THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19476, 11 May 1925, Page 4

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

Motorists desiring information with refard to mechanical or other oar troubles, or on any matter coming within the *c°Ob of the sport, pastime, or business of motoring are invited to send inquiries to ‘ Accelerator." Special efforts will be made to give the most reliable advice on ail topics of interest. ACKNOWLEDGMENT, The Big T iv Bulletin and calendar for May has b; ■ ■ oceived. The Bulletin contains much of interest to motorists. • WHEEL WOBBLE. A correspondent forwards the following: —With reference to your discussion on front wheel wobble: If the links at the back of the front spring work backwards and forwards half an inch, and they some times work more, the fixed front of the spring to axle works a quarter of an Inch. When the car strikes a rut <he axle goes back a quarter of an inch, which the driver corrects with steering, and causes the wobble. In the older days when springs had more camber the wobble was far worse. A NEW INVENTION. During the week much interest has been evinced in motor circles |in the exhibition of an automatic petrol pump. The pump, which is the invention of Mr C. J. B. Ward, of this city, has been commented upon favourably by experts. Its purpose is to supply motor spirit .without the aid of an attendant, the means of supply being the. use of a steel token which, when bisected into a slot, releases a gallon of petrol. I was present on Friday at a trial of the machine, which has been erected outside Messrs Minis and Sons’ premises in Moray place, and the successive tests proved satisfactory. It is proposed to form a company with a capita! of £50,000 to manufacture and Install ttyj machines, the patent rights having been secured by the inventor. The machines will .be erected at convenient points, ai d the tokens will bo on sale hi the chief centres. The company will carry the name <f the Automatic Petrol Service Pumps (N.Z.), Ltd., mil the machines which cost over £IOO each, will bo manufactured in Dunedin. TESTING BY MICROSCOPE. In the engineering division of a wellknown motor manufacturing concern every piece of metal intended for use in highly stressed parts undergoes a microscopic examination. Uis then re-examined from a photographic plate, magnified from 100 to 2000 diameters, and finally, before it is placed In production, it receives a physical test in which it undergoes a stress, the came in nature and greater in degree thaw that to which it is submitted in actual service. HEAVY TRAFFIC. A suggestion has been strongly advocated in the Waikato that, under the newmotor regulations, motor lorries and roads should be classified, and the lorries should have their classification bodly marked on each aide. Thus, if a ratepayer wore to gee a heaviest class lorry, plainly marked A, on road classification B, he would know ac once that the lorry was trespassing on a road not intended to carry such truffle, and could report the matter. This would represent a sensible system of road- conservation as against road destruction. It is understood that the authorities are considering such a plan. SCRAMBLED AND MOTTLED. This has nothing to do with eggs. In America one of the moat striking innovations is a mottled finish for tho paint work. It is difficult to describe, except to say it has a very high lustro and a mottled or wavo-like effect, in which a vast number of colours oan bo used. The cars at the Now York Show woro done in scrambled shades, in which golds and browns and different greys predominated. The advantages are stated to be that tho finish is exceedingly hard and cannot bo scratched in ordinary usage, while at the same time it conceals dust and dirt, an excellent feature in tho hands of tho average careless owner. The general opinion, however, seems to bo that this particular effort is a little ahead of tho times. road work increasing. There Is more thar. ’usual activity in-con-struction work on tho roads in tho district at tne present time (says a Wanganui paper). 'This is duo principally to the enforcement of the Highways Act. While tho improvements are being welcomed to some extent, motorists are forced to preserve patience and suffer some little inconvenience as tho result of the work that i 9 being effected. Owners of heavy vehicles in particular are experiencing difficulty in negotiating stretches of road that are being reformed, and only the other day four loij ties were observed to bo stuck on the road between Hunterville and Wanganui. Loose metal was mainly responsible for the trouble. In one case a lorry was embedded up to tho axles. REPAINTING THE CAR WHILE YOU WAIT. “I don’t know whether to have my car washed or repainted!” That remark is no joke. You’re likely to hear it quite often. It is vouched for by one of the leading paint companies. It will bo made by a motorist when ho drives into ms favourite garage, on his way to work, and ho may add: “Guess you’d bettor repaint it I’ll bo back at 5 o'clock!” Groat things are happening in the paint business. It is confidently predicted that tho actual work of repainting a car will bo cut down to two hours, in which time three coats will be applied, and that will bo sufficient for a perfect job. .as g ossy a job as varnish now gives. This will occur just ns soon as metal bodies are more smoothly finished. Six or more coats are now required, because the metal is not sumcicntly smooth to give a first-class job with few coats. Tho undercoats are applied to fill ifr slight irregularities m the metal. When perfected manufacturing methods eliminate them, throe coats will bo sufficient. 1 On a three-coat basis the time required will bo about as follows Washing, one hour- removal of old paint, two hours; painting, two hours; nibbing second coat, perhaps two hours. Total, seven hours. The method involves tho mo n mtro-ooUu-lose materials, also called lacquer or pyroxylin finish. All three coats will parry colour the last ooat haying, a reduced amount in order to give brilliancy. Like all lacquer finishes, it will give groat durability, and last for years. STARTING THOUGHTS FOR WINTER. Many motorists will this year enter upon their first winter of car ownership, and be confronted with tho ill-effect of low atmoshoric temperatures on engine starting. During the warmer months they have found no difficulty in starting from cold, or at other times, by moans of their electric eqidpmerds, but lyinter will force upon thorn the i cassation of the fact that there are limits to the ability of the starter to rotate an engine in which cold has made gummy the oil in tho bearings, cylinders, et Many owners will complain that the car makers are at fault in not having provided «n‘l batteries Ut.l .ir» "fbte * serving their purpose all the year round, and while admittedly there is some reason f" such complaints, there is also cause for the car manufacturers’ policy m fitting outfit that is not tt s satisfactory m cold weather as could be wished. It is mainly a matter of cost and accom-modation-one of the penalties wo have to pay for the low price of modern cars and the demand for economy m upkeep. A motor and battery large enough to start an engine with ease and without hesitation under g the worst possible conditions would cost a good deal more than the usual outfits and would require space on the car that is simply not available in many cases. A point to rote, however, is that a considerable Proportion of these disgruntled ear-owners' will actually, have the remedy for their trouble in their own hands. ,It will be simply that thev must cease abusing and neglecting the starting outfit The latte" is frequently indeed expccioa (.0 operate satisfactorily with batteries that me partially discharged, upon engines that are out of tune, and still more frequently with no more than half or two-thirds *he correct quantity of electrolyte m the cells. Frequent use of the battery for starting, with short runs between times—perhaps in town traffic— results in the battery charge becoming lower and lower, until in some cases it is only just capable of serving for the lamps. Moreover, if the level of the electrolyte is lowered, by neglect to replenish'the cells with distilled water, the capacity of the battery for storing current is proportionately reduced; it will “hold” only, say two minutes starting effort instead of sufficient for five or 10.

(Items of n*T9B —short description* of tours, the state of the iomJL etc*, ornament, or inquiries will be welcomed by ‘‘Accoieraanc. a

The battery is not a “widow’s curse, says the Motor World, in an article on starter abuse, and unless as much current is put into it as is taken out it will assuredly fail to supply the motor with “power for c Trr‘s i» distilled water or electrolyte, it will fail m half the lime. THE ROADS. Tho following summary of Southland roads is given by Chassis 1 the Sun: — . ' ... . Dunedin to Wftitati.— Being slightly improved, but still in bad state. . P Waitati to Evansdale.-Greatly to Waitati end; Evansdnle end very pot k°Bvansdalo to Palmerston.— Mostly very, rough. . Palmerston to Oamaru.—b air. Oamaru to Pukouri.—Good, except whe road being repaired towards Pukeun en . Motorists should take care, particularly m night time as, whore repairs are taking place, they are apt to find themselves uddenly in a bed of very lopse shingle. Pukcuri to Kurow.— Very good all th Kuimw to Waimate.—All roads in good Waimate to M’Namara’s Cbmer.-'-First- ° M’Namara’s Corner to, Waitaki Bridge. - Fairly good, though about Morveu grading operations in progress. . Waitaki Bridge to Pukeun. —Fair. Dunedin .to vip. Deepstream. —Beginning to show signs of wear. From now on, during winter months, On* road will only bo practicable after a spell to Ranfusly— Getting tairiy rough in places, though not yet bad. Palmerston to Kyeburn.—Fairly good all through, but Pig Route rough surface. All fords arc still low, but at this season o. tho vear liable to sudden change. Ranfurly to Omakau—Good order through Ida Valley, Blaokstone Hill, and round St. Bathans. Blaokstone Hill route probably tho best. Omakau to Clyde.—Fairly good. Clyde to Cromwell.—Road in bad order and very narrow in places. Clarkesville to Mt. Stuart.—Showing considerable signs of wear, and now very potholey. : Mt. Stuart to Manuka (Manuka Gorge).— Very rough. Pot-holes extremely bad at Manuka station and after crossing railway ’ine. Thence onward to Round Hill very fair. Hound Hill to Lawrence. —Very good, with slight short exceptions. Lawrence to Beaumont. —Farily good. Beaumont to Rae’a Junction. —Very rough and pet-holey after getting over first hill. Thence onward road fairly good. Rao’s Junction to Lsland Block. —First portion of this road greatly improved by Doing lightly gravelled. From school house to Tamblyn’s very rough. Tamblyn’s onward fairly good Order. Island Block to JMillor’s Flat.—Fairly good, but bit pot-holey at Stewart Memorial Bridge. Miller’s Flat to Roxburgh;—Stick to main road. Greatly improved by regrading. Opposite side of river now badly cut up. Roxburgh-Aloxandra-Clyde.—Fair. Balclntha to Clinton.—First four or five miles good but latter portion rather potholey. Clinton to Waipahi,—Fair till past Wairnna. By Bagrie» very bad thence on to Waipahi fair. Waipahi to Pukorau. —Mostly rough, particularly at Atherton. Pukerau to Gore. —Splendid. Gore to Mataura. —Good. Mataura to Wyndham.—Crossing bridge nt Mataura, very good. Mataura to Edondalo. —Good. Edondalo to One Troei Point. —Good. One Tree Point to Invercargill.—Very rough. Invercargill to Bluff.—Rough. Invercargill to Wallacetown. —Bod. Wallacotown to Riverton. —Fairly good, except by Hospital corner, which is rough. Riverton to Fairfax. —First three miles to Aparima Dairy, rough; thonco onward gravel getting well worn and road fairly good. Otautau to Nightcaps.—Good. Nightcaps to Win ton, via Wrey’s Bush.— Mostly good. Otautau to Winton, via Drummond.— Good, with the exception of about a mile at site 'of late Drummond's Dairy Factory. Winton to Goto, via Brown, and Hodgehopc and Waimumu.—Splendid road. DRUNKENKSK TESTS. From time to time la the Christchurch Courts Mitre is a sharp conflict of opinion as to whether n person were drunk or intoxicated. The subject of determining drunkenness • among motorists is also attracting much interest in Europe. The senior physician at Westminster Hospital. London, Sir James I'urvesSlcwart, recently read a paper, entitled •‘Drunkenness: Its Tests and Medico-legal Aspects,” before the London Society for the Study of Inebriety, in which he advanced the following definition of drunkenness;— “A drunken person Is one who’ has taken alcohol In sufficient quantity to poison his central nervous system, producing in his ordinary processes of reaction to his surroundings a temporary disorder which causes him to be nuisance or danger to himself or others.” Speaking of tests for drunkenness, Sir James said that the words "British Constitution,” “terminological Inexactitude,” and “GOth Battery of Artillery” were sometimes used. Persons being tested with these words sometimes omitted a syllable or slurred the consonants. Patients In a state of stupor or coma, co-exlstent with an alcoholic breath, should be carefully examined for other causes than drunkenness, in determining whether a given individual was drunk or not, the diagnosis was often so easy thar )1 was arrived nt by what trade unions termed “unskilled labour.” In most cases tho diagnosis wap made by a policeman, and confirmed or otherwise by the police surgeon. In doubtful cases, said Sir James, the court should insist more frequently on a second examination for drunkenness. Dilated pupils were not necessarily a sign of drunkenness, and an alcoholic odour, coupled with emotional excitement, was not sufficient evidence of cerebral disorder due to alcohol. “Tho smell of alcohol,” said Sir James, “is conclusive evidence that the patient has recently swallowed alcohol, but of nothing more, for it may be produced by a single glass of alcoholic refreshment. Nevertheless, uncharitable observers so often place an unkind interpretation of Its presence that even temperate cily men. bo I am told, often chew a couple of cloves after their mid-day glass of sherry, ns a sort of smoke screen. Onions, various cheeses, and other aromatics may also serve the same kindly office.” Tho difficult feat of walking heel and toe along a chalk line was an entirely artificial test which quite a number of Bober people might fail to accomplish. Disordered articulation, to be of value in es-.-.ablishing the diagnosis of alcoholic intoxication, should bo present in the pronunciation of words which the particular individual was likely to use in his ordinarv conversation. There' was nc sure guide to accurate diagnosis, the only safe guide being and careful and systematic clinical examination. In the discussion a divisional police surgeon said that 01) per cent, of the police diagnoses were correct. Tho question of tho degrees of drunkenness wore referred to recently by Mr A. Lnwri, K.C., at the London Sessions, when announcing a judicial decision to dismiss two appeals by a convicted motorist. “It is ridiculous,” ho said, “for people to'think that tho same amount of drunkenness is necessary for a conviction under tho Motoring Act as to justify a man being arrested and charged -with being drunk and disorderly.” , An interesting comment on the testimony of medical men in cases of drunkenness is made by a correspondent of the Steering Wheel, London. “When a driver of a motor car is arrested and charged with drunkenness,” ho writes, “an unnecessary amount of attention is directed to the question of whether or no the driver was actually drunk. “If a driver is not drunk, and yet continues at tho wheel, although incapable of maintaining a safe control of tho car,, his conduct is surely more reprehensible. Why should not the bench in these cases address themselves to the simple question—‘Was this driver, on tho evidence of tho eye-witnesses, in a fit condition to bo in charge of a cur?’ “Conflicting evidence from doctors and tho ridiculous tests for drunkenness could then bo dispensed with.” (Continued on page 5.)