MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 14 November 1925, Page 18

MOTOR WORLD

* ROAD BUILDING.' COSTLY METHODS. A MOTORIST’S CRTTTCISM. The secretary of the National Roads and Motorists’ Association, New South Wales, writes to the, Sydney Morning Herald:— , “It is generally realised by those interested in the question of obtaining improved highways throughout the State that the money already allotted by tnc Federal Government and from other sources is little enough to enable the Main Roads Board to carry through the aigantic programme before it. Tt is. therefore, most disheartening to find that such funds as there are available are apparentlv not being used to the best advantage. “ \n instance of the waste is reported bv Mr AY. H. Balmain, of Bega. a prominent member of the N.R.M.A., and a well-known motorist. Mr. Balmain states that on the Prince’s Highway south of Nowra for a distance of six miles, where a stretch of road has been authorised by the Alain Roads Board to be completely remade at a of £17,000, there is much evidence of ‘Government. stroke.’ Inquiries made by Mr. Balmain of the ganger at this section of tlie road disclosed (he tact that the men at work have been sent from .Sydney, and that many of them are in experienced at road-making, while experienced local men from Milton and , elsewhere, desirous of obtaining employment, have been refused, and iiiiormod that they must proceed to Svalney il tliev wish to obtain work. Mr. Balmain’s statement further goes - to show that a local man, whom he names, who was on the .job, was requested by other members of the road gang to go slow; lie was so disgusted at the attitude adopted by his fellowworkers that lie left the .job. On another stretch of road, from Milton to V'atte.yattah, where an expenditure oi: £12,000 has been authorised, and where the road is extremely bad and in need oi • repair, work cannot bo started for the same reason —that men are not available from Sydney. Further, with regard to this section of the road, the suivo.vod line, according to Mr. Balmain, has been taken over very mountainous country, whereas in his opinion a better route would have been to carry it via Conjola Lake, which would provide nor only better scenery for the tourist,’but a better grade throughout. “It is time that the attention of the public was focussed on matters of this I sort, for it is the public that is footing the bill for better roads in this. State; and whilst it is desirable that unemployment in the city should be reduced, it should not be done in any uneconomical manner such as this, or in a way which adds to the, cost of providing good roads. It must be borne in mind that men ! selected in Sydney to work on couutry roads must have their fares paid to the job, and if found unsuitable doubtless their fares have to be paid back to the city again.’’ BUY A CAR. IT MEANS FREEDOM. SAVER TIME AND MONEY. It you haven’t got a motor-ear, get one. , * It you have one that is no longer good enough, get rid oi it, get a new one. , . .. . . , One car for every three individuals in the country would be about right. It would not be extravagance, dor cars • don’t eat when not working. . Oars, tlie best, are cheaper than they have been in years. And in endless ways improvements have been made. Gars last longer, use less petrol, are supplier in construction, simpler in handling. Etvery New Zealander understands what the motor-car has done for the human race. It has made mew free by making them independent ,ot dtsfcatioe and time. It enables a man liv rmg 20 miles from seashore or lake front to use the lake or sea as though lie lived at its edge. Get a. motor-car. If you were an ostrich running over the hot sand with heavy feet and little, useless wings, and if somebody offered you a pair of real wings that would enable you to Hy, you would lay “give me tlie wings —never mind the price.” What real wings would be to an ostrich a motor-car is to you. Before the motor came, human beings were limited to the front and back yard and a mile or two around. With a motor the entire country can visit the entire country. To tlie edge of the sea or lake, or to the mountain top, from the heart of the city, means merely “stepping on’the gas.” People talk of the danger ot the car There is infinitely less danger jn cars than in horses. An proportion <.O the number that use the motoi-cai. accidents are far fewer than tliej’ "P"wlien the horse alone was uscti. A motor-car is a machine that y° l ' can control. If you make a mistake : it is your mistake. The machine obey.-i stops and starts when yon -sa3 7 so. Not so with the hor.se* * Buying a machine is not extra.va <>ance for a man that has or can gel money to buy it. It is like puttin' money out at compound interest am at the highest interest rate. What is the value of happiness. Ilbcar brings happiness to all the family What is the value of your own time V motor-car wisely used doubles am trebles the length of your life. What i>s it worth to save nervou force and energy? A motor-car doe that. PROPOSED “STOP” SIGNAL. Several English local authorities ar considering the general adoption oh th white line at all dangerous turning in the town, and also the “boulevar stop.” The “boulevard stop” is a suggef tion brought to England b\ 7 Counci lc Blue, on his return from a busines trip to California. At all danger or corners a broad white line, with th word “stop” i s marked across the « and all cars come to a dead stop befoi negotiating the turning. It is state that no- one thinks of ignoring the sig in California, where it has the universe approval of motorists, and accidents ai reduced to a minimum without the ai of traffic control police. This partici lar “stop” has already been adopt* with success at Hammersmith just b< fore the busy crossing at Broadway 'pOtJOB

THU TOURING SEASON. OARiEFUI, OAR-DR-I VERS. MAKE AN INVENTOR,Y. With the approach of the tourin'? season many motorists are planning trips of distances varying with the time they have at their disposal. B> taking an “inventory ’ of his car’s coni dition, the owner can eliminate manj 1 of the little mechanical troubles whicn f sometimes mar the pleasure of a holi- ' day tour. Here are a few hints worth observing before starting on a trip : ■. Drain and Hush the. radiator. (It is » probaoly a long time since 3-011 chang- • ed the water). Flush with the hose until the water runs clear. ? * Examine the ignition system to make ‘ sure that there are no breaks in the • insulation. See that the contact points • are clean and properly .spaced. It is ! wise to cany a spare set of sparking ; plugs and spare electric globes. Lamps have a habit of ending their life when 1 miles from a source of supply for new ones. Have the batteiy tested and recharged from a.ll outside source of elee--1 tricitv if necessary. If 3 T ou li|a,ve travelled more than 1000 miles since the crankcase oil was changed drain the oil and replenish the supply with fresh lubricant. It is advisable to drain the oil when the' engine is warm. Remove the oil filter gauzes and clean with kerosene. On no account Hush ojit the lubricating* system with kerosene, as its cutting effect removes the film of oil between bearing surfaces. Have the brakes inspected to ensure equalisation, and re-line the shoes if uedeed. See that the dutch does not “ride’’ the floorboard. Glean and oil the brake rods ami connections, in addition to all the shackle bolt*s. Remove the road wheels and re-pack the bearings with thick oil. See that there is sufficient lubricant in the gear-box and the back axle. Inspect the steering connections and do not forget to use the grease gun. These are simple rules, but how frequently do the simple things cause the motorist t<> tie stranded? MOTOR ACCIDENTS. A London correspondent writes: To-day, in Great. Britain, there are 1,500,000 persons licensed, to drive motor vehicles, and this number lias lately been increasing- at the rate of 2500 a week, or about 10,000 every month. Therefore, there are at least (50.000 drivers of six months’ or less experience. -Moreover, there nr now on. our roads on anySgivcn dav probably about 1,200,000 out of the 1,500,000 motor vehicles, allowing for the absence of 300,000 not being used or under repair. Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, in considering the question of accidents, in an article in the 'Sunday Times, says: “ Supposing for the sake of argument there are 100 accidents a day, a figure in excess of the total, the odds would be 12,000 to 1 against any individual car meeting with trouble', a fairly high percentage in favour of safety. And when wo come to serious accident fatalities, if there are ten deaths a day arising out 1 of motor car accidents, the odds so far as the driver is concerned against a fatality are 120,000 to 1. So the risk is remote. In fact, to put it shortly, we must try to pres.erve a sense of proportion. No doubt, when the number of motor cars increases still further the inevitable tendency will be towards a greater number of accidents, though tlie proportion of accidents per mile driven or per car on the road should decrease as the drivers who have become motorists during the last three years* gain more experience and display more instinctive road sense. ■’ ’ GROWTH OF MOTOR TRAFFIC. Mr K. G. Fenelon (Edinburgh), illustrating before the inquiry section of the British Association the rapid growth of motor traffic, said, that the motor vehicles on the roads of Great Britain had increased from 850,000 in 1921 to 1,420,000 in May. 1925. There was one motor vehicle for every forty of the population, but in the United States of America there was one for every three inhabitants.