MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 181, 28 April 1922, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By

"Clutch.”)

The Wellington Automobile Club. i A committee meeting of the Wellington Automobile Club was held on Monday at the office Of the secretary, Mr. H. J. Stott. There were present Messrs. C. M. Banks, B. L. Donne, W. Mantoll, S. G. Nathan, and S. H. Underwood. The secretary submitted a financial statement National Bank of New Zealand, credit £47 18s. 3d.; G.P.O. account, £273 'los. 6d.; and Government Inscribed Stock. £4OO. /The following now members were elected: —Coutts Bros., A. Turner, W. T. Mtick, Dr. E. G. Anderson, D. C. Waldio, C. A. Escott, Dr. H. M. Pigeon. A. Tyler, Dr. G. V. Anson, W. H. Tills. A. L. Johnson, Gardiner and March, W. J. Westwood. Correspondence was received from the Town Clerk, Wellington, stating that the council had decided to round off corners at. street intersections wherever possible, . and this would be done as opportunity permitted from time to time. With reference 'to parking places, the council stated that the suggestions contained in the club’s letter were receiving consideration, and that 'in response to the club’s request the council was authorising the erection of danger notices at the intersection of Ghuznee and Willis Streets warning drivers of vehicles to proceed slowly. The council also . stated that they could not see their way clear to approve of an alteration to the speed limit at Kaiwarra from 12 to 15 miles per hour, and pointed out that the limit of 12 miles per hour applied only to Kaiwarra, Ngahau- ’ ranga, and Petone railway crossing, and that on account of the cross traffic at Kaiwarra and owing to the narrow width of the street leading off the Hutt Road a speed of 12 miles was considered to be justifiable. In r sponse to the club i reqiiest that slowly-driven vehiclesßbe required to keep close to the left hand side of the road, this matter is receiving consideration. and the council’s decision will be advised later. With regard to the general complaint received from motorists of the Wellington district roads, the council reported that the statement conflicts considerably with information obtained from other motorists, and pointed out that ordinary water-bound • macadam roads could not compare with tarred road surfaces in Taranaki, and as a matter of faot owing to the hiU.V nature of the country many road surfaces could not be tarred in the same manner, as it would be impossible for horses to traverse sanfe.

Naplor-Cisbome Road. A. big improvement in travelling facilities on. the Gisborne-Napier Road in the comparatively near future is foreshadowed (states an exchange) ■ When the Public Works Department has completed the new road to the site selected for the traffic bridge over the Mohaka River, the car services will use this route, and will cut out the Mohaka township altogether, except in very fine weather. The road is expected to be completed in about three months’ time, and the Hawke s Bay -Motor Service is reported to be preparing char-a-bancs for use on the route. A stretch of about 15 miles of new road constructed by the Public Works Department between . Waikare and Willow Flat, gives an indication of the type of road that may be expected under the national highways scheme. The road, in the words of a motorist, is built like a railroad, and affords smooth going, where, on the old road, the cars received very severe "'handling.

A Bad Hill. , . i The only link between the Auckland and Taranaki Provinces, the lower Awakino Road, is in such a bad' state that the Te Kuiti and Taranaki Chambers of Commerce are taking actum to have the road completed as a matter of local and national necessity. Speaking of the road, the Te Kuiti \ “Chronicle” safys:—'-‘lt is ho exagderation to say that the state of the Taumathmaire hill—that mghtmarol to motorists, settlers, and others is indescribably bad. Nobody can have any conception of its dangers and difficulties who- has not actually been over it. Accidents occur there at frequent intervals, and if no fatalities are on I record, it is due more to the extraordinary luck that seems to attend motorists, than to the absence of risk. Only the other day a prominent resident of Awakino, and his wife and family, slid over a bank in a motorcar, and, after somersaulting several times landed in some bush about 100 feet down, and miraculously escaped death. Only three and a half miles remain to be completed, but there, is only one man engaged . on the job, where there should be eight, or even ten, commensurate with the extreme importance of the road 1 .” The president of the Te Kuiti Chamber has written to the Taranaki Chamber stating that this vital link between . the two most important provinces must be completed, and promising cooperation. The Taranaki Chamber has replied in encouraging terms, and now these two are combining to put the matter before the Minister of Public Works.

Motor-Cycle Racing. That motor-cyclo racing is on the advance every year kvas the opinion expressed by Mr. Arthur Spragg, treasurer of the New Zealand Auto Cycle Union, speaking at a recent gathering of the New Plymouth Motor Cycle Club. Mr. Spragg pointed out that since the last annual meeting of the union at Palmerston North four more clubs had been affiliated, namely, Feilding, Wairoa (Hawke’s Bay), Hastings, and Whakatane. There were 147 registered riders. Financially, iffio union was just clearing expenses, their aim being to build up the riders’ benevolent fund. The amount in hand for this object was £360. but he, for one, would not be satisfied till it reached a sum of, sav, £2OOO. Then they might be able to reduce the levy on prize money, which was adopted as a basis for the fund. 150 Miles an Hour! Many remarkable motoring records have been established from time to time on the beach at Daytona, Florida, U.S.A., but the latest is the most remarkable. A ' Norwegian, named Haugdahl, is reported to have driven a motor-car over a ten-mile stretch of this beach in the amazing time of 3niin. 56sec., which is equal to a mile in 23) seconds, or a pace of 153 miles an hour. The world’s record for one mile' flying start on the same beach is 23.7 seconds, put up by T. Milton (U.S.A.) in May, 1920. A Novel Oil-Filler. ' Although primarily intended for filling motor crank-cases with oil, the filler described below should bo equally useful for the lubrication of all kinds of machinery. It consists of a copper jug, holding two quarts, the mam feature of which is a flexible spout, leading from -in opening in the centre of a false bottom in too lower part of the jug, and thence through the side of. the jug, near the true bottom.' This spout, which is really a flexible pipe with a nozzle at the end of it, can Iqo turned about in any direction, and provision is made for holding it in position when it is not in use. The central aperture in the false bottom is provided with a valve fixed to one end of a little rocking fever, the other end of which is connected to a rod passing up the side of the jug to the top, where a button on the end of the rod ia conveniently

placed for the operator’s thumb. Normally the valve is Kept closed by a apiing, and nothing can flow into the spout; but -when this button is pressed down the valve is raised, and oil can flow* through the apertur.e in the false bottom into the spout. A strainer is fitted halfway clown the jug, which removes all impurities in the oil. With this appliance,, therefore, not only is the funnel eliminated, but the oil is strained and measured in one operation. French, Reliability Tost, The wonderful reliability .of the modern car was demonstrated in a 646-rnile sealed bonnet competition in

three stages from Paris to Nice, ocganised by the Automobile Club of Nice. Competitors in this event had practically every organ of their cars sealed up, and in addition seals were placed on the bonnet, it thus being necessary to make the run to Nico without doing anything on the ear other than filling up with petrol and oil. Of the sixteen starters representing all tyjX'S of cars, one fell out on the first stage, another met with an accident on the last stage, two others had to break their seals, and were penalised, am 1 twelve checked in at Nice with perfect Scores. The cars which reached Nice without any loss of points tooK part in a series of events extending over a couple of

weeks, and comprising a four-mile hill climb up the Turbie, speed on the level, braking, steering, and slow running.

Lighting-up time —To-day, 5.4 p.m. Next Friday, 4.54 p.m.