THE FUTURE OF AUTOMOBILISM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 57

THE FUTURE OF AUTOMOBILISM.

VIEWS OF A WELI^-KNOWN " " /.; ' , ENGINEER. ' / ' ■.:' JFbom Oub Own Gokeestondent.) ~ . ..-LONDpNi ".November 22. , - At the opening of- the* present session off the Automobile Engineers, held- on Wednes- ; ■_ day night, Colonel^R. B. Crompton, O^B./ 1~ R.E., took as the subject of his presidential j "th,© future .of autpmobilism: After; pointing out that' fhe.earEer- applicaiaon of , the motor- -vshicle .for pleasure, or .tourmgf purposes, though natural, was .limited,- he expressed the view that the future lay in the development new fields for, the employment of -'the- Self-propelled vehicle for , public -and commercial purposes. .This, of-; -course, " involved, the question- of _ suitable , Toads in those -countries hitherto untouched , by the movement'-througE offering -a- fin© 1 field to the ligther' types. „ . ■ : • . * The "^developments in icad" engineering ' which- had recently taken place, mainly .due - to the demands of motor " engineers, -and, which, had led to" a better .knowledge of road eonstructioh — of metho'dff by •which' the , r aiaterial' forming "'the surface .of the "road ".* could -be bound , together -Tvitn waterproof " materials; of -a tar or bituminous . nature, -which' prevented the -\tashing- away, of tho fine materials, of,^th© v road in wet/weather . and 'Obe -same fine materials blowing away in , /the 'form' of dust . in the- dry* weather^— - "tihowed that roads, .could nbw'be "treated in "such «-manner"that, when carrying -moderate, loads, probably, not-exceeding "5001b per inch of tyre , width, or, with tractive stresses not exceeding half this amount,, they could, in. the majority of case's, form a cheap' and " serviceable* road, provided reasonable arfansremeßt3 for 'cross drainage "and forob-"' taining suitable gradients wer© made. It "seemed quite" reasonable to suppose .that road engineers could design such light roads. - haying" a metalled surface 12ft wide, of ample -strength, with; light bridge* to carry- ' axle weights not exceeding four tons, .with ferries for taking the motor tractors and ■ '.their trailers -across large^rivers, " for a cost not -exceeding £2000 a.niile.- ■ Colonel Grompfcon referred to the strong objections "railway -engineers had to four- j „ wheeled locomotives ■.owing to "their ham- I Taering action on the 'metals, and suggested < the adoption of the same"" system in. motor" ■waggons." Hehadl found," m fact, in the' case of the Renard tram in France, that the ",px.- wheeled waggons, carrying six tons and. 'travelling at 10_ males- an hour <jh steeltyred- wheels -3ft injdiameter, ran ver^r much smoother, than *, those =-^rith iour wheelar of th© .same size,., {hough only -moving at about "*ix miles _per "hour.. .In addition, too, the damage was very much reduced^ when . the ■' extra pair,-of wheels! wa» used." A further- ' advantage .of the -Ren ard' train .was .that, as the power .was -transmitted through; a flexible ' 'shaft to each vehicle, , the driving'stress'-was-«mall, .sine© it was .-divided among the whole number, and, therefore,- slipping in wet .■weather was avoided. v~ • J - In effect, th© future of automobilism in^ _ eluded its commercial application, and in a very wide degree, ' embracing regions as yet untouched.- But to obtain -cheap transportation inexpensive reads were required, They, - ■ in turn, demanded a tic© pf vehicle which '"

would^" not damage highway surfaces __ by '* excessive weight or' driving stresses. '.A* further point -was the use of the largest, atid most powerful trains that could' be satisfactorily worked by two men', 'as this would" reduce -labour -and administration charges to i th© lowest point.- ' .' - . '„.. "I