THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21735, 29 August 1932, Page 3

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

FIXTURES OTAGO MOTOR CLUB. (Motor Cycle Section.) September 6 —Social evening. September 10. —Slow hill climb. September 20. —Monthly meeting. September 24. —Treasure hunt. October 9.—Club run. October 18.—Monthly meeting. October 23-24.—Labour Day trial to Pembroke. THREEPENNY TAXIS. Three-wheeled taxicabs may_ soon appear on the London streets —if the authorities agree to license them. Already one of the unconventional little vehicles has been evolved, and is ready to take its place in London’s transport. It is a British invention. It is so cheap to run that it is estimated that a threepenny minimum fare may be possible. There is plenty of leg-room in the back of the vehicle, and in width there is almost sufficient space for three people of average size. CHOKED PETROL PIPES. Obstructions in the fuel supply system of motor ears as a cause of roadside delay have been greatly reduced in number recently by the wider use of filters on cars and by the better filtering of petrol by the suppliers. Nevertheless, foreign substances continue to find their way into the fuel tanks, and blocks in petrol pipes occasionally occur. The number of motorists admitted to hospital as .a result- of having swallowed petrol indicates that the dangerous practice of attempting to clear the blockage by the application of the mouth to the disconnected end of the affected pipe is still wide. A much safer, more convenient, and more) effective method of clearing the blocked pipe is to disconnect it at a suitable point and blow out the obstruction with the type pump. It should be remembered, however, that when a pipe is cleared in this way the obstructing material is usually only blown back into the tank, from which, ultimately. it is likely to .resettle in the outlet. ' The danger of a repetition of the trouble can therefore be removed permanently only by emptying the tank and carefully cleaning it. as- soon as possible. ''braking TESTS. Owners of cars are prone to leave the braking of their cars until it actually goes wrong, instead of testing the system at intervals to make sure everything is right. . . The figures below will give a very, farr idea as to how efficient the brakes are. Calculated on a co-efficient of adhesion .of o.B—a figure seldom exceeded in practice —the following may be regarded as a good • standard of stopping distances on dry, level roads, four-wheel brakes being employed:—At 10 miles an hour a car Stops in 4J feet, at 20 in 17 feet, at 30 in 37 i feet, at 40 in 68 feet, at 50 in 105 feet, at 60 in 150 feet, at 70 in 213 feet, at 80 in 266 feet. MOTOR TARIFF. One of the first actions necessary in New Zealand to reduce its transport costs •is to overhaul the. Customs tariff in respect of motor vehicles (says the Radiator). If all the duties on motor, vehicles were cut in half, they would still be too high considering their importance in the development of the country. It is unlikely that the manufacture of motor Vehicles will ever be an industry in this country, and a tariff based on reasonable lines would produce more revenue than a tariff which hae become more or less prohibitive. It is hoped, and expected, that as a result of the Ottawa Conference the New Zealand tariff will be very thoroughly overhauled, in which case the duties vehicles must be substantially reduced. . . SALES IN U.S.A. The earnings of the piotor car industry —excluding Ford—for the first quarter of this year show an 88 per cent, decline compared with last year (says the New York correspondent .of the London Observer). Sales had dropped by 30 per cent. IV This difference in the decline of earnings and sales may be accounted for (according to the Evening Post) by the fact •that in the first quarter of 1931 the motor car industry—again excluding Ford—operated to about 40 per cent, of its working capacity, while this year it has operated at 30 per cent. . This latter figure is under what is considered to be the “danger line,” because, when a plant is operated at 40 per cent, of its .Capacity, it is generally’understood that ii has reached' the marginal operating ratio between operating at a profit and operating at a loss. . During the first quarter of 1931 the sales for the industry,averaged 1 dollar 56 cents for every dollar invested capital. Biit ; during the same period this year sales averaged only 1 dollar 10 cents for every ■ dollar of invested capital. Operating at 40 per cent, of capacity in the. first quarter of 1931, the industry had factory sales of .about 360,000,000 dollars (£72,000,000 at par), from which .they derived net earnings of nearly, 1,0 per cent. In the first quarter of.. 1932—operating at 30 per cent. of. capacity—the sales amounted to 250,000,000 dollars (£50,000,000), from which net earnings amounted to only 1J per cent. ■; Frequent reports indicate that several manufacturers intend to enter the lowpriced field, competing with Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth. Comipenting on such reports, the Evening Post considers that such a move at the present time is regarded as “ highly dangerous,” - . , , ~, “It appears to be a leap in the dark, this journal says, “ in the hope that it will result in increased production. It ds believed to be better to reorganise capital structures on the basis of present'stock prices and eliminate some of the unnecessary capacity upon which the companies are now trying to earn dividends. “In the face of the present terrible economic conditions. 450,000,000 dollars (£90,000,000 at par) have already been spent by the public in the first five months of this year for passenger cars. Last year 750,000,000 dollars (£150,000,000) were spent in a corresponding period. This indicates very forcibly that people are going to have transportation in spite of the devil and high water, and should convince sceptics, if any be left, that'ihe automobile has now become an economic;neccssity and not a luxury.”

MOTOR CARS IN GREAT BRITAIN. The Home Market Analysis of Motor Vehicles', recently published by the Statistical Department of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, shows that the popularity of the saloon car dates from the year 1928. In that year the percentage of new registrations of these models in Great Britain was 70, compared with 46 in 1927. Last year it was 92. There were then in use in Great Britain 1,103,715 private cars of all types, 954,474 in England, 44,218 in Wales, 84,765 in Scotland, and 20,258 in Northern Ireland. Of these 17 per cent, were light cars up to 8 b.p. Excluding London, there were more new car registrations in Lancashire than in any other county in England in 1931. Of the new sales of goods vehicles in 1931, 80.56 per cent, were under two tons.

In England there were 39.1 persons per private car, in Wales 58.7, in Scotland 57.1, and in Northern Ireland 62.0, giving for the'United Kingdom a figure of 41.7. In 1925 the net imports of private cars and chassis were 41.422, dropping to 9751 in 1930 and to 2118 in 1931. In the case of commercial vehicles and chassis the peak was reached in 1929, when the net imports amounted to 16,234, dropping to 1527 the following year, and 1490 in 1931. “ INSIDE INFORMATION.” This booklet just issued by. the Vacuum Oil Company Proprietary, Ltd., explains in non-technical language what happens inside the various units of a car—wha f makes them go, and how, economically, to keep them going. The object of the book is to give motorists, who had not had time to make a study of the mechanism of their cars, a clear insight into the mechanical parts. “Inside Information” is printed on quality paper, and is profusely illustrated throughout. No motorist should miss the opportunity of securing a free copy from the Vacuum Oil Company Pro-

tltemi of new* —short descriptions, of tours, the state of the road*, •to., comment, or inquiries will be welcomed by " Accelerator."*

prietary, Ltd. It is explained that the car owner, who is equipped with a practical and non-teclmical understanding of what happens when he throws out the clutch, when he changes into first, second, top, or reverses, is the motorist who derives the best performance from his car. The reader is taken ’through the various stages in assembling a car, from the con-, struction of the frame to the fitting of mudguard, hood, arid other accessories. In simple language the functioning of the whole mechanism of the car is explained, and the part played by the crankshaft is made very simple indeed. LEVEL CROSSINGS. “The existence of a railway crossing over a public road must obviously create some restriction on freedom of movement along that road,” writes Mr A. Newlands, C.8.E., in Modern Transport (England). “In the early days of railways this restriction was not of the same moment as it is to-day owing to the more leisurely manner in which the pedestrians and horse-drawn traffic of those days moved along the roads, as compared with the speeds at which modern motor vehicles traverse the same routes to-day, “A check of five minutes at a level crossing on a horse-drawn vehicle moving at a 10 m.p.h, only represented the time spent in travelling about 800 yards, whereas it might represent to-day in the case of a motor-driven vehicle the time spent in travelling a distance of four or five miles.

/“ Due to this change in the speed of traffic on roads, tlie incidence of accidents at railway crossings has entirely changed, for the reason that much more care is called for in approaching railway crossings at the high speeds of to-day than was necessary at the former low speeds.

“In Great Britain accidents at railway level crossings which involve loss of life or injury have by law to be reported to the Minister of Transport, and the opinion expressed in a report presented by the Minister to Parliament, entitled ‘Accidents which occurred on the railways of Great Britain during the year 1030,’ is that in'spite of the intensive character of present-day road traffic, an examination of the statistics of accidents and casualties at public road level crossings justifies the conclusion that danger to the public from the existence of crossings is not on the increase. “Nor does it‘appear that the number of accidents, where casualties occur without fatalities or personal injuries resulting, is on the increase, the number in 1930 being 23, of which 19 were at crossings ;provided with gates and four at crossings without gates, whereas the corresponding figures for 1929 were 30—26 at crossings provided with gates and four at crossings without gates respectively. “ The question of the responsibility for such accidents has also been inquired into, and it has been ascertained that in 1930 four of the accidents were attributable to breaches of the regulations on the part of railway servants, involving 11 persons being injured, while 19 accidents were due to want of care on the part of the public, involving 11 persons being killed and 13 injured.” THE MOTOR CYCLE • The date of the social evening projected by the Motor Cycle Section of the Otago Motor Club has been postponed from August 30 until September 6. The gathering promises to be a marked success.

Despite heavy grey skies 20 motor cyclists turned out to the club outing to Taiaroa Heads on August 20. A remarkable feature was that all gained marks for clean : machines. The run down the harbour was in perfect order, all riding behind the club captain. Gravel was fairly thick in places, but this did not appear to trouble many, A little sandy patch, however, on the road just before climbing up towards the lighthouse, caused one or two to dismount rather hurriedly. The view obtained from the heads was well worth the trip, and members were fortunate in being shown over the lighthouse and instructed in its working. A good grassy paddock nearby, with a bank about two feet high, proved admirable for motor cycle jumping and many took advantage of this. The homeward journey was not enjoyable. Heavy rain set in from the start and many well-soaked but happy motor cyclists arrived in town before dark. SPARKS Canadian motor registrations for 1931 reached a total of 1,206,836 vehicles, which is one automobile for an average of 8.6 persons. An agitation has been started in England for the fitting of larger petrol tanks, it being contended that motorists now travel much longer distances than heretofore. , * * | A motorist who, at Blackpool, was summoned for failing to notify a change of the colour of his car, said the sun had bleached it. It was the same as when he purchased it. The case was dismissed.

In Chicago it is suggested that the word “Taxoline” be.used instead_of gasoline, since _6O per cent, of the price paid for gasoline at present is for the product itself, while 40 per cent, is tax toll.

The golden rules for battery maintenance are to top up with distilled water every fortnight and to keep the top of the battery dry and. clean; to switch off the headlights when using the self-starter, and to use the side lights only when parking.

“ The time has come when pedestrians should not only be warned, but prosecuted, for the great carelessness of which they are often guilty,” This statement wag made at a meeting of the Cardiff City Council.

According to. American statistics, there were about 35,700,000 motor vehicles in use throughout the world in 1931. The same statistics show, however, that the total world circulation has fallen by about 102,600 units.

After having been in use for some time, wash leathers are apt to become slimy and dirty. They can be restored to perfect condition, however, by first washing thoroughly in lukewarm soda-water and then rinsing in clean cold water. The next step is to place a piece of ordinary whiting in the leather and to knead it well in. Finally, rinse in cold water.

You will waste fuel excessively these cold mornings if you drive your car immediately after starting up. Actually this bad habit results in fuel being used at four times the normal rate until the tenth mile, when average efficient operating heat will have been reached. To avoid this _ waste, start your engine and let it tick over for five minutes, at least, before the car is driven —also avoid using the choke.