NOTES

Manawatu Times, Issue 6848, 1 March 1929, Page 4

NOTES

It is estimated that 38,500 applications for patents were filed at the British Patent Office last year.

Motor vehicle accidents in Hew Zealand in January caused 12 deaths.

Regulation of motor traffic must be sympathetic rather than oppressive.— The Marquis of Londonderry in the House of Lords.

The Ulster Tourist Trophy race which was inaugurated last year will be again held in 1929. August 17 has been chosen for the event, the same course of 410 miles being approved.

Taxi fares in Brussels have just been revised. The charge is now equivalent to 3d. for the first sixth of a mile and 3-Bd. for each two minutes after. A run of a quarter of an hour thus cost 3 about 6d.

After exhaustive tests with giant pneumatics tho London General Omnibus Company has decided to gradually eliminate solid tyres' from its fleet. The programme for 1929 provides for the change over to pneumatics on 1000 buses.

During a recent run from London to Liverpool a Mercedes-Benz Diesel engined lorry carrying five tons of goods averaged 22 m.p.h. for the 209 miles, and the consumption of 14 gallons of Diesel oil involved a fuel cost of only 4s. Bd., or less than a id. a mile.

A scheme has been launched for the treatment in Great Britain of the large quantities of oil which are becoming available from British coal by low temperature carbonisation. A plant with a capacity of 25,000,000 gallons of water spirit a year is to be erected.

Cyclists tho world over do not take Lindly to rear reflector regulations, and tho neglect in New Zealand has a parallel in Great Britain. In Manchester, employers of cyclists are being summoned as well as the riders, and this enforcement is expected to effect an almost universal recognition of the law,

A British inventor has produced a dash board fitting which delivers a cigarette ready lighted. Tho device embraces a wiro connected to the battery and becoming red hot when the control is pressed. The tip of the cigarette is in contact with this wire, and a small bellows provides the suction from a. pipe in tho centre of the heating element.

The North Island Motor Union has decided to adopt moro direct methods of bringing tho views of motorists under the notice of the Government. “I£_you look through tho minutes you will find we have been writing letters about the same things for years,” said a member of the union last week. “Now that we have a change of Government we' are starting again with a clean sheet. Wo should organise deputations.” It was resolved to bring several old grievances directly under the notice of the Minister of Transport.

It was suggested at tho meeting of the North Island Motor Union on Thursday that it might be mado compulsory for the roar mudguards of cyoles to be painted white. Members remarked that in the absence of a tail light cycles required red reflectors. These were, however, often obscured by the coats of the riders. Tho majority of members agreed that it would not bo reasonable to require cyclists to daub their mounts with whito paint. '•They will object to being ‘piebald’ just as much as motorists would complain if they were asked to whiten their ,mudguards,” remarked a member.' ' 5

•V: Following the adoption of four speed ■'pr twin top gears by Graham-Paige Comes the announcement of a similar innovation on Durant cars.

The high value attaching to even well-iused cars of tho luxury class is indicated ,by the fact that a British motoring publication draws attention to the fact that at a London auction in December a five-year-old Rolls-Royce was-sold for ‘‘only £450.” The price was considered to bo remarkably low for such a car even with five years’ service to its credit.

The recent issue of shares in the English Ford Company produced a mild sensation on tho Stock Exchange. American speculators who are denied participation in the American company’s profits scrambled to obtain them, with the consequence that in a few days they wero at a premium of £4. Many investors are holding in anticipation of the shares soaring to very giddy heights!