SPARKS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 31 August 1929, Page 14

SPARKS.

“Why are you in prison,. my good man;-*’’ ‘•-f or driving a car too slowly.’’ “You mean too quickly." “No, 1 mean too slowly. The owner overtook me.” ★ * # * * The passengers in a big sports car were having a. lively argument as to whether they would heat a. train at a level-crossing. ‘Don’t get excited,” cried the driver, “i can do it easily.” “And I say you can’t!” yelled the man at the side of the driver. “The train’s gomg a lot faster than we are.” “Well,” said the passenger in the rear seat, “I don’t care who wins this race, so long as it’s not a dead heat.” ****** “Where is the car 1 left parked here?” “I can only tell where part of it is.” “Quick, tell me!” “A copper came by and took the number.” Salesman: “Why don't you buy a new car? That wreck isn’t fit for your wife to drive.” I Man: “1 know it. That's why I keep it.” * * * * While staying with a friend in the country Robinson observed that one of the cats possessed only a short, stumpy tail. “Manx?” he asked. “No, motor-car,” replied his friend. How was the scenery on your motor trip?” “Well, the tooth-paste ads. were rather better than the tobacco, but there was more furniture than anything else."' * * * * # Indigent Holiday Maker: “Good gracious, two miles to the sea! Why, your letter said you were within easy reach of the sea.” Landlady: “l know, sir. but T never dreamed you ’adn’i a car!”

NOTES.

Traffic domes in Auckland will be abolished if the traffic department is satisfied with its experiments with white lines. The Auckland Automobile Association is opposed to the raised domes.

According to medical men, petrol is an ideal emergency antiseptic and can ward off lockjaw. Tests are being carried out by the French War Department with a Diesel oil engine in an army tank. Valve bounce is the failure of "the valves to return properly to their seatings when the engine is running at high speed. This is usually clue to weak valve springs.

. Conversion of solid lumpy coal into petrol or similar liqu.d tuel to run motor-car and aeroplane engines is a (topic that has lent itself to much dis- ! mission. of recent years. It is a liteI work of many scientists in Fur ope, particularly trance and Germany. Concerning the production of motor fuel from these sources, approximately 25 gal.oils of rehnecl motor benzol is obtained to the toil of coal carbonised in by-prod lit t coke ovens. in 1923 the t inted States produced 95,MX),(100 gallons (3b, 030,00.1 tons of coal carbonised,), which was l.' t per cent, of the (j,Coo,(i'uo,U<Jo gallons of petrol used. In 1926 coke oven benzol amounted to liii,o6o,oJO gallons, which was 1.02 per cent, of the 11,000,030,000 gallons of petrol used. In Australia a lair quantity of benzol is produced, hut not nearly enough to meet the demand.