NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 8 January 1927, Page 14

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Sergeant Henry stated a day or two a<ro that hr- found visiting drivers from other nails showed, on coming into Ilavvorn, a tendency jo go faster round ; corners and over intersections than ( was prescribed in the Borough by-laws No doubt many come from centres where the rule 'or by-law allows over six miles. In Christchurch for instance the speed has lately been made ten miles per hour and it seems a very seasonable rate for a motor \ chicle, and one at which a ear is well under control and can be stopped in a very short space. The Auckland Automobile Association proposes to organise two conducted tours for members early in the 2sev\ Year One run will be held to the Urewora Count rv recently visited by the service officer. The trip will probably occupy from Friday until Mondav as the journey is rather long for restriction to the week-end. Another trip will have Spirits Bay as its objective. This will also take four or live days. Spirits Bay is located near the North Cape, and it offers remarkable scenery. This tour may be planned to coincide with the motor race meeting at Ivaitaia at the end of January. The Aquitania burns 33j,()00 barrels of oil a day on her transatlantic voyages. Manv American motorists have n fancy ‘ for painting on their ears notices of one kind or another is as original a working as possible. A'Californian paper records that a tlivvor, plainly of 1014 vintage. clattered noisilv down Main Street, bearing on its rear the blazoned legend: ‘‘Two more payments and she is mine.’ Official registration figures for the year ended August 31, 1026, have just been released by the British Government. and they show an exceedingly healthy growth in automobile activity. The total number of motor vehicles registered is given as 1.600.000. This islm increase of .180.000 vehicles over the previous twelve months. Of the total, 630,000 are motorcycles. Even eliminating the motorcycle registration, Great Britain for the first time has touched the 1,000,000 mark in automotive vehicles. When we consider the terrific taxes that Englishmen must pav out of incomes, it must bo acknowledged that the growth is extremely good. No industry is any stronger than its supply of skilled mechanics. The importance of the service side of the automotive business is being more recognised to-day than ever before. Many of the larger companies are providing educational opportunities for their mechanics. Tn some of the larger cities of America, courses in automotive mechanics have been started in eo-operation with the public schools, so that ambitious boys may learn the business of automotive repair while they are finishing tlieir school courses. Henry Ford has long maintained a school for cmbyro mechanics, whereby the right sort of boys can learn automobile repair work and at the same time earn enough money to keep themselves.