MOTORING

Evening Star, Issue 16911, 7 December 1918, Page 4

MOTORING

[By CARBtrnETTon.j

Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest are invited for this column. THE EPIDEMIC MASTERED. The epidemic has been mastered. After weeks of prodigious effort upon' tho pari of all kinds of workers, tho crisis has been reached and and now wo learn from those who are in a position to judge that tho influenza is steadily decreasing. Fewer fresh eases arc reported da, 7 by day. and more people arc recovering than there are being stricken down with it. Naturally tho darkening off has been noted bv the motor drivers. Some of them are enjoying once more tho luxury of an evening at home, while there is rarely the need for tho racing Mid rushing that was only too frequent during the previous week::.” Some of live car and cycle drivers hnvo stuck to tho work right through. Later on I hope to bo able to publish the names of all those motorists who gave bo freely their motors and their services too. But there are tno or two whose labors have not so far boon referred to, and who have rendered service whoso value can hardly bo estimated. Major Gairdnor, Captain Woodfield, and Mr Roy Stedman are three whoso names occur to me just- now. J know there aru others. There arc some motorists, too, whose work may never bo recorded. One heaps of numv a thoughtful act—taking out for a_;pin the nurses who have striven so bravely at tho risk of thoir lives to save the lives of others, taking homo convalescents, conveying relatives to and from the Hospital, and other similar kindnesses. Some folk often resented tho noise of tho “pleasure” motor, but during tho last few weeks, not only in our own City but throughout the length and breadth of our fair but stricken land, the sound of the motor drawing up in front has teen to many, many people like an answered prayer or a ray of hope when all seemed lost.

i But what a pleasure it lias been to ( convey a V.A.D. worker wit’ll a pair of ' blankets to a poor fellow who had his . throe loved ones down, and was sleeping ,on a couch, his only cpv-erimr an overcoat ; to take dainties to the suffering and food to those in want, lie would bo a .strange individual who did net realise then, ! if never before, that the truest happiness lis found in endeavoring to make other people happy. From the motorist's standpoint, however, j one can but view with alarm the sudden j lifting of so many of tho restrictions that [were imposed with the object of comj bating the influenza. Although mastered, it is not stamped out, and the action of tho Government health authorities seems to me to resemble tho action of a fire i brigade in leaving tho’scene of a Inure fire ! before their work was completed. Right from the beginning the Government scorn to have blundered. The Niagara and other boats were not quarantined. Then Auckland district was not isolated. The South Island might have remained immune. But i’o ! Trains must run and carry tho infectionl The fery service must be continued, and be hanged to the consequence;,! .-’aid so tho scourge continued its deadly progress south. It tori; the Government train? smith, travelled by boat to tho South Island, and continued its journey on the Government railways whei’ever they went, Unconsciously it may bo. the Government spread it. but it is "the private individual on the whole who has organised with hb fellows to stamp it out. In the latest figures showing American export of petrol it is interesting to note that, despite the scarcity of shipping. Australia, received from the United States more petrol for the 10 mouths ended Apri., lf'lß, than for tho corresponding period in 1917, the actual figures being 6,559.215 gal as against 6,123.220-ral. It is surprising to note that for the 1918 term Xe.v Zealand succeeded in obtaining 6,0C3,459g:d of petrol. As the Dominion only has about 7,000 cars and 3,000 motor cycles, compared with more tiian six times that number in Australia, Now Zealand has been well catered for in respect to automobile fuel supplies. Addressing a meeting in tho East M’dknds of workmen engaged in tho manufacture of tanks. Colonel rieolv, ALP., Deputy Minister of Munitions said ho spoke the literal truth when he declared that he a-nd hundreds of others with wham ha had been in action would certainly have been dead but for the tanks. Now tanka were being provided in thousands, and would i be insirnmerital in vtin- tho:l?amls -if ■

lives. With Ifco tanks nvailab’o casualties were relatively small. There was no doubt, that on a certain day the tanks saved Ami cub. The transport, work has not been without its mishaps. One of the most serviceable cars engaged in the work—the D.l.C.’s oar —was put out of commission. A V.A.D. worker, with more zeal than good sense* jumped into it and drove some lady workers out to a case in South Dunedin, while Air Trowern was in the bureau arranging for further trips. The ear was discovered in Alac-andnow road with differential damaged. The intricacies of the “gate” change, had caused tho driver to got into reverses at the wrong time. Cats are not built to stand that. Another car had its gears damaged, and had to be laid up some days for repairs, fit ill another was run into in the Octagon from behind, and in this case also the difteroniial^ was damaged. Probably tho lightest fourwheeler in Dunedin—a belt-driven cycle car—was out of commission through trouble in tho rear—either wheel or axle. Another engine seized, and a bearing melted. The record for punctures stands to the credit of a south-end Indian rider — three in one day.

Those in close touch with tho motor transport work in connection with tho bureaus know tho yeoman service that the motorists have rendered. Mr F. J. Carter, who ia an O.M.C. member and has been a motorist for some years, and as head of this department is in a position to speak concerning tho subject, asked me specially to express his appreciation of tho manner in which tho motorists have responded to the appeals for help-. Ladies as well as members of tho sterner sek, riders of solo motor cycles, drivers of sidecar outfits and cars—-ono and all have worked long and hard to cave tho lives of those who were stricken down. Mr Carter assures me that his work haa been made much lighter because of the roadiness and promptitude with which tho motorists have tackled their jobs. mho Victorian Motor Cycle Club hold their animal 100 miles reliability trial last Saturday week for tho Triumph and Isaacson Chips, over a triangular course. Unpleasant, showery weather had to be faced, but, despite this drawback, A3 contestants faced the journey. In several instances riders lost points fording creeks. Eleven riders succeeded in negotiating tho course without loss of points, the successful contestants being: E. 0. Tyler B.S.A. and sidecar). A. EL Sutton (5 h Indian solo), R. W. Dickison {6 J.A.P. solo), Q. F. Wright (7 Harloy-Davidson and sidecar), W. B. Clarke (7 Excelsior and sidecar), A. L. Dobson (7 Ifarley-Dnvidson and sidecar), S. G. M'Leod (7 Harloy-Davidson and sidecar), H. Pannach (7 Excelsior and sidecar), f. D. O’Connell (7 Excelsior and sidecar), J!. Eckhardt (7 Harloy-Davidson solo), J, W. Stabley (7 Harloy-Davidson solo). Tho winners of the Isaacson and '.I rinmph Cups for sidecars and soles respectively will bo determined at an early date. In the oarly days of motoring much interest and keen competition were evinced in tho motor reliability trials, organised over the Sydney-Melbourne route by tho Dunlop Rubber Company. Subsequent trials wore held in recent years, but owing to the contesting cars having developed into practically non-trouble, foolproof vehicles the individual factor became almost eliminated, and they fell short, from a sporting point of view, of the early events, in which skilful driving and knowledge played an important part. When all tho new European models embodying the experiences gained in four years’ war work come to hand there will bo keen anticipation amongst tons of thousands of Australian motorists as to vhat the latest models really mean in the way of advancement and economy. Wo are" at present all in the dark as to what automobile war experience is going to evolve, but that it will be widespread, varied, and of considerable vaJue to the industry and to the motoring public there is little doubt. With a view of demonstrating what the new war models cam do. the i>radon (Vim.

pany suggst that as soon as all the leading European car manufacturers are represented in this country with their new models, tho Automobile Clubs of Now South Wales and Victoria should organise a big inter-State reliability trial over the new coastal route between tho two capitals, Tho motoring community and the trade, would appreciate such a competition, as it would servo to prove what' advancement has been made in motor car construction. Tho Dunlop Company announce.that they will bo pleased to donate a 100-guinca “Victory Cup” for such a competition, if the clubs named will later on organise the event.