MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 30 January 1926, Page 12

MOTOR WORLD

NOTES.

The North Taranaki Motor Association have decided to urge that it be made compulsory for all motor bicycles and push bicycles to he fitted with rear reflectors.

Ninety-one new members wore elected to the Canterbury Automobile Association at its meeting recently, making a total of 712 for the year. The association’s total membership is now 40!i;:.

"The main object of our tour through the South Island,” said the chairman of the Alain Highways Board (Air E. \V. Eiukert) at the .conference held last Monday with the members of the Southland and Wallace County Councils. “is to discuss matter with you personally and to give you our point of view ' oir the different questions brought forward from time to time. It has been found that by a few minate.v discussion more can he learnt than is possible by weeks of correspondence, and that is why we are going through the South Island at the present time. Such a visit also enables the members to get a general idea of the country, which all tends to make for a more satisfactory working between the hoard and the local bodies.”

It may be added that a eonsiderab-" number of lorries operating in this district do not carry a mirror, and in many cast's it is either obscured by a heavy load nr the driver does not trouble to observe through it. Some drivers art* most careful and considerate. A number, however, are not so, and on two occasions lately a local motorist had the experience of a lorry, in one ease crossing the road without any warning almost at right angles to his course, and in another of a driver suddenly stopping, also without warning, almost as far on his wrong side as he could. There is no doubt many lorry drivers need to exercise a great deal more care.

The members of the Canterbury Automobile Association lias now reached the 4000 mark. The final batch of members comprised 75 motorists in Greymoutb, Westport and Beefton. At the present rate of progress it would seem that before many years have elapsed every fifth person iu New Zealand will be the possessor of a motor vehicle of some description. Since the end of .Tune, when the total number of motor vehicles registered was 100,44!), then' has been a general monthly increase of between 2000 anti 2000 registrations, and at the end of last month the total stood at 12.1,55.5. The increase last month exceeded 2000. The North Island figures are still veil ahead of those for the South.

The methods in vogue in England in regard to control of traffic might in some respects he adopted in New Zealand. Driving "to the common danger'' is a good and valid reason for a substan tin I penalty.

The man in the street little realises tin 1 huge quantity of crude rubber that is to-day being utilised in the manufacture of pneumatic tyres for motor ‘buses. in a .".bin x bin pneumatic tyre, the standard ’inis tyre, there :s on an average about 20lbs of rubber in the cover and some .21 bs ill the tube. The standard equipment on most ’buso" is to-day twins on the driving wheels and singles on the front, making six tyres per ’bus. It takes about SS tons of crude rubber to equip 1000 ’buses, and as each ’bus uses up about 21 sets of pneumatics a year the con sumption of rubber is approximately equivalent to 217 tons per annum. In America alone there are now over 100,000 motor ’buses in commission calling for over 21,000 tons of crude rubber a year. In other parts of the world motor ’buses are increasing rapidly in popularity and numbers, and this fact, coupled with the huge number of pneumatic tyred motor trucks now being commercially used throughout the world, will help to further accentuate the world’s crude rubber shortage.

The utility of the present day car for out hack country gravel in Australia lias been strikingly demonstrated during the last two months. Three different motoring parties have circled on or are engaged in motoring around the Australian continent hv car, and one o' the overlanders is a woman, Airs. Marion Bell, who, accompanied only by her young daughter, has already negotiated the worst section of this arduous trip. It says much for the dependability of the automobile Eh *t such feats are tackled and carried through successfully. The writer call;' to mind the great interest that centred in the first successful attempt to cycle around the Australian continent. It was away hack in 1899 that Arthur Richardson on a Dunlop shod cycle left Perth, and rode north with the interlion of endeavouring to cycle around the continent. His progress through wild country infested with treacherous and murderous blacks was slow, but iie succeeded after many hardships in making Darwin, and thereafter his task was comparatively easy and certainly much safer. Early iri 1900, some eight mouths after leaving Perth, he reentered tin" AT.A. capital and receiv'd a great reception on the completion of his remarkable ride. Over 25 years elapsed before the same route was negotiated bv a motor-car.

POINT INC; THE WAY. Till BUTE TO LOCAL MOTOR ASSOCIATTONS. A higji triLute to the manner in which the local automobile associations have erected signposts on the road from Masterton to Wellington was paid ay Air W. -1. Keyes, a tourist who ai - lived by motor-car from Auck'and, via !'aupe and Napier. “The roads were so plainly charted,” said Air Keves, •tha't it was pleasing to travel over them. I'he provision of telephones for tlie use of motorists is also most helpful.” Mr Keyes stated that he and Mr H S. Wylie, who drove the car, found the roads in exce'lent condition. Commenting upon the country they had passed through, Afr Keyes said that Hawke’s Ray was still very dry, and the people there were apprehensive of a very long drought. They had found all the tourist resorts well patronised and good hauls of trout were reported.

MOTOR CYCLING.

annual race meeting. H A \Y E R A—FEBRUARY 17. It is confidently expected that the nieetin gto be held by tlie Mawera Motor Cycle Club this year, to be held on February 17, will be the best and most interesting of a series of meetings which have served to place Hawera in the forefront of the clubs of the Dominion. The best riders are always attracted hither, anti many great performances have been put up at these meetings. This year, in addition to the usual good events, will be put on one of unusual interest, a Classic Invitation Race of 10 miles, in which will take part eight of the very foremost riders of the Dominion, men who have been largely responsible for making history in motor cycle racing. They will make what is called a “rolling” start ,which means that they wifi co round one lap at a moderate pace and, slowing down all together towards the starting post, will be sent away by the starter in one line. The innovation should create much additional interest and great excitement, and the event should produce some wonderful times.

EIGHTEEN HOURS EXACTLY.

A striking coincidence marked the 18 hours Sydney to Melbourne light-weight record made recently by Vie. Barclay. Barclay left the 'Melbourne G.P.O. as tin* clock was striking n.m. He pulled up beneath the towering clock of the Sydney 0.P.0. just as it boomed out the third stroke of 0 p.m. The rich notes of the clock must have seemed a carillon of praise for his splendid achievement.

ANTNDAZZLE LAW.

Legislation to reduce the danger from dazzle headlights on motor cars is, in England, according to the London Daily Express, likely to be introduced shortly. Many accidents have been caused by the blinding effect of these- lights oil other drivers, and the Transport Ministry has collected a great amount of evidence concerning this increasing road danger.

One of a number of proposals now being considered is that headlights should be adjusted so that the glare is thrown below the line of vision of approaching vehicles and pedestrians. There, is likely* to be great- controversy among motorists when the coining changes in lighting regulations ae embodied in a Paliamentary Bill. “Motorists have to find some means of getting rid of dazzle, ’’ said the Home Secretary (Sir Joyhson-Hieks), at a. demonstration of anti-dazzle devices arranged by the Commercial Motor Users’ Association in London.

“I believe that in two or three years there will be an enormous increase of motor vehicles on the streets and the traffic- difficulties will be greatly accentuated unless the question of dazzle is dealt with adequately. '“The general public have their rights in the thoroughfares, and mo. torists are not entitled to dazzle people ’s eyes if by any possibility it can be prevented. Personally I do not believe in the practice of ,dimming headlights or switching them off as a permanent -solution ~of the difficulty. Some other means must be found. ’ ’

Mr E. S. Shrapnell-Smith, giving the results of the tests- made by the. association, said the use: of tinted and treated translucent electric light bulbs offered a quick and. ready method of mitigating dazzle. The essential modification of all British, standard bulbs could be carried out at small cost.

“Yellow or cobalt blue,’’ lie added, “give the best results in filtering out the offending red rays. Dazzle eau be mitigated! to a large extent by the treatment of half, the surface of any head lamp bu-lb, but results are still better when the whole bulb is treated. “