THE PETROL TRAIL

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12394, 13 March 1926, Page 18

THE PETROL TRAIL

With Car and Notebook. Grease "is not nearly as expensive as. spare parts; use plenty of it, and see that, it gets to the right places. There, are a /number of methods of removing . carbon deposits from an en;gine,.;but none can compare with the old method of scraping it off by hand. A little lamp-black on a soft cloth will produce good ■ results when polishing- the reflectors of headlamps. When wiping, start from the centre of the reflector and wipe outward to the rim—not round and round. The British Automobile Association is providing illuminated signboards at important crossroads in England. Th 9 innovation permits motorists to “pick up” road information without the necessity, of stopping their cars to inspect the boards. Since 1920 a sum of approximately £100,000,000 has been spent on highway construction in. the "United States. During three months 207 person's were killed in street accidents in the London police area, compared, with 225 in the previous ~ quarter. The' total number of accidents was 23.696. If a oar has a/tendency l to skid when the ■ brakes are applied' it in-, dioates that one wheel is free and the other dragging. Thiß condition is caused by • a lack of equalisation - m brake. adjustment, ahd can be correct-ed.-by having the brakes properly equalised. Cultivating a Motor “Sense.” One of the many phases of “motor sense” is the ability to foresee the possible' development, of a traffic situation before one is actually, called upon fb take measures to cope with it. This, may bo. termed intelligent anticipation, and, the development of it frequently allows an experienced' skilful driver to get through in cases where the novice would-court disaster,.

It has been said that flying is “a question of an active and well-balanced, decisive mind, and - a series of sound and quick reflex action.” The same nfay ■be stated of motoring. A good driver will aitticipate factors likely to affect liis control of the car. .It is the lightning of the brain which transmits the visual reflex of a certain set of circumstances and actuates the muscles which operate the control levers- in .the briefest possible time, which-makes the dividing line between ordinary and really first-class driving.

At Level'Crossings, Another conception of the railway crossing full-stop rule is develoipng in the United States. It is that where the. volume of traffic is heavier, on the road than on the railway, the train shall come to a stop before dossing the road. In some cdses short-line railways are carrying 300 passengers a day -on trains, as against 20,000 carried by ,a. highway that crosses tha line. ' In instances such- as this it is thought that the train should give way to the road traffic « Saving the Battery. If' a' battery is a loose - lit in its box damage may .occur through ft, jumping about when the car is -being driven over rough roads. This is easily cured -by removing the battery from. its con-tainer,-running'two leather oi preferably rubbcc straps round and then replacing it in the box. The straps’will act as packing to prevent rattles, and, in addition, they will serve ae a useful handle when the battery is being removed from its bix. Take care, however, that the buckles de not foul any terminals and ecus, a short.circuit. Speed Traps. .' There are two methods employed bv the i police in checking the speed ■of motorists. One comprises the use of stop watches by a constable at either end/of the-trap, and the other method is to follow a oar on a motor-cycle fitted with a speedometer. Concerning the former, checking speed over a short dittanoe ,is not reliable unless: those handling the watches are experienced. timekeepers. . Errors in timing .over short distances are magnified when computed to arrive '■at.-, the number of miles per hour.. ' Assuming that there is a speed limit of 25 miles per hour, air eighth of a mile at this speed would he covered inlßseconds. - If an error of 1,6 seconds occurred, then the motorist would be accused of travelling just on 28 miles an hour. There is risk of -the two watches varying a fraction of a second, and there is the time iost by the first constable’s signal being mentally registered by the second constable, and his action of starting the natch. When tho ’.ynl.cli only is used then the nowihie errbr lies in the- first constable’s atonal, and if there is much traffic tbs difficulty of identifying the par. The risk of unfairness . with c, speedometer lies in the possibility of a motorist acceleral ing for a few vnrds to get out of .tho nay of somebody else, and the following-constab'e having to race up his in-chtoie to follow him. A sit art sprint over a tow yards is- frnaiicrttlv, riesi'n.Uo on the score of-safety. It’ would ho better, therefore,: to require thy test of sneed to. he carried out over a distance of at -least half a mile.

POST-MARK; DUNEDIN

(Written for the “Times.”) Hello Pats! You were right in surmising that your letter might catch me, on the verge of a dash to the Polar regions or tho tropics—though heaven knows one need not dash far from Christchurch this season to experience the climatic conditions supposed to be respectively peculiar to those latitudes! .1 was, in fact, just preparing to step aboard for Dixie—well, Dunedin, .then—and already had. stowed in my blouse-case all the requisites necessary for the upkeep of that school-girl complexion, a really chic thing in sponge-bags, and the fragment of lace and tbe three! yards of babe ribbon that comprise the newest decollete- in robes-de-nuit. I held over your effusion to read as we pottered but of town on a Sunday afternoon when all Christchurch drowsed under sunshine blinding as that of Spain. Because I read that you -are planning under that satin-smooth shingle of yours to drive Cupid to Dunedin before long, I took note of things by the way which I. thought might interest you In parenthesis, Pats, I may say that in christening your two-seater “Cupid,” I consider you positively to bo forcing romance! And she a -very delicate yet decided lady withal, who will not he coerced! Now sweet, my chaste grey Prudence might be of Quaker persuasion, yet there are times when given tho mood and tho moment one flings Prudence to the winds! But I anticipate . . , Round by Springston we ambled; being unaware that e temporary bridge spans the swollen Selwyn on the alternate and more frequented route. It is a, leafy way, with a road surface nice enough not to be noticeable; indeed, Patsie, with tbe exception of a. very few lapses you’ll find the road well-behaved all the way down. Especially is the improvement marked this (Christchurch) side of Ashburton, where for so long a driver with an inelastio vocabulary of profane expressions -has had a -thousand reason? for repeating himself! A loose shingie surface is the, worst you, will encounter nbw. Oh,' tho glorious beat 1 Re/ membei the gaunt gums and tbe wattle plantations thereabouts ? It was sweltering Australia for a .few mile' that: afternoon ; we mentioned tropics, I think ? The Ralfeia wafted refreshing coolth, dawdling between islands of pale, fra-

grant lupin, beneath the timbers of “the longest bridge in Australasia.” We thirsted, -and one of us knowing a publican nearby—handy friends ’l"ve got, Pats—in no time we,were supping —no, you’re quite wrong—sipping tho most delish cup of teal On again! How. wide a sky broods over our Elams of . Canterbury 1 What a serene, spacious province it is I Unhindered the eye may rove the world’s round rim, save where the spleiidid Alps lie; dappled black and white just now, their snows running before the ardent sun; ./We didn’t make Ashburton,• but slipped across her .eight-mile speed limit self-important bridge registering thirty in a childish Attempt to square up for the fine they’d swung .on to us the last time we passed that way, when, and this is tlie joke of it, Pats, we'ii dipped into the roadway and not crossed the beastly bridge, at all 1 So, into a .summer country with great acreage flooded with a green tide of crops billowing towards harvest; meandering through tlie lazy length of Geraldine stretched in the comfortable sun, and throwing a reminiscent glance at a right-hand turn which, if taken would lead to the feet of Iho.se ermine-trim-med, royal ranges. (Have vou done that trip, Pats? Pairlie, Burlce’s Pass, Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki and on to the “Cloud-piercer” ? If not, take your own- car and your own time and someone who won’t talk! Chatter in the face of .these monarclis is as .unseemly as it would be in Her Majesty’s drawing room. If you feel as I felt, Patsie, when I’d made’ mental obeisance, you’ll want to put the ’bus in reverse and back "away from the Presence 1) The heat-haze danced before us to Tcmuka, and Timaru we sighted just 'tween lights. Church bells were intoning ns wo drew into the township, bright and pretty as an eager girl. Sauntering towards Caroline Bay came Mr and Mrs Tim Aru, accompanied by nil the visitors they delight to entertain, bibbed and tuckered, muslined and flannelled; prosperous bourgeoisie respectably en promenade. Having dined we left the seaside town to its decorous recreation and .speeded awnv into ..the deepening evening through the pastoral hills nnd dales neatly squared by. green hedges that run lip from . the road and over: the crests; dotted with ruminant entile and oversized mushrooms that, really are haystacks. A Noah’s Ark countin' this, toylike, unrenl in the dusk; full of a quaint peace. Such an evening Pats, wrapping us in a caressing, worm darkness. A swonnv. c.roonv night which, combining with tlio influence of tjwf quiet crmntc.vsicijt presently coaxed- us to singing! , Net the rortv V-: - hro<! vnu’d think, hut strangely, the . nld-time /'i-flieces -half-forgotten. “Sweet, and Low.’’ “The. Long Dnv Closes.” The evening star, itself “a

piiiiiiiiiiiinnniiiiiHicniHiiiniigiiiiiiiiniiaiiiiiiimiiamiiiiiiiiinm note God strikes on a silver Loll,” heard sweet harmony. from our impromptu quartette—there, now you’it put two and two together a/id make a ioursome. It’s time I scrapped sentiment 1 Odmaru, tidy and clean and well lit: fine specimen of a dity-’town. If you have no friends ,en -rbiite you should stay thede overnight, Pats, hut dori’t forget to have, a, hip-nip with you. Sheer devilment or may bo reaction prompted us to stop arid draw a. cork. Nice? Nectar! Than a" twin- up the hill and all speed, sent to blazes as we hurtled along our lane of light, black trees to right and left a flying frieze. Good roads quite deserted. What’s comparable to motor-madness on a summer nigh}; p Welcoming lights:- supper; “the benison of hot water” and “the.harsh male kiss of blankets.” We called it a day! But the jnorning I Woollies, my dear, and fur coats 1 All my .blue blood visihle in my blue nose. A wet wind that brought a drizzle. Otago? Certainly! We splashed along, side-cur-tains up; and the country, grown chilly and hilly and forbidding over-> night frowned and wept about us. We were advised ..to -take the Kartigi beach road to Palmersfon ; the seasoape was impressive hut grey.. I need glitter of gold and diamonds to spangle my PSciiie before I further gem. her with descriptive adjectives; Don’t* morning tea in Palmerston, it’s depressing, and onoo in bad humbur you. may grouch a bttle at the ro.lds about Waikouaiti, but if Cupid’s pulling well you’ll love tse climb after you leave Waitati; euceljent grade and fine surface. Bit littered with steam-rollers and men and things—necessary evils. Then, if the. mists are not musing in the valleys, you’ll see Port Onalmers, emerald in a turquoise setting; ami the. harbour’s deep streams and treacherous shallows. Dunedin and I haven’t met for years, but Pd recognise her anywhere—-she doesn’t change. One or two fast flappers jppw wear kneelength skirts and .flash, 'flesh hose, but I don’t blame Dunedin, rather the influence of the fleet,. 'since gum-chew-ing seems always to: accompany the other regrettable -signs! D’you know, Pats, 1 feel sure, that in Dunedin hubby still gets away with that old gag, “Sorry I’m late for dinner, m’dear, but- the barber, was so busy,” while in every other wort of the world the story now goes, “Just open a tin of tongue, John, whilst kuoex-'-up • salad—had to wait :n fearful time f#r * haircut ” ; and John swallows the story and the c -hi .collation. N-t that they haven’t heard of the shingle, mind you, but—~ The southern city sits somewhat sadly surrounded by' her cemeteries; her suburbs. are drab affairs. Even tho Exhibition waves its flags in the face of. tombstones, hared like the fangs of death upon the hill above. Oh, yes, they hare nn Exhibition in Dunedin!. But I’m-not good at Exhibitions, Pntsio; I leave yon to explore it, for yourseif when you’ve left Cupid parked in charge of an athletic 'Venus wearing a shingle, shirt, and - (sh shorts I Most, becoming kit ; you’ want to adopt it—up to tho minutparking arrangements, I must ndmit. Just a word of warning. If vo» fee' inclined to paint Curid’s cu-nin-; rtfe nose further south, don’t I P-----* County «* the nlacp where. pawdotJK ally speckin'-, thev raise potholes! •A- p.ot-T-:-All luck to t.ha trip. Yours, EM.

Tinted Spectacle* for Driver*. The use of tinted spectacles will counteract much of the eye strain associated with driving a car when the sun is shining brightly. The majority of drivers, however, have a prejudice against wearing spectacles when sight-correction is not invulved. It is an unreasonable attitude though, because road glare imposes a severe strain upon the aptio nerves. The usual type of goggle is uncomfort ably warm to wear, although it has the advantage of keeping dust out of the eyes more effectively than spectacles. Numerous motorists who for the first time wore horn-rimmed, green or orange-tinted spectacles, more as a joko with friends than for driving comfort, have become' staunch advocates for comfort iefoie appearance. Comparative Running Expense*. ‘ From a transportation survey made in Washington (TJ.S.A.)'ii was ascertained that the average load of a private motor-car was 1.9 passengers. The average cost per pastenger miie is 2.93 pence. Tram riders on tho average pay 1.22 pence for each mile travelled, and motor-’bus riders 1.83 penoo -per mile. The average taxi-cab fare in Washington works out- at 11.95 pence per miie. Another Record. A new American speed record recently established in U.S.A. is especially notable for the high average speed maintained, and . emphasises the remarkable increase in the speed of racing cars in that country in the last few years. Driving the - same car that Jimmy Murphy was piloting when he met his death at Cyracuse, N.Y., more than a year ago, Frank Elliott averaged 127.87 m p.h., when winning a 250-mile race at Culver City, California. The previous American record for this distance was 726.88 m.p.h. put up by Tommy Milton on the same track. Earl Cooper made even faster time than the winner for 200 miles, when he lost the lead by running out of petrol. He eventually finished fifth.

MOTOR BANDIT OUTRAGE The new terror of the road, the motor highwayman, has added another to the long list of his crimes in the. Paris region by a robbery and murder on the country road near Paris. Shortly after three o’clock in the afternoon, Gaston Jeannaud. a travelling collector of the Banque Nationale de Credit, left Bry in the Marjie Valley, to cycle to Coeuilry. -his satchel full of money. slung across his shoulder. A few hundred yards outside Bry his route lay - along a lonely by-road, winding among fields. A motorcar passed him and swerved so as to throw ;him : from his machine. An occupant of the car then jumped out and seized Jeannaud’e bag. . The cyclist attacks dhim with hie pump but five shots rang out, and Jeanaud fell dead. The bandits made off before some workmen near by could .reach the spot.