MOTORING NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1073, 21 July 1924, Page 9

MOTORING NOTES.

A recent witness in a London Polico Court told the magistrate, that, lie was suffering from “locomotive taxi.” Tho membership roll of the Auckland Automobile Association now stands at 1377, which figure includes the. branch membership of 328. The racing men at Brooklands have a new term for the silencers, which they are compelled to fit, based on the wording of the regulations. ’ Says ono “speed king” to another, "Have you got the ‘official receiver’ in yet?’

The Wanganui Automobile Association lias decided to adopt tho Petro family’s coat of arms as its badge. “Petro” was the original name of Wanganui. Wellington City gets its Thorndon from Thorndon Park, Lord Petre’s scat in Essex. A grant of £SOO for a survey of the Napier-Tailiape road is to he placed on this year’s Estimates, states the Minister ot Public Works in a letter to Hawke’s Bay County. This route, which is at present in a very primitive state, will eventually give Hawke’s Bay a direct run to the .Main Trunk country and the Tonguriro National Park.

In shifting from a car of one type ot gear to another the motorist is sometimes puzzled for a few days until lie gets into the habit of doing it the new way automatically. To jireveut any hesitation in traffic while “puzzling it out,” why not mark the four speed positions on the corners of a six by six piece of cardboard, cut a hole in the centre, slip it over the gear shilt, and tack the corners to the floor? (asks an exchange).

llow America views the threat to abolish the 33 1-3 per cent, import duty on motor-cars, parts and accessories, may he judged from the following extract from a leading New York financial newspaper:—

. . American manufacturers do not believe tiiat it is intended immediately to allow unrestricted importation of American vehicles which would stifle the British industry, now producing around 75,000 cars a year. . .

Several side-car taxis have recently been put in service in Perth, Western Australia.

Between races at Brooklands, spectators are amused by evolutions over tho truck of motor-cycle engined light aeroplanes. Motor-cycles aro admitted duty free into Hongkong, but a chargo of five per cent, is made in Shanghai. In Bahamas, British West Indies, a 50 per cent, duty is levied. A side-car has been put on the Sydney streets by the Royal Society for the Prevention for Cruelty to Animals for use in tho colie ction of stray dogs. The trend of design in Italy favours British principles, some of the latest models of motor-cycles following along conventional lines and very much resembling the English sporting mounts. At the wedding of a member of an English motor cycle club, shock absorbers were used to form an arch beneath which the bridal couple passed to their waiting sidecar outfit.

Like the aeroplane, the motor-cycle was in its infancy when the war broke out —it proved itself then as a dependable, gounywhere, type of machine and has been increasing in popularity ever since. A Sydney paper says: It has been decided to hold the annual R.A.C.A.’s sixslays’ reliability touring contest at the end of September. 1924. along the following route: —First day, Sydney to Goulburn, 1322 miles; second day, Goulburn to Kosciusko, 1734 miles, remaining ono day at Kosciusko; fourth day, Kosciusko toCooma. Nimrnilabclie, Bega, and Narooma, 1734 miles; fifth day, Narooma to Kiama, 1494 miles; sixth day. Kiama to Sydney, GOl miles. Total distance. 7144 miles.

MANNERS AND NERVES. “Driving on the road to-day,” writes a doctor, in an English exchange, “demands good nerves, strong nerves, even iron ■nerves. You may verify that on almost any road by watching the expressions on the faces of the passer S-by. Foot passengers, cyclists, motorists all have that quick, slightly apprehensive way of moving the eyes which is often seen in the case of a frightened or startled animal.” It is perfectly true of any main road, and nowadays I never keep to one of these for longer than is absolutely necessary. 1 lie modern motorist lias an obsession for main roads, and seems to glory in being in a procession. My motto is, ‘Let ’em gel on with it!’”

CORROSION OF VALVES. Few parts of a modern racing car are subjected to such stresses as are tile valves. It is probably true to say that a steel which wo ■ lil give excellent results when used for touring car valves would not stand up in a racing car engine for more than an hour. If. therefore, a valve can be evolved -\ Licit will prove satisfactory for the racing engine, it enables the manufacturer to utilise in his touring models valves which will last almost indefinitely with tho minimum of attention.

Steels employed for valves usually contain fairly high percentages of cobalt, chromium, tungsten, nickel, manganese, or silicon, or in some cases combinations of these ingredients. This suitability of the steel selected is, of course, of prime importance. and it is tested in the following way:—Valves are made of tho steels to be tested, and are subjected for a continuous period of eleven hours to gases at a temperature of 800 deg. (J. 't his is carried out in a special muffle, and care is taken to ensure that the atmosphere surrounding the valves is as nearly as possible of the same character as the burning- gases to which they would he. subjected in an engine. According to tho nature of the steel the valves corrode under this test, and from the amount of corrosion it is possible to de termino conclusively which steel will give the best results. While sonic valves corrode very considerably, others are quite unaffected by the gases.

SPARE BULBS. A bulb usually breaks at the most inconvenient time, and it therefore pays to stow a replacement carefully away in some suitable place on tho machine. The cardboard boxes with cot-ton-wool packing, in which the bulbs are sold, are usually sufficiently strong to carry the bulb in safety, even in the toolbag, but a test is advisable from time to time. Special bulb carriers are procurable, but are generally rather bulky for a solo machine.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF MOTOR ACCIDENTS. Some interesting statistics relating to accidents in which motor vehicles are involved lias just been issued by a booklet. The figures, which show the proportion of such accidents that occur in certain specified circumstances are claimed to bo the first of the kind ever published. They are based on an analysis of accidents in Great Britain and Ireland which have occurred to cars insured by tho company named and aro as follows: Accidents occurring during lamplighting hours, 15, causing 22 per cent, of total damage; during daylight, 85 l <B per cent.) ;in towns and villages, 7S (70 per cent.) ; in open country, 22 (30 per cent.) ; at cross roads, 0 (12 per cent.) ; at corners other than cross roads, 19 (21 per cent.) ; owing to one motor vehicle overtaking another, 21 (24 per cent.) ; in connection with tramcars, 2 (4 per cent.) ; fire, 2 (7 per cent.)