MOTORING AND MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 19848, 23 April 1928, Page 15

MOTORING AND MOTORISTS

(Continued from page 14.) UGLY SIGNS. Speaking as the guest at luncheon on the last day ol the World Motor Congress at Olympia, the Right Hon. Wilfred Ashley, M.P., Minister ol Transport, made some pointed remarks concerning ugly advertisements which disfigure the countryside. “The proper place for advertisements,” he said, ‘‘ was in the columns of the newspapers Whether or not that view will be endorsed, it will not be denied that the proper place for glaring and manycoloured advertisements is certainly not where they mar and blast the scenery.” As the Minister of Transport rightK said, people want to see this beautiful old England and not advertisements. Disfigurement of the countryside has been so generally condemned by the. Press and in official quarters that no mere claim that it is a commercial necessity can justify it. The public, although largely inarticulate, revel; at it, and the effect of advertising that offends the public sense of fitness must bo negative. WHERE THE CARS COME FROM KEY TO NEW NUMBERS. Motorists who are curious to know what locality cars and motor mycics met on the road hail from can get a duo to this by comparing the figures on the number plates with those in the tables below. In these tables tho allocation of the new season’s numbers to the eighteen postal districts in tho dominion is given, and thus in a general way the region from which a car comes is indicated by its number. In addition to the numbers given below there arc separate series for dealers’ cars, dealers’ cycles, lorries, trailore, and tax-exempt road-making vehicles (“ E” plates). For the latter it is interesting to note that the numbers allotted total J,IOU. Tho allotment of numbers is expected to suffice for ten months. As this year’s plates will bo worn for fourteen months, additional numbers will probably he required in the latter part of the period, and these will be allotted as required,_ so that numbers higher than those given below may bo seen on the road later in tho year. For tho time being the position is that any car with a number not above 94-600 hails from the North Island, and any car wdth a number above that comes from the South Island. In the old days, with 157 registration districts,' "it was, of course, possible to pick the homo town of any motor vehicle encountered on the road, but now it is only possible to tell from which one of the ten postal districts in the North Island'and eight in the South Island it hails. The numbers allocated "to the various postal districts are as under:-

i™ CYCUHG A varied and interesting (route has been mapped out for next week’s paper chase. The start will take place from the club rooms, at 2 o’clock, riders proceeding via Stuart street and the Main Highway, at the far end of which the trail will be_ picked up. Afternoon tea will be obtainable en route. A 1 Iniombers who can do so are requested ,to bring pillion passengers with them. The committee lias had under consideration the running of a sporting trial, and with this object in view it has been trying out several routes, but has not as yot decided upon a suitable one. Route cards will boused, and competitors will bo judged upon their riding ability and the performance of their respective machines.

HERE AND THERE It is announced that the new Ford will be on display in Dunedin on or about May 16. The principal countries to which British cars were exported in 1927 were Australia: 11,94-3 chassis, value £1,593,806, and 711 cars, value £265,980; total, £1,859,786. India: 3,205 cars, value £729,882. Irish Free State: 2,336 cars, value £466,893. Straits Settlements and Federated Malav States; 1,870 cars, valued £350,564. Now Zealand: 1,572 cars, valued at £316,062. British South Africa: 1,593, valued at £304,711. Other countries: 4,853 cars, valued at £1,095,024; 2,190 chassis, value £481,366. * * * * The contacts of the electric starter switch should bo periodically examined as they arc liable to become pitted through the sparking which takes place each time the circuit is broken. » ♦ ♦ * Two Canadians are reported to have driven a ear 3,000 miles without petrol. They pretended to have broken down, and goj; successive tows from town, to town, * * * * A London Police Court witness told the magistrate recently that “ her husband was so clever a salesman that be could sell a Ford car to each of the ‘Four Horsemen of the Apocalypsc.’ ” , * * * * A glass breastplate has been designed to protect horses on highways at night. The new glass has no light of its own to illuminate it, but flashes into vivid reel, green, amber, or crystal when light strikes it from any angle, « * » ■ We have heard of the woman who lived in a shoe, And had children so many she knew not what to do; Her troubles were grievous, but pity those who Carrv nine or ten kids in a car built for two.

CAR NUMBERS. Auckland 1 to 24—800 Thames ... . . 24—801 to 28-800 Hamilton ... . . 28—801 to 39—600 Gisborne ... . . 69—601 to 43—400 Napier ... . . 46—401 to 52—800 New Plymouth 52—801 to 61-600 Wanganui ... . . 61—601 to 68—200 Palmerston North 63—201 to 77-700 Wellington . 77—701 to 94—600 Blenheim ... . . 9-4—601 to 96-500 Nelson , ... . . 96—501 to 99—300 Westpbrt ... . . 99-601 to 99—900 Grey mouth . 99—901 to 101—500 Christchurch . 101—501 to 122—400 Timaru ... . . 122—401 to 128—600 Oamaru ... . . 128—301 to 130—700 Dunedin ... . . 130—701 to 141-900 Invercargill , 141—901 to 150-000 MOTOR CYCLE NUMBERS. Auckland 1 to 4-200 Thames ... 4—201 to 4-900 Hamilton ... 4—901 to 6—600 Gisborne ... 6-601 to 7-000 Napier ... 7-001 to S—700 New Plymouth ... 8—701 to 11-000 Wanganui ... ... 11—001 to 12-600 Palmerston North 12—601 to 14-400 ■Wellington ... ... 14—401 to 17—700 Blenheim ... 17—701 to 18-200 Nelson ... 18-201 to 19—000 Westport- ... 19-001 to 19—100 Grey mouth ... ... 19—101 to 19—500 Christchurch ... 19-501 to 25—300 Timaru ... 25—301 to 26-700 Oamaru ... 26-701 to 27-100 Dunedin ... 27—101 to 29—400 Invercargill ... 29—401 to 31—000