimed to do, but did it I before the greatest, engineering brains of Great Britain and America, the wifcnewes signing documents vouching for its results. On a fuel mixture of half paraffin and half No. S commercial spirit, _ the devioe gives to the oar fitted with it an increase in maximum speed, a big Saving in lubrica- . lion, oil consumption, and 100 per ■ oont. economv in miles per gallon of ; fnitl, the exact figures being 28 miles p«r gallon as against 14 ipiles per gallon with No. 1 spirit. After what lie has seen, "Chilfcern" is prepared to back up the established claim of tha inventor, Mr Robert Wood, of I»axey (Isle of Man), a Scottish scientist and a locomotive engin- ' ©er of the highest attainments, that all motor* fitted with the device will produce more 1 power, have less carbon deposit and less sparking plug and ■ ignition trouble. • The mechanism producing all the&o established wonders ■is a small device, which can be fitted in halt an hour by an.average mechanic to any car. One valve joint is fixed in the' exhaust manifold. a second to the header tank of the radiator, and a third to the induction pipe on the engine side of the carburettor. Its operation is simplicity itself. In tho header tank of the radiator in all earn, after the engine haa been running, is uteam, Thin ateatn is sncked through the valve, passes through a metal barrel condenser no larger than the wooden reel of ft twopenny reel Of ;eotton. and then travels by a short pine to a super-heater, ih: length and diameter no longer than an ordinary fount(iin-pon barrel. _ This - superheated steam passes with the fuel intotb<\ combustion chamber, and naturally, en contact, Hants it and smashes it up into an almost perfect state of atnmlsntion. ' The effect was such perfect combustion, together with the sealing of th» piston -ringi. that the car concerned had run ten vears without deenrbonisatfon. The pluses were completely free ' from. <arbon. and the piatdlt rings were as free from stickin?! as when the engine was-new. The sealing of the piston rings is explained by a Certain Quantity of the water in the steam-saturated gas falling on to the top of the piston and down the cvlinder wal]s t.e the rings and nn(? grooves. The first tests were made by usmo: in the encrine sumn a mixture of half water and half lubricating oil. It was at, once found, that enhanced efficiency promised nyl) farreaching results'that botb_ Britain and America treated it ai a military secret of the first magnitude.

BY "ROADSTER."

NOTES.

According to Mr Frank Pick, general manager of the Underground group, the construction of & 11 cChßf" ing Cross Bridge would relieve the Strand of 501 omnibuses passing each way every day and ; would / relieve Whitehall of 372 omnibuses each a day.

An- outstanding feature in the, British Board of Trade .Returns is the reduction in the v&lit© of imported motor vehicles and parts in July ®f £504.001. and in the seven months of £2,247,139.

The New Haven, County Automobile Club (U.S.A.) has introduced and IS testing out a, system of .traffic patrols with.;. machines and • telephones modelled on the system introduced by •the English A.A. in 1905...

According to the lateest statistics of the number of motor vehicles in all countries, Sweden takes the sixth place in Europe. England conies first with 1,370,711, then France with 1,« 265,841, Germany with 609,030; Italy with 230,509, Spain with 178.176, and Sweden sixth, with 144,519 motor vehicles.

- It is understood that cf?nsterntttio»>; has been caused among American car manufacturers by the announcement that the Italian Government has decided to increase the import duty on cars by 110 to 130 per cent. It is believed that the heavy duties are a form of retaliation against the new American tariff schedule.

A new company is to be formed, subject to negotiations being successfully concluded, by the Fort} Motor Car Company, of Italy, nitd the Isotta Prasehini* Convpany, with a approximately £1,100,000, the Ford concern holding 49 per cent, of the shares. It is anid that cars manufactured by the new company will bo sold for about £l7O each.

Progrew in the direction of easier car maintenance is being made, but it is deplorably slow, says the "Light Oar and Cyclooar." A formidable array of grease nipples still faces the man who buys a current model. Floorboards still have to bo lifted in order to grease certain parts and quick-fill gearbo.xoa and back axles fitted with some simple level-indicating device are still conspicuous by their absence. The reason for all this probably lies in the fact that price competition has never been fiercer. Manufacturers with the most advanced ideas hang back when it comes to adding even a flvo-pound note to the purchase price of a car; they overlook that section of the public which irtrould. be willing to pay. In the old days buyers had a choice of two models, the standard and the dc luxe. Allowing for the complications which might arise, were the machinery of mass production to bo interfered with, would it not still be possible to offer an alternative notrouble de luxe model at a higher figure?

It is not likely that any experiments will be carried out with the new electrical signalling apparatus which has been installed at the corner of Colombo and Cashel streets. To do so at present whon there are so many visitors in the City would result in confusion.

The Rjccarton road, from Hospital Corner to Deans avenue is in such a bad state at present that motorists proceeding from the City ■ to the Show Grounds, the trotting ground, or the Riqcftrton Racecourse would be well advised to take an alternative route, On« of the best of these is by way of the new Carlton Bridge and along the North Park toad, which joins the Riecarton road at Peana avenue. Another alternative route which is availed of to a considerable extent is the Lincoln road as far as the Sunnyside Mental Hospital, when a turn should bo made to the right, the ' Ricoartpn road being picked up near Church Corner.

One of the nastiest pinches of steep road close to ChristchurcH is the Taylor's Mistake road, particularly near the beach. It has recently been improved, but at present .is unmetalled, and there is a very sharp bend to be taken before reaching the lovel of the beach.

A good examplo of what a road in the City should net tya like i» to be seen in Deans avenue, between Moorhouao avenue and Riccarton road. There are hundreds of huge potholes to be traversed, and the result is a, lnost uncomfortable drive.

A resolution {igainst construction of roads for motor trafita nas been adoped at the joint meeting of representatives of the German motor industry, the Committee of German Municipalities and other interested. parties. The yield from motor driving lioenses in England in 1929-80 was approximately £725,000. and fines for motoring brought in £175,000. A license drive either motor-car o* 1 cycle in England Oosts ss.

It has been estimated that £20,000,000 will be spent on road construction and improvement in England during the next five years.

The new French Customs tariff "Will -not impose increased financial obligations upon British motorists who wish to tour in France. The arrangements for the issue of triptyquea and other Customs documents remain the same, and members of the English A.A. ean arrange guarantees with the Association, removing the need for heavy cash deposits.

During 1029 the automobile firms of America paid the railway eomp<inios £88,760.000 for transporting oars and spare parts.

The countries with the smallest number of motor vehicles in use are Spitsbergen, with one motor-truck, and Bermuda, with ten trucks, but no private cars.

According to the latest statistics of the number of motor vehicles in all Counries, Sweden takes the sixth place ih Europe. England comes first with 1.870,711. then France with 1.265,841, Germany with 009,030. Italy with 230,509. Spain with 178,176, and Sweden sixth with 144,519 motor vehicles.