CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 3247, 7 June 1916, Page 58

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES

BY DEMON

■ Early on Monday morning, while James Ward, a taxi-car driver, was filling tho petrol tank of his vehicle with the aid of a naked light, the liquid ignited, and set fire to the shed in which the car was housed. Tho South Dunedin Fire Brigade was called to the premises, which are situated at the corner of Atkinson and Oxford streets: but the outbreak was speedily extinguished, very little damage being done. fuel, the availablo energy is enormously greater than that delivered in useful work at tho crankshaft. It is stated, in fact, that we do not utilise more than 20 per cent, of the foot-pound available, and by tho time it has gone through tho wasteful transmission stages there is only a fraction of it mado use of. If by some revolutionary discovery, say, 50 per cent, of the fuel energy were available at the crankshaft, instead of 20 per cent., wo then should be obtaining only a fairly workable efficiency. The very cheapness of the fuel in days past has contributed largely to the present condition of things, as it is hardly worth troubling about low efficiency when it could easily be compensated for. Exporters in tho United States are keenly feeling the effects of the war from the limited shipping space now available, while the freight charges aro enormous. It is stated that one of the largo automobile manufacturers was impelled to charter a large sailing vessel to carry 2000 motor cars from Now York to Sydney. Tho ship is a four-master, and 12 months ago it was towed into an American port almost a wreck, and disposed of for £6OOO. The owners of the shin have overhauled it, and the motor firm has agreed to pay them £BOOO to carry a cargo of cars to Sydney. Only a small minority of motorists acquire tho art of gear-changing to perfection; but exports consider the solution of the difficulty to be possible, and mention tho various attempt already made, such as tho adoption of electrical devices, some simple form of mechanical device, or the adoption of electrical transmission, which is already being used in several cases, and posesses the great advantage of flexibility. There are many, however, who would regret the passing of the existing gearbox system, for when machinery is over-simplified, so that it becomes almost automatic, interest is apt to bo lost, to a considerable extent. The skill and attention needed in making a quick, clean change is a pleasure in itself, though it must bo admitted that the proportion of those who can accomplish the movement so that there is no grinding or grating is comparatively small, and from this point of view no doubt a practical method of preventing tho gears being damaged would bo welcomed by tho majority. The electrical gear-change is not,

however, likely to fill the bill, for hero, also, a certain amount of skill would be needed, Possibly electric transmission may solve the problem. Time alone will tell. -- Just before Easter motorists in Great Britain feared that, in the alleged interests of national economy, the use of cars and motor cycles might altogether be prohibited, or that the taxes would be doubled, or even trebled. _ What was done, however, was the prohibition of motor importations, while in respect to petrol, it is expected that the tax will bo raised from 6d per gallon to Is, making the price 2s lid per gallon. In well-informed circles, the action of tho Government is viewed with great relief, as it will check the indiscriminate use of cars, conserving the stocks of petrol, thereby helping to restore the balance of imports over exports. "Plow I Keep Fit at Seventy-Eight" is the title of an article published in a British paper, and contributed by the Rev. I Fred. Hastings. Ho says: "For years I j have kept to the bicycle, for it oats nothing, I never gets ill-tempered, never knocks up, ; and is easily moved. One friend who has | taken to tho motor cycle is always urging Ime to try it. But Ido not want to become i lazy, and perhaps develop some disease by ! being enclosed in oilskins or mackintosh. , Simply to sit on a saddle to be shaken, while the nerves are on the stretch lest one should dash over some poor wayfarer, does not commend itself to me. Then, if a breakdown occurs, to have to wheel the heavy thing along to a repairing place would be a groat nuisance. . . . Besides, on a cycle one has more t : mo to look about him. I sometimes wonder if heaven will givo much greater happiness than T felt on my recent tour through Kent and Sussex." In an American journal another cycling enthusiast savs: "Ts cycling tiresome? No; the wheelman of to-day is more free from worry and work in connection with bis ride than the driver of any otbn- vehicle," and that is very true. A novel music-hall turn was recently bill-d at San Francisco. Two crack teams of picked mechanics were matched at putting together on tho stage tho parts of a Buick and an Oldsmobile car. The Buick team won with 2min sTscc to spare. Tho turn is said to have proved a decided success. 7 h.p. motor cycle was recently run on a stand for eight days 22 hours, the engine never being stopped for one instant during , the test. The speedometer registered at 4310 miles at tho finish, whilst the petrol consumption worked out at 120 miles to tho gallon. vanco made in the price of petrol in this and other countries, somo endeavour has not been made to eliminate tho expense of the standard four-gallon tin, the cost of which must run into huge figures in 12 months. In America the majority of motorists are supplied from bulk systems, tho petrol being delivered through pipes or hoses, and checked by automatic gauges. Tho saving as regards wastage and handling outside tho cost of tins is very considerable. A few of the more progressive firms in this country have already installed petrol systems; but tho petrol is delivered in tins, which are emptied into the bulk reservoir, so that tho cost of canning, handling, etc., has still to bo paid for by the consumer. This costly method is one that should be 1 superseded by more up-to-date and economio systems. I the title of a very interesting article which I recently appeared in Bicycle News, New I York. It is stated that in the early bonoI shaker days of 1868 and 1869 there was a regular craze for the sport. It was mostly | carried out in rinks or schools. The Ameri- ! can newspapers of that period gave much : space to the new pastime, and the editor ! of tho New York Sun, who was an enthusi- | astic rider, advocated an elevated path for ! velocipedists in New York. Harper's '■ Weekly and the Scientific American also ' devoted much space to the subject. The | craze died out rapidly, and it was not until ( about 1877 that the subject of bicycle de- ■ vclopmcnt again came into prominence, i By that timo the old wooden oone-shakcr : had been transformed into tho high ordin- ' ary. It was in that 3'car that Colonel i Albert A Pope, then in tho airgun busiI noss in Boston, became interested in the ! bicycle business. lie commenced by im- | porting English machines. He started I manufacturing in 1878, and organised a j great riding school. He advertised to an ! enormous extent, and in 1882 offered a I prize of £250 for the best article on the ! bicycle. In 1883 he started a monthly ! magazine called the Wheelman, and all the ' best outdoor writers contributed to it. Ho ' spent £25,000 on the magazine, and sold it !to Theodore Roosevelt and others, who I changed tho name to Outing, and de- ! veloped it on more general lines. At that ! period tho English manufacturers did a big i trade in America, and some of them had branches in that country; but on tho development of tho home trade a prohibitive tax was imposed. Heaped on tho deck and packed in the hold of the steamer Suruga, which arrived at Wellington, from Now York, on tho 31st ult., there wore 560 American motor cars. By the Waitomo, which arrived at Auckland from San Francisco recently, there also came 200 cars. AMERICAN COMPETITION. The recent move by American motor concerns to force the straight-edged American tyro on the Australian market is considered to be the forerunner of a big effort by the American tyre houses to capture a considerable share of the Australian motor tyre trade. If they succeed, then it means a considerable set-back to an important Australian industry that employs some thousands of hands, and involves well over a million sterling in capital. There ia little doubt America ia endeavouring to make every post a winning post, and it doea ! not matter who goes to the wall in the

race for dollars, and yet more dollars. In this connection it is interesting to recall what the United States did in the early days of the bicycle and motor car. America imported large quantities from England and the Continent, until her home trade was developed, then on went a prohibitive tax. absolutely shutting down the import of bicycles and cars. Australia might well take a leaf out of America's book in connection with the motor tyre trade. The American Automobile, in a leading article dealing with the question of a small increase in trie price of cars due to the enormous demand for steel, says : '_' America to-day is drawing from Europe incredible sums of money. The impoverishment of Europe is the wealth of America, so, if American automobiles are to cost a trifle more, the balance- still remains well upon the credit side of the ledger. We are all making much more money, either directly or indirectly, so it is rational to pay a little more money for our automobiles, since our very prosperity is the reason for that slight increase in price." If tho_ "impoverishment" extends to Australia, so much the better for the American traders, and so much the worse for Australian workmen and capital. But what about Australian feeling in the matter? It is a matter worthy of Australian motorists' attention and action. It is interesting in this connection to note what the Americans are doing in England. In 1913 they sold £293,684 worth of tyres in Great, Britain; in 1914 £234,991, and in 1915 £1,007,578.. It will bo seen by this that the Americans have taken every advantage of the pre-occupation of British manufacturers on war work to endeavour to capture the British market. Taking advantage of the war, the American tyre industry has gone ahead at a most amazing rate, as shown by the jump in their imports of crude rubber for the last two years—viz., 1914, 60,226 tons; 1915, 87,704 tons. When it is borne in mind that every ton of rubber approximately produces goods at a selling value of hundreds of thousands of pounds some idea of the huge expansion of America's trade in this direction may bo gained. ATHLETIC AND CYCLING UNION. The tenth annual meeting of the Otago Centre of the Now Zealand Athletio and Cycling Union, held on 31st ult., was attended by 11 representatives. Mr James Howell (president) occupied the chair. The annual report stated that the centre was represented at the annual meeting of the union, held at Masterton, by Mr D. F. M'Kay. During the year 11 club-3 affiliated with the centre, and eight held meetings under permit; 14 competitors registered at 2s 6d and 139 at Is. The latter showed a considerable decrease, owing to the largo number at present serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. The financial position was satisfactory when circumstances were taken into consideration, a balance of £l4 7s 7d being carried forward to the new year. The Chairman moved the adoption of the report and balance sheet, and urged that the present was an excellent opportunity for all the clubs to encourago the holding of sports meetings amongst the young men, but on no account should they permit those who were fit to go to the front to compete. The motion was seconded by Mr Polwarth, who referred to the number of members who had gono to the front, and the necessity of inducing young fellows to come forward to fill the vacancies. The motion was carried. The election of officers resulted as follows:—President, Mr A. Polwarthj vicepresidents, Messrs A. M. Wylio and J. Carroll; auditor, Mr Geo. Davidson; executive—Messrs R. B. Meek, R. G. Varcoo, R. Telfcr, J. Howell, H. M'Donald, A. A. Campbell, A. G. Dreaver, W. M. Wilson, J. E. Menzies, W. E. Power, D. E. M'Kay; secretary and treasurer, Mr D. F. M'Kay, at an honorarium of £5 sa. It was resolved that the points prize, for competitor scoring most points in events held at registered meetings, under present Circumstances bo discontinued. The rules wero altered, providing for seven days' notico of committee meetings instead of three. At the close of the general business a presentation of a set of carvers was made

to the retiring president (Mr James Howell). Mr J. Carrol!, in making the presentation, referred to the value of their retiring president’s past services. Mr Howell suitably responded.