NOTES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20469, 12 February 1932, Page 14

NOTES.

One o£ the Prince's economics 13 to ;_;ive up a big car in favour of a mora popular make of vehicle, similar to thousands of others at present on tho load. It is a Morris Isis in dark blue. 1 This lias a double advantage, as be- ! sides reducing costs it adds to tho Prince's chance of preserving privacy. The ear -will be used mainly for pri\ate motoring. Tho prevailing fashion in nomenclature is to call cars after snakes and j insects, and. aeroplanes after birds. Oil | land we have Hornets, Gnats, Midgets i (the dictionary, defines midget .as a jr. 111 all midge), vipers and scorpions. I 111 the air, the names are more romanj tic. Eagle, , Falcon, Condor, Haw.; have lent their, names to famous RollsUoyce engines. Now they are joined bj Kestrel and Buzzard, whose names nra used—by . Air. Ministry requestin place of the former designations l F" and "EI." The system of calling engines by letters was found to bo confusing. Names of birds ure not • only easier to remember, but they are | more suggestive of speed in the air. i Transmission requiring very, little.or | no manual effort to change gear is i seen to be the next logical develapi i.'iont by an American authority. The j Biitish-made pro-selective gear seems ; in fill this requirement. Several firms i ore experimenting with various mean; j to bring about the same result.

A questionnaire prepared by Humbc>r, Ltd., and sent out to 5000 owners of their cars in England, revealed that the average driver had 13 years' motoring experience, and that each had owned six cars during that period. The average annual mileage was 12,000, and there were 30 owners with experience dating back from 1891 to 1900.

Commenting on the danger of sidelights only, an English coroner says that motorists, . when coming to, a Ifrnd in country roads, - should have their headlights on and not merelj sidelights. Tbey are the best warning to people.

Mr A. F. Palmer. Phillips, sales director of Yauxhall and General Motors, Ltd., has been unanimously elected president of the Institute of the Motor Trade in Great Britain for 1832. The new vice-presidents include Sir Herbert Austin and Earl Howe.

A crow, befriended by a, Cologne taxi-diver two winters- ago, still remains at the cab rank used by its benefactor. It is said often to accompany the driver on his journeys, but should it appear that the journey is to be a .long one, it will hop olf tlio. cab . and fly back to the stand.

A Roman road in the Broads distiiet is to be restored to the public by the Norfolk County Council, after having been private property for the last 14C0 years. The Council is to repair it t'or traffic.

it is stated that members of the Poplar Rotary Club,, in London, hive placed their cars at the disposal !of the secretary of Poplar Hospital during business hours, to be used for c;ises. where injuries make it unwise or. impossible for. the patient to travel )!j a public vehicle.

.Motorists in England are advised r.ot to worry themselves as to whether automatic traffic signals are legal or otherwise. "While they operate they Must bo obeyed.

According to Captain' J. P. Black, the general manager . of, the Standard Motor Co., Ltd., Cover „ry, there are approximately 5400 parts in a modern car.

An M.G. Magna, finished in Earl Howe's racing colours, ha 3 been ordered by that well-known English sporting peer.

A super-cinema to be erected at Nottingham. in England, is to have a car park for 1000 vehicles.

Next year Hastings. England, will have what will probably be the finest underground garage in England, with accommodation for 300 or -ICO cars.

Cars registered in England for the ■first time in September last year aro 2-SSo fewer than in the corresponding month the previous year, the figures being 6295 for 193] and 9180 for 1930.

FORD IN RUSSIA

FACTORY AT NIJNI NOVGOROD. New . Zeatenders are uoi p. oner ally aware of the fact that Russia has a large factory located at Nijni Novgorod, w.hich is turning out Ford equipment assembled from parts obtained from the Detroit factory of the I'orcl Company. In May. ]930. Henry Ford signed a contract with tho Soviet Government, giving them manufacturing and patent rights, technical assistance, arid agreed to the training of Russian engineers in America. The contract included the supply of 7-1,000 completo units for assembly in Russia, the initial contract costing Russia in excess ox £6.000.000. It is stated that this tie'iv plant compares favourably in size and equipment with any plant of its kind in Europe, and that its capacity production should exceed ICO.CCO units per year. It is claimed that this plant, in conjunction with other Russian plants, will have a production capacity of S.OOO.CCO units by 1986