MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 220, 11 June 1920, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(by "Clutch.") Antiquated By-laws. "The motor by-laWs of tho city of Wellington are certainly very antiquate««l." remarked a local motorist to "Clutch" this ,weck. ."As far as it Has fen possible to make them the bylaws have . been -. directed., against • tha motorist, and some of ■hem were, drafted and passed' in tho: prehistoric days, wtien r it was customary'to. drive , cattlo through tho main streets of tho .city. We want new by-laws, and .the civio ■authorities should 'set about educating' the .public against the dangers of'modern street traffic. Motor traffic' has cwno to Wellington to stay,'and that fact should be-recognised. ■ The publio ought to be cdueatod, and it is the duty .firs council to see that .this is'done. ' At present, pedestrians cross "the streets" in any haphazard way, and, nine times out of ten, they do so because they are: ignorant of the dangers of motor traffic, ; There should be proper crossing' ■ places marked off in the streets whera the public could cross nt right angles, and thus eavo motorists a good'deal of nnxlet.v. Representations on ■ this and other matters' were made to " tho Bylaws Committee some time ago, and, what Has been done?—absolutely nothing.'. All we received waa civility.'aiifl that was'the'end of' it.." ; ' \ The "Safety First"-Campaign, : ' .Very shortly ' now. the .'.'safety first"..',, campaign, part of the propaganda of . the.. Wellington Automobile Club, will '.lie in actual progress, It is proposed that' nil' •mem'bers.of the club shall; have pasted on- the wind; screens; of their' cars large placards bearing; duch • warnings ,as.: "Pedestrians! Look right and left befora crossing, the road." "Pedestrians! ..Always. walk on the footpath," "Pedes-' trians! Pon't loiter on the' road." ' A-. live pedestrian is. '"-Ijetter than an inquest," "Look twice before you cross 'the. r.oad once," "Don't.get run over:.keep., out of the hospital." such vivid exhortations,.as .these.it is hoped to vince the general public Hint motor traffic really does possiss some dangei's, and. tlirit to get knocked down l>y, a motor-car is usually' a. costly business.for. one.or other, of' the ..sonistimes for both,.-Ahti-Glaro' Dovices.',.; The official committee '.appointed . 'in London to investigate tte flighting - of vehicles apparently does not . favour, tho. compulsory adoption- of .an anti-glare devic« on .rantor-car headlights. ...In an intorim ■ report--.it, advocated the. general limitation, of tire, power-of headlights 'mthwthnn -tho dimmer,, because an. antiglare device-.that .will eliminate, glare without at, the sanie time considerably, reducing the Efficiency of the lamn has :not..vet made its .anpearance. When, however, the .reduction cf lamp power is also accompanied by direct, economy, in current.'consumption-'a different-phase of the question;)?-entered pp.on, and,for that reason a device perfected; by .a Surrey (England) electrician : is of ■ spe-, cial interest. - 'briefly, it consists of a two- ■ way switch and a master switch conjunction .with' a twelv.e-volt lighting set); the'one'being mounted on, the. ste,er : ,- ing wheel and. tbie other on. the. dash; or. in any other convenient- place within easy reach of the driver. The principle of .. working the' device is that by means _of, a, sliding switch the number of cells from, which' the current flows to the lampa may be varied. The-switch passes oyer five terminals, by means of which the current pupplied- to-the; lamps may be of 2, 4, (1, 8, or 10 volts, while by cutting tho device entirely. out of action- bv .the master, switch- tWe-afull/ power- of tho, lamps is. given.. In operation the Mining twitch jf set to cupplv;the current thjit. the driver requires when .(lie lamps are not to-give full, output, as'whwi meeting traffic, or in- lighted tho ivmghf ares.. it; is claimed that six volts gives a useful driving light,--as with that, power it is. possible tn'.,sen one's why for a considerable. distance. " When' tho .;. car - is-, left standing after nightfall the '.switch is setnt tH) two-volt, position, giving just A sufficient, light'to 'satisfv law and ' psinr. veiT little .current.'-while > the,- ties'., vicfi ia' bo' cohslructetl~ that ■ thd tail lamp always'receives its full voltaße. of twelve,. : . bywhich the inventor: dnimed ■. tli. current consumption is equalised through; ont all'colls of'the .battery., -.■■ Jottings, . ~' . 1' ' 'The secretary of the .New. Zealand Automobile'' Union .(Mr.. W.. Beauchainp- !f ! Platts)..is. -visiting- Nelson, and Ma.rlboir.. ! oush, where he will deliver addresses t(V . representatives of the motor .association :on such 6ubiects as ' by-laws, motor. . taxation, legislation,, insurance,, and 'tie best policy for motorists to follow in the,. 'future. .Next week,'. Mr,. Beauchami)-;; Platts. win proceed on.a.similar mission !'to' the. Wairarapa,..and lata he will i vi«it Napier and 1 Auckland. ( .. , I The cycle-car, or liglit type of motor, ; ; is a vehicle that o,wcs its origm. and do?; : velopmcnt to England. 'From the earljest, days. of. motoring there; has'been a hankering among many motorists lor a_ . vehicle cowtue.tcd "on the simplest_ fos-' sihle" Tines, and'offering a comtot and reliability which,' if not entirely'on-'the.' same piano as 'those of the' high-powered,' fully-fledged touring car, would _at least satisfy-the'demands of those limited, to a . certain expenditure.' And the light, d&v ■ pendable type' of car is surely coming,,- : low in price and cost'of operation. :• .That the improvement of tho.highways f - is being stimulated by tho development of the motor' is- evident'from the activi- ' ues in air countries where motors are ! freelv used, but in none so much as in . tho United States, where, the dailv_ use of some 7,000.000 self-profiled-vehicles., is compelling the construction 1 and recoil- • vtrnotion of'highways all ow the land. •' Notwithstanding the advance made, only ' about 12- per cent. of '2V million miles of , rural roads in that country is surfaced or improved.- •• The State of- Indiana shows . Hie* jrrentost percentage of improved, highways, 42$ per cent, of its roads beips : surfaced. . ■ If all 'that is claimed for the new tyjis of- motor-tyre* non-,skid chain be true, it ■ iiriU-'confer a great'.boon on car users,. The device, which has been, patented in ; America, can scarcely be called a', chain.. ' The links, which afe interchangeable IP" .case of breakage,- are flat oh the tread or ; •running surface. The'link, being Usliapcd. fits over the tyre, and has'a cur- ' 'ru-ated surface of 2in.' square whero it touch** the roadi - Eitrai links can be fi'Vid or'can be'' detached in a momenit to meike 'the chain .fit any size of tyre. ; .When properly applied, the- chain ' is ' practically: noiseless. It acts, in as a tyre protector, and it is claimed" that when the chain and tyre are re-' ■ moved after a season's service the tyro will be in much th« same condition ...as when-the chain was-first applied. .-.ln oaso of puncture, tho tyre ntc-d not no- : cessarily bo repaired or replwec' immeili->-htaly. ' The broad links of fee cKam' make a smooth-running' surfare, and ,ihe . oar inav be driven to the nor. rest par- ■ ago .without ■ injury resulting- -y cither ■ tyre or rim. It is estimated tu't chain for a 80in. tyre will weigh ap-oxliuntcly J4lb. when -manufactured from mauo- ■ oblo cast-iron. It apparnntly ha»' 'been dlffc.nit .Iw British motor-cycle . manufacture.!?.and ' 'gometimes..for. expert,-riders,' to grasp., tho fnot that-small tyres,, on-mote''-cycles particularly, mean , rcvea riding:'in fact, we stjll see the fc«t of jjnglish makes, even up to i-h.p., fitted, with 2lin. rims.There is a cVinge.i coming, for a contributor to the "JfotorOvcle" (London/, who also is a: 1 expett.- . r idor, says;—"T. always netra.'f. ,-.ny statements which 'subsequent -iJivrienco proves to have ken wrong, :~.<i at present I am much, regretting the asper-.. sions which I olico uttered .aaainst 3in.. ; ' tvrw. 1 tried them .some years ago on ■■ fast machines, and formed the opinion that they rolled, (laterally) ia. speedy, coiner work,-unless tliev were inflated' too hard for comfort." The great majority of- • totor-c.vclists do not indulge in speed tv ork; as a-rule, thoy. desire oomfort: in fact, as the- above-quoted writer adds.: "the big tyres go half-war'towards the comfort of a spnnj, frame." Cyclists found out many yoart '~ ago that largo tyres were best for allround riding, and that it ■ib better to intercept, vibration before it reaches the frame than to' deal wifch it afterwards. liigliting-up time:—To-day, 1.28 p.m. Next liViday, 1-28 p.m. " ' '

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