MOTORING

Evening Star, Issue 16398, 14 April 1917, Page 11

MOTORING

[By CA’ownacTTOE.] Brief' accounts of Soliday trips, roads, and places of interest are invited for the column. Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest are invited for the column. Favored by splendid weather and good roads, a great number of motorists took advantage of the holidays to take trips in various directions. Both ou tho main roads and on practically all the,-more important branch roads north and smith motors seemed to abound. I do not remember ever seeing so many cars of all sorts and makes on the road. But with the motor cycle it is different. When one remembers how popular this typo of vehicle had become before the war- -a.d how many are still being purchased locally every week, it would seem but natural to expect to meet the motor cycle at every turn; but it is not so. On my run up to Roxburgh last Friday I did not meet more than a half-dozen motor cycles, while on the' other days I -believe I met or passed less. While at Roxburgh I met several enthusiastic motorists from Southland. While chatting with Mr R. P. Meek, of Invercargill, I was rather surprised to hear that the Southland Automobile Association bad ceased to exist. Mr Meek informed me that there was a big prospect of the association being resuscitated. It is indeed a groat pity that a district such as this, with so many motor vehicles of every description, and such splendid roads, should have no motor organisation. At a time when the upkeep of the roads weighs heavily upon local bodies, — City, suburban, and country —tho assistance that a motoring body, in a large and prosperous district such as Southland could give would bo very welcome and of material ad-’ vantage to these bodies. I will go further tnan this. At such a time, when so many men arc going to fight for the Empire, it is the duty of those who remain to co-operate in every possible manner to shoulder the burdens which must also remain and grow heavier. And one way in which the Southland motorists can co-operate is by reforming their association and seeking to emulate the actions of the Otago Motor Club in providing large sums towards tho construction and maintenance of roads in their province. The curtailment of the railway 'service is going to increase very largely the wear and tear on the roads of the Dominion, and the need for funds to maintain the roads will be correspondingly heavier; and while a motoring body has other aims than that of assisting in tho maintenance and construction of good roads, at such a time as this such work should bulk largely in the activities of these bodies.

In conversation with a well-known' Waimate motorist who has just returned from an extended trip through Britain, I gathered a few particulars of a new aeroplane that the Home authorities have brought out. The engine is a 500 h.p. Rolls-Royce, which develops sufficient power to carry five passengers—the pilot, the observer, a photographer, and two others in charge of machine guns. Possibly this is one of the new aeroplanes that is giving such splendid results ou the western front at the present time. The following new members of the club have recently been elected :—Dr Champtaloup, Messrs F. W. L. Pearce, W. A. Hamblett, A. P. Aldridge, A. Prestney, W. T. Shiel, J. Fletcher, J. Mallach, J. G. Power, J. Romison, T. T. Cuddie, C. Scott, W. B. Taverner, end A. A. Church. Just now the lower road to Portobello is being extensively metalled and. blinded with clay. On Thursday a local motorist informed me that he had just returned from Portobello, and that the road was extremely bad. The lain, which bad been fairly steady, had rendered the clay very treacherous for motor vehicles.

There was a time when most motorists, learning from the experience of old-time cyclists, used nail catchers for the purpose of preventing punctures in their tyres. They were usually in the form of chains pendant from the wings, or of a bridge of wire just clear of the tyre tread. In these days of electricity, however, one ingenious inventor has called upon the services of this form of energy to answer the same purpose—two electric magnets, energised from the lighting batteries, being carried in such position that each just precedes a front tyre, a little out of the line therewith, and in close proximity to the real surface. Nails, tacks, and all other pieces of iron and steel, it is assumed, will be attracted to the magnets, which, even if they do not pick them up, will lure them from in front of the tvres by reason of their being set slightly to one side. It is seen_ from a sketch that the arms carrjung the magnets are attached to the steering pivots so as to turn with the wheels in ; steering. . _ ,

was not without its motoring misnnps. >ear Wairongoa a new owner-driver ■managed' to mount a bank with his car, "which turned over ou its side. lio one was hurt, os far as I can gather. Mr Mitchell, a well-known .ocal rider, had the misfortune to break the front axle of his motor cycle in Manuka Gorge, and he and his passenger bad a weary job in getting the combination to Milton, and a wearier wait, while a new spindle was machined up. Another motorist, with a passenger on the carrier of his big twin, came to grief in rounding a bad bend between Lawrence and Beaumont. Mr G. Stenhouse had an unfortunate experience while riding from Owaka. When near Romahapa the bolts holding down one of the cylinders of his twin managed to work loose, with the result that the cylinder was blown oft and damaged beyond reoair.

Tansey’s Hotel (Roxburgh) has ‘been appointed the official hotel of the O.M.G. in that t own.

On the road to Lawrence there is a had rut just south of Gienore. The road through Manuka Gorge is rough. Just out of Beaumont three or four “ tanks ” would seem to have been having a trial of strength. Beyond’s Rae’s Junction the road is heinocovered with 9 or 12 inches of gravel, while further ou, most of the way to Roxburgh, one could wish that gravel were scarcer and dearer. Really, the local authorities fail to realise the value of the material they are using so plentifully. If they could send a few thousand tons by post towards the Waikouaiti county portion of the north road their donation would he thankfully received. The road from Rae’s Junction to Tapanui is' Splendid; but the track over the Conical Hills is passable only in dry weather, and not much of a place for motors even then. The Main South ” is in splendid order until some distance beyond Clinton, where a. mile or two of unbliuded metal, of the sharp and penetrating variety, is encountered. Beyond Waipahi, on the newly-formed section of the road, the metal is said to be very bad, and Southland motorists who had been over the road had some rather pungent remarks to make about the road.

There is great diversity of opinion in Dunedin as to the speed at which our trams travel. Many people believe that 15 or 13 miles per hour is the maximum. On Easter Monday I thought I would take the speed of a car myself. The car in question—a special travelling from St. Clair to the Post Office—passed me at a great pace, and 1 dis:oyered that my Singer had to notch 24 rules per hour to keep up with the tram, vhich ha_d_ then slowed" up slightly. As far is I could judge, the maximum speed was 13 m.p.b., and that was between two stoo« about a-quarter of a mile apart. In mentioning this to a well-known member of the

0.M.C., I was informed that Be bad known one travel at “35 ” per liour on life Main South road. As tha Yankees would say, this is some travelling, especially in a City where a poor motorist is lined “£3 and costs ” for

“racing” round a corner at over four miles per hour.

It is reported that the Ford Motor Company have purchased from the United States Steel Corporation sufficient material for tho construction of 1,000,000 cars during the 1917 fiscal year of the Ford Company. This is almost double the production for 1916, when 533,921 cars were turned out, and is more than twice as much as the Ford Company have turned out in 12 years up to 1915. fa the 13 years of their existence they have turned out 1,406,997 ears. Tho greatest production was reached in 1916, the number of cars produced this year being 225,708 more than for 1915. which in turn exceeded the 1914 output by 59,906 cars. The daily average output in 1916, based on 500 working days, was 1816 cars. As the 'Roads Committee have been instructed to go into the question of additional sign posts in the Tuapeka County, I would suggest that one should be erected at Eae’s Junction—"To Roxburgh” and “To Heriot.” At ,the cross roads, about three miles ou the Rue’s Junction side of Heriot and about half a mile from Crooks ton, another should be erected with the signs “ To Crookston,” “To Heriot,” “To Roxburgh.” I found the Tuapeka County ‘ fairly well served with direction signs; but Rac’s Junction has none, althougS it is a very' important junction, where the through traffic from Invercargill and the Tapamu district and from Dunedin and Lawrence to Roxburgh meet. At the other spot I took tho wrong turning, and had to travel a mile or two further.

The Chevrolet driven by Mr H. J. Ranger from Christchurch to Dunedin and back put up a sterling performance. The record of the times to various towns is as follows : —Left the Cathedral City at 2 a.m.; arrived at Ashburton 3.50, Timaru 5.45, Camara 7.40, Palmerston 8.55, Dunedin 10.34. Left Dunedin 11.41 a.m.: arrived Oamaru 2'.25 p-m., Timaru 4.15, Ashburton 6.15, Christchurch as the clock was striking 8. Gross time, 16 hours 54 minutes; actual travelling time, 15 hours 4 minutes; maximum speed/ 51 m.p.h., a large portion at 45—-average just on 29 miles per hour; petrol consumption, 81 gallons each way—average 29 m.p.g. Owing to fog the car, while going at a good pace, struck a bridge, bounded oif, and went through a barbed-wire fence, levelling down at least a chain of it before being pulled up. At Otaio more fog and another misfqrtuno, a water-race bridge being responsible. The approach to the bridge beiiw covered with a quantity of loose metal, tho car slewed round and crashed sideways the raffing of the bridge. On this side of the Kilmog the party stopped 10 minutes to replenish tho oil and petrol tanks and have a roadside meal. Ou arrival atDunedin tho seals were found intact when examined by Mr Jones. On the return journey, however, tho second gear had to bo used in ascending Hangman's Gully, as it vras found that the bend was too sharp to admit of sufficient speed being maintained l ° ascend this notorious spot. At Palmerston a horseshoe nail was picked tin, the breaking of tho seal of the tyre outfit/ Ihe omeial report of the examinntion of the car on arrival at Christchurch, according to the ’sun,’ was: “Gear seal broken; Tool box seal intact; tyro outfit intact; enffine running quietly; condition of tvfes general appearance of car good,” except for broken mudguard.