NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20454, 4 January 1930, Page 10 (Supplement)

NOTES.

The Belgian Government has allotted the sum of £3,425,000 as a road fund.

In Libertyville, U.S.A., speeding motorists are not only, fined, but aro also mado to clean the streets.

Trees on the main roads of Franco aro painted with bands of luminous paint to assist motorists at night.

Cars in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A., must have their brakes tested at least twico a year by a recognised service station.

Two motor shows are to be held in Copenhagen early this year. Tho first is from January 25 to February 2. The second is from February 21 to March 2. Passenger cars are to bo shown at the second exhibition.

Younger members of the motoring community came in for some criticism recently, when a member of an English safety first committeo said; "Driving might be greatly improved. The worst typo of driver is tho young man just over the driving age, who goes out in a car, clad in rament of varied hue, without a hat, and who generally has Mi_ss Flapper with him."-

Tho publication issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, entitled " Tho Motor Industry of Great Britain," is even more informative than ever this year. Tho output of motor vehicles (private and commercial) last year was 211,877, which was 97 more than in 1927. The numbers employed on production in 1928 were 254,150, which is 830 fewer than in the previous year. The total amount raised in motor-vehicle taxation in 1928-29 wtos: —From ■ licences, £25,357,000; from motor-spirit duty, £12,983,000 —a total of £38,340,000. Here is an interesting set of figures, showing tho average tax per vehicle in tho countries named:—Great Britain, £28.0; U.S.A., £5.3; France, £16.7; Italy, £15.2; Germany, £13.9; Netherlands, £9.6; Canada, £6.1.

" WIZARD" SMITH ARRIVES.

Mr. Norman " Wizard" Smith, the Australian racing motorist, arrived in Auckland by the Maunganui on Tuesday, bringing with him the huge new racing car with which he hopes to break the world's ten-miles record, at present held by Marchand, who established the figure of 133.54 miles an hour in a Voisin, and the Australian and New Zealand onemile record. Mr. Smith will probably make his attempts on the records in the middle of this month. He is not certain whether he will make it at the Ninetymile Beach or at Muriwai. He has brought with him a special electrical timing apparatus, exact to the hundreth part of a second, which will be used to time thQ attempts on the records. Mr. Smith's car which has been named " Anzac," has a Cadillac chassis fitted with a 500 h.p. Rolls-Royce engine. In tests it has attained a speed of 121 m.p.li. on the open road, and lias accelerated up to 142 m.p.h. in 1300 yards. It has also touched a speed of 117 m.p.h. in second gear. If conditions are favourable, Mr. Smith hopes to attain a speed of 170 m.p.h..

THE HARVIE TURBINE.

The Harvie oil turbine appears to bo making progress judging from recent research and experiments at Messrs. G. Fraser and Son's workshops in Stanley Street. The second 'annual meeting of shareholders was held last week and it was the general opinion that the results were encouraging. The experimental turbine is at present undergoing extensive alteration in the light of data obtained lately. In reporting to the meeting the designer. Mr. W. E. Harvie, said " At the present moment it should be possiblo to set up our machine designed to work under a particular set of conditions, and obtain power directly in accordance with the fall of temperature, that is, the heat drop as between initial and exhaust temperatures, with a revolution speed as for the theoretical value.

" Alterations in nozzle design are still required owing to flow of gases being checked and therefore Actual velocity condition not" coinciding with theoretical. This is a mechanical factor resulting from faulty design and one of those points in which the cycle conditions were 'thrown out of time. New plates, with nozzles designed to get over this difficulty, were put in hand aud set up experimentally on November 1. The number tried out was six of a nine stage setting. The results point to a definite mechanical improvement. Comparison with a six stage settiilg shows that with the old plates the rev. speed attained per degree fall in temperature was 8.6, the new plates, under slightly different conditions and at a lower temperature, gave a return ,of 17.5 revs, per degree used. Part of this difference is directly duo to the altered blade setting, but the respective initial temperatures were: —Old setting 380deg. rise. 315deg.; New nozzles 200 deg. rise 135deg. This supplies the proof concerning faulty design. " However, this reading has yet to be confirmed with tho full complement of nine rotors and with temperatures to those required for power working conditions. It is anticipated that this reading will be maintained. Provided such is the case tho power issue is heyond doubt as is also tho thermal efficiency claim of 50 per cent. Comment at this stage cannot assist. Analysis of the position with the full nino stage setting will show how far wo havo travelled toward reaching our objective, immediately these plates are made and the experimental run takes place."