BY DEMON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 59

BY DEMON.

— -To-night (Wednesday) there will be tt jnile bicycle race at the Caledonian (ground in connection -with the evening sporie meeting, , T^—Tha raws of Ofcago motorists will suffer a loss through the departure from Dunedin of Messn* W. B. and fifioxge BeiL

x who leave shortly for Malay in. company with their brother Jock with the intention of going in. for rubber growing there. Mr W. B. Bell has been connected with local oyoling -tend motor circles for the past 12 ac 13 yeaure, and in his day was pur champion cyclist, the first championship falling to him being won artr Invercargill, when he beat R. Crow, Simon M'Donald, and others. After hifi cycling days Mr "Bell took on motor cycling and was one of the very first m JJunedin to possess the power-driven cycle. Hit brother Cteorgo also appeared on the cyol© track, but" without much sucoess. "Dod," however, proved. a daring rider in motor ejole races, and won several events on tie local Caledonian track. It a also of interest to remaxk,that Jock also won raoee on the local Cycling- tracks some nine or 10 years ago. It is safe to say that Meserfl W. B. ana Dod are easily the two beet known motor cyclists on the main ju&ith road fsrom Dunediu to Baiolntlia, and

they are well known <yen right fhrougH Otago and Southland. I wish both tha brothers Bell and their Dominion Rubbes Company every success. Those who knov* them will, I am sure, agree with me when I day that they thoroughly deserve it.

Mr R. W. Jones, representing Wolseley-Siddeley . autocars (H. Jonea and Sons, Limited, Hastings, solo agents for New Zealand), arrived) on Monday night from the north! and went' through to Invercargill on Tuesday. -Mr Jozies is an old ex-reaident oft _ luvercaTgill, having had a bike shop inf the^Soutihem town -and- residing there for 31 years, and in course of conversation with him he informed me he still has a warm spot for Inveroaxgill. Mr , Jones tells ma 'uiat the_ Siddeley car is meeting with much* favour, in New Zealand, his firm having at the present time run out of their stock ofi machines. - - - Mr S. R. Stedman informs me that" the demand for his Triumph motor cycle at the present -time 1 is very keen, necessitating! his cabling Home for further shipments. The latest devotee to the sport is Mb Cuthbertson, of CflyHe, who has purchased! a 3 h.p. single cylinder Triumph. Mr Gideon Smith's 12-14 Argyll irf at present being garaged at Mr S. R. Stedman'g. Mr Smith bought this cax when on a recent journey Home, and after touring Scotland with his brother ,in it brought iti out to New Zealand. He has since tra» veiled over a lot of Otago country in th« Argyll. . ■ Dr Colquhoun has gone in for a carl to be <used on his professional rounds-^eu 14 h.p. four-cylinder white Vulcan, with dual ignition, purchased from the local) agents, the Messrs Wimperiny. . Mr Robin Campbell, of Otekaike, arrived in town on Monday night in hia 16-20 white Talbot, and leaves for tha north again to-day (Wednesday). The 14 h.p. green Vulcan ordereo-bfl Mr E. E. Stark from the Messrs Winw penny, is on board the Rippingham Grange, which is shortly due at the Dun* edin wharf.

Mr E. Bockaert, of Timaru, drove through. Dunedin last week on his way south in his brie 40-50 h.p. Darracq. This is a fine-looking and powerful , machine. A car new to Dunedin streets is tha Buick, which put in an appearance here last week. This cSr ie a five-seated, o£ 16 horse-power, and two cylindeare, which; are double opposed. It has two forward speeds and a reverse, and" is driven by a single chain. It is an American car,, being made in Flint (Jackson). Ehe Buickl is very strong on the \ille, and put uj( a fine performance on the short cut t<t the Junction Hill (N.E.V.) -last week. X understand Messrs Oooke-Howlison and Co. have become the local agents. The balance-sheet of the English Dunlop Tyre Company for the 12 months ending the 30th Seotember, 1907, shows a net profit of £200,478, against £179,334 for the previous year. In Australia alone the output, of Dunlops exceeds 360,000 tyres a year, all sold in Australasia. All told, .it would be interesting to know how many "Dunops" are sold yearly throughout the{ world.

At the end of last year it was computed that, in Great Britain, there wer< 54,000 motor cyclishs. pn some of the motor-bus lines iit London it has been calculated that tha total working expenses come to about 90 per cent, of the total receipts, due in a great measure, it* is thought, to the unduly lengthy penny sections, and secondly: to the great cost of tyres._

The antj-mottor feeling in Switzerland is gaining, and while it has been officially stated that it is impossible -to prevent the vehicles from being used, an increase in the taxes in the. motor is promised. '

A motor manufactory hae been established in Japan, and ■with the exception of the tyres, lamps, coil, and springs, evei-j^ portion of the car will be- constructed locally. .——•.A, '"aannrrp-fni fechoolsrirl, on ''.einc

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asked to write an essay of 250 words about a motor «ar, submrbted tire-following to her teacher: — "My uncle bought a motor car. Sic was riding in the country w4ien it busted up a hill. I guess this is about 50 words. The other 200 are what my uncle ejaid when he was walking back to town, )ut they are not fit for publication." With a population of 450,000— rather .tees than that of Melbourne — Copenhagen, Denmark, has 50,000 cyclists said to be the largest proportion in the world. Christchurch, New Zealand, however (says the Australasian) will run. figures closely —proportionately, of couree. 1 The Automobile Club of F»nce~ has fixed the date of the Grand Prix Race for July next — during the first two weeks of the month. The distance will be from 437 to 500 miles, and the entry fees are ap follow: — Qne car, £200; two ears, £360; three caw, £480. The route on which the series of races will be run has no* yet been decided upon, but it is considered that the Dieppe circuit will again be chosen. Entrses close ordinarily on February 18l bni late nominations at double fees wid be Accepted up till June 1. The motor «jncines mt»t have a maximum bore of 153 mm, while bhe minimum weight, without patrol, passengers, water, or «pwre parts, iwurt st 1100 kilogrammes.

Five times out of six a cyclist, after a roadside repair, pushes the thin, pliable air tube under ' the cover, then .forces the cover on to the rim,/ with the result that it is only a matter of luck if the tube is not pinched between the wired edge of the cover and the rim, the result being that it is only a matter of time for the rubber air tube to pinoh f&rougii and leak. < The correct mode of fitting obviate the difficulty. The proper thing to do, after replaoing the- valve through the rim, is to slightly inflate the tube, vualtil- it assumes a roun drbnm ; the tuba ean~be then pushed under the cover, the edge of wfakt oan be rolled over the -bead of the rim, and on to its proper shoulder, with little ohanoe of a zapped cube. "Two lffile» a Minute* is the title' of a copy of automobiliao vemeb appearing ia an American paper. -^Zietre are two" stanzas: Ahonkandarueb, Afl»shsndastnell— - < What didwebii? Didsomebocryjell ? Ajarandasoream — Itlookedlikeahorse ; ■NoteMngnow, Keep to the court*.