THE MOTORIST

Northern Advocate, 22 January 1927, Page 12

THE MOTORIST

J ALL OFFENDERS. i ' J BEWILDERING TRAFFIC RULES. I Did you know that any time and ! anywhere you take a spin in your car you probably arc breaking one or j more traffic rules without being aware of it? | Also, if you’ve driven a ear for any [ length of time, you are a lawbreaker ,—yon can’t help being one. ’ - That it is next to impossible for | even the most competent and can- ' {ions motorist to keep a clean record t is due, first of all, to the bewildering j diversity of the laws themselves, ( writes Edgar C. Wheeler in the •' l Popular Science Monthly,” refer- [ ring to conditions in the United j States, which are gradually being rcI produced here. Every State, city and j town in the country has its own pet : rules of the road. During last year aj lone more than 2500 now traffic bills j wore introduced in State and provincial legislatures, and the number ! jvhieh were made into law averaged about a dozen for each State. For the motorist to know them all is out of the question.

TRANSFORMATION. Will the motor bus replace the tram car? That is tho question most of us constantly either hear asked ox discuss among ourselves. Pages and pages of news items quoting the views of those engaged in operating both forms of passenger transportation, from traffic and transportation, exports, to college professors and others, have been written on this subject. Newspaper editorials 6n the subject are frequent, but to many the question still remains unanswered. Without attempting to give tho final answer there arc certain things that appear to be important as indications of both what is happening in the transportation field, and what may be expected from the natural progress of evolution.

lii 1662 there were only six stage coaches in all England. In 1798 the mail left-London for Shrewsbury—l62 miles —and took 27 hours for the run. Then the railways came. The first was opened to the public- in 1830 beI tween Liverpool and Manchester. Of j the thirtv coaches that had plied be- • tween the two towns all save a single I one went off the road soon afterward. And now the motor bus—a highway j vehicle —is in competition with the [ railway that one hundred years ago eliminated highway transportation by coach. Evolution again wins out, but evolution is no respecter of persons, opinions or facilities. This new transportation tool, the bus, must be used wherever it can be done to advantage and without prejudice. Fighting the march of progress, trying to throttle bus transportation through drastic regulation or other means is useless and I already relegated to the dai'k ages, j Both the electric tramway and auto- ' motive industries now have men in I command who have already shown a broad spirit of co-operation in workj ing together for the solution of pro- [ blcms common to both sides, both in I Europe and America.

CAE UPHOLSTERY. That remarkably interesting and informative American publication “Facts and Figures” has made its appearance for 1925. It contains some striking statistics concerning the American motor industry. Production of cars and trucks last year totalled 4,336,754, of a wholesale value of 2,977,905,000 dollars (£612,737,600). Passenger car output reached a total of 3,839,302. There are 3,443,642 persons employed in the American motor industry. Petrol consumption rose from 9,000,000 gallons in 1924 to 10,886,127 gallons in 1923, The total yield of motor taxation last year was 667,000,000 dollars (£137,200,000). It is computed that there are now 24,564,574 motor vehicles in the world, of which only 19 per cent, are owned outside America.

1 The automobile industry ranks first of all industries in the United States 1 and motor exports are third, raw cotton being first and mineral oils second. A £IOO ENGLISH CAR. A £IOO British-built car has made its appearance on the English market and is calculated to answer the insitent demand for a motor ear at a popular figure. The aim* of the designer j has been to produce a car combining j handsome appearance and comfort I with mechanical efficiency. It is a four-cylinder, water-cooled I engine, 11.A. C. rating 8 h.p., with I forced lubrication to all bearings. Three forward speeds and reverse, four-wheel brakes, detachable steel wheels, balloon tyres, electric lighting and starting, grease gun chassis lubrication, all steel body with adjustable seat, electric horn, speedometer and sprrn> -wheel and tyre, are among the features 1 li;t 1 make this product the finest possible value for capital outlav.

Wlirii bearings supplied from grease mips an 1 being refilled the lubricant should be forced in until it is scon exuding from (he opposite end of the joint, ns this indicates that the hardening grease Ims been forced out of the drilled pne-mges.

: THE MOTOR CYCLE. THE CARE OF BELTS. | Although licit drive is only fitted today to a very few motor cycles of j the cheaper and ultra-lightweight class, j many begin their motor-cycling career | upon used machines employing this 1 method of transmission. To such riders j a few notes on the care of belts may ■ perhaps be of service (states a writer jin the Motor Cycle). When the belt j is in place on the pulleys, its tension should be such that, on a single-geared machine, there is about 2in, up-and-down play at the middle of its run, or about lin. where a countershaft is omployed. It is advisable to run a belt always in the same direction. When a fastener is fitted great care should be taken to ensure that the hole is punched correctly and vertically, a punch of the correct size being used. Where such a punch is not available, tho position of the hole should first be marked off on the belt from the actual j fastener itself. It is advisable to make i tho hole at such a distance from the . end that the top and bottom edges of j tho belt require paring to enable tho | fastener to be fitted, thus reducing the gap to a minimum. A coating of ; rubber solution should be given to tho j newly cut end of a belt to prevent dam- : age by water, while a small quantity of oil or grease may with advantage be applied to the fastener bearings. Any oil which may find its way from the gear box or engine to the belt should be wiped off, as oil is injurious to rubber. Mud should not be allowed to collect on the insides, of tho pulleys. If excessive belt wear is experienced, the alignment of the pulleys should be checked and the pulley faces examined for irregularities. To prevent undue I slip in wet weather, attention should bo paid to the tightness and condition of the driving pulley. If the pulley is found to be much worn, it may be possible to get it refaeed to the correct angle (28 degrees), but if the flanges are too thin to allow this, the need of a new pulley is indicated. Should the re-facing -operation be carried out, it may be necessary to fit a belt of larger section to ensure that it does not “bottom” in the pulley. On a machine which has to be on the road irrespective of weather conditions, tho substiI tution of a new belt for an existing worn one will save the rider trouble and will do much to prevent irritation : and delay on the road in really bad weather.

MOTOR YEAR BOOK. A VALUABLE GUIDE. The Wellington Automobile Club has rendered excellent service to its members by the publication of the "Year Book." So complete is the work that it would be difficult to discover a subject of interest to the tourist that its pages do not contain. The compiler (A. N. Field) has .exhausted every avenue that is likely to be of service. In the legal section will be found a fund of information respecting motor traffic regulations, and advice is given in regard to signals, road courtesy. When mapping out a holiday tour in the North Island one has only to consult the "Year Book” to discover the distances between various centres, and when on the road the publication will bo an invaluable guide.

A HEALTHY SIGN. REGISTRATIONS IN' BRITAIN. Official registration figures for the year ended August 31, 1926, have just been released by the British Government, and they show an exceedingly healthy growth in automotive activity. The total number of motor vehicles registered is given as 1,690,000. This is an increase of 180,000 vehicles over the previous 12 months. Of the total 630,000 are motor-cycles. Even eliminating the motor-cycle registration, Groat Britain for the first time has touched the million mark in automotive vehicles. When we consider the terrific taxes that Englishmen must pay out of incomes, it must be acknowledged that the growth is extremely good.

AMERICA’S MOTOR INDUSTRY. AMAZING FIGURES. An interesting and informative American publication, “Facts and Figures,” contains some striking statistics concerning the American motor industry. The production of cars and trucks for 1925 totalled 4,33(5,704, of a wholesale value of 2,977,905,000 dollars (£012,737,000). The passenger ear output reached a total of 3,839,302. There are 3,445,042 persons employed in the American motor industry. Petrol consumption rose from 9,000,000 gallons in 1924 to 10,880,127 gallons in 1925. The total yield of motor taxation in 1925 was 0(17,000,0(10 dollors (£137,200,000). it is computed that there are now 24,5(11,574 motor vehicles in the world, of which only 19 per cent, are owned outside America. The automobile industry ranks first of all industries in the Failed States and motor exports are third, raw cotton being first and mineral oils second.

MOTOR JOTTINGS. When the starter gear engages slowly or, as happens in some cases, the starter spins without engaging at all, the trouble is usually traceable to dirt or oil gumming up the shaft. This can be remedied by squirting kerosene upon the bendix drive shaft through tho opening at the driving end of the starter motor. 9 • 9 • Because of the newer construction of rear axle housing, many owners arc surprised to find how seldom it is necessary to add any more lubricant to the differential. When they -make this discovery it is usually time to drain off the old lubricant and replace it with new. Today it is a case of replacing rather than of making additions to the differential lubricant supply.

Largely because of the introduction of front-wheel brakes quarter-elliptic front springs appear to be dying out on cars of American maufactnro and half-elliptics are being used instead. Not a great deal of change is noticeable in the design of front springs themselves. Rebound leaves on the top of the master leaf are becoming more usual. * * • The Brighton and Hove Motor Chib, England, proposes to construct a racing track at Brighton. The trade will ini elude a one-mile straight. A well--1 known Brooklands driver is assisting tho designers. * * •» • At Chicago plant has been installed for tho washing and cleaning of cars on the conveyor, or mass production, method, and it is said to be capable of turning out a completely washed and cleaned automobile in six minutes from start to finish. * » • • If the engine misses when idling or on a light pull it is an indication that the gaps at the spark plugs should be wider. Missing at high speed or when pulling hard usually indicates that the spark plug gaps need to be narrower. * * ♦ • Is a speed of 30 miles an hour in a town ever justified? The magistrate at Durban has held that it is. The case was one in which the manager of a factory stated that he had received a telephone message that one of his workmen had been caught in the machinery. He rushed to the spot in time to prevent the loss of the man’s hand. Though a verdict of guilty was entered, the offender was discharged. • • # •• The importance of the motor-cycle trade in Great Britain is shown by the i fact that in 1925 the British cycle and motor-cycle industry created a credit 1 item in tho national balance-sheet of £6,329,7T0, which represents a balance of £5,886,033 in exports over £443, 737 in imports.

There are many speedways in the world where the crack motor-cyclist vie with one another in 'getting out of their engines the absolute limit of speed, but there is non© so famous as the Brooklands track, which has staged innumerable exciting contests. Here the world rocord-breakers foregather, but probably one of the most famous among them is Victor Horsman, who since he became associated with a well-known company, has at one time or other annexed no fewer than 116 British and world records on his famous two valve-machine. 1 “If you appreciate the beautiful If you have not the soul of a barbarian, Moderate your speed considerably. The country is worth it. ” # * # * There are times when the road is good, and the moon is bright and the engine purring when the difference between heaven and earth is the thickness of your brake lining. • • t • An international automobile show, the first to be held under the auspices i of the Royal Automobile Club of Egypt, I will take place at Cairo from February j 15 to March 15, 1927, in the grounds of | the Royal Agricultural Society, Che- I zireh. This is one of the exhibitions ap- 1 proved by the society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the Permanent International Bureau of Motor Car Manufacturers.

Often wlien the radiator clraincock is opened water will not run out at the start. This is due to the collection of sediment at the drain. Of course this sediment can be dislodged by sticking a match stick or nail up the drain opening, but the handiest way to start the water running is to run the engine fast for a few minutes. * * * ♦ A cattle guard is something we ordinarily associate with a railway crossing, but from California comes word that they are used on forest roads with entire success from both the cattle owners’ and the road users’ standpoints. Instead of a gate across the road a trench is dug and pieces of old railway lines, .iv something similar, set across it about six inches apart. The motorists drive straight over without having to get out to open the gate, but stock cannot cross the guard. * * * » During the first six months of 1926 France imported 2671 cars from the [Tinted Plates, 971 from Italy, .1 If) ! from Belgium and 79 from Great j Britain. Exports showed a notable j increase, the chief purchasers being | Belgium 4591, Spain 3733, Algeria j 3414, Switzerland 2406, Great Britain i 2377, Italy 1117, Indo-Chinn 923, Tlol- j land 908, Morocco 853, Germany 691, j Portugal 551 and Ozecho-Slovakia 494. ;

I A. vacuum-operated gear change is j being tried in America. ( The number of motor-cars in use in j the United States now exceeds th it ! of telephones by 11 millions. « * t * Annually in Franco a race for iys over bad cobblostoned roads, known as pave, is held on a short circuit near .Lille. Tho distance is 315 miles, and this year there were 39 competitors in different classes, from 1100 c.c. upward. The route selected is considered to have the most abominable surfaces to be found in that part of France. * * * * A new Essex by-law makes it an offence to bring a motor vehicle on to tho highway without having removed any mud or clay which may be adher- ! ing to tho wheels. It is not stated ( whether the county council will provide tyre scrapers on tho borders. Many ear-owners fail to make headway when lining up the front wheels, because they fail to true up the wheels j and tyre separately. The front wheels may toe in the proper amount, but the rims .may not run true, thus throwing the ties out of line. Anything which causes a tyre to drag with more or less side motion, instead of running true, will grind the rubber tread away faster than is normal. Check your car over today and see whether you are losing tyre service, because of any of the various forms of wheel irregularities. These include misalignment, improper camber, wobbles, etc., and may result from a bent axle, a bent steering knuckle, a loose wheel bearing, a broken spring, a bent spindle, or a rim unevenly placed in a I wheel. A brake which, drags will | cause rapid tread wear also. I

Mrs Brown: "May I offer you some refreshment?" Mrs Smith: "Not for the moment, thanks. Perhaps just before I go." "Oh, do let me get it now." • • # » "There’s a church near," said the country farmer to his paying guest; "not that I ever puts my nose in it.” "Anything the matter with the vicar?" “'Well, it’s this way. I sold the old vicar milk and eggs and butter and cheese, and seeing as he patronised me I patronised ’im. But this new chap keeps ’is own cows and ’ens. ‘lf that’s your game,’ I thought, ‘we’ll ’ave home-grown religion, too.’ ’’ ♦ ♦ • « "Now," said the nervous old lady to the druggist, "are you sure you have that medicine mixed right?” "No, ma’am," said the conscientious apothecary. “I wouldn’t go so far as that, but I’ve got it mixed the way the doctor ordered it." • * • • Parent: "You want to marry my daughter? Can you wash, darn, sew, nurse children, and keep house?" Suitor; "What has that to do with it?" "Well, my daughter can’t."