THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19259, 25 August 1924, Page 4

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

Motorists desiring information with regard to mechanical or other ear troubles, or on any matter coining within the scope of the sport, pastime, or business of motoring are invited to send inquiries to " Accelerator.” Special cflorts will be made to give the most reliable advice on oil topics of interest. THE GARAGE PROBLEM. As with houses there is a shortage in garage accommodation, and the fortunate man with sufficient ground for the erection of a garage finds little difficulty in disposing of his house. The acquisition of another house is, of course, quite another question. An enterprising North Dunedin resilient is erecting eight garages, which will accommodate 10 cars. Though they are still under construction the demand is so great that more than half of them have already been let. They have been fitted with electric light, and there is a pit in one for general convenience. WHERE MOTOR CYCLES ARE WORSHIPPED. A Tibetan chief who has been educated in England took back a motor cycle, but this so alarmed the elders of his tribe that they demanded that it should Do placed in a special shrine and worshipped so that the devils in it should be placated. WHAT POLICE DEPARTMENT HEADS THINK Of’ MOTOR CYCLES. In America recently the New York State Bureau of Municipal Information made a survey of the use of motor eyries by police departments, and among the questions asked was: “Do you believe motor cycles are an effective aid to your department? If so, why?” The answer was something like this: “Yes—less expensive than horses. Can cover more territory and are a Lister mode of transportation,” or like this: “Yes. One of the vital necessities to insure proper police administration. The motor cycle has come to bo a fundamental part of a modern police department" SPEED DEVELOPMENT. The remarkable high average specif attained in the last Indianapolis 500 miles Track Race (F.S.A.), in which a Duese-i----borg eight-cylinder car maintained 98J m.p.h. for the full distance affords one a good idea of the wonderful advance made in automobile engine efficiency since 1911, when tile first “Indianapolis” was held. In that event Harronn won driving a JVlarmon with an engine of 417 cubic inches capacity, he taking Oh 42miu Bsee to cover the .700 miles. In this year’s race the winning car. fitted with a straight eight, engine of 122 cubic inches capacity, negotiated the same distance on the same track in oh omin 2;>Jsec. Put in another way, if the Mormon and Dnescnherg had been pitted against each other, the 1924 winner would have travelled 030 miles, whilst the Marmon was covering 500 miles, although its engine was three and two-third times the size of that fitted to the little 1924 victor. There is no doubt motor racing lias brought about a remarkable advance in tlie efficiency of the motor car. MOTOR CYCLING IN ENGLAND. At I’.rookiands on Saturday. June 14, H. O. Webb, a private owner of a 12 h.p. Indian Super Chief, won the one lap unlimited scratch race at a speed of 09.602 lu.p.h. on a standard machine from a standing start. In the A.C.U. South Medland Centre Trial E. F. Harveyson, on an Indian Scout, won the premier award and also the much coveted cup for the best performance. In the Travers Trophy Trial J. J. Robertson. riding a 1015 Indian, won the gold medal and special award known as the N.F.T. Challenge Trophy for the best performance of the day for solos over 300 c.c. In the London-Kdinhnrgh Reliability Trial held on Whit'Sunday, W. D. .Pugh, on an Indian Scout, came off with a gold medal for the best performance. RACING IN GERMANY. The competition for the Saxony Cup, organised by the Automobile Club of Gercomprised a reliability run over a distance of 160 miles, a two-and-a-half mile speed test, and the same distance uphill, over a gradient of 9 per cent. Starting from Zwickau, the route for the reliability trial led through' I.oben, Beutzen, Kamenz, Meissen, Freiberg, and bach to Zittau, where the speed test was held on the HirschfeldOstritz road. These trials, which constituted the most important tests for standard oars held in Central Germany since the war. united 31 competitors for the reliability ran and 32 for the. hill climb. Hie classes were based on piston displacement, the smallest being 4 and 5 h.p. cyclecars, under the German formula, and the third class being light cars designated at 8 h.p. In this division the 501 Fiat, generally indicated as the 10-15 h.p. model, was the fastest of the propp, its nearest competitor being a Pilot driven by Lehmann. In the 9 h.p. division the winner was Bergschicker on a Bugatli. followed by Wagner and Kerroer. each oh Presto machines. An Austro-Daimler won in the tifth and a Dux led in the six division. HILL CLIMB IN SWITZERLAND. The six-mile hill climb held- in Switzerland from Bianford to Ohaux-de-Fond.s proved to be one of the- best automobile sporting events held in that country, and one which united an immense number of spectators. In the section for tonring cars, the fastest time in the first division was made by Bettwyler on a Fiat-501. In the second division Berger made the fastest time on a Talbot, followed by Madame Prioiiat’s Delage. The third division was won by Nigg on an Ansaldo, with another car of same make, and driven by Kirchoffor, in second place. The respective winners in the fourth and fifth divisions were Buttikofer on a Voisin and Erard on a L; ncia. Sports models ran independently of the touring cars, and among these Berg’s Talbot was the fastest in the first division, followed by Lanz on a Bugatii. In the third division Beck won on a Bngatti, followed by Philipposinn on Uie same make >f car and Mai rot on a Mercedes. Fastest time of the day, in the open class, vva.s made by Philipposian on an Sight-cylinder 2-litre Bngatti with 9n.in 30sec for tlie six-mile climb. Lepori, on a 15C0 cc Fiat, was only four seconds slower, while third place was won by Gacon on a Peugeot. VIA GLASSY ROADS TO PARADISE. Mr Harper, F.R.G.S., A.G., the notable New Zealand mountaineer and explorer, in his book on “ Pioneering in the New Zealand Alps,” published several years ago. predicted that ere long many fashionable hotels would bo erected at Welcome Flats on the Graham’s Saddle route from the West (.’oast to the Hermitage. Our Tourist Departments, however, have been exceptionally slow and unimaginative in tins respect, and the isolated beauties of our Alpine fairyland still remain accessible to only skilled mountaineers. Contrast Ibis method of boosting our country's bcfmtv ppts wiln iho titig method ho If.iS.A.’ authorities have of opening up their great national parks. Ust year more than 40,000 people were taken through the famous Yellowstone Park on motor buses, says the American trade paper. Tbq Goodyear News, the average tyre mileage for a park season reaching 2,750,000 miles. Unlike the roads in our volcanic areas, the American nark roads are composed of rough sharp 'glass-like substance, which are specially severe on tyres, hut otherwise the trip is one to be remembered. ONLY A LOOSE RIVET. An owner living 12 miles from the servicu station drove in with iim complaint tlni, there was a combination squeak and knock coming from the rear axle. The tr?!er dia;rnosod the case quickly : **J ighteu body bolts.” Done, But ;.iie knock or click, or whatever it wa- was still (here when the car came out'of the shop says the Motor: “Cheek suing bolts, lubricate sheet metal parts ami tighten everything in sight.’’ were succeeding orders. The car remained in the shop all day, and each test after work showed the noise to bo present. The owner drove home disgusted. All servico stations were rotten The next day he telephoned bitterly to the service manager, who promptly dispatched the foreman of the shop to the man's house, 12 miles out ; the foreman worked about two hours testing, trying, oiling, tightening. At, last ho happened to run his hand over the right rear frame horn, and there, prominent as a thumb, was a loose rivet. And near it., another loose one. The rivets were two of those that secure the spring hanger. The hanger was knocking and squeaking inside the frame channel. Two minutes fixed it.

fUarna of news—short descriptions of tours, the state of the ro*d*W •4c., comment, or inquiries will bo welcomed by “Accelerator. 1

FURTHER RECORDS AT BROOK' .LANDS.

On May 29. A. G. Miller and G. X Norris took out the Wolseloy Viper, which lias an eisrht cylinder engine ot 120 x 150 mm., and a i-übio cap an y ot 11762 o.c, in an attempt on records up to'six hours (says the Motor). „Th* 11. class (13 929 c c.) records ud to 200 kilometres staiid to the credit of the Sunbeam, but, the "Viper" set, up a 250 kilometres record at. a speed of 85.37 k.p.h. from a standingstart. At the same time it established the threo hours' record by covering 161 miles 705 yards, and averaging 53.08 rn.p.h., but did not capture the two hours' record during- tho run. On the same dav J. G. P. Thomas beat the world's record for two miles with a flying start, the mean speed of the oighteylinder 726 c.c. Ley land being 125.96 rn.p.h. considerably better than the 121.11 m.p.h. previously credited to the 12-cylinder Sunbeam. The world's records for these, distances aro taken as the mean of the speed in bot'h directions, and in this case 126.07 m.p.h. was averaged in the normal directon round the track, and 125.55 m.p.h. in the reverse direction. The car. therefore, takes tho two mile record in Class G (7734 c.c.) by improving on its own previous figure of 124.12 m.p.h. FOUR WHEEL BRAKES AND THE CINEMA. The endless search on the part of moving picture producers for new ways to create laughter and to thrill audiences is a source of constant amazement to tho layman. Now Buick and its famous four-wheel brakes has como in for its due share of attention. In "Sherlock, Jr," "Buster Heaton's latost picture, there is an amusing scene in which tho star drives at 50 miles an hour along the edge of a lake. Suddenly coming to the end of the road, he applies tho brakes full force. The chassis of the car stops dead, hut the body, containing Keaton and another occupant goes gliding out. upon the surface of tho lake with the top up acting as a sail. Of course the body had been first detached from the chassis to make this possible. With the lx>dy detached, the risk of mishap was very great. As Keaton himself expressed it. "This was an extremely clangorous stunt, and it is not hard to imagine that death or serious injury mierht have resulted." Continuing, he said: ' "We all realised that the car must be equipped with marvellous brakes and make good. In seeking an automobile for such a hazardous experiment it was necessary to keep in mind the fact that we would have to depend solely on the car. After a thorough investigation we- decided on tho car equipped with four-wheel brakes. "We knew that in the Buick we had a car that wo could rely on, a car that would not only be safe but. would also make our situation what we expected. In the photographing I travelled an even 50 miles an hour—stepped on the brakes, and they responded "It was one of the finest performances I have ever seen a car give, and I have nothing nut the highest praise for the car with four-wheel brakes. My life was in jeopardy, but I felt perfectly safe. That is the confidence I had in the cat.' UNIFORM MOTOR REGULATIONS A welcome feature of the Motor Vehicles Bill is that it gives power for the establishment of uniform speed regulations throughout New Zealand, and also for uniform rules as to lighting up ,limes and traffic signals. This: is good so far as it goes, b:it it is not so satisfactory to note that, while power is taken to make uniform rules in these matters, it is nevertheless quite open to the Government not to make them, and to let the present chaos of- motor by-laws remain. At the present moment it is quite impracticable to drive a motor car from Auckland to Wellington without at some stager breaking the law. During the journey the territory of about 40 indenendent local bodies has to be traversed, and in each area the motorist may find different sets ot speed limits, different traffic rules, and different. lightup limes. With an. ever-increasing volume of motor traffic operating over a wider and wider radius,, it is quite impossible to make tho roads safe by continuing on these lines. A few simple rules that everyone can understand, and everyone should be obliged to sturJy, are very urgently needed, and represent far and away the best method of dealing with the situation. In the. matter of sneed limits there is the remit rut forward by tho Wellington Automobile Club for the fortbcc-ming IS or In Island motor conference. This is based on the recommendations adopted by the United States Motor Vehicle Conference for adoption throughout the United States and embodies the rule prevailing in most of the leading States. It is as follows: Business streets 15 m.p.h. Rosidence streets 20 m.p.h. Open country 30 m.p.h. With a provision limiting speed to 10 miles ner hour across intersections, and around'corners, and past schools, a rule of this nature meets traffic requirements, and onables a driver to know exactly what is expected of him. Over and above it there would, of course, bo the general provision already embodied in the Motor Vehicles Bill, that, irrespective of speed limits, no i.iot'or vehicle shall b c driven "at a speed or in a manner which, having regard to all the circumstances of tho case, is or might be dangerous to the public, or to any person." , In the matter of light-up times, there is at present on the Statute Book "Tho Lights on Vehicles Act, 1505," fixing the time when lamps must be lighted as tho period "between half an hour after sunset and half an hour beforo sunrise." Many local bodies, however, have by-laws requiring lamps to be lighted at sunset, and in a Supreme Court judgment in a New Plymouth cose in 1918, the Chief Justice held that it was competent for a local body to fix an earlier time for lighting up than that required in tho statute. With longer twilight in Southland than in Auckland, it may be that sunset is the best rule for the far north, and half an hour after sunset for the remainder of the country. There is, however, no valid reaspn for giving adjoining local bodies power to have it half a dozen different ways, and it is satisfactory to find thai a. regulation can lih inado under the Motor Vehicles Bill overriding local vagaries in this direction.

By ACCELERATOR.

BALLOON TYRES. Though balloon tyres aro made to l>o used til. low air pressures, it, does not follow that any old pressure will insure maximum mileage from the tyre, says the American Trade Journal, the Goody ear News. Because balloon tyres curry very low possures to bogin with, a drop of from five to 10 pounds re-presents a bis percentage of decrease in the total recommended pressure. And so, running under-inflated is just -is harmful to the balloon tyre as it is to drive a ear equipped with high pressure tyres at inflations below those recommended for a normal load. Owners or cars with balloon tyres should nover let the pressures drop more than 10 per cent, below the recommended inflation for a normal load. For instance, if. the recommended pressure is 50 pound.% the absolute minimum is 27 pounds of air. below which the tyre is certain to suffer damage. The erroneous impression ha.s got abroad that the balloon tyre is not only built for comfort, but that it will stand rough usage and can bo run over the worst kind of roads, over railway tracks, that it can climb curbs and take without damage a.s well as jolt and skid which follows slamming in the brakes while the car is maintaining a high rate of speed. Properly care for. balloon tyres will last as lonjr and give mileage equal to that, of high pressure tyres. It is remarkable, how much abuse some balloons will stand, but, the motorist should remember that every time ho runs over a kerb or extremely rough road he is gambling away mileage. BENEFITS FOR MOTORISTS. The move made by the »> ellington Automobile Club to plp.ee the motoring movement in the North Island on a footing commensurate with the great increase in tho number of motor vehicles is one which deserves the hearty of all motorists. Briefly, the plan is that the various associations and the Automobile Union, the North Island governing body, should draw on their accumulated funds to create a special fund of, say, £IOOO to defray the salary and travelling expenses of an organiser for the union for a year. In a note in elucidation of the proposal it is stated that it is considered "the most urgent present need of the movement is to make it more representative of motorists, and it considers that in no direction can the accumulated funds of the union and the associations be more usefully expended. _"Tho 50,000 motor vehicle owners of the North Island should have a thoroughly competent executive officer devoting his whole time to their interests. There is a big field of work for such an officer, both in securing benefits to members of the affiliated associations as such and benefits to motorists generally. Once the movement was under way a capable officer should have no difficulty in so stimulating l membership that the union on a capitation fee from tho associations of, say, 2s 6d or 3s per member, could pay him a salary of at least £IOOO per annum. A really good man should be secured, and should have his headquarters eii.ier in Wellington or Auckland, acting as secretary and executive officer for tho local association as well as the union. " The accumulated funds in hand at the present time appear to be roughly as follows : Auckland A.A. ... „ ... £ISOO Wellington A.C. _ ... 900 Wairarapa ... ... ... .„ 200 N.Z.A.U. ~ _ ... „ 200 Total ... „ £2BOO "In addition to the above, there are the Hawke's Bay. Poverty Bay, Wanganui, and Waikato Associatons in existence, which would also contribute to some extent. "A great weakness of the present organisation in tho North Island is the absence of direct benefit to members. This should be overcome by organising a hotel concession scheme" similar to that in the South Island. - Under the South Island concession scheme a member has only to spend 10 days in hotels per annum to save an amount equal to his subscription. The question of securing a special discount from garages and dealers for members should also bo explored. _ Insurance is a matter in which something might also be done to the advantage of members. "Motor camping tours are now extraordinarily popular both in Britain and the United States, and are likely to become so here, and tho union's {ravelling officer could soon work up a chain of good camp sites along the main routes available to members, either free or on payment of a small fee. In Britain and America booklets with lists of such grounds are now available to members of associations. "If it is desired to reunite the South Island Associations with the North Island it will most likely be effected by making our organisation so live that the south will wish to come back to share its benefits." SPARKS. In Sydney horses used total 81,000 approximately, while motor vehicles number 05,000. Oversize tyres are now becoming almost a universal fitting with local English machines. Over 60 new members will be elected at the meeting of tho Canterbury Automobile Association on Thursday. More than 20,000 tests of head lights have teen made by the Sydne.y Police Traffic Department since its inception. From January 1 to May 7 this year the motor tax in England has yielded £12,144,892, against £8,2V5,180 for the corresponding period of 1921, an increase of nearly £4,000,000. Hawke's Bay County has decided to adopt bitumen penetration for its main roads, as it considers tho cost of hot-mix, which it originally favoured, to be beyond its means. There were hundreds of cars in Christchurch last week with defective number plates, filthy windscreens, and mud-bespat-tered bodies. It was the usual country contingent. Croats a habit of using the emergency brake every day. This will keep you in practice, and you will become accustomed to reaching for it whenever any emergency arises. It is also well to use this brake often to wear the emergency bands even with those op the service brakes. Motor thieves are on the increase in Morrinsvillo and the surrounding districts. Recently a car belonging to a well-known citizen was taken out of a shed and returned th 9 next morning with the battery completely run down. The switch had been deliberately left on during the night, and the car was also damaged. .An evening or two ago another car was purloined and returned with the mudguard smashed, and cattle hairs adhering to tho sides o ( the car.

Jaero is a wrinkle that will entirely solve the difficult starting problem (says a writer in the “Autocar.”) Before storming (he engine open the throttle to get a free flow of petrol, then shut off the air completely and lot the engine go a few revolutions before stopping it. Usually it will soon stop of its own accord on pure petrol. Then close the throttle and still keep the air completely shut off. This practice allows a charge of pure petrol to remain in the cylinder, and if (he rings are a good fit the gas stops in all night and the engine will start at the first pull-over next morning. In fact, I have found it to bo efficacious for two or three days. Can a borough council compel motorists coming into its area, but resident outside it, to take out certificates of competency fo drive from its motor inspector? Now Plymouth has been proposing to do this on (he ground that danger to life, and limb is caused by incompetent motorists coming from the country. Taranaki County Council, as an interested party, has obtained an opinion from its solicitor on the point, which is to (he effect (rat the proposed action by the borough would bo ultra vires.