RANDOM NOTES

Hawera Star, Volume L, 17 May 1930, Page 12

RANDOM NOTES

Of the .11.7 who started in this year’s Monte Carlo Hally only 28 failed to finish.

In 192&2H3G45 British, 7943 American, and 6568 Canadian motor-cars were imported into India. Since July, 1928, over 24,640 warning letters have been written to motorists in England in lieu of prosecutions.

The United States has 38.7 per cent, of the world’s roads. It has the greatest mileage of both improved and unimproved roads. An interesting point in the history of the London .Eagle M.C. is that applications for membership have been received,'fropi as far away as India and China-.

The parking problem has become so acute in Copenhagen that construction has begun on an underground garage. A contract amounting to £246,000 for the deck roadway of the Mersey Tunnel, linking the Lancashire and Cheshire banks of the river Mersey, has been given to a Manchester firm. One-quarter of the production of cars in the United States pre used by farmers for business purposes. Two hundred million tons of farm products are hauled yearly by motor transport. The Bedfordshire Standing Joint Committee has adopted a suggestion of the Chief Constable by which constables using their motor-cycles for police duty will in future be paid 1 2d a mile.

Even in warm weather it will pay to let the engine get up to a good working temperature before starting off, especially if heavy oil is being use’d for high speed driving. It is stated that an invention has been patented for dispersing tog by means of hot air projected in front of the car.

A critic says the old-timers were more courteous than moderns. Even the old cars rattle before they s,trike. The removal of a few pounds of material from the crankshaft of a motorcar can reduce the centrifugal load in the crankshaft by more than three tons.

An open throttle means increased petrol consumption, more wear on the engine and tyres, and additional maintenance. Speed always has to he paid for. ,

By coating the high-tension cable with shellac varnish the possibility of loss of efficiency due to the rotting or perishing of the rubber insulation will he considerably reduced. The number of motor cycles registered in the province of Tchad, in French Equatorial Africa, is .steadily increasing, the total now standing at ' two.

There are now 20,598 motor cycles registered in Denmark, over half of this total being in use in farming districts. In Copenhagen there is _ one side car to every four solo machines. While it may be all right.to drive with the hand throttle in the open country, it is very bad business to do so in traffic. Keep the hand throttle closed so that the motor will idle slowly who el -the foot, is lifted from the accelerator. If the hand throttle is open the car is apt to leap ahead at the w'rong moment, and the result is likely to be a disastrous collision. The money to he expended for roads in-the-U.S"A. in 1930 will equal a year’s work for 1,000,000 men, at £4OO a year, according to Mr. Owen B. Augspurger, president of the New York Automobile Club.

Effective January 1, 1930, all new automobiles in France must be equipped with lights that illuminate the l road clearly for 100 metres, hut which can be made non-glaring. Changes already placed in effect give the right of way to cars on national highways, regardless of whether or not cars approaching on lesser cross roads are on the right or left.

Madame Amedee Bollee, widow of the well-known engineer, has just presented two extremely interesting vehicles to the Musee de la \ oiture et du Tourisnie, in Paris; one is the steam car called La Mancelle, built in 1873 by Amedee Bollee, senr., the other the first petrol-driven car built in 1895 by Amedee Bollee, jun. The above-mentioned museum is being formed at the Palace of Compeigne.

A novel sentence was recently passed on a motorist for speeding and reckless driving at Libertyville, Illinois, U.S.A. He was fined fifteen dollars, but, in addition, hei was forced to sweep the street outside the courthouse from end to end, under police supervision. It is rather difficulty to see exactly in what way the. punishment fits the crime.

What is described as a new “speedtrap,” said to- be the invention Of a clergyman, in England, although the published details would seem to suggest a different origin, has just, been demonstrated. Cylinders filled with water are sunk in the roadway at any point where it is desired to set the speed trap. These, under the pressure of the wheels of passing vehicles, set into operation electrical and other mechanical means to indicate the speed of the passing vehicle, to light- signals at cross-roads and on the footpath-s, and to put into action a tell-tale camera which photographs the vehicle or the number of a car or motor cycle, and sometimes also the driver. IN hen necessary the apparatus can be so arranged that the tyres of a motor vehicle will he punctured by spikes concealed in the roadway if the vehicle exceeds the speed limit. Although designed for use with electricity, the invention can be modified to be used with gas or with oil in country districts. Every motorist in Cincmatti who is a stranger to the city is given a “courtesy cartl'.” on one side of which is printed a- compact map of the city. On the reverse is given a condensed version of the city's traffic rules. A keen motorist sent a postcard to a friend from the North of England. It contained quite a conventional greeting: “Spending a- few days here.” But on the illustrated side was a picture, which the sender had obviously not examined, of the local gaol.

During cold weather many owners prefer to start their engines by hand rather than use the starter, particularly if the pistons, etc., tend to gum up overnight. There are certain points to remember in this connection. First, retard the ignition; secondly, do not open the throttle too wide (except in a few cases), as you will not be able to swing fast enough to start ; finally, grasp the handle with the thumb in line with the fingers—not around it. If gripped there is a likelihood that the thumb will he broken should a backfire occur; by using the correct method the handle will simply fly out of the hand. The Public Control Committee in England report that the number of licenses granted under the Petroleum (Consolidation) Act, 1928, has increased from 4031 in tlio year 1924 to 5097 in 1929. During the same period 'the aggregate quantity of petroleum spirit kept on licensed premises in the country has increased hv 50 per cent., and is now over 8,000,000 gallons. The policemen on point-duty at Norfolk. Vancouver, wear “stop” and “go” lights; by turning his body the policeman can thus control the traffic. A green light is strapped to each arm and red lights to the back and chest. The lamps are illuminated by means of a small battery.

It will benefit you, as well as other drivers, to keep your headlights properly adjusted. The more illumination on the road they give you the less they will shine in the eyes of approaching drivers.