MOTORING

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 12 November 1927, Page 14

MOTORING

By “MAGNETO.”

BETTER ROADS

A MOTORING NECESSITY. MOEE EUNDS REQUIRED. PETROL tax supported. “Should motorists submit quietly to increased taxation?" This is a question of considerable interest to-day, writes the president of the South Island Motor Union (Mr A..E. Ansell) in the “Christchurch Press." Our. Prime Minister indicates that motorists are not paying an amount which is commensurate with the damage they arc indicting on our main roads. The Minister for i>ublie Works l states that unless more money is available the programme of projected works must be curtailed, and our roads allowed to deteriorate. At the conference of United Chambers of Commerce, held in Christchurch recently, a remit urging the imposition of a further tax upon motorists for reconstructing our roads was defeated, not because there was no necessity for an ambitious roading scheme being put in hand, but for the reason that they did not wish to ask. for more taxation. Let us examine the question from both sides of the fence. Eirst of all, take the position of local bodies. They are in most cases quite unable to meet the enormously increased cost of main road maintenance, a cost that in some cases has quadrupled within the last few years; the cost still keeps going up, and in place of improvements being made the road is merely kept in fair order, or in some instances shows definite deterioration. Naturally the ratepayers interested are calling a halt, and demand that more assistance be given them by the Highways P>oard. Good roads undoubtedly improve land values, but there is a limit. The property owner whose land lies adjacent to an improved highway finds his distance to the city shortened, and in consequence the value of his laud is materially increased; but can anybody seriously suggest that his rates be doubled in consequence of the road he uses being destroyed by the thousands of cars which pass over it? LAND-OWNERS’ POSITION.

In my estimation land-owners cannot, nor should they, be asked to carry the burden of continually increasing maintenance costs. Again, on roads leading to our main centres maintenance costs are mounting so, seriously, and the results' so inefficient, that, it is quite apparent that reconstruction must be faced. Are such counties justified in suggesting to their ratepayers that rates be increased in order to form a good road for passing motorists? it is past the time of day to argue whether or not good roads are an investment which pays good dividends to the users of the road. We have reached the stage when we know that it costs less money to build good roads than to go without them. If the surface of a road is maintained in good order, the saving of tyres, petrol, springs and general depreciation must be considerable.

In some quarters the tyre tax is being quoted as an ideal taxing medium, but they urge a higher tax on tyres in order to increase the revenue. An increase of tax has been objected to by the Customs Department as being impractical owing to the complications involved. The tyre tax certainly is a fair tax in that it measures payment according to usage of our roads, but we must remem ber that, when motorists ten years ago advocated a tyre tax, 4000 or 5000 miles was the life of a tyre; to-day the average life could be taken as 8000 to 10,000 miles, and in addition to that tyres are cheaper than they were then; so we are getting more miles for less money, in fact, the revenue produced by the tyre tax has been disappointingly small. PETROL TAX. A petrol tax has been suggested as a supplementary method to tne tyre tax, ana has since been adopted, and it seems to bear evenly on all users according to the miles driven. A larger car will do more damage on a road tiian a small one, and a faster trip will mean greater consumption of petrol than a slow one. Motorists must face the question of contributing more revenue if the roads are to be improved, and it is much better to offer to submit to this than to shilly-shally with the question, and wonder who we can make pay for the roads we are decrying and destroying. The user of the road to-day, however, should not be called upon to provide the -whole of the capital cost of reconstructing our roads to something of a permanent type (no road is permanent). Something should be left for the motorist of to-morrow; he should be asked to shoulder a portion of the cost. Our roads to-day will not carry modern traction; the user receives the greatest benefit from an improved road; the Highways Board must have more revenue to carry out the work we demand; so why hang back, hoping for something to turn up? We have got to pay; let us shoulder our responsibilities and get on with the job.

CRANKLESS ENGINE. EXHIBITED AT MELBOURNE SHOW. A crankless engine of six cylinders and six horse-power, called an ‘X’’ engine, was exhibited at the Melbourne Show. It is an Australia invention, and big things are claimed for it. The engine exhibited weighs only 301 b. Its inventors are Messrs Turner and Quick, two Melbourne men, and they claim that the engine, driven by either steam or petrol, is suitable for motor-cars, aeroplanes, or ships, and can be designed to give practically any revolutions required. Though it may have a great future as a means of land propulsion, it 5 s said the inventors believe that its chief use will be found on the water.

Messrs Turner and Quick state that with an “X” engine, weighing 70 tons, they can get greater efficiency than a 210-ton German Diesel engine, developing 1800 brake power at 110 driving shaft revolutions a minute.

Alt Home and Abroad

CARS THAT CRAWL

CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS. DUTY OF DRIVERS. ' The following article appeared in a Home paper: Do any of the people who denounce motorists for recklessness and excessive speed realise that the most prolific cause of accidents is not fast driving, but slow driving? Dangerous loitering is almost the worst evil of the roads to-day. The really bad smashes, most of which occur at cross roads and bends, are generally due to foolhardiness or bad judgment, but for every one of these there are a hundred minor accidents, too trivial to be chronicled in tne news, yet real and unpfeasant enougli lor these involved, and the ultimate cause of considerably more than half can, or could be, traced back to the excessively low speed of some car in the vicinity. It is also the chief cause of those “bad manners’’ of which we motorists are always accusing each other nowadays. Go out at a week-end on any of the old main roads that have not yet been straightened and widened —the Lon-don-St. Albans road is a good example —and you will see dangerous loitering at its fell work.

Sooner or later you will find yourself joining a little procession, funereal in speed if not in aspect, and if the road is narrow and winding, as the St. Albans road mostly is, you will spend the next twenty minutes in nerve-fraying, Temper-raising efforts to get past. Prooably bv the time you have succeeded there will be enough mutual hate engendered between you and the processionists to start another war. SLOW MOTION. At the head of that procession and the foils et origo of all the trouble is a driver who can’t or won't go raster than 20 or 25 miles an hour, tie may be a novice, lie may be conscientiously running-in a new car, lie may preier slow motion—it is all one to ~Jus victims.

At lirst he ambles along alone, and experienced drivers who catch aim up pass without much difficulty, nut betore long he acquires a tain —u driver who can't or won’t exceed b 0 miles an fiour and vvno drops down to Jo rather than attempt to pass.

Then up comes a third car,- moderfast, moderately well driven. Its driver is forever edging out to and drawing back again us a bend or an approaching ear comes in sight. And now the stage is set lor a firstclass display of “eutting-in,” “roadi.oggiiig,’- “speed mania.” It may end in nothing worse than hard words and murderous thoughts, but it, is just as likely, if nerves and brakes are imperfect, to produce crumpled wings, dented radiators, perhaps a serious smash

The man who gets the kicks in these circumstances is invariably the man who ‘‘cuts in.” He is held to blame because he was too “impatient.” But it is asking a. lot of human nature at the wheel of any modern car to pin him down for mile after mile at the tail of a procession moving at half the speed his car can comfortably and safely maintain.

HIS DESERTS. The loiterer at the head of the procession never gets his deserts. The worst that comes to him is a smashed' tail-lamp or dented panel, and whereas he ought to be summoned and fined for driiing to the public danger nobody ever so much as he tells him he is a nuisance. It is no use his claiming the rights and liberty ol a free-born Englishman to drive at his own chosen pace. Even it he keeps well in to the pear side (which not all loiterers do) he is not doing his whole duty by his fellow motorists, ior on narrow roads that will not take four lines of vehicles lie is obstructing the traffic, which is an offence known to the law as well as a l'onn of inconsiderateness.

On the arterial roads their is plenty 0 room for the novice, the nervous, and the potterer. On the older roads at busy times they are, like “carriers” of disease germs, unwittingly dangerous.

“BORROWED” CARS EXEMPLARY PUNISHMENT Car “borrowing” and the necessity for heavier penalties seems to be a world-wide problem at the present moment. When a writer in the “Morris Owner” penned the following comment upon conditions at Home, lie little thought lie would be hitting the nail on the head in this Dominion also. He states:—

There recently seems to have been an epidemic of car “borrowing. ’' In a number ot instances cars have been appropriated from parking places, driven for anything between 20 and 100 miles, and then abandoned some distance from the point from which they were taken. In some cases the borrowers have lie on traced and, after pleading that the taking of the ear was merely a result of indulgence in intoxicating liquor, have been let. off with a fine or witli a very mild term of imprisonment in tlie second division.

This is insufficient. To all intents ami purposes a man found in another lean’s ear should betreated as a thief. The mere fact that he intended to abandon the vehicle does not testify to his honesty, but merely to his Jack of courage in disposing of it. An outsider who would take a car which does not belong to him from a parking place obviously would not scruple to sell it should circumstances permit him to do so without risk of detection. It is hoped that the perpetrators of , any further so-called “merry pranks” , of this description will receive cxem- < pi ary punishment, at the hands of magistrates before whom they may be brought. ” i

MILLION NEW YORK CARS. EXAMINED FOR SAFETY. Owners of more than 1,000,000 cars voluntarily asked that they be thoroughly inspected during the Save-a-Lile Campaign conducted in. New York from July 18 to August 0 under the auspices of the .Bureau of Motor Vehicles. This response followed the proclamation by Governor Smith in the interest of greater highway safety. The number of cars examined represents about half of the total State registry. “The campaign revealed,” reports Commissioner Harnett, “that 39 per cent, of the cars examined were detective in some .respect. A total of 525,670 defects were found in 394,670 c-ars. Brake adjustment was required in 29 per cent, of the cars, and on,, 8 per cent, the brakes had to be relined. Many owners frankly admitted that' they had no ,idea the brakes were in such condition.

“Headlight readjustment or replacement was found necessary in 1,5 per cent, of the examined cars and in 5 per cent, the lights had to be entirely replaced. In 6 per cent, the drivers had no way to sound warnings to other drivers or pedestrians, 5 per cent, of the horns being in need of adjustment, and I per cent, requiring new horns. About 10 per cent, of the cans had faulty 'Steering equipment and 1 per cent of the. defective equipment was found i.n truck mirrors, which were out. of focus.

“The campaign demonstrated the value of periodical examination of all motor vehicles. It also proved that: reckless driving is not the only serious condition to be met with in attempting to attain a high percentage of safety in motor-car operation. Many who were inclined to blame road conditions and reckless driving of others for accidents in which they bad been injured or their cars damaged were surprised to learn that because of defective equipment their own cars could not Ik? kept under perfect control.” Through the courtesy'of dealers and owners of garages and service stations the campaign, was conducted without j expense to the car owners.