Motors and Motoring

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIV, Issue 276, 1 November 1924, Page 12

Motors and Motoring

driving tests. FOR ALL MOTORISTS. GROWTH OF ACCIDENTS. ALARM IN ENGLAND. The wisdom of the clause in the New Zealand Motor Vehicles Bill now before Parliament, making it compulsory upon private, motor drivers to hold licenses, is made manifest by the ever increasing number of fatal and serious road accidents that are occurring. England is now awakening to the fact that tests for drivers are needed and a strong movement is afoot to introduce regulations in that direction for the protection of life and limb. rjIHERE are more motor cars in Eng* •*- land than ever before, says a writer in the “Sunday Express,” and the day is fast approaching when almost everybody will own a cair. At the same time, the death roll from road accidents is rising alarmingly. The cause of the death roll is the inexperienced motorist. Many a p«rivate car owner on the roads to-day knows practically nothing of the art of driving or of the mechanism of the engine supposed to be under his control. Tests Needed. Chief Constables in many of the great centres of population are rapidly becoming converted to the view that it is imperative in the interests of public safety and of the drivers of vehicles themselves that a test shall be imposed on all persons seeking to obtain a driver’s license. The magnitude of the task hitherto has had the effect of making local and national authorities extremely cautious in (regard to the proposal, but prejurice is fast breaking down before the appalling loss of life and injury to person and property due to the ever-growing army of’incompetent drivers. Many responsible motorists have already declared in favour of the test. The system is already in operation in various parts of the Empire, notably ‘in India and New Zealand. Manchester has now taken definite action. A short time ago a deputation of the watch committee waited on the Ministry of Transport and urged the institution of. a competency test for new drivers, at least, as a start. Attack. Officials are sympathetic, but it was pointed out. as an illustration of the immensity of the task, that the two London issuing authorities granted each year nearly a quarter of a million licenses. Now the Manchester Watch Committee has (returned to the attack by passing the following resolution;— That in the opinion of this committee steps should be taken with a view to the introduction of a standard test to prove the ability and efficiency of any person applying for a license to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle, and that the town clerk be instructed to send a letter to the Minister of Transport urging them to give the matter their early and serious consideration. It is pointed out that while driyers of vehicles plying for hire are tested thoroughly, in the case of the*driver of a private motor vehicle physical disability, mental weakness, or the absence of training does not, ip the

eyes of the law. disqualify a man or woman from driving. Last year forty-three people were killed in the streets of Manchester by motor vehicles. In the first eight months of this year forty-eight were killed. . Figures tell a similarly alarming story in regard to London.* During April, May and June of this year street accidents involving private motor vehicles in the metropolitan police district numbered 830. persons were killed by. private motor cars and twenty-one by motor cycles. Manchester Watch Committee has not yet considered definite proposals for the test, but one unofficial suggestion is that the onus should be placed on the seller of a car 6F giyipg a certificate to the buyer than he is competent to drive and the , mechanism. The attitude of other cities and towns to the projiosal is indicated by the following messages:— Newcastle.—The watch committee has not yet taken any action in regard to tests for drivers, but Mr. Kirsopp, one of the original members of the Automobile Association, declares that the time is ripe for the imposition of tests on all drivers, either of cars or bicycles. Coventry.—Of 211 accidents last year, no fewer than 113 involved motor vehicles; in the preceding year the figure was only sixty-eight. Experienced motorists her have long held the opinion that a reasonable test for physical fitness and ability to drive is absolutely essential if the roads are to lie made safe. Cardiff.—Motor car accidents in Cardiff and South Wales, caused mainly by reckless driving, are increasing. A prominent motorist urges as a remedy new legislation regarding the granting of drivers’ licenses. Leeds.—Last year the number of street accidents, the majority of which were caused by motor vehicles, rose to 813, of which thirty-four were fatal. There has been a large increase of motor accidents this year. Police and magistrates feel that some tests ought to be imposed on people applying for driving licenses. Hull.—The chief constable is giving special consideration to the problem of increasing motor accidents. Leading Hull motorists urge that private owners should undergo a test by the •local authorities, others favour a medical test also, and the granting of conditional licenses for a month. Liverpool. — Aiderman Maxwell, chairman of the Liverpool watch committee, declared “It is scandalous that lunatics and blind people can obtain a driving license without any difficulty.”

PASSING OF BIG CITY. COUNTRY HOMES FOR OPERATIVES. According to Henry Ford the big city is doomed, in the America of the future there will be no New Yorks or Chicagos or other mammoth collections of skyscrapers and teeming tenements m which millions of people are cooped with a few square miles oi territory. Instead the country will be traversed by chains of small towns clustering around individual factories and inhabited by people who will divide their time between the factory and the farm. This is the vision of the future which is painted by Henry Ford in which he predicts the rapid decentralisation of industry on account of the general use of the automobile. That decentralisation has been actually in progress for some years now and nowhere with more remarkable or striking resuls than in the case of the huge enterprise which is headed bv the wizard of the automobile industry. The picture of the America of to-morrow which Henry Ford paints is a particularly rosy one. In his opinion the passing of the big city will mean less crime, less poverty, less wealth, less unrest and less of that fierce, nervous strain under which myriads of city dwellers live to-day. “The modern city has done its work and a change is coming,” said Ford. “The city has taught us much, but the overhead expense of living in such places is becoming unbearable. The cost of maintaining interest on debts, of keeping up water supply, sewerage, and sanitary systems, the cost of traffic control and of policing great masses of people are so great as to affect the benefits of the city. The cities are getting top-heavy and are doomed.” “At the same time,” continued Mr. Ford, “it is nonsense to say that because the cities are overcrowded every- ■ body ought to move to the farm. There must be a balance between the two. The farm has its dull season, when the former can come into the factory, and the factory has its dull season when the workman can get out on the land and help produce food. Transportation is the connecting link.” Mr. Ford was asked tp tell exactly what he himself had done in the way of decentralisation in his own industry. For reply he said; “Go out and see for yourself. Go out into the country and visit some of our village t factorfes where we are manufacturing small parts. We have been doing some experimenting. We have moved small plants to the conutry, taking some of our own people out of the city and employing farmers in the villages. In the summer time, water is low, orders are a little slack, and we let the farmer workmen off to do their harvesting. Take a look around and see for yourself how they like our experiment.” * ★ ♦ * MONTLHERY RACING TRACK. France now has an up-to-date motor racing track at Montlhery, 12 miles from Paris, and it is predicted that many of the world’s records now credited to the Brooklands speedway, England, will be bettered on the French circuit, which is of cement and highly banked. Already one longstanding record has gone, viz., S. F. Hodges, 24 hours’ drive on a Napier in 1907, his figures 1581 miles 1310yds. being increased by a Belgian motorist named Martin on a small powered

Bignen, to 1804 miles, equal to 76) mp.h. it should, however, be pointed out that for many years past the Brooklands authorities have prohibited all day and night drives, owing to the annoyance caused by open exhausts to local residents during the night hours. Continuous 24 hours trials not being allowed, the double twelve hours has been substituted, and in that period an English built Bentley standard model, driven by J. Duff, has covered 2082 miles 1756yds. in 24 hours in two sections, equal to an average speed of 86| miles per hour for the drive ♦ * * * TRANS ROUTE CONTEST. DARWIN TO ADELAIDE. In view of the proposed triple motor contest across Australia from Darwin to Adelaide and Melbourne next winter and the great interest aroused by the projec t sugegsted by the Dunlop Rubber Co., an attempt next month to establish a motor car record over this 2UOO miles route will be keenly followed by tens of thousands of motorists. Although attempts across Australia from west to east have been fairly frequently by cars and motor cycles of recent years, resulting in some remarkable times being established, no effort has yet been made to establish record figures from ocean to ocean, between Adelaide and Darwin. The man who is to make the attempt is the well known overlanding cyclist and motorist Francis Birtles, who has an intimate knowledge of every section or the route, and is well qualified to tackle the proposition. In view of the fact-that two well known mororists in M. Aunger (S.A.) and J. L- Burton (N.S.W.) have expressed the opinion that withproper organisation this trans-route could be negotiator in about ten days, it will be interesting and instructive to see in how many days Birtles can accomplish the trip. He will probably start from Adelaide and drive north.

MOTOR CYCLING. LUBRICATION PAYS. It is not generally jpeognised amongst motor-cyclists that proper lubrication makes a quite amazing difference in the life and general behaviour of a motor cycle chain. The necessity for lubrication is obvious when one considers that the driving chain on a motor cycle frequently travels at 4,000 ft. to 5,000 ft. per minute, and each individual bearing pin is subjected to a pressure of 1,5001 b. to 2,0001 b. per square inch and has a turning speed on its pin equivalent to 5,000 r.p.m. It is small wonder that wear occurs rapidly if no lubricant is used. Lubrication always pays. Intensive lubrication, consisting of a stream of oil pumped on to the inner surface of a chain, enables its rating to be greatly increased and under these conditions in a test, 60 h-p. has been transmitted with a 5-8 inch pitch motor cycle chain travelling at 7000 ft. per minute, the amount of wear indicating that the chain was capable of continuously running for 1,400 hours before 3 per cent, wear was incurred. When the chain .was washed in petrol and the test continued for one hour without any lubricant at all, the rate of wear increased 60 times. The best lubricant for a motor cycle chain is, after thoroughly cleaning in kerosene, to soak it in a hot graphite lubricant, so that the melted grease can get at every working joint. After such treatment a chain will run thousands of miles without further attention. ♦ * ♦ * Although America is supposed to be the most motorised country in the world there are nearly four times as many motor cycles in Great Britain as are in operation in the United States. s*®*®*®>*®*®*»*®»*®»®

CYCLING. A perusal of the times recorded by ridery in the recent Dunlop Road Cy»-1» Race from Warrnambool to Melbourne —165 miles—discloses the fact that 21 rider 8 covered the distance »u under eight hours equal tq an average of well over 20 miles an nqur in fact many of the twenty-one did 22 m.p-h. Remarkable riding oV’er such a distance. In no road race in tho world has anything like this yet been recorded. Following is a list of riders who broke eight hours:—H, Opperman (Vie.) 711? 15m. 37secs; E. Bainbridge (Vic.) Th. 15m. 39secs; T. J. Robinson (S A.) 7h. 24m. 24secs; H. J. Buck (Vic.) 7h. 26m. 29secs; C. E. Young (Vic.) 7h. 27mm. 25secs; R-. Johnson (Vic.) 7h. 31m. 50secs; A. R. White (N.8.W.) 7h. 32m. 12secs; G. Shepherd (Vic.) 7h. 32m. 56secs; F. T. Keefe (Vic.) 7h. 33m. 43secs; J. Watson (Vic.) 7h. 34m. 21secs- B. J. Ogle (Vic.) 7h. 34m. 56 secs;’E. H. Rodgers (Queensland) 7h. 36m. 30secs; A. E, Belperroud (Vic.) 7h. 38m. lOsecs; D. Wright (N.Z.) 7h. 46m. 25secs; K. Hetherington (Vic-) 7h. 46m. 57secs; A, C. Colvin (Vic.) 7h. 49m. 34secs; P. Osborn (Vic.) 7h. 51m. 18secs; J. Brumby (Vic.) 7h. 53m. 20secs; W. Guerin (Vic.) 7h. 56m. 42 secs. It will be noted that every Australian State and New r Zealand with the exception of West Australia figures in this remarkable list.

♦ ♦ ♦ .* 25 MILES WORLD RECORD. The 25 miles Australasian road championship was decided over an out and home course on the MelbourneGeelong road in perfect weather. The field comprised, by invitation of the League of Victorian wheelmen, 25 of the picked riders of Australia. In a close finish J. Watson, who established new figures for the world’s 100 miles road record in the recent Dunlop road race from Warrnambool to Melbourne, won by two lengths and carried off the coveted trophy. The time was fast— Ihr. 4mins. 26 l-ssecs.