THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18826, 2 April 1923, Page 2

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By Accelerator. • (Ttemß of news—short descriptions of tcur4, the state of the roads, eto., comment, or inquiries will be welcomed by “ Accelerator.”] INQUIRIES. Motorists desiring information with regard to mechanical or other car troubles, or on any matter corning within the scope of tho sport, pastime, or business of motoring are invited to send inquiries to “Accelerator.” Special efforts wil be made to give tho most reliable advice on all topics of interest. “Novice.” —The car you mention is quite dependable, and has given general satisfaction. “Carburettor.”—‘Consult a competent mechanic, who will adjust your carburettor and give you a general idea how to get the best results A PETROL ECONOMISER. Some months ago 1 published a note regarding the want of a petrol regulator for certain curs, and the groat advantage of a proper manipulation of the petrol needle. This week I have been shown a, petrol needle regulator, which is specially adaptable for use ou Ford oars and is manufactured with a view to attachment, to that make of car. Mr John Smaill, oi Roslyn, is the inventor, and in! several practical trials has proved its efficiency and practicability. It is simplicity itself—simply an attachment to the steering post by which the driver can control the petrol supply. Those who have experienced tho difficulty of regulating tho petrol supply on widely different roads will doubtless inspect this latest invention. THE MAIN NORTH ROAD. “Chassis,” of the Christchurch Sun, visited Dunedin last week and has the following comments oh the southern section of the main north highway: The road between Geraldine and Winches ter is in need of attention. The going is good from Winchester to Timaru, and so ou to tho Waitaki. Some of tho roads are far frm even-surfaced, but the car-springs are rested from anything more serious than shallow pot-holes. From Waitaki into Oamaru the North Road is in a bad condition. There was talk years ago of letting sunlight get at the road by the removal of trees by the way, but nothing has been done, and tho road is very uneven nearing tnr-covorod Thames street. After leaving Oamaru there are miles of excellent road, beautifully surfaced with brown river shingle, which pulverises readily. Bad roads come again with the approach to Mahone, and thereafter to Waikouaiti the way lies over roadway requiring slight attention iii parts. Only on part of the way, just south of Timaru, were road-menders seen at work. Not a maintenance man was seen all the rest of the journey. It is patent that if county and borough councils placed a man on the road at intervals to- fill pot-holes, there would, not bo apparent that road wear which exists now. Instead, it seems to bo tho policy to wait till a road has lost its crown and become destroyed to such an extent that a grader or a team of men is required to set things right. Although North Canterbury has tho unmitigated disgrace of having the worst part of the South Road, there are small patches at intervals alqhg the whole route that require more painstaking supervision that they are, getting. There is no stronger advertisement for centralisation than the neglect which is being shown to the main arterial road of the South Island. Those members of Parliament who place obstacles in tho way of the early operation of the Highways Board should be invited- to drive by car, or any other contraption over tho main south road to tho Rangitata. From Christchurch to Dunedin the road is well provided with signposts, though a number of signs are needing removal or repair.

Apparently at some time in the far past a scheme was commenced to indicate the mileage for the whole of Canterbury on tho main road. From Timaru to Waitaki the traveller notices each mile ticked off by a neat board giving the mileage to 'Christchurch and Dunedin. Especially commendable has been the work of the Otago Motor Club in sign-post work. The signs are well-worded and cleanly kept. “THE SKIDDY DEMON.” - A rn emalk ; lh l° , notice issued recently in China for the guidance of motorists, it ran;— i i V lO liSo hand of the honourable policeman, stop the rapidness greatly. Do not pass him or otherwise disrespect ium. When a passenger of foot hove in sight, tootle the horn trumpet to him melodiously at first. If he shall still obstacles your passage, tootle him with large vigor and express by word of the mouth a warning Hi! Hi! Beware of the wandering sow that he shall not take fright as you pass him. , Do not explode the oxhaust- noise box at him. Go smoothly by. ‘Give space to the festive dog that makes play-sport in the roadway Avoid estrangement of tho dog with yoiir whoelspokes. Go smoothly on tho grease mud as there lurks the skiddv demon. “Press the brake of the foot smoothly as you roll around the corner, and save collapse and tie up. ‘‘Thank you honourably.” Lvidentlv motorists in Hong-Eong are treated with true Celestial courtesy. _ WATER FOR PETROL. Mr It. J. L. Strong, of Sidmouth, claims to have discovered a process by which water can be turned into tho equivalent of petrol, and that the spirit can bo produced at, 4d a gallon, as compared with 2s, the present price of petrol. Mr Strong is a well-known motorist, and has taken part in many reliability competitions. I went to Sidmouth and asked Mr Strong for a demonstration, but he respectfully declined, saying he had none of tho ingredients with which ho treated the water by him, writes a London pressman. He admitted that they could bo obtained, but it would not bo policy for him to got them locally, as he might ho giving himself away. Asked to explain tho process, Mr Strong said into half a, gallon of water he poured a pinkish powder 1 that caused the water to effervesce, and then ho poured in a fluid which ho carried in a phial. The treated water then had the qualities of petrol. Ho claimed that it was equal to petrol in every way. worked out at the same mileage, possessed the same pulling properties, and at the end of a run did not cause any more carbonisation than petrol. He savs he has already driven his machine, a 7-9 h.p. Harley Davidson. 4COO miles on his fuel. COWS AND CARS. An interesting decision was given in Lawrence recently in which tho plaintiff claimed £23 6s 6d damages occasioned by a cow, the property of the defendant, jumping on to the plaintiff’s motor car. Tho facts were that the plaintiff was driving his motor oar along a road near Lawrence when he overtook some of defendant’s cows on the road. He had passed ; all bni two when one of them jostled the other and poked it with its horns so that it jumped on to tho car and damaged tho mudguard. Tho main facts wore practically undisputed, and the question decided was whether the defendant was liable for tho damage done by his cow while it was wandering on the road. There was an alleged admission by tho defendant, but this was really an admission of the facts and cannot he said to ho an admission that he was “legally” liable. The magistrate (Mr Dixon. S.M.) found that tho defendant did negligently allow his cow to wander on (he road, but something further was required before he could he held liable for nny damage they might cause to other users of the road. A person "s not under any obligation at common l-iw to keen his cattle off the road. After citing numerous decisions the Magistrate said:— “I think therefore that tho jumping of the cow on the plaintiffs car when jostled or poked by tho horns of another cow is not such an act that plaintiff could have anticipated from an ordinary quiet dairy cow or that it. was an actual and probable consequence of (he cows being on the road. Thoro is no suggestion that the cows were, vicious cows. It is not a case of an animal unattended by the owner doing damage in "ecordnnee with its known propensity. Plaintiff will he non-suited. As the damage was caused through the defendant’s cows being illegally on the road I shall not al 1 "-'- him anv costs.” This question of wandering cows is one which might, well be considered by the Rcuth Island Motor Union. MOTOR. OYOT/R NOTES. It is expected that the repairs to Brooklands track will bo finished in time to reopen the triick this month. Prominent racing men prophesy that 108 m.p.h. will he attained in the 500 o.c. class in England this year. In France driving licenses for any type of vehicle will in future be issued only to persons above 18 years of age.

A magneto expert has _ stated that a modern magneto never requires ro-inagneslis-ing, unless it has been necessary to take it to pieces for repair or cleaning. .Scotland Yard is putting a number of police constables through a special course to acquaint them with motor car law, and to enable them to understand the working of cars and motor cycles. The following specifications have been prepared for this year’s T.T. race, in each case maximum figures being shown. _ Senior race, 500 o.c. engine, 187 jib in weight 2<jin tyres; junior nice, 350 0.c... 16Sjdb, 2i_in ; light-weight race, 25'0 c.n., 132jdb, Sin ; sidecar race, 600 c.c., 275g1b, 24in. All races will be six full lops with the exception of sidecars, which will only do three. England claims to make better motor cycles than any other country in the world, but she must not rest on her laurels for one or two other nations arc showing marked enterprise. These remarks are inspired by the appearance on the Italian market of a somewhat unorthodox but very attractive machine, the Finzi. It has a transverselyset 593 c.c. engine with a three-speed gear unit built up with the crank case, a neat duplex frame, and comnletoly enclosed final chain drive. The 69 by 80 mm. cylinders arc set at S6deg. The valves are superimposed—exhaust'over inlet—but while the inlet valve stems are vortical the exhaust valves are inclined inwardly 30deg. With this arrangement the tappet rods are parallel, notwithstanding the fact that the cylinders are set at an angle. All tappets and the valve actuating mechanism are entirely enclosed and work in an oil mist. SPARKS. An agitation is on foot in Auckland for the framing of a by-law to make all motor vehicles carry a mirror. “Failure by motorists to signal by arm their intended direction to following vehicles is general in Dunedin.” says a recent visitor. “This aspect of motorimr is recognised more in Christchurch,” he adds. Now car registrations for New South Wales for 1922 numbered 8500, in a total of 34,762. The chassis imported during tho year numbered 7445. It is far better to have valves refaced by having their surfaces skimmed and trued up in a lathe when the engine is being overhauled after .2009 miles or so than to relv on grinding-in. Municipal authorities in England are graduailv seeing the advantage of erecting traffic mirrors at dangerous corners on the highways under their control. These mirrors have been erected in a few places. Tho cost of erection is £4O for each mirror.

Twenty-three years ago, the first Packard motor oar was turned out in America. The company celebrated the event at its plant by getting out the old original car from a corner of tho’factory, where it had been tucked away. The old car ran as well as when new. '•

City Man: “I suppose you find your motor car a great improvement over vonr old horse, farmer?” —Did F nr mcr: “Wa.l, in some ways. yes. and in other ways. no. I can’t go ter sleep on mv way home' from town and wake up in the barnyard, like 1 could do with old Dobbin.”