THE MOTOR WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18019, 18 February 1922, Page 6 (Supplement)

THE MOTOR WORLD.

MUBIWAI RACING RULES. The following rules governing the race,' to be run at the Muriwai Beach next Saturd»3' will be of interest to compo tiiors and spectators alike; —1. No persoi under the age ot 18 years will be atlowec to drive any car. and no lady drivers 01 uncertificated drivers will be allowed t< compe.e. 2. Any competitor disobeying the orders of tho starter, or starting be foro tho signal, or having made a falsi start, not being cognisant of obeyir ( j tin recall signal, shall be reported to th( committee for disqualification or pcnalisa tion as it may think fit. 3. In starting all competitors from a standing start, th< foremost part of the vehicle in contact with the ground must be placed on tin mark from which tho competitor has t< 6tart. 4. It shall be the duty of cacl competitor to see that ho starts from his proper mark. 5. In all cases where mon than one competitor starts from tho sani( mark the respective positions shall be de cided by lot. 6. Any driver wilfully ob strncting the driver of an overtaking cai will be liable to disqualification. 7. Th< leading car shall keep as near the centre of tho beach as practicable. 8. AI drivers must keep as straight as practic able and no cutting in wili be allowed. 9. Every entrant shall state the name oi the person who is tc drive his vehicle cither on his entry form or otherwise in writing rot less than two days before the meeting. Any change of driver must be submitted to the secretary of tho Racing Committee one hour before the start of" the race. 10. Every competitor shall carrv in a conspicuous place one or more numbers or other marks corresponding with the programme. 11. Tho entrant shall be responsible for all acts or omissions on tho part of his driver, mechanic, or other passenger, but each of these shall he equally responsible for infraction of nilrs. MURIWAI RACES. Motor car racing at Muriwai Beach has become a p.ipular institution. The Auckland Automobilo Association will hold a further meeting at the beach next Saturday. The events will include a - inile light car race; a 2-mile touring car handicap, open to all cars which have not been entered for any other event axcept Vords; the 50-milo New Zealand Motor Cup speed championship; the Taxiilrivers' Championship, 6 miles; a 1£ mile sprint race; and a 230 yards aoi deration test. Competitors in the motor races are advised to keep themselves ready to go to the starting point st least 20 minutes before the time of the race, In the cup race three-quarters of an hour j'.racc should bo allowed. Competitors Ihouln not leave the head of the beach for the starting point until the despatch ■ stewards advise them. Any winner leaving the beach after his race without having his car passed by the inspectors will be liable for disqualification. ANOTHER RANGIRIRI SUGGESTION. "Ben Ziue" writes:—lt seems to me that advoeat-es of repairing the Rangiriri Hills or making a detour nearer the rive? are short-sighted. A road built besido the railway through the swamp to Rangiriri, would bo half the length of the present road, and about one-third of the proposed one. The cost of the swamp road would be more per mile, bnt, being only seven miles, the cost would not be very much more. Moreover, the earth to fill in tho swamp could be derived irom tho peninsulas jutting into tho > ~ vamp< and also from the bluff near the tunnel. This would widen the road where it is harrow. Now consider the upkeep. Everyoitr knows that** hilly road is a very expensive ono to keep up owing to the winter rains washing out the metal, and, in length alone, the Rangiriri hills would cost twice as much yearly to repair as ills swamp road. The motorist by the swamp road would benefit by no undue wearing of tyres dragging over hills, and we have only half the distance to travel—a saving of benzine, and a considerable saving of time.

FRENCH TRACTOBS. One of the features of (the Frenc! autumnal tractor ploughing trials was tr use by certain competitors, of Frenc national fuel. This fuel is composed < 50 per cent, benzole and 50 per con alcohol, and its use is being recommende by the Government in order to encom age agriculture, and to make tire Frenc industry independent of foreign fueh Better 'results were obtained with thi fuel than with paraffin, as is so ofte used on agricultural machines. owin| to th<! temporary shortage of benzole, th percentage of alcohol had to be increase on one or two' days to as high as 9( but this did not affect the working c the engine, nor was any difficulty exper enccd in starting up from cold, Th only mechanical change- made in th engine was a slight increase in compre; r-ion. and a slight adjustment of tho cm buretler. THE SLOW TRAFFIC. " Slowly-moving heavy traffic obstruct a iarge portion of the road; and, in ord< to allow free passage, as the Statute n quires, it must keep more or less to tr left." This was the ruling of the Lor Chief-Justice—Mr. Justice Sankey, an Mr. Justice Acton agreeing—in an appei which came before the High Court, Loi don, tho other day. While a driver migl we the road freely, he must not for considerable distance go without givin an opportunity to pass to a car that haj pencd to be behind him. It was no goo saying he did not hear the horn of th approaching motor-car. That was a ver easy excuse, and the Altrincham justice! against whose decision the appeal wa made, were perfectly richt in convicting The case was that of a driver, who ha been fined for not allowing free passag to a motorist whilo driving a steam wac £on and trailer. WIRELESS FOR OARS. It does not require an ultra-imaginativ person to realise the possibilities of polic cars, fire engines or emergency cars wit s, simple wireless apparatus which wii transmit instantly messages from head quarters. To Edward Dallin, Harvan graduate and radio experimenter, goesth' credit for a novel wireless device mountci on a standard touring car. Two broon handles and a lencth of lamp cord forn the antennae, a wooden box originally in tended to contain milk chocolate being tht cabinet -for the sending apparatus. Ai ordinary spark coil supplies the plat< voltaic for tho vacuum tube- transmitter Huh this set Mr. Dallin can trave amund in his car and in tho vicinity ol iiis home at Quincy, Massachusetts, reicue messages from points as far distant as Key West, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. Hi s sending range averages ten miles, and he is working now on a much more effective sending apparatus. The set occupies a small space between the front seat and dashboard. THE MOTOR AND THE FARM. Statistics prepared in tbe United States 27JS T y i dl£tricts use more an. motor veh.cle per farm. The Bureau « the census count shows 2,116 512 n»„ pSSn™ ks r f l3l ' sslfai ' nif '- 0 P« tent, of all farm s own cars with 9 Hales reports of ear manui 2e r 69 j™' ever, indicate that the heavier !i ?' 1920 were in rural r eg i 2 Z? £ & general ratio is probably too Sd,t f X 8 ia r JjMjjdi on farms may be aa/highTs

BY FOCUS.

NOTES. The production of a new British steam car is indicated in tho near future. Lubricating oil prices, we are glad to noto, are still falling, states, the Autocar. The worst thing about a leaky radiator is the number of kind people who will draw one's attention to iU Should a body panel crack, havo it repaired, and strengthen the framework so that it shall not crack again; also replace any lost screws without delay. What's in a name? "The Prottiest Car on the Road," and " The Enthusiasm Car," are the slogan titles adopted by the makers of two well-known light cars. In Eastern countries men sit calmly on nail points and tho edges of swords, and acquiro merit and money. An acquaintance wishes to know whether similar benefits will accrue from riding in his ill-sprung car; if not, thoro must be something strangely wrong somewhere. In very many cases a second-hand car sells well because its coachwork is in good order. Therefore, neglect not the upholstery, but remember that leather restorer works wonders both to colour and condition. The two highest classed cars, costing £2.500 and £5000, exhibited at the recent motor-car pageant of Europe, wero sold to the Maharajah of Bharatpur and the Hon. Syod Aliaf Ali Nawab of Bogra. both of India. South African motorists are in the happy position of only beinc called upon to pay motor tax on tho following scale: —For" cars under 15001b. weight, £1 10s per annum; over 15001b. and not exceeding 25001b., £2; from 25001b. to 40001b.. £3; from 40001b. to 60001b., £5; and over 60001b., £10. As a steeplechase jump the mound which has been thrown across the lower end of Brighton Road, recently tarred and gravelled, has every recommendation. Presumably it will be "left for the traffic to consolidated, but hi the meanwhile motorists beware. There's room on the left-hand side going out to pass tho obstruction. A test of the endurance of women as automobile drivers is the principal purpose of members of this winter's tour of the Scarborough Motor Guide, who arrived in New York a few weeks ago. The tour is an annual event, and comprises this year 30 motor-cars,- carrying nearly 200 , tourists and practically all driven by women. The party is motoring from various New England points to Miami, Florida, and back. ] Motorists and business men are becoming healthily inquisitive as to how the LJovernment proposes to dispose of the revenue derived from the motor tyres tax now that the Main Highways Bill has been shelved by Parliament. Tho New Zealand Automobile Union has directed a ]uery to the Minister for Internal Affairs on the matter, and now the Auckland Provincial Industrial Association is also . sitting up and taking notice. < As a test, and in order to satisfy an j idle curiosity, I recently proceeded twice . across" the Grafton Bridge at tho regulation speed of 10 miles per hour. The speedometer of my car I know to be as reliable as most, and I found on maintain- | ing this speed that six cars passed me on the first occasion and no less than 11 the second time. It is not a question of the wisdom of the speed regulation, which is probably wise, but what motorists aro concerned "with is distinction of prosecution, which seems to bo conferred on a few jrivers, while tho many go free. Why lot 3 Royal Commission on tlie neglect, >y the authorities, of such a source of •eVenue for the country?

MOTOR-CYCLING. Muriwai is all activity at present, and some very fast times are reported by competitors in the cup event. Stripped machines and sporty side-cars are beginning to make their appearance in preparation for the race meeting nest month, ___. t This week-end will see many motor camps orected at Muriwai in order to carry the final tuning on tho beach in preparation for next Saturday. Len. Maugham is up to his old form again, and he and Coleman had a battle royal at Marton on Saturday last, each rider winning one event against the other off. the same mark. The riding at last Saturday's hill climb at Orakci aroused great enthusiasm, and seme very clever displays were given. One noticeable feature at tho Orakei hill climb was the appearance of an English twin, which, although it did not compete successfully, on account no doubt of its newness, ftill showed some signs of promise for future events. Great credit is due to Walker, Smith, Stewart, Herbert, and McLaren, who handled their* big 5501b. machines in a manner which Bhowed how complete was I their control. "■ C. Walker gained the fastest time of ~~ the day. He used a high-compression racing engine with a fixed gear, his riding being specially meritorious. m The slow races called for supremo control, and H. Smith and G. Stewart fought out every inch of the way. McLaren was unfortunate in stalling when within 10 yards of the finish, as his time would have made him run first place very close. The heavy-weight championship of New Zealand is to be decided at Takapuna on March 4, and a keen race is anticipated. The supporters of Coleman, Mangham, and Whitehead claim their respective champion to be a sure winner, so that .he 15 miles should bo brimful of interest. From Auckland to Paeroa is quite a feasant trip, the road through Pokeno ind tho Maungatawhiri Valley being in excellent condition. A little rough clay s met this side of Rawerawe, but with ;ood springs this is hardly felt, and the est of the journey is worth the discernort. Several motor-cyolists bad a bad scare ast Sunday morning. Travelling over fangere Bridge at, as it happened, quite reasonable speed, they were confronted t the store by a man with a book and I encil. After having their numbers, taken I nd several questions asked, they began I i get restive, but were finally told: I It's all right; I am only taking a toll f tho traffic." This particular stretch of 3ad is indeed a credit, and could be ipied beneficially by several local counIs. How many people realise that for every chaust explosion the piston completes >ur movements? This, of course, applies i the four-cycle job. The piston tranrelig downward causes a vacuum, and, the let valve timed to open, allow*., the mixre to be sucked in from the carburetter. he next thing is to compress tho gas ady for explosion, and the valve closing aves no escape, and, as the piston avels upward, the compression 6troke is mpletcd. The magneto now sends irounh a spark, which causes an exosion. forcing the piston downward on ' power stroke. All that remains now to clear the chamber of burnt gasses, m the piston, continuing its movement, avels upward and forces the gas out of ie exhaust valve, which has meantime Z-oT- n f- Thus •*• have the four £j2~mlet, compression, power, and —