MOTORS AND MOTORING.

North Otago Times, Volume CIII, Issue 13651, 19 August 1916, Page 3

MOTORS AND MOTORING.

(By Clutch.)

Legal lighting uji lime:. To-day, 0,13 ji.m,; next Saturday, .5.1!) p.iu, " *)> •;!' * . . •■ #.- It' is ('lainii'il'jiy manufacturers of tile valve-iiilhe-iiead , ; lypi'M>l' engine' that the valve hxlpt'ioif;i n.WVes a_inoro'direct co'nncclion with the combustion 'chamber, 'a tid I hat 'lhe' 'oxploSive .charge'-.iq rendered more efficient-, Tt is,possible .to machine coiillmslioii ..chambers of. this type llii'oughb'lil'.a'iiil accordingly 'there 1 is less projjiibilily of carbon- deposits forming. •""■. -i : ;■ ** ;j v:-; *:■ ■'■ ■■■• *■■ .■'■■:■ ;; . The average;,priec of ordinary-ears in Aiiierir:aviir-.1()'f17 was '£423, arid'in' thai year.jfyOM cars"were made.... In' '101.) the awwjiq price was £135, with, a sale iir year thcjioijie. will'beJnrJn ex ; cessof a. million'," and 'it-.is calculatedthat a million or more ears a year can be disposed u!' in the country .'for some years to come with a use of 5,000,000' motor vehicles in America. *' * * I It is slated lliat the United' Stales Government Commission appointed to deal, with and report on the pelroleum trade situation in America has reported in. terms generally suggesting that proceedings can be taken' against certain interests under the anti-trust laws, It is anticipated, too, that Congress will strengthen the law with the object of stopping unwarranted rises in price and malpractices connected with the oil industry of America, *■,; ■ ;•■*; • * ■ , Mr John" Timbs, the historian of American invention, says that the his-' tory of 'every mechanical development has 'been from crude directness at the. start to extreme and burdensome complexity, then to; a finished simplicity which made t-lio complex designs 'seem absurd. It is logical that the automobile should, go...through stages of development in that rospeeV> following the. general rule of mechanical history and working back to a permanent condition of simplicity. . ■ '/> ' '•';> *' * '■•#■,'>• ■ In a, motor boat engine designed, for the lisc of both petrol and paraffin, a .writer in England says that when'the latter is'used in its original state less -.power is developed than with petrol, ■but Miat when'a vapoiiriser which'he uses'with it. is heated to'working point, and,when, the petrol us then.' shut offanol paraffin or crude petroleum is then' turne'd on, the engine , "leaps' into life." One wonders why the-ingenuity .of- engineers has not yet deyised a means of a workable vapouriser to the motor car engine. !. ; # * •$ Contrasting the professed anxiety of the British Government to urge upon private motorists the. exercise of economy in the use of petrol with the waste that is alleged to be rife in the services, the Autocar in a.recent issue says:" "From time to time in our columns examples have been given of this terrible waste. The. engines of Government lorrios-,are run for .hours'on end when standing, while loading or discharging their load; frequently lorries are used in the same way as oiie would use a. pedal bicycle-that is, simply to convey one person a short distance. The petrol is so lavishly supplied that it is used'for cleaning purposes, not merely of the external parts of the engpie, but of •the.lorry,as,a,,whole."-■ ...

11l connection with the-boom in eight ond, t.)y.pl\!fltaj'Jindei',cars ,in. America,., riierosare signs'that, in spite of the advantages of smooth running and greater .power, engineers are already: realising .•that<.tlic additional cylinders'are accompanied by additional troubles, and that the purchaser ■■•.who; has' the final'say is doubtful wli'etliertlie.adv.iiitap'sif.'fiiK'd .are; •siilrieft'iil 'Sfgiiiornng, unthori'iy in ■ the- Stales, in discussing the subject, wisely remarks that the simpler' the mechanism the cheaper-it is to operateand- care. for. His-, conclusion is that any tendency towards- a.larger .number of .cylinders,in automobile engines is likely* to be-followed-by a return to a policy of fewer cylinders, because of ..the(greater simplicity and the resulting economical advantage... ,' ' '-" ' ...TiiejFrench Government has realised that,.had this war!been confined to a struggle bitween France .and Germany, ■lhcy would have been faced with a seri-' ous shortage of ipetrol, It is natural, .therefore,-tlia't serious attention should .have.been directed to the necessity of I producing an alternative home-produced fuel for fii ti'i re'use. From January 1, 1017, therefore,, alcohol-for human'con(sumption will, be taxed at a very high [rate, and denaturised alcohol will become a Government monopoly. Steps iwill be, taken, to, popularise its use for motor -car purposes, though full details of the 'scheme are not yet known. Price will undoubtedly-'be an important factor, and if a mixture .of alcohol and benzole is placed upon the market at a lowprice for a fixed period of five years,;as is proposed, petrol will certainly lose its present position'• in France, . \.' * * * A simple device for cleaning rain off the windshield.'has. been placed .'upon the American'market'by a Cleveland manufacturer. It weighs about ten .ounces,, fits any windshield, has an adjustable wiper and can be.operated from the drive.v. , a_seat:,without stopping .'the -car. A New York firm is selling a heat, indicator designed to be mounted on tho radiator cap, so that the temperature may be noted'from the driver's seat at any time, and' over-heating guarded against. Another useful accessory, is a nefr jack operated by•compressqd air., The air may be supplied either,.from; an ordinary hand lyre pump or from the mechanical air pumps which now. form-'part of the equipment of a large number of cars. A length of rubber air hose is supplied,, so that the operator may stand deaf of the car. Supplied with'air from an ordinary hand pump, this jack is capable of 'lifting a sixton truck, • •

It is astonishing tho difference there is' in., the cost of motoring, much depending on the man at the wheel. The careful owner-driver gotslrosults seldom achieved by tlio paid driver. As evidence at what can bo accomplished in this direction, a Victorian motorist,, in Mr I\ r . S, Cozens, lias supplied some interesting and'instructive figures. Driving an '/. F.N." car (Belgian), shod with Australian made Dunlop tyres, Mr Cozens covered .15,000 miles from February .1, 1914, to July 1, 191,1, the actual running' post liciug £1.14 ISs 8(1. Petrol, oil, grease, etc., cost £7l lis 6d, averaging 1,133. penco por mile, whilst "the lyre upkeep was £3ll 2s, equal to isII pence 'per mile. 'Repairs, •overhauling, painting, etc., ran into £ll Ids'LM, oipial to .5 pence per mile/ totalling a cost of 2.M4 pence per mile. The car weighed 25 cwt. Up to the end nf March, 191 li, the total distance travelled was 23,j"»00 miles; the cost of lyres.beiiir; .Cii 9 17s lid; fuel, oil, etc., XIO7 .10s sd; repairs, etc., £37 19s i!d; the nilining cos! l.chig L\l per mile for Ihe w;holo distance.' The weekly average fiiil'lhc, fiill "period mentioned was -'Hi mires at a emt of XI 17s 4d pot week,' fliese flg«rca.jjo to.•show that motoring is not an expensive luxury when a car Is driven with care and moderation. . ■ .. •