Motor and Cycle

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 63

Motor and Cycle

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DEMON.

To the many organisations which have t eancelled annual conferences this year on i account of the economic position is added 1 the New Zealand Motor Trade Associa- J tion. In the past it has been customary to hold an annual gathering at which representative motor dealers from all parts of the Dominion attend. The 1931 con- < ference has been abandoned, but the i annual business meeting of the association will take place at Palmerston North next month. “ I have always held, and still hold, the opinion that the driver of a ear should not touch liquor of any sort,” said Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Christchurch Police Court recently. “It is a very foolish practice. This man has been foolish and he must pay for it. He can’t expect anything else. Drink must affect a man’s judgment. I don’t! care who the man is, whether he is used to it or not. I have said the same thing before and I repeat it now.” BRITISH CAR IMPORTATIONS. Records of the imports of chassis into the Commonwealth of Australia in the first six months of this year reveal an amazing growth in the popularity of British makes. Chassis of British origin outnumber all others, including Canadian, by 28 unassembled and 12 assembled. During the corresponding period of 1930, only about one-sixth of the unassembled and one-third of the assembled were British. Owing to tariff differences, the assembled class is insignificant numerically, although its value is considerable since many costly cars are imported assembled. The growing appreciation of the need for economy is the chief reason assigned by British car distributors to the change. This has resulted in a heavy demand for cars of moderate and small size locally at a time when most foreign manufacturers have tended to increase engine size. Another factor has been the development of moderatelypriced British sixes designed to meet a demand until recently not provided for by British makers. THEFTS OF CARS. TRADE IN STOLEN PARTS. Victorian motorists are paying a heavy penalty as a result of the decreased strength of the notice force (says the Melbourne Argus of August 11). The theft or illegal use of cars for several years has been a prevalent offence in the State, and motorists have expressed the keenest dissatisfaction at the failure to stop it. Recently, however, car thefts have become more numerous than ever before. Cars were stolen at the rate of seven .Way last week. Frequently a motor ear must be left, sometimes for long periods, unattended in the street. With the reduction of police supervision in suburban streets the way has been left clear to those who make the business of car stealing lucrative to operate without fear, and recent records show that they are fully availing themselves of this opportunity. Although various forms of car locks have been’ devised with varying success, the majority of cars can readily be moved by a mechanic, and so daring have the thieves become that cars from which vital parts of the ignition have been removed have been stolen in the heart of the city. There is substantial evidence that many of the thefts are committed for the sake of the parts and fittings rather than the ear itself. When stolen ears are afterward found the majority are without the smaller parts, and throughout the suburbs the theft of lamps, spare wheels, tyres, and other easily removed accessories is proceeding on a large scale. Th is-indi-cates that the traffic in stolen accessories in Melbourne must be large. As the majority of such accessories bear no serial number or distinguishing marks, their’ identification is difficult. Nevertheless, while it seems to be impossible to hope for any increased supervision of the streets until the Ministry decides to restore the strength of the police force, a careful survey of the trade in second hand parts, which could be undertaken by a smalt group of men, might indicate how stolen material is being marketed, and thus facilitate the suppression of both major and minor thefts. Motoring authorities are agreed that no real progress in stopping the thefts of cars for resale can be made until a title certificate is issued for every car on the road, and car sales without the. concurrent transfer of title certificates are prohibited. Motor car thefts are apparently as prevalent in New South Wales as in Victoria, and in that State the disquieting suggestion is made that motor ear insurance companies may be compelled to increase their premiums to meet the rapidly growing claims which are being made upon them.

CARELESS DRIVERS. “ There is a certain type of driver who is inclined to throw discretion to the winds at certain times, and take quite unjustifiable risks,” says the Canterbury Automobile Association. “ Very late at night, and from midnight to about 8 a.m., and also- on Sunday mornings are what might be called danger periods when drivers are prone to relax their vigilance and take big chances of accident. Motorists seem to think that because there is a lessened volume of traffic it is safe to go very fast and ignore the rules of the traffic eode. It is a big mistake. - The rules apply at’ all hours of the day or night, and they are applicable to all classes of vehicles. Though private owners are not ■without fault, complaints made from time to time indicate that drivers .of some taxis late at night, and drivers of some motor vans early in the morning have a delusion that the by-lawa dealing with speed, the off-side rule, sounding the horn, and cwt-

ting corners, do not apply to them. It is the duty of all drivers to play safe no matter what the traffic conditions are. Always be careful and vigilant.” SEGRAVE MEMORIAL. With the closing of the Segrave memorial. fund, the sum of £lOOO has been allocated for the cost of the trophy in gold. It is for the British subject who gives the outstanding demonstration of the year of the possibilities of transport by land, air, or water. In addition to the trophy, medals up to a maximum of six may be given on each occasion the trophy is awarded to those who assist the winner to his achievement. The last is a really fine move. Far too often only the person actually participating in the feat —pilot or driver — gets the kudos, to the almost total exclusion of designer or engineer, who made the feat possible. Everybody has heard of Malcom Campbell, Orlebar, and Kaye Don. But how many know even the names of the men who conceived or built the Silver Bullet, the Supermarine Rolls-Royce 5.6, or Miss England 11. SILENT CYCLES FOR ARMY. The War Office at Home has-placed an order for 50 motor cycles with a British firm, in pursuance of the policy of mechanising the regular and territorial armies. The machines are to be attached to various fighting units, and previous tests have proved them to be remarkably silent in actionSilence is a most important factor in warfare in certain circumstances,” a War Office official stated in an interview in London, “ and it is essential that the motor cycles of fighting units shall run smoothly and quietly, for one never knows what work the units may be called upon to do.” Both the regular and territorial armies will be fully mechanised by 1933, according to present plans. Scotland Yard has also ordered a number of high-power combinations capable of 65 miles an hour. These, it is understood, are for the mobile police squad.

NOISE AND SMOKE NUISANCES. In the future the motor car that throws off visible exhaust in London will eost its owner a fine and possible cancellation of his license. In accordance with his powers under the new Road Traffic Act, Mr Herbert Morrison, Minister of Transport, has determined that every motor vehicle must be so constructed that no avoidable smoke or visible vapour is emitted from it. “ The owner must maintain the vehicle in such a condition that it will not emit smoke, visible vapour, or sparks which can be prevented by the exercise of care,” says the official decree. The Minister has set out to check noise also. Noise must not be caused by defects, lack of repair, faulty loading of trucks, the blowing of horn or hooters, except when absolutely necessary to public safety. The police will have the right to step into any and every car and test brakes , if they suspect they are in any way defective, or not properly adjusted. USE OF SPOTLIGHTS. i “An increasing use of spotlights in contravention of the Motor’ Vehicles Act is observable,” says the Canterbury Automobile Association. “It is apparent that many motorists do hot know the provisions of the Act on the subject, and seem to have the erroneous impression that they are allowed to drive with the spotlight in operation. It is obvious that drivers have enough to contend against these nights in the form of motor vehicle headlights of varying degrees of strength, and many of them at a rakish angle, without having to face a spotlight in. action. The great service of the spotlight is its usefulness in being brought into play and swivelled round to reveal the number on a gate, or tlie reading ou a signboard. It may be very useful, too, in being focussed on a foggy night on the left-hand channelling, but the motorist who is careless enough to drive with his spotlight directed straight ahead is simply courting trouble. “A spotlight in use illegally is readily provocative of retaliation by other motorists. This form of out-dazzling is met with on the highway now and then, but motorists should realise that an already unsatisfactory position could be made a great deal worse if the unrestricted use of spotlights were allowed.”

“ JUNK HEAPS.” Christchurch is notorious for the number of old cars that still frequent its streets. There are more “ junk heaps ” in Christchurch, it seems, than in any other city in the world. Cars that in America would have been relegated to the scrap heap 10 years ago still find favour, and are, with careful persuasion, still giving good service. I (says a writer in the Christchurch: Times) know of one ancient single cylinder Cadillac that is being used for a well-sinking plant. The old chassis still carries the signs of the first- thoughts of automotive design. The engine puff-puffs along, and requires a minimum of attention so far as important repairs are concerned. Its valve mechanism is intriguing in these days of delicate cams. The system then in vogue was a massive direct operated exhaust and an automatic inlet. These cars have no trade-in value, but, in some cases it would

require considerable persuasion to get their owners to part with them.

VALUE OF SMALL CARS.

Small ears continue to make great headway throughout the world, with the development of road systems which make it possible to extract their greatest efficiency from the low-powered engines and short wheel-bases of vehicles of nominally six- to nine horse-power. The smallest cars have received a fine advertisement lately in' the drive round the world by Messrs Heetor MacQuarrie and R. Matthews in Emily 11, their famous little Austin Seven, and the phenomenal speed records of Viscount Ridley in a 750 ex. car of his own design, which attained an average of more than 105 miles an hour at Brooklauds.

A rather larger type of small car, the Riley Nine, is being brought into great prominence by an expedition which starts from Sydney to-day (says the Sydney Morning Herald of August 20) in continuation of an organised tour from Melbourne to London. This expedition, led and organised by Mr R. Beatson, includes in its personnel four women, and they have sufficient confidence in their British cal’s to undertake this pioneering tour of many, thousands of miles, over an international route which will involve them negotiating every possible type of road surface and all weather and climatic conditions—the mild Australian, the fierce heat of the equatorial regions, and the extremes of winter in Europe. They have deliberately timed themselves to reach Europe in the depth of winter, when they will have to face extremes sueh as Australians seldom are called upon to endure. This party will leave Sydney this morning in its three Riley cars. I Tlie ability of the small ear to make long journeys has been demonstrated repeatedly, of course; notably, by the almost entirely single-handed drive round the world by Miss G. de Havilland, and the pioneer trip to Cape York by Messrs MacQuarrie and Matthews in their tiny Austin'. The transcontinental trips from one side of Australia to the other by numerous motorists, commencing with Messrs Phipps and Searcy in a little Citroen about eight years ago, and by Mr P. W. Armstrong in a Triumph as pioneering trips, had already demonstrated the possibilities of the miniatures. Then came the remarkable feat of Mr D. H. Antill in a Riley Nine, when he so substantially reduced the records from Fremantle to Sydney, while in the United States Mr Pemberton Billing, in another Riley Nine, gave an impressive demonstration of the speed and reliability of the small British car in a drive from New York to the Pacific Coast.

The manifest advantages of the small car for use in densely populated centres where traffic is heavy, added to these demonstrations of reliability under more exacting conditions, have done much to engender the confidence of the party of world tourists who will leave to-day for England that the journey through the heat of the tropics and the cold and snow of a European winter is quite possible for cars driven by women. ROAD PAVING. A particularly interesting and instructive report on the results of paving experiments in Paris has just been presented to the Municipal Council by M. Georges Prade, a member of the council. The matter is of special interest, as the paving material of Paris streets is subjected to unusually severe conditions. One form of paving -which has emerged triumphantly from long-sustained experiments is “ mosaic ” —that is to say, small granite setts arranged in semicircles. This paving gives just the right amount of non-skid-ding quality to the road surface, and _at the same time appears to be more lasting than anything else yet tried. The surface of Paris streets covers a total area of 23.465 acres, of which 54 per cent, is paved with granite setts, and out of this 54 per cent. 15.5 per cent has already been converted to “ mosaic.” REMOVAL OF DUST. First wash the car thoroughly, removing every trace of mud and dust from the places that do not show as well as those that do. Then clean axles; frame, and other chassis parts with petrol, followed bv hosing, to wash away all grease and oil. The body should be finished with powdered pumice if a really good result is required. The powder is used by mixing it to a thick paste with water, and rubbing the panels, with a circular motion, with a pad of thick moist felt dipped in the paste. The ear must then have another washing. To prepare the blushes for use, they must be thoroughly washed out in turpentine to remove dust. Before starting, try painting a piece of tin to test whether brush marks level out. quickly, for the enamel may need thinning down slightly. It is best to paint the chassis first, using one of the smaller brushes, kept for this work alone, and pouring out the enamel to be used for this purpose into a separate can. The reason for this is that some grease and dust is certain to be carried into it by the brush, making it unsuitable for the body panels. If possible; remove all the wheels before starting on the chassis; otherwise they will have to be taken off one at a time. The under surface of the guards may be counted as part of the chassis and done at the same time. BRITAIN’S GROWTH. SECOND AMONG WORLD USERS. Great Britain, with 1,556,980 motor vehicles in use last December, ranks second among world users of motors; and in the year 1929-30 taxation of motorists brought | in. £41,845,000, of which about £15,000,000 I came from the petrol tax. These are among the interesting facts and figures revealed in the 1931 hand book of the Society of Motor Manufacturers. and Traders (states the London Daily Mail). In the number of motor vehicles; however, we are a long way behind the United States, which has 26,746,184. France is third with 1.520,501. And we rank only eighth in thd proportion of vehicles to population. There is .in this country one motor vehicle for every 29.8 people;, whereas the United States, which leads, has one for every 4.6 persons, and Canada, which is second, has one to every I eight people.

The United States is judged to be within 5.73 degrees of the “saturation point” of motor ownership, while this country is 22 degrees away. - In seven years the motor export trade ol this country has risen from 1.1 per cent, to 2.8 per cent, of our total exports of manufactured goods; and last year the value of British motor exports exceeded that of imports by £7,198.486 But the United States has a big lead in exports. It exported 64 per cent, of all the world motor exports in 1930. Canada was second with 12 per cent., France third with 8.4 per cent., and Great Britain fourth with 8 per cent. Last year this country produced 236.'528 motor vehicles, a figure surpassed only in 1929, when it produced .238,305, But we imported only 11,278, as compared with 37,784 in 1929. “ There is every indication,” says the hand book, “ that 1931 will show the lowest total of motor vehicles imported since the war period.” For the first time we consumed more than a thousand million gallons of petrol last year—about a hundred million more than in 1929. It is estimated that the average life of s>. motor vehicle in this country is seven years and three-quarters. The average horse power of private ears is 13.11, the average petrol consumption 20 m.p.g., and the average annual mileage 7000. The average tax on all motor vehicles is £l9 a year, of which only half goes to the Road Fund, the rest being taken by the Treasury. TOWING A CAR. Although breakdowns are not very frequent, or at least such as necessitate towing the car home, there are one or two points which are worth mentioning for the benefit of motorists w’ho might be involved in such a happening. The driver of the towing car should remember to keep the tow' rope tight at all times, for which purpose it will be necessary to use the brakes, unless, of course, a rigid tow bar is employed. On a decline the brakes should be applied frequently. One of th» best ways to secure the rope it to pass it through the dumb irons of the towed car to form a triangle, the other end being secured through the off-side rear dumb iron of the towing car, or a triangle through both, as with the rear car. This method of hitching provides a central pull, and makes steering very much easier for the towed car. SEQUEL TO MOTOR COLLISION. CHRISTCHURCH, August 25. Damages amounting to £377 6s 7d were awarded to William Wilmott, of Christchurch, driver, by a jury in the Supreme Court to-day qgainst Keith Wilson Manning, a rubber planter in the Federated Malay States. Wilmott asserted that he ■ suffered severe injuries when a baker’s van which he was driving was struck by a motor car driven by Manning. His ■ claim was for £1057 16s 3d.

“ HIT AND RUN ” MOTORISTS.

COMPENSATION FOR VICTIMS.

WELLINGTON, August 25,

More effective methods of compensating the victims of the “ hit and run ” motorists when the offender cannot be identified are proposed by the Department of Transport in its report presented to Parliament to-day. “Although the Motor Vehicles Insurance Third Party Risks Act, 1928, is much more complete in its provision for the insurance of third parties injured or killed by negligent motorists than any other similar enactment of which the department is aware,” the report says, “ the case of a third party who is injured or killed by a motorist of the ‘ hit and run ’ type is not covered by the Act unless the motorist is subsequently located. The insurance companies are not desirous of taking advantage of this pact and an agreement to be signed by all of the companies accepting risks and by the Minister of Transport has been finalised and will be gazetted, laying down the procedure to be followed to obtain compensation in such cases. Proof of negligence by the motorist, is of course, an essential ingredient in all such accidents.” For the year ended May 31, 1930, 42 insurance concerns gave the prescribed notice to undertake business under the Act and carried on business accordingly. The premiums for the year, excluding, of course, any relating to 193031 —the licensing year—amounted to £240,630 17s 9d. The claims settled during the year, including costs, amounted to £84,959 18s o<l, while liability in respect of outstanding claims at May 31, 1930 (including costs) was estimated by concerns carrying on third party business at £97,950 8s 6d. Assuming that this estimated liability will eventuate, this means that the total payments on account of compensation (including costs) will amount to £182,910 7s, or 77-83 per cent, of the net total of the premiums received. EFFECT OF HEAVY TRAFFIC. - PROBLEM OF LOCAL BODIES. WELLINGTON, August 25. A problem which is causing some consternation among the local bodies of New Zealand—that of the destruction of roads by heavy traffic —is referred to in the Transport Department’s report, which was presented to Parliament today. Road classification, the report says, is tlie result of the economic pressure in the direction of coping with road expenditure, which has displayed a marked tendency to increase with the growth of motor traffic. In several districts where classification has not been systematically enforced relatively few heavy loads have caused undue damage to the roads. In several other districts, mainly those where road materials are relatively cheap, classification has not

been adopted in any form on many roads, with the result that traffic up to a id ton limit has developed on all unclassified roads, small lengths only of which are capable of carrying such loads. The result has been additional expenditure for maintenance and the finding of additional moneys for construction purposes much sooner than-would otherwise have been the case.

Taking into account railway reticulation and the existence of coastal shipping, it would appear that unless road facilities are to duplicate these facilities and thus foster unnecessary competition, the maximum gross loads of 6J tons ou two-axled vehicles and eight tons on multi-axled vehicles should meet the requirements for heavy loads on our rural roads. This would direct road development as a complement in the whole national transport system. Road vehicles would, broadly speaking, carry short haul traffic, while longer hauls would he left to the railways and coastal shipping, which, under existing conditions, can handle them more economically. Unclassified roads, or roads where classification is too high, tend to foster long haulage by motor transport. Even on third class roads good haulers are operating over routes of more than 100 miles in length in competition with the railways.

PETROL TAXATION.

TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S REPORT.

WELLINGTON, August 25. The operation of the petrol taxation and the distribution of the yield from this source are dealt with in the Transport Department's report, which was presented to Parliament to-day. It shows that the net yield from the tax last year, when the duty was raised in July from fourpence to sixpence a gallon, was £1,300,050, as compared with £961,907 in the previous year. Of this amount the Main Highways Board absorbed £1,219.209, and boroughs with a population of 6000 and over £80,841, though the report points out that after August 1 last year the proportion paid to the boroughs was reduced from 8 per cent, to 5} per cent. There has been an increase in the applications for refunds since the tax was increased to sixpence. There are two main reasons for this —first, the financial stringency due to the depression; and, secondly, the increase in the tax which has now made it worth while for the people to claim refunds they did not worry about when the tax was' fourpence.

The difficulty of assessing accurately the incidence of the petrol tax is emphasised in the report, which says that, like all taxes, this one may shift either backwards to the producers of the benzine, or forward to the consumers of motor transport services, while a certain amount of the burden may be carried for a time by the operators of the motor transport services. In the long run the petrol tax will tend to be shifted forward to the consumers of the motor transport services, and in so far as the increased cost of these services causes a diminution in the demand for them the proportion of tax will also in the long run be east upon the producers of the motor vehicles and equipment in the form of losses of business consequent on the diminished demand.

For tlie year ended March 31, 1931, the passenger transport- effected by motor cars, motor omnibuses, and motor, cycles contributed £7O of every £lOO of the total yield from the petrol tax, being more than double that contributed by trucks. A further analysis of the motives lying behind the movement of persons (impossible at this stage) would shed a further light on this question. Investigations by the department indicate that approximately 50 per cent, of the total cost of operating motor cars in New Zealand is for purposes of a non-bnsiness nature.

Dealing with reading costs, the report says that during the year ended March 31, 1930, £8,670,000 was expended in connection with roads, streets, and bridges, the source of the moneys being:—General taxpayer £1,146,618, local taxpayer £3,130,172, special motor taxation £1,866,647, loan £2,557.638. Approximately only 20 per cent, of the annual expenditure on roads is met from special motor taxation, and is therefore incorporated in the direct costs of road transport. The remaining portion of the total bill, exeluding, of course, loan moneys amounting to just over £4,000,000, is found out of either general or local taxation. A FATAL COLLISION. DAMAGES AWARDED TO WIDOW. CHRISTCHURCH, August 27. A claim for £2OOO following the death of Joseph Fox in a collision between a motor cycle and bicycle was heard in the Supreme Court to-day before Mr Justice Adams and a jury. The claim was made by Fox’s widow on her own behalf and on behalf of her daughter, and the defendant was Ronald David Chisholm, the rider of the motor cycle involved in the accident. . The evidence of eye-witnesses was that Fox was riding a bicycle up Colombo street at about four miles an hour when Chisholm, who wag riding in the same direction at upwards of 30 miles an hour, overtook him and struck the rear wheel of the bicycle, causing Fox to fall heavily. Witnesses asserted that there was no light on the motor cycle. The jury awarded the widow £llOO, no award being made to the daughter.

ROAD CYCLE RACE ADELAIDE, August 29. Ji Buckley (New South Wales) won the 100 Miles (senior) Road Cycle Championship in shr 7min 59sec, with Gould (Marrickville), shr 14min 40sec, and Herraman (South Australia), shr 20mm 47sec, third.