TRIALS WITH FORD VEHICLES.

Northland Age, Volume 6, Issue 27, 25 March 1937, Page 6

TRIALS WITH FORD VEHICLES.

By using six-wheeled lorries and tractors, the New Zealand Defence Department has gone a long way towards solving the problem of rapid transport of artillery even over broken counti'y- Recent trials at Waiouru, and later at Trentham, proved highly satisfactory. The trials were carried out with a pneumatic tyred Fordson tractor and a six-wheeled Ford V-8 “Sussex” truck, with a specially constructed platform. The lori-y cari-ied the tractor and the gun and the limbers wei’e towed behind. With the full load of the tractor and the 18-pounder gun, the Ford V-8 truck demonstrated its ability to maintain an average speed of 30 miles per horn 1 indefinitely, where reasonably good ’oads are encountered. Despite the l:eavy load and encumbrant limbers, the lorry negotlrted mounds and ditches without difficulty. It was not until the tractor was brought into operation that the true mobility of the battery was illustrated. With seeming indifference the Fordson tractor crawled up steep hills, turned and slid over pot-holey ground, and finally charged through thick gorse and undergrowth, through

which it would be impossible to put a horse team. The combination of six-wheeled lorry and tractor made a formidable unit which negotiated almost all obstacles in a fraction of the time that would be taken by a hoise-dxawn battei’y.

Great Backing For Bull The animal of Mr. H. Summerfield’s, “Vernon Gumboge Comet,” that gained the third award in the 2-year-old pedigree jersey bull class at the recent County Show, is by Brampton Estelle Gamboge whose dam is half-sister to Brampton Basilua, the world’s champion jersey cow for butterfat production, besides being the world’s champion cow of all ages and all bi'eeds for butterfat production. Animals such as Vei-non Gamboge Comet with such a backing, coming to this district, will do much to improve the quality of our dairy hei-ds.