Cycling & Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3396, 16 April 1919, Page 50

Cycling & Motor Notes

BY DEMON. , of England that a rew gas fuel has been discovered which can be supplied at gd per gallon. It is also stated that Marconi has oerfected a light battery which will ioni'e tha electric car business. If Marconi i is at last found what Edison has so long booh searching for—the light battery to give -Hiilicient power to drive a car,—there win without doubt be a big demand for such a typo of oar Officers of the automobile service of the French army now stationed in Lorraine have some interesting revelations to make concerning the German transport systems, and the disadvantages under which they have worked. The crisis as regards rubber was reached in 1916. The shortage made itself felt abruptly, and plain wooden tyres, or those of wood with iron hooping, had to be substituted for the worn pneumatics and solids. Bach automobile unit, however, reserved one—and only one —lorry with rubber tyres. This was .devoted to the transport of fragile and important material, or on occasion for towing or break-down -work when the grip of the wooden tyres was not sufficient. This principle was followed until the end of the war.

When one considers the remarkable performances recorded on motor cycles on road and track during the past few years, one cannot but appreciate the_ great advance made in the construction of _ the motor cycle. A few years back most riders had to help, by supplementary pedal assistance, their machines up stiff hills, but nowadays the standard models are minus pedal fitments, footrests having taken their place on account of the efficiency of engines plus variable gears, etc., cutting out any further need of the rider's assistance in hill-climb-ing. As regards speed, the performances standing to the credit of these machines are wonderful. Here are a few of themeOne mile flying start by J. Booth (Victoria) in Adelaide, time 35sec —equal to over 102 miles an hour; 500 miles by Baker (U.S.A.) on track in 6hr 59min 15sec; 1000 miles by the same rider in 16hr 14min 15sec. In 12 hours Baker has also miles, and 1534 J miles in 24 hours, using a side-car outfit. T. Carroll (U.S.A.), with a passenger up, negotiated 1275! miles on the track in 24 hours. In Australia J. Parsons has covered 100 miles _on the road in lhr 37min, and 200 miles in 3hr 20min. From appearances motor cycle speed is now only limited by the speed-carrying capabilities of track or road.

An English motor company has announced its intention of marketing a light car at lOOgs. It will bo friction-driven by a 24 h.p. horizontally opposed air-cooled engine. There will be_ nothing shoddy about the machine, everything being simple and of the best material. The samestyle_ engine will be used in this car as is being incorporated in the A.IXC motor cycle, made by the Sopwith Company. A novel feature of the car will be the absence of a differential the need of which is being overcome by the vise of two driving discs, each of which will transm.it power to one of the driving wheels. _ Further particulars of this oar -will be available at an early date. At the outbreak of war only 5000 sparking plugs were made annually in Eng-

land by three firms, the balance _ of requirements for the motor trade being imported. To-day five concerns are alone turning out over 2,148,000.

DEPRECIATION OF CAR VALUES.

It has been suggested by an English motorist that car manufacturers as a whole should follow the Rolls practice of "series numbers" instead of "years." Everybody knows that one does not speak of a RollsRoyce as being of such and such a year, but as being a so-many thousander. Years, dates, are fatal things. Many second-hand cars when disposed of are sacrificed owing to their age, whilst they are practically as good as new when they have been well cared for and little used. About the most serious depreciation of a good car's value is that effected by mere date of manufacture. A new car which costs, for the purposes of illustration, £SOO, is worth only £375 at the end of a year, not because of the distance it has been driven, or its running condition, but merely because the buyer can say, "Well, it's a last year's car." That single year accounts for a depreciation of 25 ner cent, in its value, or did in the pre-war state of things, to which we shall graduallv return. When selling cars one usually ■ reckons that they depreciate 25 per cent, for their first year, and 10 per cent, per annum for the succeeding years. The annual 10 per cent, after the first year seems very modest compared with that thumping drop of 25 per cent, for depreciation which is so very largely fictional or sentimental, yet is none the less actual for keen competition will naturally follow where price is concerned.

MOTOR CYCLE PRODUCTION.

The attitude of the purchasing public towards the motor cycle is at present one of restrained anticipation (says the Motor Cycle Trader, England). Those who, for reasons arising out of the war, were com-

pelled to relinquish the use of their machines, are now in most cases taking active steps to regularise their position as motorists again, and in the majority of cases new motor cycles will be required; while "an even larger number is doubtless framing intentions or adopting a more definite attitude such as will bring them into the market as purchasers. The difficulties yet to be surmounted by the manufacturers must, however, inevitably delay motor cycle production on the very large scale that will be necessary, and before the demands of new comers can be attended to the long "waiting lists" will have to be disposed of. It is early as yet to predict the character of, as distinct from the demand for, motor cycles. "We may, however, rest assured that all classes of machines will be sought after, although, with petrol at its present price, the highpowered sidecar combinations will perhaps not be looked upon with such favour as those of medium and lower powers. When it comes to be a matter of roundly 7s 6d every time the two-gallon tank _is filled, users may be pardoned for hesitating about employing engines of eight h.p. and upwards, doing perhaps no more than a 100mile journey on a two-gallon can. This approximates to the cost of making the same trip by the railway at normal fares on petrol account alone, and if it were left at that many would elect to travel by train rather than by road. If the motor cycle trade is to flourish as it deserves in tlie coming years, it is imperative that there be a reduction in fuel costs.

A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS, 1914-1918.

Mr Pomeroy, chief engineer of the Vauxhall Company, has set out # in detail the various increases in productive cost which affect the British motor car manufacturer. Wage 3 of skilled and semi-skilled workmen havo increased 140 per cent. Wages of

indirect labour—clerks, foremen, managers, labourers, etc.—have on the 'average Micreased 100 per cent. Cost of material has increased 120 per cent. Cost of rents, rates, taxes, advertising, and other similar dead charges has increased 20 per cent. Cost of selling and distribution _ remains unchanged—on.the increased. prices, of course. He states that wages represent 14 per cent. of. the cost of. motor car manufacture. Indirect labour represents 7 per cent. Material represents 40 per cent. Rents and other dead charges represent 5 per cent. Selling and distribution costs represent 28 per cent., and profit, therefore, remains the residium of 6-per cent., -which is not excessive even though it be on turnover. Now, for the sake of illustrating the influence of these increases on pre-war list prices, we will apply them to the oase of a motor car which sold at £4OO In 1914 in order to- determine its relative price to-day 1914. 1919.

£4OO 0 0 £776 0 0 Those calculations indicate that the list prices of 1914 cars should now he augmented 194 per cent, in order to bring them into line with existing conditions of trade, and we are sure that the figure will startle and surprise most motorists. But that is not all, for we have no assurance that the universal attempt to shorten the hours - of labour in all workshops will not cause a still further increase in the cost of wages, since the trades' union idea is to diminish the effort hut to maintain or increase the wages paid. We do not know of any 1914 car that has relatively been relisted at, roughly, 200 per cent, increase, so that actually there has teen a proportionate decrease in price, taking into calculation the governing factors, mad© possible, of course, by re-designing and' simplification of construction. OTACO MOTOR CLUB. The ordinary meeting of the Otago Motor Club was held on the Bth. Mr A. E. Ansell (president) occupied the chair. Mr OL Maoandrew (clerk to the Portobello _ Road Board) wrote stating that the question of opening the .road to Wickliffe Bay to motorists would be placed' before his board. —Received. The Chairman stated that it was proposed to print 1000 copies of the report drawn up _by Mr Couston (civil engineer) on his yisit of inspection to the roads in Taranaki and Auckland. A copy would be , posted to each of the various county councils and others interested. The Hon. Secretary of the South Canterbury Motor Club wrote stating that there was a likelihood of the club holding a motor reliability trial from Timaru to Dunedin on Good Friday and Easter Monday, and asking the club to appoint officials at the Dunedin end.—lt was agreed to appoint officials in the event of the trial taking- place. Mr M'Georgo stated that he was prepared to take steps to raise £IOO fojr the purpose of improving the tidal point on the Merton road.—The Waikouaiti Council intimated that it would be able to obtain a pound for pound subsidy on the money so donated through Mr MGeorge.—Mr M'George stated that a coruiderablo portion of his £IOO was already promUed. Messrs P. Breen and P. C. Carter were appointed to fill vacancies on the executive caused by the resignations of Dr Champtaloup and Mr C F. Alexander. It was decided, on the motion of Mr Wright, to 'write to the City Council protesting against the methods adopted by it in metalling the roads—leaving stretches unblinded —instead of blinding as work was proceeded with. Mr Wright was requested, when in Invercargill at Easter, to meet Inyeroargill motorists and endeavour to resuscitate the Inveroargill Club.

£ s. d. £ 8. d. "Wages . 66 0 0 134 8 0 Indirect labour . . 28 0 0 61 12 0 Material .. . . 160 0 0 362 0 0 Hearts, etc. .. . . 20 0 0 24 0 0 Selling coats . 112 0 0 160 0 0 Profit . 24 0 0 44 0 0