NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20130, 15 December 1928, Page 12 (Supplement)

NOTES.

The A. A.A. has introduced a provident fnnd-for its staff. ...

The survey of the Papakura-Bombay section of the main highway to Hamilton is well advanced, and plans for a concrete scheme will be completed early in the New Year.

Over 60 fuel experts representing a dozen nations attended a conference at the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, last month. Some time was spent in discussions on rosearch connected with the production of coal cils.

In some cases where a fan belt persists in jumping off the pulley, it can be made to stay on by removjng it and replacing it with the that was previously in front toward the rear. The. troublo is caused by a- defective belt strotching more at one side than at the other.

Mr. Walton Schmidt, field representative for the American National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, who made a tour of New Zealand in 1926, has arrived on another visit. Ho lectured in Wellington this week and will pass through Auckland on January 10.

The A.A.A. employed an independent expert to test the petrol which has been selling with tho official brand in country districts. The spirit was compared with standard brands selling at 2s a gallon, and with the special brands handled by the Canterbury and Wanganui Automobilo Associations.

With tho constant increase in traffic, the value of good eyesight to the driver is becoming recognised as one of the most important needs of the road. Socalled " colour blindness," it is declared, has become a grave source of peril with the system of lights signals a ruling factor in the regulation of traffic in American cities.

The Bendix principle commonly adopted in the design of modern starting motors is highly ingenious, but, with new cars the mechanism frequently jams, and, only too often, the starter is blamed. Jamming can be reduced to a minimum—often entirely stooped—by observing two simple rules. The first is, nevsr lubricate the quick thread, and the second, clean it frequently by squirting it with kerosene.

Many. owners of the latest American cars do not realise that they are losing power and wasting money by buying firstgrade petrols. Some of the new high compression. engines are designed to operate efficiently with the inferior fuel marketed m the United States. Motor spirit which sells in New Zealand at 2s a gallon is greatly superior to the fuel obtainable at service stations in tho United States.

The services of the Auckland Automobile Association's technical, adviser are being used more frequently by members, and motorists who doubt the value of a car or disagree with the charge made for a repair can pbtain an unbiassed opinion. A few weeks ago an Auckland motorist sought the advice of the A.A.A. engineer concerning an account for £156 for renovations and repairs. After negotiations, the bill was reduced by £3O.

Tho Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain has awarded the Dewar Trophy for the year ended September 30, to the Meivedes-Benz Diesel,-engined lorry which recently averaged 51 ton-m.p.g. over a road trial of nearly 700 miles. The Dewar Trophy is awarded for the most meritorious performance of the year under R.A.C., supervision. As a rule it is earned by a car which has revealed exceptional reliability, and the official tribute to the crude oil lorry is an indication that there are great possibilities in the new power unit.