WORLD'S MOTOR VEHICLES.

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 104, 3 May 1924, Page 23

WORLD'S MOTOR VEHICLES.

Through the CQurt.esy. of the cdi.tor of "Autoinptiye Industries," "The'Eadiator,"_ 'journal of' the' Motor Trade Association, publishes motor statistics of f,li,e -world for the year 1923. These, statistics, which are ."compiled annually "by "Autdmptiye Industries"" at great tro'ut^l.e aiid expense,, are 'of great iut|y'est and -importance, to" all 'those' connected wjth motor '.transport". "The publication of these, statistics so. soon after"" the close of-the year under reyiew is -a' veritabie triumph pf 'organisation; when it is considered that data'luis 'to be collected from.more, flia.ii" 100 'countries spread over the face pf.the globe. ' _ Isew Zealand has gone'up a step and is now, t\yelf.th on the.ljst, having displaced S.9UUI Africa", which" occupied that position the ' previous. year. '" " •"' ■ The total "number-of inotbiv-ypliicles has increased from U§ millions in" 1922 to I.Bj milliQns in J923, an" iiicre.ase' of' 23.8 p.er cent: The" immense" increase" in .sales pf cars' in the United States pf - Ajn?.r.ica in 1923 was lppked'on' by jnanufacturers ..as phenpjn.enal,' but. the 'statistics show that' sales in .other coii'iu tries have fully "kept "up the remarkable pa.cc.set by, the United States." "The perfceiitage increase of registrations in other parts of the \yorld "was. in reality somewhat greater than'jn the United States. ; Of :>the world's; .total of ■' cars " and trucks 83.6 per "cent belong to the' United btatesof Amerjea, the hpldings of all. the resf'of thoN wprjd • combined amounthig to oijly .16.4 percent.', showing what a tremendous lead on mptor transport is bel,d"by the"United States of Anierica. The.position'in' regard to motpr-cycles: is quite" different?'"'•'The' number' of, mpt,pr.-cycles in Europe '. is about..44 times greater than-"in the United States of America. '" ■"

A- trouble not at all uncommon on high-tension magnetos is that .of the contact breaker .arm becoming fast on the small spindle on which it rocks. This arm .is bushed with a small fibrebearing. '■ If .tlie magneto' has got damp at all, the fibre tends to swell- and bind on the spindle," pr the spindle becomes -corroded ' and sticks 'in "the bush. In:either case, the'rocker arm remains pp.en, .and' tlie magneto "ceases' fire. ',The remedy is.tp reamer out the bush, with a small' round filel '" -,'■ '' Another cause of "trouble, particufarly in. starting, is . the"sticking up of the carbon, brush, which takes the current, from tlie slip ring. 'If' there "is any wear in thp armature' bearings there will' be a slight up-and-dpwn mbyement, so that tlie" b. rush "remains 'fast at the highest, and does not"'touch at the low.es* ppint. The cun-ent wpuld jump "the gap at high speeds but "not at hand-:eranking .speeds. ."■";■' ' . -■