MOTORING WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 18, 19 December 1936, Page 7

MOTORING WORLD

NOTES. “Motoring on the new German motor roatls in Germany is perhaps safer than in ' any other densely- ■ populated country in the world,” says ■ Dr James Murphy, editor of the oi- ■ tieial German Government journal. 1 Research and Progress. When a solicitor lor a motorist de- • fondant at Bath pleaded for leniency ■ as it was his client’s first visit to the city, the chairman, imposing a fine of 10s, said they die! not want the way they administered justice to be one of the city’s “attractions.” “The first rule of comfort lor a long tour is this:—Always put away the car at night completely ready for the start the next morning, the petrol tank full, the oil level right, the radiator full and all things ready for you to take the wheel. Nothing is more conducive to blissful sleep than the knowledge, as your head touches the pillow after a long and tiring day, that your car needs only the pressure oi your finger oil the starting button for you to begin putting the miles behind you.”—John Prioleau, the noted motoring journalist. Pensioned ex-policeman in Britain are to be employed as drivers of police utility vans in London The numerous points at which a motor manufacturer makes contact with tlie public are indicated by figures issued by Morris Motors, Ltd. This company makes every effort to familiarise motorists with its production methods. During tlie last two years, no fewer than half-a-million people have studied the firm’s production processes at first hand by visiting the factory, attending film shows, and so on. Motorists have visited the Cowley works individually, -and in organised parties from all over the British Isles, and have even come from so far afield as Scotland, the Channel Islands, and the Continent. The programme of works tours is already complete for some months ahead. The Morris film programmes, in Great Britain qlone, have been visited by 270,000 persons. The Morris Cinematograph Department has just been equipped with new projecting apparatus, and the five complete units now touring the country have appointments each week until June 1937. The latest returns show that over 120,000 light vans are now in operation by tradesmen in England. Their use has spread rapidly because they are economical and, of course, most ef- j ficient for house-to-house delivery. Until recently, light van design had de- , veloped along purely orthodox lines. ! It was not possible to increase body , capacity without so adding to the weight of the complete vehicle that it ‘ could no longer be described as a : light van. Tlie latest type of 5 lor is ; 10-cwt. van, however, has the large \ body capacity of 119 cu. ft., which is , 60 per cent more space than the model , it replaces. This is an achievement of , considerable importance to tradesmen, j allowing as it does large capacity trails- . port of light bulky packages at much j lower running costs. The driver now i sits forward with his legs beside the j engine. The length of the vehicle re- ] mains substantially as previously, and , as its flexibility compares with that of ] the London taxicab, it works with the , maximum freedom in busy streets and congested areas.

THE TOURING SEASON

PREPARATION FOR HOLIDAY TRIPS.

“Safety on the ' roads depends almost solely on the effective functioning of human . and mechanical elements, Although there are other factors, these are the most important,” says the latest safety message of the Canterbury Automobile Association.

“It is proper to remind motorists, though it should not be necessary, that meticulous attention at all times to mechanical equipment is a duty which every driver owes not only to himself but also to the vehicle and to other road users.

“A motor-vehicle is composed of many parts, all ot which must be in first-class condition at all times. The touring season is approaching, and there is an obligation on all motorists to make certain that every detail of mechanical equipment is checked over before a tour is commenced. Of course, every safe motorist has his vehicle checked over regularly throughout the year, and does not wait until he is starting on a long tour.

Several important parts are always due for careful checking. Brakes and the equipment which operates them must he equalised and lining replaced if necessary. “The steering gear should be effective; tyres should have effective treads; the battery should be well charged; all light bulbs should he beyond suspicion; there should he no ieakage of carbon monoxide; the rearview mirror should he properly placed; and of course it is essential that front wheels should be properly aligned and headlights properly loctised. “There are many other details which an efficient garage mechanic will attend to if tlie owner-driver has not the leisure nor the inclination to do the checking over himself, but of the several parts mentioned the car owner should have no doubt. “No motorist should drive a motorvehicle which is not complettly roadworthy in every respect. Safety depends on it.”

VARIETY OF SCENERY. To the motorist the unscheduled hours, wisely used, are there tor rich plundering. He is lettered to no timetable; he has the .generous freedom of the open landscape; he may go or stop wnere and wnen he will, and with Him he may take his family and camp where lie chooses. Car ownership gives him and Ins family ready and cheap access to change of scene, beauty, pleasure, exhilaration, leisured travelling, knowledge of his country and health. Monotony is one ot the irritations of human existence, but it need play no part in the life of the New Zealand motorist. No wise motorist will, nor need, plan his tour so as to travel the same road twice. Motoring, as far as possible, should not be confined to twoway scenery like that ot an unchanging railway track, that is going and coming. Escape sameness, explore, get ott the beaten track, find those delectable places that the guide books have forgotten and the overseas tourists never see in their pre-arranged rush visits to the commercialised and crowded show places so heavily emphasised. The motorist can, and ought to, get away from the routine of the planned tour. No one knows the roads and by-roads of a district better than an A.A. secretary or the patrols, and those officers are at the service of all A.A. members who seek suggestions on the all-important question of where to go (says the Motor World). And wherever you go remember that the roads will never be any safer than you make them by your own individual actions behind the steering wheel. Bo courteous, never take risks, know the regulations, and abide by them. i