Cycling & Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3757, 16 March 1926, Page 74

Cycling & Motor Notes

BY “DEMON.** The disfigurement of the main and rural romlrf by the glaring advertisements with which some roads ore plastered was the subject of n Wanganui remit passed at the halt-yearly meeting of the North Island Motor Union. Although it was realised that nothing could be done where advertising signs were erected on private property, it was decided to ask all county councils to instruct their engineers to have tU advertising signs romoved from bridges a.id roadsides wherever posaiblo. Further, it was decided to request all motorists to patronise firms which confine their advertising to the newspapers and other recognised advertising mediums, and who do not attempt to take advantage of Nature's handiwork by the erection of glaring advertisements on spots of scenic beauty. Appreciation was expressed of the action of the British Imperial Oil Company, which intimated in a letter road at the meeting,

that it had issued orders to U- country representatives forbidding the further erection of signs on trees in such a way as to affect the scenic value of many of the main motoring areas, and instructing them to remove as promptly as possible all enamel signs. “We sincerely hope," the company wrote, “that* in the near future all signs giving rise to justifiable complaint will have ~een removed.” The frequent removing of cars from parking places was discussed at a meeting of the Otago Motor Club on Tuesday night. Mr C. Peel said that the removal of motors from the parking areas was becoming serious, and the penalties inflicted by the magistrates were not sufficiently severe. A man removed a car valued at between £SOO and £6OO and was imprisoned for only one month. He urged that pressure t *-• brought on the Justice Department to make the penalty for the offence more aev. re. aa the man who rtolo £2OO was sentened to two or three years in gaol. Security should be given the people who left their cars on recognised parking areas. He complained that use of cars for joy-riding purposes was not considered a theft. He characterised the nresent epidemic as scandalous. Mr H. P. Desmoulins advised motorists to stand together in combating the evil. Stipendiary magistrates are called upon very frequently to deal with motorists for driving cara while under the influence of liqnor. In view of the heavy penalties recently inflicted, one wonders what would have happened to the driver of a Ford lorry on the Main South road on Thursday afternoon. Just before

entering Green Island he passed a large six-cylinder car at a speed which could not have been less than 30 miles an hour—a dangerous speed for any lorry. At the small bridge at the foot of the hill he was seen to stop, and on the arrival of the bigger car it was found that the bonnet of the lorry had dropped off, and was being sal ’aged by a passenger, who bore evidence of having been drinking not wisely but too well. The driver, too, appeared to have imbibed slightly more than was good for him, and a demijohn in the cab pointed to the fact that the supply had not been limited. The pitiful aspect of the occurrence was that the body of the lorry was occupied by three very sea reed-looking youngsters, who appeared to have had more than enough of their thrilling ride. Had the falling tannet dropped under a '..heel of the vehicle the speed at which it was travelling must have spelt disaster. A passing motorist gave the driver of the lorry his opinion of him in no measured terms, and wisely insisted that the children should be taken to their destination in a less hazardous fashion. ' ANTI-DAZZLE LAW. Legislation to reduce the danger from dazzle headlights on motor cars is, in England, according to the London Daily Express, likely to he introduced shortly. Many accidents have been caused by the blinding effect of these lights on other drivers, and the Transport Ministry has collected a great amount of evidence concerning this increasing road danger. One of a number of proposals now being considered is that headlights should be adjusted so that -he glare is thrown below tnj line of vision of approaching vehicle.- and pedestrians. There is likely to be a great controversy motorists when tl • coining chances in lighting regulations are embodied in a Parliamentary Bill. “Motorists have to find some means of getting rid of dazzle,” said the Home Seer ,ary (Sir W. Joynson-Hieks) at a demonstration of anti-dazzle devices arranged by the Commercial Motor U era’ in London. “I believe that in two or three years there will be an enormous increase of motor vehicles on the streets, and the traffic difficulties will be greatly accentuated unless the question of dazzle is dealt with adequately. The general public have their rights in the the and motorists are not entitled to dazzL* peoples eyes if oy any possibility it can be prevented. Personally I do not believe in the practice of dimnr headlights or switching them off as permanent solution of the difficulty. Some other means must be found.” Mr E. S. Shropnell-Smith, giving the results of tests made by the association, said the use of tinted and treated translucent electric light bulbs offered a quick and ready method of mitigating dazzle. Ihe essential modification of all British standard bulbs could be carried out at small cost. „ ‘.'Yellow or cobalt blue.” he added give the best results in filtering out the offending rays. Dazzle can be mitigated to a large extent by tne treatment of halt the surface of any headlamp bulb, but results are still better when the whole bulb is treated.” A RECORD RIDE. In *1 hoars 45 minutes, ending at 12.35 a.m. on Friday, February 24, Vic. Barclay rode from Adelaide to Sydney on a 192 b Jubilee Scout and made a new record foi the 1160 mile distance. Ihe old time was 44 hours, 9 miuutes. It is only two months ago that Barclay made a startling new Melbourne to Sydney record of 18 hours on a Jubilee Prince. Just before he started from Adehnde at 6.20 a.m. on Wednesday, February 22 Barclay sprained his ankle, and he suffered acute pain from it through the whole of the ride. His success, despite such a handicap, makes his ride outstand ing in motorcycle history. Barclay’s ankle was sprained by a fall od his way to the starting point at Adelaide. It handicapped him severely all through the ride. When ever his machine wobbled on the bad sand stretches he was unable to steady it. He had mere than twenty spills ovei the whole route, each one adding to the pain of his ankle. At Mortlake (Victoria) where he stopped for petrol. 300 miles from Adelaide, he was unable to hold up his machine, and had to be lifted away from it. His only spell in the 41 hours was an hour and a-haff at Melbourne, where he arrived at 2.6 a.m on Thursday. Bandages and massaging here gave him some relief, but four bad spills on the way to Albury gave him severe joltings. When he reached Sydney his leg was black and swollen up to the knee, and his boot had to be cut away to be taken off. Fortunately, over the whole distance, he suffered no mechanical trouble, and he went through the marathon ride without a puncture. His Scout was sealed at Adelaide, and every seal reached Sydney intact. This is the first time over such a long distance that an engine has been sealed. Barclay’s great ride stamps him an endurance rider of the highest calibre. SMALL CAR MARKET. The United States motor factories can make cheap cars; but, so far, they have not turned their attention to making “the vehicle of the future," which is the car of small horse-power, but high efficiency The tax on horse-power in England doubtles; had something to do with the decision of the English manufacturers to devote themselves to mass production of small cars: but there was something more in it than that. In the Old Country, ideas are apt to be slow in initiation, but they are nearly always very sound. Motor car manufacturers in England realised that economy and efficiency would, in the long run, beat even a combination of high power and low price, where the other qualitios were absent. Ihe soundness of the English plan is bearing plentiful harvests to-day. England —followed closely by Franco—is ruling the world's market in small cars. DIGGING OUT. Small car owners are in the fortunate position of boing able to negotiate soft ground with very little risk of becoming badly tagged. When this mishap dees occur, however, it is not alwaya easy,

except with the lightest types of car, to get back on to firm ground without some knowledge of the various tricks adopted by experienced drivers. The most common cause of a car getting bogged is due to the driver endeavouring to turn it in a narrow lane and inadvertently backing on to very marshy ground, or, perhaps, into a shallow ditch which could not be seen on account of its being oversown with weeds. In either case it is generally only one of the rear wheels which is affected, but the other ia, of course, unable to obtain a

grip to pull the car out, owing to the action of the differential permitting the tagged wheel to revolve idly. When this occurs with a very light car it may be possible to extricate it by the passengers grasping the spokes of the road' wheels and pulling them round—a plan which is much more effective than pushing the car. As a general rule it is impossible to get a jack under the axle, and in these circumstances it is necessary to place the jack under the frame, thus taking the

weight of the car and allowing the wheel, which will droop on the spring, to be lifted by hand. Once the car has been restored to a fairly even keel the wheel which is on very soft ground may have rope wrapped around the tyre or a nonskid chain fitted to allow the car to be driven back on to the roadway. In cases where both the rear wheels are affected the same procedure has, of course, to be adopted, but it will naturally take nearly twice* as long, whilst the difficulty of finding a purchase for the jack may be insuperuble. Recourse must then be made to digging, sloping trenches being dug which will allow the car to pull itself out of the morass. For preference, these trenches should be schemed to allow the car to be run out in a forward direction, as, presumably, that way will lead to firmer ground, and there will be no risk of the front wheels dropping into the holes recently vacated by those at the rear. This point is emphasised, as, when digging i*. necessary, the presence of the running-boards impedes work in front of

the back wheels, and tempts one, in consequence, to put in what may prove to be useless labour digging trenches behind them. it should be borne in mind that when a car is being driven over very soft ground, although weight over the rear axle allows the wheels to obtain a grip, it also increases the likelihood of their digging in; in consequence, the occupants of the car are much better employed pushing behind than they are in sitting on the tail of a two-seater or occupying the rear scats of a four-seater. OTAGO MOTOR CLUB. A general meeting of members of the Otago Motor Club was held on Tuesday night. Mr A. K Ansell presiding over an attendance of 40 1. . Otago and Southland Horse Owners' and Breed. / Association wrote stating that complaints had been received in regard to reckless driving by motorists in the Oamaru district during the racing period, and of the lack of sympathy ex-

tended to people riding and driving horses. The association suggested that the committee should appoint honorary members in each district to work in conjunction with the police, as the traffic betweeu Oamaru and Dunedin waj heavy. Many of the motorists were careful, but others were reckless. The association nominated a r er to represent the interests of the motorists in the Oamaru district.— The President said that he would commend the letter to the consideration of members. Regarding the suggestion that a new bridge be erected at Bushey, on the main highway to Christchurch, Mr F. W. Furkert, chairman of the Main Highways Board, wipte stating that the North Otago branch of the Automobile Association had agreed to grant financial assistance towards the cost. The Waihemo County Council w to give the matter consideration when the board’s enginer and the county engineer had conferred to estimate the cost.—The Chairman said that the club had decided to co-operate in bringing about the much-desircd improvement. The President said that the beach races promised to be most successful. Mr Breen suggested that the ri lers should be supplied with coloured jerseys, which would give the public a better chance r.f watching the racing. lie said the club should adopt the sealed handieap system to provide better competition, and should also limit the number of riders in ea-.di event, there being a danger at present of accidents at the bends. Mr Peel said that the lady drivers had put up wonderful performances at the hill climb on the previous Saturday. He moved that the club express its appreciation. Mr Ansell said that when the racing season was concluded a social evening would probably be held at which the la bes would be present. lie agreed with Mr Peel’s remarks in regard to the Indies They had put some of the men to shame. The motion was carried after a member had remarked that it was to be hoped that more ladies would compete next year. OPEN EXHAUSTS. Ileavy fines are frequently inflicted on motor cycle rulers because of the uoise that their machines make (says Melbourne Argus). The riders who drive with their exhaust open have so prejudiced the public against motor cycles that these reliable and useful machines have not made the same progress as the more silent motor car. The reason for riding with an open exhaust is to obtain a little more power and a cooler engine, but as the loss of power at speeds permissible within city and towi- boundaries would be so small, there is really no advantage. It is only when road speed is high that the effect of the muffler (silencer) shows appreciably. Then the loss of power will vary between 8 per cent, fid 15 per cent. It would appear that the manufacturer must carry some of the blame, for the reason that little attention has been given to scientific silencing. Even when a silencer is fitted the noise of a motor cycle engine i 3 greater than a car engine. Noise from the exhaust is created by the rapid flow of the exhaust gases striking still air. The main consideration in the design of a silencer is the prevention of back pressure, and this is moTe noticeable on a single-cylinder thar a multi-cylinder engine, because the stream of the flow of the exhaust gases is intermittent to a greater degree. Another type of driver who creates public prejudice against motor vehicles is the one who owns a touring clmssis fitted with a body shaped like a Brooklands racer and an exhaust cutout. These drivers, who probably have never been on a racing track, appear to receive a great amount of enjoyment out of the noise that their engines make. A loud noise from the engine creates a sense of speed, and one has only to make a simple test by accelerating a car, switching off the engine, and allowing it to roll; the moment the engine stops there is a feeling of a definite drop in road speed, whereas on a car with good rolling capabilities considerable distance will be travelled before the speedometer shows any marked change. It is not in the interests of motoring that these vehicles are allowed to be used on the highways. A new regulation has been in force for some time at Brooklands racing track, requiring all machines to be silenced with what is known as the Brookland type of silencer, and if this were adopted here there would be no reason for the noise created at the motordrome. Reasonable objections by the public to noisy touring and racing machines have led to strong opposition to the establishment of a racing track at Ivauhoe.

FAMOUS SERVICE CAR DRIVER. Drivers of service cars in New Zealand are building up a wonderful reputation for skilful driving. Mr M. H. Wynyard, of the Main Highways Board, told the council of the Auckland AutomobileAssociation the other dav that Australian* visitors travelling on the Duller Gorge route told him that they were absolutely astounded at the marvellous skill displayed by the service car drivers. If Australian drivers drove over such roads in the Commonwealth, they said, travellers would be in fear of the.' very lives. PETROL PUMPS. The controversy proceeding in various parts of the Dominion on the question whether petrol pumps should be allowed on the kerbside of streets was referred to in an interview with the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. R. F. Bollard) this evening. The Minister, whilst making it clear that the question was primarily one for local bodies to decide, showed the department in charge of explosives did not unfavourably view the kerbside pumps, and quoted reasons for its attitude. “The central authority,” remarked Mr Bollard, “controlling the administration of the Act for the storage of petrol is the explosives branch of the Department of Internal Affairs. The local authorities have, of course, the right to prohibit kerbside pumps for petrol if they consider it desirable, and I have no wish to interfere with the powers they exercise. I am anxious, however, that a decision on this matter be not come to until all

the facts of the case are considered, and any assistance the department can give towards a solution of the matter will be willingly given.” The objections o the kerbside .letrol pump were touched on by the Minister. "Despite statements made to the contrary in the press,” continued Mr Bollard, “and it will be understoo ’ that I am not in any way attempting to dictate to local authorities what they, hould do in the matter, it is a fact that the kerbside pump is in general use in other countries. It is permitted in suitable places in the United States, in Great Britain, and in Australia, but is, of course, restricted to situations where it will not unduly interfere wtih traffic.

The Minister had something to say concerning the tank storage of petrol. The department, he said, had consistently advocated the adoption of underground tank storage of petiol wherever possible, particularly in town areas. This method not only rendered the storage of petrol at the garage safer, but the greater economy and convenience of the pump service largely eliminated the storage of petrol in private garages and under unsafe conditions. When the Act was first circulated to local authorities it was suggested that underground tank storage might be encouraged by the provision of a lower scale of license fee, and the local authorities concerned practically all agreed to this provision in their by-laws. The Minister expressed the hope that local authorities would take the matters he had stressed on behalf of the Explosives Department into conside a tion when discussing facilities to be permitted for petrol supply, and would regard the matter, not on the basis of the present conditions, but on the probable future requirements. The department’s officers had carefully studied the trade in all its divisions in other countries and would be pleased to give any assistance possible to the controlling local authorities. \

CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES APPLICATIONS.

At the meeting, of the City Council on Wednesday night C'r Wilson moved the adoption of the Works Committee's report. He said that the committee had not taken up the attitude of other places in declining applications for the installation of bowser petrol pumps on the pathway. There were 21 applications now before the committee, and it seemed as if there would be more.

Cr Clark said he did not think they should grant permits in places where tramlines ran along the streets, as when a car was drawing a supply there would not be much room for a tramcar to pass. Cr Sincock said that the permits were only granted during the pleasure of the council. He thought, however, that they should give the bowsers a trial. The Deputy-Mayor (Cr Taverner) said applications for sites in King Edward street and Cargill road had been turned down.

Cr Begg said that motor cars were permitted at the present time to stand alongside the kerbstone for 10 or 15 minutes. He failed to see why they should make a distinction as regarded a motor car drawing up to a bowser to get a supply of petrol. Some few years ago the council had given permission for the installation of bowsers.

Cr Wilson, in reply, said lie thought they could well leave the applications for the bowsers in the hands of the engineer. So far as Princes and George streets* King Edward street, and Cargill road were concerned, the committee would not favourably consider any more applica tions.

TOLL AT RAILWAY CROSSINGS. The It. el crossing bogey was discussed at length by the Otago Motor Club at its meeting on Tuesday night, when the club resolved to urge the Government to remove all obstructions preventing a clear view of the railway lines. The President (Mr A. E. Anseill suggested that the club should express its appreciation of the Main Highways Board’s efforts to improve the railway level crossings. It had been proposed that the roads should be over bridges or in subwa3’s. “That is going to cost millions of money, and as far as practical work goes we can dismiss that from our minds for many years to come,” he stated. There was no doubt that a great deal of carelessness was shown by motorists, not only at level crossings, but at corners. The motorist who “flew” round corners waa the man who would take risks at the railway crossings. They had little sympathy for that type of man. The first work of the Government was to see rhat at every crossing a reasonable view of the railway could be obtained by the motorist.—(“Hear, hear.”) That was the most practical method of minimising the danger.

The crossing near Warrington, for instance, was an absolute death trap, a 9 the driver approaching it could see neither side of the line. At Kartigi, a view could not be obtained of the south section. That was not fair to the motorist; he should be given a chance of seeing the line clearly, and he was not given that view at the present time. Motorists should urge the Government to remove the obstacles which prevented a clear view, and also to expedite the work of erecting the wig-wag signals, which were the best invention yet found forgiving a fair indication of approaching trains. The Government was working on the erections, but like all Government work, it was very slow. The level crossing question was a burning one in the country, as accidents w’ere occurring regularly. Mr Wright said that the rail' ays apparently had a »yal right to kill. The / weekly average of deaths from level cros- t sing accidents was three. A Member. There were six deaths last week.

Mr C. Peel said that at the Crichton crossing, near Balclutho. the hill could bo cut away for 100 yards without improve ing the view. A Member:- A wig wag signal should bdi placed there. Mr F. \V. Mitchell said that the Railway; Department should not nave been condemned as it had been condemned. Ho declared that five of every six accidents at level crossings were due to the faults of the motorists. He heartily supported the proposal that the obstructions at tho crossing should be removed, as it would bo ridiculous to suggest that the level crossings should be eliminated. The club passed the motions suggested , bv the president., and resolved that Mr' Ansell and Mr Peel wnit on the railway authorities in the matter of the Crichton crossing. COMPULSORY INSURANCE. Unanimous support was given by the Otago Motor Club on Tuesday night to the following proposal by the Bruce Count/' Conncil:—“That on application being made for the registration of a motor vehicle or the transfer of such registration, the applicant be required to furnish’ proof to the registrar or deputy registrar that the owner of the vehicle is covered by a third party accident insurance policy (for, say, £1000) for the ensuing 12 months.” The President (Mr A. E. Ansell) said that lie would like to offer congratulations to the Bruce County Council for moving in a matter which had been discussed throughout the world. Although he had no knowledge of the position in England to-day, be knew that the scheme had been very strongly advocated there. He had been surprised at the opinions expressed by councils to which the Bruce Council had submitted the proposal. One councillor had belittled the Bruce body by saying that is was trying to put money into the pockets of the insurance companies. The latter maintained that it was not a case of “putting in” but ‘“taking out,” as the policies were not profitable to them. He was hopeful that some action would be taken in the near future. A large number of cars was arriving in the Dominion every day, and lie was sorry to say that there were many indifferent drivers on the road at present.— (“Hear, hear.”) Every motor car owner should be in a position to pay for any damage done, but there was the man whose only possession, probably, was his car. He might kill a family breadwinner and would not be in a position to pay compensation. It was the duty of every man to carry a third-party policy. Mr A. A. Finch said that the insurance rates would probably be reduced to half the present scale if every motorist were insured.

A motion, moved by Mr Ansell, that a letter of congratulation be sent to the Bruce County Council was carried unani-' mously.