CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 3542, 31 January 1922, Page 42

CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

By

“DEMON.”

paid to the claims of the ignition coil, either as the sole means of ignition or in conjunction with the magneto. At the recent motor shotv at Olympia (England) some firms adopted the dual form, and it would appear that the present time is :> transition stage. The significant announcement was recently made by Major Percy C. Simmons, J.P., chairman of the London County CWincil, and for five years chairman of the London Fire Brigade, that all horse-drawn vehicles hud entirely disappeared from the transport service of the council, with a resulting increase in efficiency arid a saving in cost. The London County Council possesses nearly 200 motor-driven fire-extin-guishing appliances, a dozen vehicles devoted to ambulance work, and nearly VO others utilised in connection with the train. That an effort is being made to market a motor cycle within the reach of those who cannot afford £looj or the best part of it, for a solo machine was evidenced by several exhibits at the recent motor cycle show at Olympia, London. One machine was listed at £27 6s, and a very serviceable outfit it looks from the illus trations and details given in the English press. The weight of the “MTCenzie,” as it is known, is only 751 b, the power unit being a two-stroke single cylinder engine, with a bore and stroke of 60 millimetres. The frame is so designed that either sex can ride the machine, which is said to he a really reliable proposition, built on lines that will appeal to those desirous of motoring at a reasonable speed and low running costa. —- —A cycle race held at Marshland on Thursday evening provided extraordinary excitement at the finish (says the Christchurch Press), this being due mainly to

the determined efforts of eight heavy draught horsee to be “in at the death.’’ The race was supposed to finish in Hills road, just over the intersection of Briggs road. As a bunch of about 20 riders commenced to maie the final sprint for home, the mob of horses galloped out of a paddock and started racing towards home and, incidentally, towards the finishing point f r the race. As they gained on the horses seme of the cyclists realised the danger and slackened speed, but others took ihe risk and dashed through the mob towards their goal. The efforts of the spectators co turn the horses off into a cross road only frightened the animals more, causing them to stampede madly in all directions, to the very real danger of cyclists and onlookers. Fortunately no one was hurt, but the interference destroyed a great deal of the interest in the race. —— In an interview regarding the cabled statement concerning an Empire air service the Prime Minister said: “I admit *he possibilities of an air service, and I believe that in timet this will be a very important means of communication, especially between the different countries of Empire. But I do not ihink that up to the present enough has been done by way of experiment. That impression was strengthened by the very sad disaster which happened to R 5<3, which was at that time the best airship that had been built within the boundaries of the Empire.” Another aspect of the matter which appealed to the Prime Minister (a Wellington Press Association message states) was that any service between Great Britain and the Antipodes would have to pass through part of the journey in winter, and little was known as yet of the difficulties and dangers which this would entail. As New Zealand was passing through a time of financial difficulty she was compelled to restrict her expenditure to the most urgent purposes. 1922 WOLSELEY, Todd Bros. (Ltd.) have just landed a 1922 model Wolseley which attracts the eye. The car, which has been built to the order of Mr S. D. Lawson, of Dunedin, is a standard 15 h.p. with certain new features. The colour scheme is a variation, and the upholstery is of an unusual shade. The guards have a second metal line just inside the outer edge, which will have the effect of diverting- mud and strengthening ;ho guard. A rear wind screen of attractive be sign, aluminium bonnet, and aeroplane design lamps fitted on the guards, together with the finish and general excellence of workmanship, makes a car at which the connoisseur will certainly look more than once. THE USEFUL BICYCLE. In view of the prices that are now ruling for bicycles, and which are rapidly approaching pre-war figures, the question naturally arises whether the time has not arrived when a general attempt should be mad© tb bring about a* largo iu.crea.sa iu

the number of users of cycles. It has been stated times without number that the bicycle still forms the cheapest form of rapid locomotion, and in these times of high cost of living, increased railway fares, etc., the advantages attached to the use of the bicycle have been greatly overlooked. The present-day machine —rationally geared— ' affords an easy means of getting about, at a running cost, after the initial purchase, of only a few shillings a year for tyre upkeep. The life of a bicycle is a matter of many years and tens of thousands of miles, and the advantages that accrue from its use are out of all proportion to the cost of owning and using a bicycle. It certainly stands by itself as the most economical vehicle of utility, and the. many uses it can bo put to for either business, social, or sporting purposes should render the bicycle more popular in this country than it is. ROAD CONSTRUCTION. According to Mr George C. Warren and Mr E. Parker, both of Boston, who arrived in the Dominion recently, concrete has not yet been absolutely proved as the best material for road-making. The company with which these Bostonians are connected put down the famous Columbia highway, 215 miles long, running from Astoria through the city of Portland, Oregon, and the Columbia River Gorge, one of the most beautiful scenic spots in the States. This line thoroughfare is land down in a patent asphalt. In tjio early days of permanent roads 10ft to 14ft was the maximum on the trunk lines, but- with the growth of automobile traffic this was found to be quite inadequate, and now the minimum road is 16ft wide, but in some of the busier routes 20ft. and 25ft roads will be found. These thoroughfares are what we in New Zealand would call “country roads” (except as to the surface, of course). With such excellent roads as America is getting the use of the motor truck is extending, and whole fleets can bo seen hauling merchandise from town to town. It had been found that fewer handlings and rapid dispatch are points which weigh in favour of the motor as against the railway in what is known as “short haul traffic.” On long-distance traffic the railway is still unassailable, but the motor has a distinct niche in the matter of transport, and where you have good roads the motor comes into its own. Contrasting asphalt and concrete road construction, Mr Warren mentioned that a big point in favour of the first-mentioned was the fact that there was no need to tear up an existing road, .as a permanent coating of asphalt could be nut down on any surface of an old road, hie mentioned that since the war there had been a tremendous increase in the mileage of permanent roads laid down in the States, and hundreds of millions of dollars were being spent. The people were fully seized of the importance of good roads to the development of the country. After a trip to Sydney, Mr Warren will spent some time in the Dominion. STANDARD CARS. The Standard Motor Company is now manufacturing an entirely new miniature eight h.p. two and four-seated car with ft mechanical starter to supplement its 11 model. On the one hand, the 11 h.p. model will be made, with a larger bore engine, a four-speed gear, wider frame, larger and better springs, a new front axle, and unusually large tyres, on the other there is a new small car with an efficient and lively overhead valve four-cylinder engine and a very complete equipment. Both cars continue the excellent feature of “all-weather” bodywork which has brought the Standard Company unstinted flattery in the form of imitation, and for both cars the price is strikingly low in proportion to the value offered by the specifications of the respective models. Because the design is new, the 8 h.p. car on this occasion takes pride of place over its larger brother. Like all small cars which strive for success in these lean years of peace, its chassis construction is exceedingly simple from a production point of view. Thus the engine and clutch form one unit, the gearbox mounted on the front end of the torque tube together with the rear axle another. The cylinders are cast in one piece with the upper half of the base chamber. BOOM IN CERMANY. An extraordinary boom in the German automobile industry is reported by the Berliner Zeitung.” All works, is it said, have orders keeping them busy for six months ahead, but the demand is increasing at a rapid rate, and German makers are regaining with ever-swifter speed the ground lost in some countries during the war. The leading firms are so independent of their customers that they refuse to bind themselves to conditions .as to delivery, date, or price, while binding the customer to his order. RECORD TAXATION. Motorists all over the world seem to have been dissatisfied, during the last two years, with the special taxes levied on them. The record in this respect, is said to belong to Italy which, under a Socialistic impulse, adopted such high taxes on privately-owned cars that the development of the movement was restricted. As an example, a mediumpowered car such as the 10-15 h.p. Fiat has to pay, in its native land, an annual horse-power tax of £4B at nominal exchange. This firm's 15-20 h.p. model has to pay £9O a. year to the Treasury, while each Fiat six-cylinder car in private service enriches the State Financial Department to the extent of £l9l per annum. After two year’s experience it has been realised by the Italian authorities that the high taxes are not only seriously handicapping the motor movement, but. that they are less remunerative to the State than the more moderate taxes in force before the war. In consequence of this, a technical commission presided over by the Under-Secretary of Finance has decided on a reduction of 50 per cent, in the motor taxes applied to small and medium-powered ears, as well as to motor-cycles and motor-assisted bicycles. It is also proposed to abolish all taxes on electric, vehicles for a pmiod of five years, providing they are of Italian construction. COUNTRY ROADS. The question of heavy traffic on country roads occupied a good deal of the time of the Taieri County Council on Friday. The discussion arose over a letter from Mr A. R. Leonard, Balclutba, who had traversed the Main South road with two engines and , four] trailers laden with, wool. In the

discussion a councillor pointed out that one of the farmers in his riding placed an order for the cartage of coal from the city, and a return trip with wool, with a Dunedin carrying firm. In comparison with the railway charges the farmer saved £9 on the transaction, apart from tile great convenience it proved to be. It was pointed out by other councillors that this competition with the railway was quite general, and instances were quoted in support of the statements, particularly the lorries engaged in fruit traffic from Otago Central. Councillors were unanimous that the heavy traffic by-laws, which were framed before the lorries were in use, needed revising. The county roads suffered as a result of the traffic, and manv of those using the roads for motor traffic did not pay anything for the upkeep of the roads. In the case°under notice it was decided to charge the minimum fee for a license for the engines and trucks which had been driven over the road.