Motor and Cycle

Otago Witness, Issue 3870, 15 May 1928, Page 71

Motor and Cycle

The fourth International Motor Show opened at the Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne, on May 3. , The Waimate Advertiser reports that one day last week a farmer in the vicinity of the Pareora bridge amassed £lB for pulling out motor cars stranded in a big stretch of water on the south side of the bridge. It was reported at a meeting of the Ashburton County Council the other day that 1162 drivers’ licenses, including those of ei"ht new drivers examined, had been issued during April throughout the county. Twelve traction engines had been registered.

The other day the Masterton traffic inspector was on duty on the main Mas-terton-Carterton road (reports the Wairarapa Age). Of 192 motor vehicles which passed over the road, the drivers 26, though stating that they had licenses, could not produce them, while 12 motor drivers admitted that they had none at all.

An unbroken stretch of main highway from the Taieri River to Waikouaiti may be the outcome of negotiations that are at present being carried on by the Main Highways Board with the Waikouaiti and Taieri County Councils. At Tuesday evening's meeting of the Otago Motor Club the President (Mr A. E. Ansell) referred to the matter, and said that the proposal was to reconstruct the main road from the Taieri Ferry to Waikouaiti, and form a bitumenised surface at a cost of £4OOO a mile. He was not in a position to give the full facts, and he understood that the first proposition made to the councils had not met with their aproval, but there was every likelihood that the negotiations would be successful.

Mr A. E. Ansell recently conferred with the Green Island Borough Council regarding the speed limit on the Main South road. At Tuesday evening’s meeting of the club he reported on the results of the conference, and said that the council intended to fix a reasonable speed limit. Members had complained, however, of cars passing through the borough late at night at high speed and with unnecessary noise, and he was sure that -the complaints were well founded. He had suggested that 25 miles an hour should be the limit in the borough, because, although the club was, generally speaking, up against limits, the regulations fixed by the Government had as their object the standardisation of speed limits throughout the Dominion. “ The question has not yet been settled by the council,” added Mr Ansell, “ but I am certain that it is going to be reasonable with us, and I hope we will be reasonable with it.” In spite of the Otago Motor Club’s campaign against dangerous and unsightly advertising road signs, one firm dealing in motor car equipment continues to display its hoarding on the Main North road above Hangman’s Gully. At Tuesday evening’s meeting of the club, the President (Mr A. E. Ansell) said that a number of firms had removed their signs when approached, but others had begun to plaster the roads with new signs. He referred to the sign cm the North road, and said that the firm had been written to and the manager interviewed, but nothing had been done. The town clerk of Dunedin had expressed the opinion that the City Council had power to remove the sign. Mr Ansell moved that the council be requested to have the sign removed. In seconding the motion, Mr H. Halliday suggested that, the council should be asked to enforce the regulations requiring the licensing of signs and secure the proper fee of £2, which, at present, was not being paid by many firms. PETROL TAX IN GREAT BRITAIN. The ]ow price of petrol in England no doubt caused the Ministry to give it attention as a means of raising revenue. As a result of the marketing of Russian oil petrol prices in England have been below pre-war rates. Low fuel prices have had a remarkably stimulating effect on motoring, and motor industry has had a busy year. The increase in the price and the tax of 4d a gallon will no doubt curtail mileage, and there may be ..a reduction in employment as a result. Tyre companies and repair shops depend upon the miles run. A SABBATH PLEA. A plea has been made to motorists in Sydney to have a thought for the Sabbath when passing churches. Many churches are situated on the busy motor roads of the State, and services are considerably interrupted by those who rush past without any thought of the annoyance caused by ex<jessive speed and noise. Apart from the necessity for care imposed by the traffic regulations, which govern the speed and noise of motor vehicles when passing churches during divine service, it devolves upon the motorist as a citizen, says the 'N.R.M.A., to think of others. ’Many churchgoers in New Zealand would be glad of consideration on the part of some motorists, and possibly these motorists would occupy a higher plane in the thoughts of churchgoers if such consideration were given. It is a give-and-take world we live in, and people are unwise to ride roughshod over the feelings of their fellows.

'By

DEMON.

HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE. In connection with the recent report of precautions taken by a New Zealand policeman against an explosion from the battery of a car after an accident had occurred —a report that created considerable amusement—it may interest motorists to note the following paragraph which appeared editorially in a leading motor journal:— “ From a newspaper report we gather that a wireless experimenter did some-* thing very foolish the other day with one of his batteries when charging, namely, applied a light to one of the vents to inspect the acid. There was an explosion, and the acid was violently shot out, some of it on to his face. Had he known something of the elementary principles of a battery he would not have done this, as he would have been aware that the gases liberated, oxygen and hydrogen, form a highly explosive mixture; the conditions are, in fact, rather more dangerous than in the case of applying a light to the opening of a petrol tank, as the mixture in the tank would not necessarily be explosive or even ignitable, but in the case of a battery an explosion would be certain, particularly when charging. If the acid level of a battery cannot be seen by daylight, an electric torch or inspection lamp should be used."’ STREET ACCIDENTS IN LONDON. More people were killed by accident in the streets of London last year than in any previous year (writes the London correspondent of the Lyttelton Times). Official statistics, issued by Sir William Horwood, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, for the last quarter of 1927, show that people killed during the quarter numbered 312. The record for the whole year thus reads: —

Figures for the last eight years are as under: —

During the past two years the average deaths per day was slightly under three. For the first time the report gives the causes of street accidents. During the last quarter these were:— * . 103 deaths due to crossing the road without due care. 32 deaths through hesitating or faltering. 18 deaths from passing round stationary vehicles. 12 deaths (9 cyclists) through skidding. Of the deaths in crossing the road only 20 were children under 15. A traffic expert at Scotland Yard states that the publication of the causes of accidents must be regarded as a warning to the public. It clearly indicated that accidents were mostly to adults, and suggested that adult Londoners were inclined to take undue- risks. He added that children taught “safety first” in the schools appeared to exercise proper care, and so avoid accidents. WHY TYRES WEAR. The second of a series of articles, supplied by the Dunlop Company, on the ea.uses of tyre wear cover the following factors:— Proper inflation and loading are so easily neglected that they are still very common tyre abuses, in spite of the fact that much educational work has been done on this subject. Under-inflation allows the tyre to squash out and gives wider wearing surface to the tyre, thereby creating more road friction. This will cause fast wear. In addition, to this under-inflation may break the internal carcass by the excessive strain on the strands and cords. It is also liable to cause a rolling action of the tyre. Two sets of tyres, one run at a recommended inflation and one 61b under-inflated, show a difference in mileage of 25 per cent. Overloading is much the same as underinflation. It results in the air pressure being higher than necessary to carry the given load. It forces the tyre out. increases the contact area and the pressure on the road, thus causing more friction and faster wear. Wheel chatter, or a bouncing action of the wheels over a rough stretch of road, comes from over-inflation. This causes the tyres to leave the ground, spin, and then take hold again, thus grinding off the tread rubber. On overinflated tyres the car has a tendency to weave on the road —that is. the series of small bounces caused by the tyre being too hard to absorb the small inequalities of the road, the car dribbles from one direction to another, causing excessive abrasion, and naturally fast wear. Actual tests have proven that a tyre over-in-flated 101 b will give only half the mileage it would have given had it been properly inflated.

One of the seasonal factors causin'* variation in tyre wear is temperature. In cool, wet weather, tyres show very little wear, but in hot, dry weather the rate of wear is many times greater. With a temperature of 60deg the difference in speed from 20 to 40 miles per hour increases the tyre’ wear by 84 per cent With the temperature at 80deg a car travelling at 40 miles per hour increased the tyre wear by 133 per cent, over the

same car travelling at 20 miles per hour, and at lOOdeg the difference in tyre wear travelling at 20 miles per hour and 40 miles per hour increases by 226 per cent. This all has reference to atmospheric temperature, but the actual temperature of the road travelled is of major importance; as the temperature increases Wai r ** eiv <? action also increases. With the inception of smaller diameter n heels comes more rapid acceleration, quicker braking, and higher speed on curves. In addition to this, a smaller diameter balloon makes more revolutions oh T n *r „_tban a larger one. In fact a 28 by 5.25, for example, is 9J per cent, smaller in circumference than a 31 by o—a, but the actual difference in mileage under the same conditions is 22 per cent. With smaller diameter wheels there is more action per tread unit as it makes aud breaks contact with the road, and there is naturally more scuffing and bound to be faster wear to offset the other advantages. Brake adjustment is a very important tfictor. as it has been found upon analysis ot a given number of automobiles that 90 per cent, have the brakes very poorly adjusted, and the balance is not perfect, the ordinary means of adjusting brakes Jacking up the car a,nd running the wheels and then stopping them is not accuiate, as the eye alone is the gauge, and may not catch the exactness of the stopping Again, driving the car over a gai age floor and locking the wheels to see which one slides first- is not a good test, as the wheels may bo locked instantaneously by quick depression of the foot pedal, while on the road under slighter depression one wheel may take hold more than another. Four-wheel brakes must be adjusted perfectly, S o that no one tv re will stand more than its normal share of braking. Two-wheel brakes must also, be properly adjusted, or one tyre will take more strain and wear out faster than the other. In order to adjust brakes properly it is necessary to use a scientitic brake-adjusting machine, and this serv ice is coming into vogue in all principal cities, so there should be no excm-’ for anyone driving with poorly adjusted brakes. Improper brake adjustment will throw more wear on one wheel or auotaor, as the case may be. MOTOR SPIRITS. CHRISTCHURCH, May 8. . The aliened great disparity between the import values ot motor spirits and the pi ices charged to the consumers was discussed in committee at last night’s meeting ot the Council of the Canterbury Automobile Association. The matter arose m Ut v°U\ e of a letter from Mr ’ '-"’bbs, public accountant. On resuming in open meeting, it was reported that the following motion had been carried:—“ That the association views with alarm the great disparity between the recent declared import value tor Customs purposes and the price to the consumer of motor spirits, and refers the matter to the South Island and the Aortb Island motor unions, with a view to joint action with the New' Zealand Motor traders' Association.” CURIOUS DEFECT IN ACT. HAMILTON. May 9. Mr J. H. Luxford, S.M., this afternoon dismissed charges against fifteen motorists for driving without this year’s licenses. He said it was a curious omission in the latest Act that the date of expiry of the licenses was not stated, and therefore the licenses would continue indefinitely, or until the Statute was amended. He cited Section 92 of the Justices Act as his authority for the dismissal. INTOXICATED DRIVER. BLENHEIM, May 9. “It strikes me as a novel plea that it should be necessary for a man to take alcohol to. excess in order to alleviate pain,” said Mr T. E. Maunsell, S.M.. when fining Henry Michael Costello, of Dashwood, a farmer, £2O. and suspending his driving license for three months, after he had pleaded guilty to having been found in charge of a motor car whilst intoxicated. The accused had collided with another car, which was occupied by a constable, the collision taking place on the Seddon bridge. INSURANCE WITH LLOYD’S. WELLINGTON, May 8. The Accountants’ Chambers were packed to the doors last night, when the Wellington Automobile Association met to consider a motion to rescind the resolution of a meeting in March adopting Lioyd 9 as the official insurance scheme. ° In moving the-resolution to rescind. Mr 1. C. A. Hislop said it was wrong for a club, the members of which represented all v alks of life, to approach one company offering, it all its business at a special rate. There was sufficient competition to assure members of 15 per cent, under tariff rates, and even 20 per cent., without incurring the slur implied by the original motion. In a long discussion it was alleged that the executive had been guilty of carryinnon propaganda. Towards the close Mr I. V. Wilson endeavoured to express the attitude of the North Island Union. Several would-be questioners were discouraged. It was late, and a vote was taken. ' The resolution was rescinded by 101 votes to 63.

First quarter Killed. . .. 214 Second quarter . . . 261 Third quarter . . . 269 Fourth quarter . .. 312 Total for 1927 . . . .. 1056

1920 .. .. Killed. 657 1921 .. .. 581 1922 .. .. 675 1923 668 1924 .. .. . . . . . . 866 1925 .. .. 853 1926 .. 1020 1927 .. .. 1056