THE MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 27 March 1926, Page 15

THE MOTOR WORLD

‘‘Absolutely shocking,” and “a disgrace of the iirst water, ’ ’ was liow two Napier motorists described the road from Waipawa to Napier. “I have just been for a tour of the North Island,” said the iirst motorist to a Daily Teelgraph reporter, “and I can safely say that no such ghastly thoroughfare exists between Auckland and Wellington.” The other motorist had just completed a. 2000 miles tour of the .South Island, and could iind no words harsh enough with which to condemn the Waipawa-Napier road.

According to the figures for 1924 the latest available—motor 'buses in California carried more than 30 millions of passengers. The growth of the motor 'bus industry is attributed to the lack of adequate or efficient railway transportation and the existence of good roads. No fewer than 78(5 towns in that State have an exclusive motor 'bus service, not local, but connecting with other centres. In California there are now .1700 motor services devoted to passenger transport and operating with success. The indications are that, rather than injuring steam and electric railroads, the development of the 'bus lines is a distinct advantage to them. No steam line has been forced out of existence through motor 'bus competition. On the contrary, because 'buses and motor coaches have opened the country to extensive settlement and operate as feeders to railway services, both freight and passenger traffic of these fixed lines of traffic have been considerably increased. In the Australian States it will be found that to make the railway systems lucrative will be to encourage the use of the motor in its various forms so. that there will be an„. increased decentralisation of population) interest and capital, wffiicli will combat the centralising tendency of railways.

The British manufacturer is now nd'iniittedly offering; better value for money than any of his rivals. Prices, apart from the complete , equipment that is supplied with all motor-cycles and motor-ears, are lielow pre-war level, and it is claimed that cars that are built in Great Britain to-day could not be built to the same specification in any other country in the world at the same price. British manufacturers have proved that they know their own business best. Most of the fac-| feories are now more than fully occupied, and the difficulty soon will be not to find orders, but to meet the demand. ’ It is only a few years since wiseacres were shaking their heads and forecasting that the day of the single cylinder motor-cycle was over. Temporarily, the popularity of the “one lunger” has waned, but fortunately, a few of the more important English manufacturers refused to believe that this was more than a whim on the part of the motor-cycling public, and by sticking to their programmes and steadily improving the design, they .have established the single-cylinder machine in an unchallengeable position to-day. A sarcastic railway man in the east of the United States suggests to careless motorists: “Better stop a minute than for ever.’’ Not to. be outdone, a locomotive engineer offers , this one : “Try running into one of our locomotives. They satisfy.” The manager of the Southern Pacific Hotel at Truckee is credited with this one: “Stop'and let the train go by. Hardly takes a minute; Your car starts out again intact, And. better still—you’re in it.”

NIGHT DRIVING

ILLUMINATED SIGNPOSTS. The Automobile Association .(England) has installed, a number of A. A super roadside telephone boxes, winch, in addition to affording the usual A.A. roadside telephone facilities for motorists, provide a welcome innovation in illuminated signposts. Erected at important cross-roads, they are larger and higher than the ordinary A.A. telephone boxes now s‘o familiar to road users, and are constructed of wrought sheet steel, with the exception of the doors, which are of wood. A steel post, approximately 20 feet high, passing through the centre of the box, carries the necessary number of arms, giving signpost information.. In addition to the names of towns and villages, and the mileages, the road classification is also shown. The arms of the signpost- are illuminated after dark by lamps using either low pressure carbide, or, if available, electric current. The lamps are situated on the roof, which is painted white in order to reflect the light upwards towards the signpost amis, A separate roof lamp is provided for lighting the interior of the box, to enable motorists using the telephone to consult the telephone directory. The metliod of illumination, coupled with the bold lettering on the signpost arms, enables road information to be read after dark at considerable distances by passing motorists. The telephones are available any time during the day or night.

NON-STOP TEST. HANDCUFFED AIOTORIST’S FEAT. A cowboy named Seeley recently completed an extraordinary non-stop motor-driving test at Cleveland, Ohio. Seeley was handcuffed for five days and live nights (122 hours 4o minutes), to the steering wheel of a car. The trial was conducted in the neighbourhood of Cleveland, and at regular intervals the driver reported to 'traffic agents and police, so that each could testify that he had' not, stopped or fallen" asleep. Except for traffic signals, Seeley was not permitted to stop the car. Petrol and water were taken on when the car was in motion, the driver circling slowly round the garage while attendants carried out the operation. CAUTION SIGNS.. “The usefulness of danger caution signs is largely neutralised in many instances,’’ said Mr G. Henderson, secretary of the Royal Automobile Club of Australia, “through their being erected in unsuitable positions. During a tour through the South Coast recently this was observed in several instances, the sign being erected within 20 yards of such a danger spot as a level railway crossing or right opposite a school, instead of some fiO or (iO yards away. In each instance tlilydriver is right on to the centre of danger before he notices the sign. The correct placing of such signs will do much to reduce the number of accidents.”

NEGLECTED BRIDGES. It is remarkable how many of the culverts and bridges over the ..most important main roads almost within the suburban area of Sydney are in a bad state of neglect. * Loose planks, whoso condition suggests that both they and the beams to which they are supposed to be fastened have outlived their usefulness, are noticeable on many ol them; and in some instances it is necessary to exercise great caution while approaching and driving over them. The decking literally dances under the wheels of the cars or other vehicles, while safety is further menaced by great iron spikes sticking far too frequently inches above the level of the planks they are supposed to fasten. The western road has long been notorious in this respect, and officials of the Royal Automobile Club of Australia found a very similar state of affairs prevailing on the South Coast road. The club secretary, Air G. Henderson, directs the attention of the local government authorities to this state of affairs, which indicates that the bridges have not. received necessary attention. In addition to the loose planks and projecting spikes, he states that in many instances the approaches on both sides of the bridge need improvements. In many instances the approach to a bridge or culvert is so abrupt that there is no time to detect dangerous faults until too late to. avoid a bad bump.

PARKING LIGHTS ON CARS, *

Numerous inquiries received by the Royal Association of Australia would indicate considerable confusion on the part of motorists as to the present position concerning parking lights on cars. The association has specially approached the Superintendent of Traffic on the subject, and has been advised that, although it is no longer necessary for a car to be equipped with the two small lights additional to the headlamps, such lights,„if already fitted, may be used by themselves when a car is stationary. In the case of a car in motion the parking lights will not be recognised as sufficient means of illumination. The superintendent explained that the present regulations were framed in of'der that motorists whose ears were already fitted with parking lights should be allowed the advantage of these.

TOAfBSTONE JINGLES,

The crossing was quite clear I speeded w r i-?hout fear, There was no engine near. The notice bade me stop; 1 took the road at top And shouted to the cop, When he let out a yell. Whv listen for the bell? Yes, thanks I’m sleeping well