SPORTS CORNER.

Grey River Argus, 18 June 1927, Page 4 (Supplement)

SPORTS CORNER.

The Big Tree Bulletin offers its congratulations to Mr William Henry Fumpson, the New Zealand Snakes and Ladders Champion. Mr Fumpson’s recent victory at Hataitai was in part due to his backhand slice off the first fee, although he is frequently offside when leading from dummy. It is men like this that make men like us like men like Mr Fumpson.

CARS IN GERMANY. More than one-fifth of the passenger automobiles used in Berlin are of foreign manufacture, America furnishing by far the largest number., according to statistics published. This is all the more surprising since the law prohibiting the importation of motor vehicles was repealed only two and a-half years ago. In 1925 2302 imported motor cars were admitted by the traffic section of he Police Department, and last year 3366. Nearly 50 per cent of the ini-‘ oorted automobiles sold in Berlin in 1925 wore supplied by United States manufacturers, and in the last quarter of 1926 the American percentage rose h o 71.4. The total number of American cars admitted to the streets of the German capital was BG6 in 1925 and 1857 in 1926. The parentage of motor trucks furnished by the United States was even larger, namely, 73.9 per cent, of the importations. The principal competitors of the Americans are. the French and Italian manufacturers, the latter making steady gains at the expense of the ,French. Austria holds fourth place with 387 cars furnished in two years, while the number of English, Belgian and other automobiles in use there is negligible.

CONTROL LEVER POSITION. After at one time appearing to have nearly gone out of fashion, there has of late been a distinct revival of the right-hand position for the changespeed and brake levers. Co-incident with this course in design is a practically universal demand (for four doors, or at any rate a door to the driver’s seat. Many makers standardise the latter highly desirable feature, but by placing, as it were, a hurdle in the doorway in the shape of l couple of levers, largely nullify thei: good intentions.