NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20288, 22 June 1929, Page 12 (Supplement)

NOTES.

Tlia membership of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association at the beginning of this*, month was 1428.

1 Lubricating oils imported into Now Zealand in the first four months of this year totalled 966,788 gallons, an increase of 262,000 gallons on the imports in the •January-April period of last year.

During the first fqur months of this year 17,620,511 gallons of motor spirit were imported into New Zealand, lliis is a decreaso of 226,000 gallons on the imports in the corresponding period of 1928.

Motor tyre and tube imports into New Zealand during the first four months of this year were valued at £114,735. More than half the tyres came from Canada, and British tyres were about half the value of Canadian imports.

Although nearly 40 makes of cars are represented by substantial agencies in New Zealand, five organisations are responsible for the landing of 70 per cent, of the cars sold. Two companies distribute more than half the commercial vehicles.

At last white lining has been taken up seriously around Auckland. The Devonport Borough Council has placed lines on curves on the concrete road to Takapuna and these form a vory helpful guide to the driver who tends to over-run his share of the road on corners.

The large discounts for cash tyro sales have been concerning the motor trade for some time and recently a policy was formulated after conference with the tyre importers. The policy is not universally effective in Auckland and Napier and very low prices are ruling in those centres.

A local body in Great Britain licenses buses only' on condition that a special speed limit of 6 m.p.h. is observed through the town ' Another authority has caused some controversy by attempting fo attach a condition that 5 m.p.h. shall be the maximum.

Although local body by-laws permit the installation of several petrol pumps in garages, the national regulations restrict installations to one pump. The enforcement of the regulations will cause considerable inconvenience to garage proprietors and the Minister oi Internal Affairs has promised an investigation of the conditions.

In operating 4000 buses covering 173,000,000 miles a year, the London General Omnibus Company Limited, makes a very scientific analysis of route conditions. The company has a special vehicle equipped with special. instruments for showing distance, time, gradients, and road camber. A telescopic gauge is also used to measure clearances under trees and bridges.

Following a recent motor coacli disaster at Reading, England, it was found that the vehicle wae a composite machine assembled from parts of various origin. A conspicuous name plate on one part bore the name of a well-known Continental factory, and believing that there may be some detriment in this, the English agents are taking action for infringement against the parties responsible for the composite chassis.

The driver of the small car found himself sitting in the road surveying his battered mud-guards. He turned to the lorry-driver. "Do you mean to say you couldn't see me coming on a straight bit of road like that ?" he demanded. The driver of the lorry was not at all sympathetic. " Well, to tell you the truth," he remarked with an irritating grin, " I did see your car, but I thought it was only a fly on my. wind screen!"

TOO MANY TYRE SIZES. In. spite of efforts at tyre standardisation the number of sizes on the market is increasing. Car manufacturers are to blame more than tyre firms. Designers insist on specifying wheels according to their own ideas and when they are producing in the mass, tyre companies cannot ignoro the opportunity to cater for the equipment of these cars and for replacements. Twenty-eight different sizes are in use on 1929 models of American curs us compared with 22 tyre sizes in 1928. If car makers would co-operate it would bo possible to serve every car on the market with half a dozen sizes. This would greatly simplify rim and tyre production and tyre stocking would be simplified. The motorist would reap the benefit in lower costs and in a few years' time a dealer with this small range would be able to accommodate every car on the road. It would be possible to get almost any tyre at the smallest retail garages. Over 10 years ago the American Society of Automobile Engineers recommended seven sizes of tyres covering both passenger and commercial vehicles. Unfortunately their advice does not seem to have been taken seriously. Under the most liberal conditions seven sizes for cars and four or five for commercial vehicles would impose no handicap on vehicle manufacturers. Unfortunately the effect of standardisation is so belated that it is not given the consideration it deserves. One has to look six or seven years ahead when most of the existing cars will be off the road. If sensible standardisation had been carried out for that period we would find production limited to half a dozen rim sizes with an almost negligible demand for the innumerable sizes on the old cars still in service.