Motordom

Southland Times, Issue 22728, 2 November 1935, Page 13

Motordom

News and

Notes.

* OF GENERAL INTEREST DN THE ROAD AND ON THE WING. THE LATEST HAPPENINGS. . Buy British. “Whenever you buy a motor car, always buy a car made in the United Kingdom,” was the advice given by Mr Graham Cunningham, Chairman and Managing Director, to share- ' holders at the annual general meeting of the Triplex Safety Glass Co. in London recently. “There are no better cars in the world than British cars,” he said, “and every British car sold helps to improve the unemployment siuation.” Nearly every car made today in the United Kingdom is fitted with Triplex safety glass. Announcing increased profits and a higher dividend, Mr Cunningham declared “We have established ourselves as leaders of our particular industry. We have gained that position in many ways. Our product is second to none; we the relentless in our research for improvements in methods and processes; we are proud o’ the service we give to our customers and of our factory organization; and we have kept our price down to a reasonable figure.” The “Double Six.” One 50 h.p. '“double-six” engine constitutes the sole exhibit on the Daimler demonstration stand, at the Olympic Motor Show in London, but is is an engine of unusual interest, for it is of the type used in the large special Daimlers such as those built for his Majesty the King. The Daimler company were the first manufacturers to provide twelve-cylinder private cars in Great Britain and since 1927 this type of engine has alawys been fitted to the largest Daimlers and to the Royal Cars of State. The engine on view is of special design in respect of the manner in which the twelve connecting rods, six on either side, operate upon the one six-throw crankshaft, and also as regards the arrangement and detail of the overhead valve gear. It will be exhibited with the valve covers and the sump removed, and will be mounted above a mirror so that the operation of the working parts can be readily examined. New Type of Plug. fhe increasing use of radio on longdistance passenger coaches has popularized a new type of sparking plug, the Lodge radio screened plug. This was originally designed for aircraft, where clear and accurate wireless reception is essential for safety, and its employment has now been extended to private cars and passenger coaches. The fitment of such plugs contributes to much improved radio reception without detracting from the efficiency of the ignition set, as may occur when the usual high resistances are incorporated in the circuit. The new radio screened plugs will be seen on stand No. 301 at the Commercial Vehicle Show to be held in London from November 7 till 16. Amongst other interesting item? of this display will be single and double pole heater plugs for compression ignition engines, together with sparking plugs suitable for all commercial vehicle engines. The Lodge company were the first to realize that owing to the exacting demands improved by commercial motor engines different type sparking plugs were required. The result was that Lodge plugs are now fitted as original equipment on practically all British commercial motor vehicles, including such famous makes as A.E.C., Commer, Dennis, Leyland, Morris Commercial and Thornycroft.

Air Service Training. During August the total of school flying hours at Air Service Training, Hamble, was 1321. There are now 27 ab initio pupils for the Royal Air Force, five of whom are destined for the R.A.F. College. The following licenses and certificates were gained during the month. A licenses, Flying Officer M. T. Maw; Sergt. D. C. Young; Mr A. Lasnausky. Instrument Flying Certificates, Messrs Hall, Rees and Walker. Instructor’s Certificates, Flight Lieut. G. Wood, R.A.F.O. and Mr Babar Mirza. Mr G. H. _ Godwin completed an Instructor’s Blind Flying Course. The social and sporting side of school life was particularly full and interesting. On August 2, the end of term dance for the long course students was held in the club; it was a huge success and an enjoyable prelude to the fortnight’s summer break. The one regret was that Sir John Siddeley was unable to be present. It is planned to hold more functions of this kind during the coming winter term. The cricket season provided a series of interesting games and was voted a great success though the number of wins was not quite as many as the losses. Next season it is planned to arrange for two matches each week during the season. Hockey has begun auspiciously with a win for the school. Sailing races will shortly be held for the Minchin Cup. During the hot weather the swimming pool was in great request and those students who put in many an hour’s hard labour in building the big tank felt the labour had been well worth while. The Accident Question. The Industrial Health Research Board of Britain in its annual report suggests the possibility of compelling motor drivers to make a yearly return of milage and accidents. Figures supplied by the Car and General Insurance Corporation show, it is stated, that accident proneness is relatively stable among motorists, and that drivers who have an undue number of accidents in one period tend to have accidents also in a subsequent period. The report declares that accident proneness has now been established as a fact, and adds:— “In every occupation which has been analysed by the board’s investigators roughly three-quarters of the recorded accidents happened to one-quarter of the people who were exposed to the risk. This has been found to hold true not only for accidents occurring in the factory or shop, but also for domestic accidents in the home, and even for the chances of getting a foreign body in the eye.” The board’s present investigations centre on confirming the validity of tests it has applied for de- , tecting accident-prone people before they become exposed to risk. The report also deals with the subject of “perseveration,” the term used . by psychologists to denote the “continuance of the effects of past experience at any level in the nervous system, with particular reference to the obstruction of present activities which may be traced to the influence, of past activity of some kind.” A familiar instance is afforded by the man who continues to put his foot on the accelerator, instead of the brake, because in his last car the brake was in the position now occupied by the accelerator in his new car.

The “Sports Car.” The “Sports Car” for October contains the first road test report of the P.B. Midget. A week after the September issue of,the “Sports Car” went to press the M.G. Car Company Ltd., introduced a new M.G. Midget to be known as the PB type. It has an engine of 939 c.c., compared with the 847 c.c., of the original P type, which will be styled in future the PA Midget. A representative of the “Sports Car” covered nearly 500 miles in one of the 939 c.c. PB models and found that its outstanding feature was that there was about 25 per cent, more acceleration from low speeds than was the case with the smaller-engined car. The car tested had previously covered 625 miles. It was therefore reasonable to assume that the engine would improve appreciably after a further period of running, and this was found to be the case. At first, on a smooth, level road, 78 m.p.h. was the highest speed obtainable, but just before the car was returned to the works it was good for a speedometer 82 J m.p.h. in one direction and 78.5 m.p.h. in the other. Careful tests of the speedometer revealed that it was reading 3 m.p.h. fast. Allowing for the fact that the speed tests were made with an almost new car in a strong cross wind, it is therefore clear that this PB type should always be good for an honest 80. It was not to increase maximum speed, however, that the bigger engine was introduced. The principal aim was to get more power low down, so obtaining improved acceleration without affecting fiat-out speeds.

ROAD ACCIDENTS

THE POSITION IN BRITAIN. £ SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. Signed W.H.M., an article in the “Sphere,” London, presents what it calls “Some Vital Statistics Relating to the Minister of Transport’s Campaign to Reduce the Slaughter on the Roads.” The outstanding portions are:— “On the one hand, the Ministry is realizing more and more that excessive speed is at the bottom of a lot of the trouble; but on the other hand many motor cyclists, pedal cyclists and pedestrians are not innocent of their own blood. <

“The position of Mr Hore-Belisha at the moment is indeed not an easy one. In spite of opposition, in .spite of the fact that in 1935 there are 2,416,250 motor vehicles as against 2,265,576 motor vehicles in 1934, this he can say, that he has within twelve months reduced the death roll from an average of 140 a week to an average of 115 a week. That is to say, he has reduced the average death roll on the roads by 1300 a year. “A typewritten document headed ‘Fatal Road Accidents,’ issued from the Ministry, has aroused comment in every quarter. This document states:—‘An analysis has been made of the particulars shown in the reports of 1500 fatal road accidents which occurred during the early part of the current year.’ It goes on to say that the incidence of accidents is affected by seasonal influences, and the figures are not, therefore, strictly comparable with those for a full year. The trouble about this document is that so far it has not been made available to the public. It cannot be bought at his Majesty’s Stationary Office. It is a document which has been issued only to the Press. The analysis, therefore, has been subjected to any number of highly specialized analysis without the public being able to check up for itself the figures presented by warning experts. I have even heard it suggested that the 1500 fatal accidents have been ‘cooked’ to suit the Ministry’s case. Nothing of the kind. It was decided that as from January last the first 1500 fatal cases should be specially analysed. The facts and figures in the Ministry’s report are based solely on evidence offered at inquests, and the reports of the Chief Constables concerned. The report admits that in many instances the information offered was unsatisfactory, and in some cases that information was unobtainable. It may therefore be taken that the report is coldly impartial. It is impossible to deal here with the mass of statistics presented, but it is possible to give some figures which, curiously enough, seem to have been overlooked. The main point is to endeavour to see who is to blame for the slaughter. “The returns analysed relate to the deaths of 1532 persons, qf whom 72 (4.8 per cent.) were drivers of vehicles other than motor cycles. 198 (12.9 per cent.) were motor cyclists. 310 (20.2 per cent.) were pedal cyclists. 95 (6.2 per cent.) were attendants, passengers, etc. 857 (55.9 per cent.) were pedestrians. 1532

“As these figures are proceeded with it will be made quite clear—though not directly so by the Ministry—that speed is responsible for many victims. And youth, and the recklessness of youth, are responsible for many more. “Take the case of the 198 motorcyclists killed; 68 (or 34 per cent.) were between twenty and twenty-five years of age. And 51 (or 26 per cent.) were between twenty-five and thirty years of age. This means that either middle age abjures the motor cycle—which from casual observation it does not — or that it knows how to look after itself. “Of the 403 pedal cyclists involved in fatal road accidents, 310 (77 per cent.) were killed. And of these practically one-third were under twenty years of age. One cannot get away from these figures. Youth is again involved, and in many cases doubtless paid the price of inexperience and impetuosity. “The figures in relation to pedestrians are even more remarkable. Out of 857 pedestrians killed, 259 (or 30.2 per cent.) were under fifteen years of age, and 423 (or 49.4 per cent.) were fifty-five years of age and over. From one year to seven years of age seem to be the most dangerous years for children. After that experience seems to give them caution until at the age of fourteen only seven children are killed a year. “The figures relating to fatalities to elderly persons are so remarkable that they are worth giving as they stand:— 55 years and under 60 years 66 60 years and under 65 years 68 65 years and under 70 years 99 70 years and under 75 years 76 75 years and under 80 years 60 80 years and over 54 423 * — 1

EYE-STRAIN MODERN DRIVING. OPINION OF AN EXPERT. “Your car follows your eyes—so mind where you are looking!” I was told by my instructor when I took the wheel for my first driving lesson, and I quickly found the truth of his maxim, says a writer in the “Morris Owner.” The driver’s whole judgment is a visible one, and although the experienced motorist acquires a kind of “sixth sense,” that too is merely an education of the visual centres. Instead of the higher brain centres dealing with the impressions conveyed by the optic nerve, the subconscious mind takes charge. In this way the brain becomes relieved of the strain of continuous effort, but the eyes themselves are never rested. This is obviously an unfair distribution of labour. Normal Light. Normal eyes stand the strain of driving without ill-effects, but a small defect or even a lack of balance between the two eyes gives rise toeyestrain. This is usually termed “Driver’s Eyestrain” and shows the usual symptoms —headaches, nervous irritability, bloodshot eyes, migraine and occasionally insomnia. As a consulting optician, I frequently meet motorists suffering from this trouble, and often their vision appears otherwise normal. In others the vision is below the minimum standard at present demanded. When this law was first introduced few drivers bothered about it, but as candidates for the new drivers’ test may be/examined on this point, a number of “border line” cases have come for advice.

Some complain that their vision varies from day to day, so that whereas they can often read a number-plate at 25 yards quite easily, there are times when they fail to do so. Anyone in this position should seek advice immediately, for the standard of vision demanded under the new Traffic Act is very low indeed, corresponding to less than half of normal vision. It should therefore be perfectly easy for anyone with useful vision to read a number-plate at the regulation distance. It should be remembered that a high visual acuity alone does not prove the absence of eye-defects, for in many cases the vision can be improved temporarily by a strong nervous effort. It is this effort which induces eyestrain, and should never be allowed to continue.

Sometimes defective vision appears quite normal, as for example that of a young man who recently consulted me. Ho was astonished and indignant when I advised him that his sight was scarcely good enough. “But I can read every letter on your chart!” he exclaimed, which was perfectly true. Nevertheless, when I threw a matchbox on to the floor of my con-sulting-room, and told him to pick it up, it was ten seconds before he could find it. To do so he had to search every inch of the carpel, for although his central vision was perfect, he could see nothing until he looked straight at it. His peripheral vision had almost disappeared, so that he was like a man looking through a long tube—only a small field of vision was present. Peripheral vision is what is commonly known as “seeing out of the corner of your eye,” and is just as important as direct vision to the car driver. It enables you to see everything that is going on around you while your eyes are fixed on something ahead. In these days of automatic trafficcontrols, the problem of the colourblind driver cannot be ignored. There are over a hundred thousand people in London alone who are wholly or partly colour-blind! This is not a pleasant thought to strike one while passing the green light at a “blind” cross-roads. Fortunately, as far as robot controls are concerned, the possibility of accidents is reduced by the simple fact that the lights have a standard position and sequence. The colour-blind driver knows that red is always at the top, and that green and orange are never shown simultaneously. Where police signals, real-lights and nightwatchmen’s lanterns are concerned, however, the colour-blind driver has nothing to guide him. Correcting Colour Blindness. Congenital colour-blindness is incurable but special filters enable colours to be recognized by' their intensity. Acquired colour-blindness is usually due to toxins in the blood; over-indul-gence in tobacco being a common cause, with the pipe as chief offender. Nearly all forms of eye-strain can be relieved by wearing suitable glasses, but the motorist should be sure to have one of the new wide-angle spectacle frames with unrestricted vision. For the same reason, and to help the peripheral vision as much as possible, toric (or deep curved) lenses should be worn. Occasionally a slight tint is helpful in the summer-time; the vignetted type are best for the car driver as they give an infinitely variable depth of tint. Even slight refractive errors of the eyes should be corrected as it is frequently the smaller defects that give the most trouble. Few drivers are as efficient as the machines they drive, but it is the brain that controls the car, and the eyes are the vital link between the two. So look after your eyes! ILLUMINATED ROADS LIGHTS UNNECESSARY. SURFACES IMPORTANT. Illuminated roads, on which motorcar lights would be unnecessary, were envisaged by Mr A. T. V. Robinson, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, at a combined session of the engineering and psychology sections of the British Association meeting at Norwich. This branch mainly dealt with road traffic problems. “In recent years increasing attention has been given to the problem of adequate illumination of the road itself,” said Mr Robinson. “It may be that within the next decade, on all the .more intensely trafficked roads, the approaching driver will see an oncoming vehicle, not as a couple of spots of dazzling light with - a black background, but as a dark silhouette against an adequately illuminated background.” He suggested the development of “light but non-glaring surfaces on all our important roads, upon which it will be possible to provide a distinctive and permanent coloration for the pedestrian crossing, and perhaps for other classes of traffic signs on the

surface of the road itself.” The advances of recent years were still all dependent for their efficacy upon their visual perception by the driver of a road vehicle and his readiness to respond. “The road driver of the future may hear traffic signals on his car radio set,” said Mr Robinson, “but I find it difficult to conceive that the wireless controlled aeroplane, the automatically controlled battleship target, and the driverless railway train of the Post Office Tube, will ever be paralleled upon the highway.” Dr. C. S. Myers, principal of the National Institute of Industrial Psychology, asked if there were not a danger of traffic signals becoming so numerous as to increase the drivers distraction, and thus enhance his liability to accident. Dr. Myers continued: “May they not also seriously affect his peace of mind, so that when he escapes from their zone in crowded thoroughfares he tends immediately in his irritation to reckless driving and again to enhanced liability to accidents? Punishment of offending drivers rests on the mistaken supposition that most traffic accidents > are due merely to recklessness and carelessness, and that these can be generally and best reduced by threats of punishment. It is becoming increasingly recognized that the help of the psychologist should be invoked to determine whether or not an offender deserves to be wholly or partly excused from punishment, or to receive other forms of treatment.” IN THE U.S.A. ROAD RACING ACTIVITIES. A PEEP BEHIND THE SCENES. In a closely-typed letter covering ten Miles Collier, the secretary of the A.R.C.A., has written to tell me about the past activities and future plans of their Club, whose object is to revive road-racing in America, says George C. Tuck in the “Sports Car. Their progress has been phenomenal, for it was barely three years back when the Club was formed under another name by the Collier boys, Barron, Jun., Sam, Miles and a few friends. To-day A.R.C.A. signifies something very real to every American who can view motoring from a sporting al From Miles’s letter to me the following, which needs no further introduction, has been extracted:— Before I try to explain the why ot the A.R.C.A., I must sketch the situation in America as regards motor sport before we began our nefarious operations. You know that before the war, when automobile competition flourished in all parts of the world, America was well represented m all the major events held on the continent and in England. You also know that, since the war, America has been quite out of the picture. You may have wondered what, exactly, was the reason for this. Sequel to Price Cuts. Motor sport in America has been forgotten since the war because it pleased the manufacturers that this should be so. During the years when our country supplied the needs ot practically the whole world, we got badly in the habit of “mass production” methods. After the war, every manufacturer found himself tied z up with a lot of machinery for producing more than he could sell in the more normal times. Hence it became urgently necessary to sell three times as much of every product as had ever been done before, and the automobile, of course came in on this also. The result was that motor car prices had to be cut to about one-half of what they had been before the war, and to do this in the face of steadily-rising wages was only possible by drastically speeding up production to cut the ratio between hours of work and units turned out. You have heard a lot about the wonderful American manufacturing methods, but let me assure you that this speed cannot help but cause inferior production technique. You will understand why the American manufacturers thus came to an eventual understanding as regards motor sport and competition. It was very undesirable for any manufacturer whenever motor cars were put in competition, because, although the American car has always had sufficient stamina for “ordinary” use, the extra strains of either unusually high speed or heavy going invariably reveal the defects caused by hurried production methods, or the more recent developments in making the car “easy” to drive.

It is also notable that in America there was a strong “puritanical” feeling just after the war. We had just fought to make the world safe for democracy and the next step was to remould Adam into a likeness of Divinity. Hence we had the prohibition law and other restrictive measures passed in the legislatures of the various states. Among the many new acts was one which expressly forbade competition with motor cars on public roads. This rugulation passed enough of the State legislatures to pretty well smother all amateur enthusiasm. As amateur competition in any sport is the life-blood of that sport, the regulations did much to kill whatever enthusiasm the “Vanderbilt Cup” and others had aroused. The manufacturers, of course, stopped making any attempt at a sports car, and those small ones who persisted were successfully put out of business by the controlling interests in the industry. There remained, however, the A.A.A., America’s motoring association which controlled American sport. On its governing board were enough manufacturers or their representatives so to warp the methods of that organization, that racing has been turned into the peculiar abortion that it is to-day. To quote (freely) passages from their rule hook, every driver is expected to sign a pledge containing this statement: — “I realize that racing is a sport in which every effort should go towards satisfying the spectators. The ‘gate’ is far more important than the entrants, and I pledge myself to always remember this.”

No car may enter an A.A.A. event under a manufacturer’s name which is identical, or even similar, to that used on the production model. (My brother’s stock Auburn car is registered with the A.A.A. as an “Auburn Special.”) With the roads barred, and with only one track in the country, motor sport should long ago have died out. It is a commentary on the American nature that the “sport,” such as it is, has so far survived. Of course, the average promoter had not enough money to finance another Indianapolis, and the dirt, or at best, board tracks, are all America can race on. No car rages under anything’ more revealing

in the way of a name than “Boyle Valve Special” or “Ramco Piston Ring Special.” Or even “Gilmore (a gasoline) Lion Special.” The drivers, too, are all professionals, with little education or business sense. Their names are indicative of somewhat childish personalities: “Wild Bill” Cummings, “Babe” Stapp. “Red Schaeffer” and “Barney Oldfield.” No driver dare appear at an A.A.A. meeting without such a sobriquet. Because the top speed that may (on the average) be obtained on a dirt track is under 60 m.p.h., there is practically no interest in such an event—unless there is a wreck. I strongly suspect that many a wreck is “engineered” in order to give the crowd u thrill. A good firiver is not wanted. He is not sufficiently spectacular. Now, at the present time, American racing is at a pretty low ebb. However, there has in the past year grown up out of the driver’s ranks a sentiment strongly demanding improved conditions. Where the A.A.A. will go from here I cannot tell. Sleepy Hollow. With the four hundred pounds a road was built at Sleepy Hollow on property donated to the club, on which they might hold road racing meetings without interference. Unfortunately, four hundred pounds is not much money from a road-building point of view. The resulting road, while tolerably wide, was only .6 miles around, and had no better surface than dirt. It was on this dirt circuit that the A.R.C.A., in spite of, rather than because of the conditions just described, held the first “Grand Prix of America” on July 8, 1934, with an entry of 10 cars, including two M.G. Midgets, four American Austins, two Specials and a Willys “77.”