MOTORING

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20499, 18 March 1932, Page 6

MOTORING

"Roadster" invites articles and paragraphs of interest to motorists for this page. NOTES. Special arrangements have been made by the Railway Department to suit the convenience of motorists wishing to proceed to the West Coast for the Easter holidays. Trains taking motor-cars will run from Springfield to Otira on Thursday, Good Friday, Saturday, and Easter Monday, and cars may be trucked at Springfield to connect with them as follows: —Thursday, 11 a.m.; Good Friday, 7 a.m.; Saturday, 8.30 a.m.; Easter Monday, 8.30 a.m. The trains will depart from Springfield about three-quarters of an hour later. The Christchurch Corsair Motor Club will run to Kowai Ford on Sunday, leaving the corner of Moorhouse avenue and Colombo street at 9 a.m. (Standard Time). On the following Sunday, March 27th, the club will hold a run to Stewart's Gully, when the visiting Alhambra football team (Dunedin) will be entertained by a special motor sports programme. Autovap is the name of a new automatic live steam vapouriser for which great things arc claimed. It is controlled by a thermostat and operates by steam pressure as soon as the engine is started. The heat from the exhaust manifold operates the thermostat. Super-lieatcd steam and air mixed in the right proportions with the crude gases that form in the crankcase are drawn from the vapouriser by the suction stroke into the engine, giving pep and power to the engine. It controls and eliminates carbon, says the inventor, and gives 15 to 35 per cent, more mileage. The perennial argument as to whether women make worse drivers than men seems to have died down for the time being, but a curious little item of news, coming from Turkey, breaks fresh ground, and offers another subject for debate. Tho Municipal Council of Stamboul has just decrcod that all candidates for a driving license must be over 25 years of age and —married! Perhaps they consider in Turkey that the thought of a wife and possibly a family at home may lead a man to drive- more carefully. Maybe, but surely that very same thought is capable of making him drive recklessly out of sheer exasperation. The late Abdul Hamid was most certainly a married man, yet we have no evidence that he was a careful driver. Accidents resulting from punctured tyres have caused the Highway Depart' ment of tho State of Michigan (U.S.A.) to experiment with a magnetic machine to pick up pieces of metal from roads, j The machine, which consists of a rotary electro-magnet attached to tho back of a motor-truck, has been operating over the roads in Southern Michigan for almost a year with considerable success. We hear now and then startling stories of how cars depreciate in value (says the "Motor"). Here is one of a famous Mercedos car which was used during the World "War by the Archduke Frederick, Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarlan armies. In time dukes were three a penny, but he never put a value on archdukes. Anyway, this car was auctioned recently, and the highest bid was £1 17s 6d. It was withdrawn! Whether or not the yellow warning light in automatic signals is an unnecessary waste of time is being discussed by the Departmental Committee on Traffic Signs in England. . It is proposed to have all the main roads on tho Riviera coloured red, while ' the secondary roads are to be green or yellow. Tho necessity for pedestrians to look right and left before crossing the road is emphasised by the South Shields, England, Coroner, who says .that though pedestrians expect motorists to drive carefully, drivers are also entitled to ask pedestrians to use due care in crossing tho street. An Anjerionn filling station has a rieat way of advertising petrol' and oil.: "Wliot'o a Thirsty Engine Gets a Drink:'' Of recent years Riley cars have been the product of three separate organisations, The Riley Engine Company built tho t) lx.p. unit, whilst-the Midland Motor Body Company supplier) tho major portion of the coaChwork. Roth of these concerns ate now being taken over by Riley (Coventry), Ltd. A new automobile company has lieen forjned in Stockholm ■ to exploit a synchromesh gearbox wfth free-wheel and also a front-derive car. The contribution of Leeds to the English Road Fund this yoar amounts to £283,935, the number of car licenses taken out being 46,677. Tt is estimnted that there are over !X),000 fuel pumps in Great Britain. . The double-decker bus is not popular in U.S.A.

BY "ROADSTER."

SUNNY NELSON.

A BEACH HOLIDAY

CHRISTCHURCH MAN'S IMPRESSIONS.

One of tho most, pleasant districts ill the South Island in which to spend a holiday is Nelson, according to a Christchurch motorist, who recently made such a trip and who has supplied "Roadster" with some particulars concerning it. Leaving Christchurch at 1 o'clock one afternoon, the motorist, who was accompanied by his wife, got to Goose Bay in time for tea. The tent was soon erected and conditions made pleasant for a two days' sojourn there. Goose Bay is a pretty spot, one of the most beautiful coastal camping resorts between Christchurch and Blenheim in fact and is very popular with motorists. The next stop was made at the camping ground on the Grove road, Blenheim, where it was necessary to remain for three days owing to heavy rain setting in. Compared with some of the grounds available to motorists that at Blenheim is not in the first flight; consequently the tourist was not sorry when the weather improved and .lie was able to proceed to Nelson, where the camping ground on" the Reservoir Reserve is set in beautiful surroundings. Unfortunately just before arrival at Nelson there was a heavy downpour of rain, which made the prospects of camping on the damp ground anything but pleasant. However, there is a hut on the ground the use of which may be had for 2s 6d per night, and this was found to meet, the position satisfactorily. Tho Nolson ground is splendidly appointed. Electric lamps light the ground till 10 p.m. There is also a big dining shed and modern sanitation is provided. A two hours' run on the following day through the Taamnn district was found to bo very pleasant as tho apples in the orchards for which the district is famous were ready for picking and made a pretty sight. Arriving at the Motueka Beach, it was decided to halt hore for a 'few days, which were spent ,in glorious sunshine without a breath of wind. All the meals were eaten outsidq the tent, so mild was the weather, and so well sheltered is the district. The Motueka and Riwaka districts are noted for their productivity and as hop-pick-ing was commencing there was plenty of life in the • fields. From what the visitor was told by farmers it would appear that fewer hops have been grown thoro for some years than was previously tho case, and the truth of this was to be seen in the fact that many areas of land on which good returns were once recoived from hops were now growing tobacco, an industry which -is making great strides. One farmer stated that tobacco %vas saving the district from poverty. The leaf is grown under contract to New- Zealand companies. After a few days on the Motueka Beach the motorist drove to Pohara Beach, six miles from Takaka, and he described it as one of the most charging spots in the Dominion. He camped by the roadside which runs parallel with the beach, which is fringed with beautiful bnsh. Also in the Takaka district are the Onelcaka iron works, and the Golden Day cement works. A visit was also paid to the famous Pu Pu Springs, the largest fresh water springs in the world, before a return was made to the beach at Motueka. Tho Takaka Hill, to ascend which means a straight drive of ten miles up one side and a descent of seven miles down the other side, was done without any trouble, although care had to be taken on some of the bends, which are too narrow, and consequently need to be widened. So impressed was the Christchurch man with the Nelson district that it is his intention next year to go first of all to the West Coast and later stop on the Motueka Beach for some days' sun-bathing before returning to Christchurch.