CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 2784, 24 July 1907, Page 59

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES

their recently-issued new Tariff to remove the duty of 20 per cent, from British»manufeatured oars will no doubt be received with muoh satisfaction by the New Zealand vendors of British cars, while the 20 per cent, duty left on all motor cars from foreign countries will, on the other hand, be the source of much anxiety to those New Zealand agents who deal in foreign machines. If the proposed new duty is nofc a-raended, it is at once apparent that the British-made oar will have a big advantage in price —a 20 per cent, advantage —over the foreign article. Local agents to whom I have spoken on this Tariff question consider that their business would be largely increased by the adoption of the new proposal, and the consequent reduction in the cost of a car. Tyres, for instance, will come in free, and as this item represents the biggest outlay in the- running- of a car, a reduction of £8 in a set of tyres costing, say, £40 is a subi stantial decrease. As to whether the proI (tcjAii removal of the duty will have the

effect of largely increasing the introduction of motor cars, I have my doubta. The Prime Minister has evidently been greatly impressed by t<he use made of cars in the big cities at Home which he has recently visited, but it should be remembered that New Zealand hag but a small population, comparatively speaking, and the removal or otherwise of the duty, in my opinion, will prove but a small circumstance in the more general use of cars till the manufacturing price of these machines is largely reduced.

For the year ending 1906 motor cars and tricycles paid in duty £9879, while bicycles and tricycles and materials for same contributed to the revenue a total of £24,599. Taking into consideration the lees cost of the bicycle, and that cars and tricycles in 1906 both paid 20 per cent, duty, it is seen that the proporja-^n of imported cars to bicycles is very small. To even up matters I consider the Government would be doing a wise and just action if it further reduced the duty on bicycle parts, thus allowing our local manufacturers to build bicvebs at a cost which would allow them to further compete with the imported article. Motor cycles, too — which are much in favour in New Zealand, and quickly increasing in numbers, — seem to have been quite ignored in the matter of a concession in duty, and I oresume will still have to pay a tax of 20 peT cent., which hardly seems fair. While on this subject it may be apropos to point out a seeming anomaly in the present charge of 20 per cent, on care. All oil engines at the. present time are admitted free of duty. Say an agent orders, for argument's sake, an, "All Black" car from Home. What may <ihe manufacturer do? After he has fitted up the machine and given it a trial spin, the engine may be taken out, the ohassis and tody packed in one case and the engine in another. On arrival here a2O per cent, ad valorem duty is paid on the former, while the engine comes in free. Say the engine costs £~,0. plus the ad valorem duty of 10 per cent., the total comes to £88, which means a reduction of £17 12s on the landing cost of the machine, less £2 or £3 to fit the engine once more into the car. Of course, if the oar is landed with engine fitted the duty charge of £17 12s remains. Chatting over the tariff proposals with a local agent, he brought forward the suggestion that a fixed instead of an ad valorem duty should be imposed on bicycles and motor cycles. And for this reason : at the present time it is possible to land cheat) and nasty machines here at a price with which the good article cannot compete, and by the ad valorem duty a handicap is actually placed on the high-grade machine. Thusly : the cheap machine has a low landing price and pays a correspondingly low ad valorem duty; the high-grade machine has a hisrh<»r value, and has to pay a re- . suiting higher tax on such landed cost. With a fixed duty on the bicycle, the lowgrade machine would have to pay the same tax as the high-grade, and this woufd have the effect of placing the seller of the highc^rade machine on a far better, footing 1 than In has at oreseht. No hardship would be placed on the cyclist desiring to purchase a cheap grade machine, and the different duty would not increase the present price of the good, solid bicycle. 1 quite agTee with Sir Joseph Ward that the motor car has come to stay — of that there can be no possible doubt, — and the more there are landed in New Zealand the better. If by (he imposition of the 20 per cent, duty \he introduction of the motor car is being retarded, remove the duty say I ; but at the same time it must be recognised thai- importers and purchasers of bic voles require some concession in the matter of du-ties. too, and in my opinion jf the motor tax is taken away the duty on the raw biovcle material should receive crreater consideration. Motor cycles should likewise get the benefit of a reduction of their present Customs duty.

Messre Cooke. Howlison. and Co. inform me that they have secured a piece of land 66ft by 66ft in Hanover street, just off George street, and intend to build a large and up-to-date one-storey motor garage thereon. The work of building is to be put in hand at once.

The legal advice obtained by the league of New Zealand Wheelmen as to its risk in taking over the control of road racing ia -to the effect that its liability for accidents would be so remote that the league would be practically safe, so that it may now go ahead with its roa^l-raoing programme. At the same time, it should bo made clear that riders themselves are still liable to bo prosecuted for furious riding. The Nizam of Hyderabad owns the following stud of motor oars: — Five 40 h.p. six-cylinder Napiers, one 55 h.p. four-cylin-der Daimler, two 30 h.p. four-cylinder "Richard -Braeiers, one 30 h.p. four-cylinder de Dietrich, one 30 h.p. four-cylinder Argyll, t*b 24 h.p. four-cylinder F.I.A.T.'s, one 18-20 h.p. four-cylinder Hotchkiss, four 20 h.p. four-cylinder Richard-Brasiers. one 18 h.p. four-cylinder Napier, one 12-16 h.p. four-cylinder F.1.A.T.. while a luggage car U about to be added. The Nizam's dominions extend over 97.000 square milee, through which he is continually motoring. A glance at a motoring diary, published in a London paper, gives an idea of the enormous interest taken in the sport in Great Britain. Between May 11 and 31 last 65 motoring events, suoh as club runs and contests, were announced.

— Gradually, but surely. Major Taylor is showing better form, and probably in a. few weeks he will be hard to beat. In a four-sided" match held in Paris recently between Friol, Poulain, Ellegaard, and Taylor the American sprinter finished third on points, J?oulain, the French crack, being fourth. The event was won by the French champion (Friol), with Ellegaard second. German motor cars are evidently very sensitive things. For putting out his tongue while the Kaiser's motor car went by a Berlin workman has been sentenced to nine months' imprisonment. It ie to be hoped the car's outraged feelings were satisfied.

Even kings have their troubles. His Majesty of Siam, for instance, who is mad on motoring, is faced by the opposition of his otherwise loyal and dutiful subjects, who, for their part, strongly object to* this particular method of locomotion. The sight of a motor car fills the Siamese with terror, and yet the King has done everything possible to convince his people that the pastime is quite harmless. He has even engaged a chauffeur whose skill in dodging pedestrians and vehicles and. in averting catastrophes by a hair's breadth is said to be absolutely marvellous. What more can the Siamese want?

Referring to the arrival at their starting place in China of the cars which were to compete in the Pekin-to-Paris race, a despatch to Le Matin saye : "The Celestials are amazed at the wonderful machines. They never saw such objects creep along their t-oadis before, and look on with fright and wonder at the huge columns of cen-tury-old dust which the cars send up from the village streets. T^° Europeans, it is said, are' quite enthusiastic at the eight, and feel as if they were again at home. Thfe motor car drive, however, is not being organised without serious difficulties. Numerous influential mandarins have to be approached on the matter and their goodwill enlisted. They axe not, apparently, inclined to look with a favourable eye on the extensive preparations. There » no precedent for such a motor drive." The Itala car being driven by Prince Borghese in the Pekin-to-Paris motor race is of a much higher horse-power than the cars of the other three competitors.

The Dunlop Rubber Company are now manufacturing a motor cycle belt which they claim is absolutely non-slipping. The belt is of rubber, with several wellstitched plies. of canvas running through it, and of a corrugated type. One of the chief troubles with motor cycle belts is that after a little wear they are inclined to stretch and slip, which causes the engine to "race," and gives no end of trouble generally ; but it is said that the belt upder review has had all the stretch thoroughly taken out of it and made nonslipping. The French Automobile Club, with a view to encouraging motorists to use other cheaper fuels than petrol, has decided to hold a series of big competitions, which will be open only to users of alcohol and. other substitute* for naphtha. When the latest files left Home over £2000 had been collected) as prize-money for the coming contest.

An idea of the tremendous growth in the automobile industry may he gleaned from the fact that in tho United Kingdom and France alone £25,000.000 was disbursed in wages during 1906. Another £10.000,000 must be allowed for wages in America (where the output of car* in 1900 was over 60,000*, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Belgium. Francis Birtles, the overlanding cyclist, who laet month attempted the Melbourne-to-Sydney road record, will not be likely to forget the experiences of his passage over the mountains in New South Wales. The cold was so intense that it not only froze the water in the acetylene lamps, but also a punoturc-healing compound in tho tyros. Owinir to the air-tube being nipped under tho wire of one of the covers, and his inability to repair it, on account of the extreme cold — the solution failed to hold — he had to walk four miles, which cost him as many hours. Had he broken the record in the direction indicated, he intended to return, after a spell, and improve th* 1 time of the best performance from Sydney to Melbourne— about five days. J.he seventeenth anni'al Bordeaux-to-Paris cycle road race, decided in May, was won by M. Vanhonwaert. a Belgian. This is one of the classic long-distance events of France, its lenarth oeing just under 350 miles. It appeals only to the best class of riders, hence the fields are usually small, only 20 racers facing the starter this year. The winner's time was 19hr 38min 27 l-ssec. A. Rinereval (France) was second in 19hr 44roin 24* ec; G. Garritfon (France) third in 19hr 4€min ; while M. CaxtoUe was fourth" in 19hr 58m in ssec. This latter rider was the winner last year in 19hr 26min 35soc. The race, as usual, finishsd on the Paro dcs Princes track, two 4aps having to Be ridden thereon. Thp> men were sent on their long journey in heavy rain, which was the cause of several fall*, necessitating the retirement of a few of the competitors, 'The French paper L© Matin, which organised the motor contest now proceeding across Asia and Eurooe, says that it is not a race of automobiles, but a nrodigiouj challenge from Paris to Pekin. Further, it considers thajj "this gigantic test across

[ China, Mongolia, Siberia, Russia, Germany, 1 Belgium, and France has for its principal notive to demonstrate to the whole world that tha autocar is no longer a delkat< plaything and a carriage oil luxury; bui that the vehicle has entered into an era of practical construction, where it become* an implement capable of serving all kinds of uses. nith a view to ascertaining whal are; the most popular types of food feu cyclists when engaged in long-distance road racing, the Dunlop Rubber Company -recently • circularised the 200 odd riders who started in the last Warrnambool-Melbourne road race, with interesting results. On the votes received, hot bread and milk (sweetenedi and oranges tied for first place. Next in favour were raisins and chocolate, olosely pressed by "boyriT.' ; then in ordercame bananas, egg flip,, milk and water(hot), celery, and beef sausages. In award- : - ing first place to bread and milk, the riders have displayed good judgment, for' nothing .appears to pull & weary ,-arider around quicker than this, easily digested l and palatable food. This year it is the • Dunlop Company's intention, in connection with the forthcoming Warrnambool-Mel-bourne race, to substitute protein biscuits for bread, a change that will greatly assist the Tiders on their long journey. It has long been the- common belief of short-sighted people that the automobile is the toy of the wealthy, the result of" » -temporary craze, - and- will ultimately "be relegated to " sporting tracks or die out altogether. But the cold fact » that the motor car has come to stay, .and is. now,a part^of civilised daily life. The extrava-^ gant protests about the alleged wrong* doings- of motor men is but another form* of the agitation aroused against other, forms. of locomotion when first introducec*.. Fast mail coaches were' to ruin TSnjflanci and cause physical breakdown. Railroadtravelling was to destroy the nerves andfc cause the asylums to shorten the ■ average of life, which has been going up steadily, for the last 50 years. The win •to deprive children of sustenance by making the cows "withhold their milk through 1 fright; the bicycle was to spread ruin and death through the streets by scaring the* horses, and more to the same effect. The reading of such vain imaginings is nowadays a source of tolerant amusement. —'—Figures for some have a great fascirw.-« tion, and while under the charm a budding^ statistician has calculated that there fire^ in the world to-day 243,500 motor vehicle?;^ which he distributes thus: — America 90.000J Great Britain 75,000, France 30,000, Ger-J many 20,000, Austria 8000, Italy 6000, Spain! 4000, India, Australia, Canada. Africa, and) other British possessions 2000 each, andH 500 apiece in China, Japan, .and Eastern? Asia. These figures are considered by experts to be very near the mirk, judging* . by the output of the tyre manufacturer* gauged by the annual production of all the Dunlop mills in the world. The annual output all told is about 1,500,000 tyres* which would allow of about six covers at car per year. - - ; A petrol consumption test was heldj by the Automobile Club of Now South! Wales on Saturday, July" 6, the quantity ofi, fuel experimented, with being half a gallon^ No less than- 22 care were engaged in thtf test, which proved a win for a 40 h.p. t-\ cylinder Minerva, the distance coveredj with a full complement of* passengers on) board, being 10 miles. This for so high-^ powered a car is considered to be- tJ particularly fine performance, and economic cal. too, for the cost of the petrol usedf was 9d. There is a project on foot for the esta~>^ lishment of a New Zealand Automobile 1 _ Association, and a conference is to be heldt shortly in Wellington on the subject. Tbej committee of the Canterbury Automobile Association will hold a special meeting to-! morrow evening to consider the question ofl Electing delegates to the conference. It was stated that 16 stolen bicycles were found at the house of Frank Facer, ar canvasser, who was committed for trial atij, Cardiff. It was said he used to ride away^ on machines left outside houses, take them?! to pieces at home, and after rebuilding them, sell them through newspaper advertisements. GRAND PRIX DB PARIS. The Grand Prix de Paris was organised, in 1906 by the French. Automobile Cbibi with a view of replacing the Gordon Ben-.'' nett Cup contest, the conditions of whichi did not suit the French motor trade. This year's race was held over a triangular* course, a distance of 48 miles, to be tra-. versed 10 times. Great precautions were* adopted, by the organising committee of that French Club to minimise all chance of accident to both spectators and competitor*,* and they even went so far as to construe*. dummy roads at the sharp turns on the% course, so that in the event of any o^ the competitors not being able to negotiate* the bad turns at high speed they coukr dash into the blind road with safety. Thi* year's race drew a large and representativef entry, made up of 24- French cars, 5 Italian,* 3 German, 3 Belgium, 2 English, and « American. The entrance fees alone totalled^ over £7500. Phe result of the race is at signal victory for Italy, and will be a blow* to the French manufacturers, who attach; great value to winning this event. Naz-< zaro's time, 6hr 46min 30sec, is remarkably* fast, and averages just on 70 miles an hour* the full distance. This average time* constitutes the fastest road performance yett accomplished, his average being eight milesi an hour greater than la6t year's • winner— Sisz, of France. The winning car was ac 130 h.p. 4-cylinder Italian-made Fiat, the* engines having 180 millimetres bore and} 160 millimetres stroke, and fired by a Simms-» Bossh low tension magneto. Unfortunately^ the event wa» not carried out without; several serious smashes, but considering th«f terrific pace travelled it would be a wonderful thing if no accidents were recordfft. acxtumulatorTv. magneto. At last (says Autocar) we are in a position to make something like a definite* pronouncement -upon the vexed question* of whether the accumulator or the high--tension magneto gives the greater, power, as a- result of • some compara^ tive tests which have been made in thtt Daimler works. It will be seen that thel results obtained were-, to all intents/ anoj purposes, the same with either system. No, extra power could be obtained from the* magneto, despite the widely current belief} among motorists that more power is obtained from the magneto. Personally wa attribute this widespread belief to the difference in timing. If, say, when running on the accumulators one ewitohes over to the magneto there will at once be aa accej

eration of the engine speed, and because I of this it has very naturally been assumed ' that the magneto produced more rapid and , more complete combustion than the spark produced by the accumulator and coil. It has not been realised that equal results could have been obtained from the accumulator if the spark had been advanced. However, we have no hesitation in saying that, despite the Daimler tests, there will be many unbelievers, though we must confess we do not see any valid reason for unbelief.