NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20306, 13 July 1929, Page 12 (Supplement)

NOTES.

The membership of the A.A.A. now ex cecds 12.000.

Members of tlio A.A.A. aro invited to communicate with tho secretary if they aro willing to participate in nn outing for tho entertainment* of the crew of the French cruiser Tourville.

Complaints regarding the condition of tho main highway near Mahoenui aro being brought under tho notice of the Highways Board by Mr. M. 11. Wynvard, tho motorists representative. Tho nature of tho section renders work very difficult in bad weather.

A survey of 44 breakdowns suffered by transport vehicles in tlio Swiss Alps shows tyro troublo tho most prolific causo with seven cases. Magneto troublo caused six hold-ups, broken fan belts three, broken pistons three, and miscellaneous engino defects nino stops. Battery and back axlo defects each involved two stops.

An American salesman sold an old coloured farmer a tractor. A few days after tho machine was delivered tlio salesman called on his- customer for pay.

" Can you pay mo for tho tractor, Undo Jim?" ho asked. "Pay for do tractor?" he asked in astonishment and wrath. " Why, man, yo' done tole mo dat in free weeks de tractor would pay for hisself."

A small bolt, with metal, and rubber washers about lin. in diameter will often como handy for a temporary radiator rupair. Tho bolt is passed the leaking honeycomb and tho nut is tightened until tho rubber washers press firmly around the damaged section, enclosing the seepage from both sidffs. Ingenious temporary repairs havo been effected bv forcing wooden matches iuto tho opened seam.

Four-speed gear-boxes for commercial vehicles now predominate in America. Thero is a marked tendency for multispeed gearsets. Soma years ago one American manufacturer caused consternation by offering a seven-speed truck or bus chassis. At tho beginning of 1929, three makes of American trucks were on tho market .with seven speeds as standard. Two liavo six forward speeds, and there is yet another commercial chassis with fivo speeds.

A uso fill accessory for giving warning when the tail lamp fails lias been produced in England. It is a buzzer device which is wired in series with tlio tail lamp. The small nickel case can bo mounted unobtrusively on tlio dashboard. Immediately the lamp fails the buzzer sounds. I.ho device costs about 10s, and consequently shows no economy over a conversion to a dash and tail lamp in series. ]\lariy motorists, however, do not like driving with a dash light in operation, and for these the buzzer solves the problem. CLOSED CAR TREND. 1 Soma Auckland agents report closed car sales at tlio rato of six for every open car. As the difference in cost of . closed and open bodywork on the same chassis decreases yearly tho proportion of sedans, coaches and coupes grows. Open cars form such a small section of tho output in tho United States that many American manufacturers have got enclosed types almost to the level of tourers, while a few factories standardise on two and fourdoor sedans, and produco only special sports tourers, which are actually higher in price. It will be recalled that 10 years ago a closed taxi was a novelty in Auckland, and, although tho vogue of the closed car grew, it was very generally stated that the open car would always Lie in demand for heavy country and .service car work. Nobody could conceive large sedans on servico routes, there being an impression that such luxury was adaptable only to city conditions. To-day the service car patron is quite annoyed if he is exposed to wind and dust. Tho programme of American automobile factories for 1929 indicato that only one car in ten will bo an open type. Only ten years ago tho positions were reversed, and ono in ten- was closed. The actual sales in the United States to-day include less than 10 per cent, of open cars, but the proportion among exports is higher, Australia and New Zealand still having a higher ratio of demand for tourers. The following show 3 tho production of closed cars in the United States during the last 10 years:—

Xo. I'er cent. of output, mm iGi.oon io.a 1020 H2:i,950 17.0 mi 2-2.1 J!) >2 722,71)0 -10.0 102:1 l,28.",:ioo :it.o i!i2i 1,1:10,7 to 4:1.0 1925 2,205,758 .W. 5 1020 2.808, can . 72.0 11)27 2, .->01,12:1 82.8 I'J2B a,504,402 88.5 Tho greatest iuereaso in closed car output was recorded last year, tho total being over 1,000,000 in excess of the aggregate of sedans, coaches and coupes built during 1927. Last year open cars numbered 460,128, only 11.5 per cent, of tho total. An analysis of tim various body types produced in America last year shows a predominance of four-door models, 40.1 per cent, being of this type. Two-door sedans or coaches accounted for 26.1 per cent., and coupes for 19.4 per cent. Touring cars were only 5.6 per cent., and roadstei'3 5.4 per cent. Tho remaining 3.4 per cent, were chassis, which left tho factories without bodies, and tho subsequent coaehwork mado to order, or individual preference could not bo accurately traced and classified.