MOTORING WORLD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 21, 22 December 1928, Page 14

MOTORING WORLD.

NOTES. With the constant increase in traffic, the value of good eyesight to the driver is becoming recognised as one of the most important needs of the road. So-called “colour blindness,” it is declared, has become a grave source of peril with the system of lights signals a ruling factor in the regulations of traffic in American cities. The brightness of polished steel articles, after they have been cleaned with emery cloth, oan be preserved by coating them with wax floor polish and rubbing with a clean duster. The wax fills up the fine grain of the metal so that dampness does not affect the steel and it will keep its brightness for many weeks. An excellent cushion for sidecar or pillion use can be made from an inner tubo. First inflate this to ia suitable pressure and tie it roughly into a square with string or tape, leaving the valve at one corner. Sew round the tube an ordinary cushion cover of course leaving the valve poking out. The advantage of this type of cushion cover is that a spare inner is always available when needed. The experiment of using motor-cycles instead of horses in the bull-ring is being tried at Madrid. A feature of the recent British mo-tor-cycle show, was the increased number of machines adopting pressed steel frames. As evidence that a woman defendant at a Scottish police court was the worse for drink a policeman stated that she was kneeling in the middle of the road trying to pick up the white line. Motor-cycle polo is the latest English sport to become popular in the U.S.A., and every Friday night the Starlight Stadium in Bronx (the New York suburb) is filled with enthusiasts watching the game under the glare of floodlights. South Africa now has its “Brooklands” in. use, for the new speedway on the Clairwood race course, Durham, was opened recently. About 4000 people witnessed the opening meeting, which included races between motor-cycles and aeroplanes. Over 60 fuel experts representing a dozen nations attended a conference at the Carnegie Institute, _ Pittsburgh, last month. Some time was spent in discussions on research connected with the production of coal oils. In some cases where a fan belt persists in jumping off the pulley, it can be made to stay on by removing it and replacing it with the side that was previously in front toward the rear. The trouble is caused by a defective belt stretching more at one side than at the other. 200 MILES IN TWO HOURS. Not so long ago the motor-cycle world was astonished at the performance of a 600 c.c. machine in covering 100 miles in one hour. Now comes the hitherto unattained of 200 miles in two hours —a truly, remarkable feat. The tremendous strain imposed on the rider and on all parts of his machine calls for personal stamina and extraordinary sturdiness and reliability in the construction of the motor-cycle. The feat is even more meritorious as it was performed on Brooklands track, which is now recognised as being much slower than several of the new continental speedways G. E. Nott was the successful rider, and he raised the previous reoords of 94.8 m.p.h. to 100.23 m.p.h.

PARKING PLACE TRICKS.

THIEVES STEAL WHEELS.

A woman left her motor-car in a West End parking Mace in London recently while she went to a theatre. When she returned she found that one of the wheels of the car with a new tyre on it had been taken off the car and a wheel with a tyre in the last stages of decay put in its place. The woman complained to the attendant. “Oh,” said the attendant, “that’s nothing. A man came here the other night, stepped into his car, switched on the engine, and tried to drive away, but his car wouldn t“When be stepped out to find what bad happened ho saw that every wheel on his car had vanished, and the axles rested on soap boxes. YVe can’t help these things happening in the dark. . . , ~ Another motorist chained one of the wheels of his car to a lamp post at a parking place. When he returned the wheel was still chained to the lamppost, but the rest of the car had gone. FREE PARKING SPACE. STORE’S DISCOVERY. “Take care of the shopper in a car” is the slogan of one of the biggest stores in Akron (U.S.A.), and the result of this policy has been a huge increase in business. ~, To fulfil the slogan, the owner built a 400-car garage beside the store, and shoppers are allowed three hours free Pa Eree<i from the necessity of having to conform to street parking limitations, shoppers now spend more time and money in the store, and sales records constantly are being broken. RULE OF THE ROAD. DID FIGHTERS CAUSE IT? Though vehicular traffic in most countries keeps to the right of the road, in all parts of the British Empire except Canada it keeps to'the left. Established by custom and use, left side traffic ante-dates the right side idea by hundreds of years. It is a matter of taste, but it is also intriguing to reflect on why the left side was chosen in the first place. The probable reason is (says an exchange) that the right is the fighting arm, and the custom arose, when armoured knights were the bulk of traffic. They were always ready for fight if the possible enemy was on their right hand side, but could not effectively use lance, mace or sword if the opponent was on the left. , Self-protection and a free fighting arm seem the logical reasons why the modern policeman chants, “Keep to the left.” FRONT 1 WHEEL DRIVE, NEW CAR IN AMERICAN PRODUCTION. The first American front-wheel drive passenger car will be exhibited at the New York motor show in January. Racing cars of this design have been used on tracks for years, but a company in England was the first to adopt it for road use. This new passenger vehicle has just gone ’ into production. The car will have'a worm-drive front axle, 62-h.p. Continental motor and special wormdrive differential, electrical equipment

and steering gear. Bodies are being made by a corporation, and have an overall height of only 63 inches. The new front-wheel double floating axle and combination driving and steering device to bo used are protected by patents. ROAD ACROSS AFRICA. Through desert' and jungle, Mr G. S. Bouwer, the South African racing motorist, has averaged just on 250 miles a day for 9]ooo miles on his return journey across Africa from London which he left in August to Cape-Town where he recently arrived. He undertook the adventure to demonstrate the practicability of a highway between Cairo and the. Capo and lio travelled by a route which ne had prepared for himself seven months ago. “Although I average 300 miles a day over the iron-stone Nubian deserts and 500 miles a day on bush track in Central Africa, I had a baro thirty hours in which to complete the last and most difficult 1000 miles and the slightest delay would have ruined my chance. For the first time in my experience I drove this last lap without one puncture; I had never previously had fewer than four on that route,” he said. “I had no mechanical trouble at all and only one crash when I hit a tree stump at speed, smashed two front springs, and bent -a front axle.” At one, time Mr Bouwer was 90 miles from any water supply and he carried a 40 gallon petrol tank in the back sent with a five gallon auxiliary oil tank.