WHEELING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1636, 8 July 1903, Page 30

WHEELING.

(By “Austral.”)

A significant indication* of the groAvth and progress of the automobile in England is contained* in information to hand giving" particulars of the formation of a motor volunteer corps in London. The present strength of the corps is 200 officers and men, Avith 200 motor cars fund 28 motor cycles*, the former ranging from the little 3 h.p*. Runabout to the 50 k.p. racing cars, Avhich have all been, placed at the command of the English War Office. Amongst those Avho haA r e joined the corps are: Rudyard Kipling, Horn C. S. Rolls. Sir J. H. MacDonald. K.C.. and A. <J. HarmsAvorth. The object of such a corps is obvious to anyone, and should further do much towards overcoming the present out-of-date legislatlion Avliicih still hampers the proper denvelopment of motoring in England. The credit of organising the first motor corps in England is* due to the Avell-knoAvn English motorist, Mr Mark MayheAV. The Victorian Inter-Club Cycling Association started the first of their interclub road premiership contests on Saturday. the 27h ult.. when the majority of

the metropolitan clubs were txy have beer* represented by teams of four riders each* The race was to be over a 25 miles out and home course on the Sydney. roadv and was attracting considerable interest in Victorian road racing circles. Particularo will be to band next mail. Broken spokes rarely trouble the rider nowadays. Where formerly breakages were one of the most prolific sources of trounie. tney are now almost non-exist-ent. Even the strain of a powerful rim brake does not work havoc, as might he expected. roust, v spokes on machines that have see- many years of service are almost as reliable asUiew ones. All of which goes to show that the right material is put into the spokes, and that wheel-building is within measurable distance of perfection. It is reported that Piet Dickentmann, the Dutch paced rider, who was here a few months back with T. Bobl, will rev turn to Alelbourno next autumn to fulfil a double engagement—to race and to marry. Every cyclist who is worthy of the name should see that he never rides without a complete tool and tyre outfit, and moreover, should know how to use it when the necessity arises. If cyclists will only see to this matter they will save themselves a lot of trouble, and will not have to impose their burdens on the first cyclist they meet who is out for enjoyment. and not to make himself generally useful. A complete outfit for one’s toolbag, should comprise an adjustable spanner, a cone spanner, a Dunlop mi.dget tyre repair outfit, a tyre lever, a small screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a piece of copper wire, and, last but not least, a pump.

The American team of riders, both sprinters and paced mem. now racing on the Continent, have so far done very little good when pitted against Europe’s best. It remains for Major Taylor to uphold the "Stars and Stripes," for Kimble, Nelson and others have signally failed.

The League of S.A. Wheelmen’s 25 miles handicap road race was held on the afternoon of Saturday, the 20tli ult., and attracted considerable interest throughout South Australia. The course was in a muddy condition, rendering fast riding very unpleasant to the competitors. The winner, turned up in W. Ring woo a, off the 7min 45se© mark, Ills time being lhr 18min 30sec. The second man to finish was E. C. Gilbert (with Smin 15sec) start), who also established the fastest time, covering the course in the good time/ —considering the muddy conditions of the road—of lhr 15mm 40sec. W. S. Cook, off the 6min mark, finished third.

The speed capabilities of the up-to-date 2J h.p. standard motor cycle is almost astounding. An English motorist, named A. G. Barnes, recently covered, from a standing start, on the Canning Town track (London), one mile in lmin 24 2-5 sec; five miles in 6min 7sec; ten mile® in llmin 58 l-ssec: twenty miles in 23min. 40sec; and twenty-five miles in 23min 33sec. Barnes was unfortunately unable to complete the hour owing to heavy rain otherwise fifty miles would have been accomplished in 60min—a wonderful feat, when it is conderod that the motor itself scales only 651 b.

The unseemly dispute that is at present going on betAveen the old Council of the League of NeAV South Wales and the members of that body Avas advanced another stage tAVO Aveelcs ago. Avlien the Council had the members’ secretary. Mr Brannagan (the Council have also appointed a secretary) arrested for removing the club’s* paners and belongings from the Council’s offices. At a subsequent meeting.the members of the League endorsed their secretary’s action, and further decided upon the removal of the old Council (Avhich has caused all the recent trouble) and the appointment of a new executive' committee of fourteen members. The result of the Police Court summons against the secretary, E. J. Brannagan Avas that the case Avas AvithdraAvn and referred to arbitration, Mr Percy Hunter (of the “Daily. Telegraph/' Sydney) being appointed arbitrator.