IS IT SAFE?

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 34, 3 May 1927, Page 11

IS IT SAFE?

PILLION-RIDING QUESTION. VIEWS FROM WELLINGTON'. The que.tio- "I» Pinion Ridine | 1 ~, bas been a Jive question in Wei- I Won recently, says the "Radiator.” e focal Magistrate gave it as h.s opmthat this form of transport was 10n .,„ and he could not understand w,l authorities permitted it. We , nnt know upon what grounds the VagistJate based his opinion, or what * "/i deations he had to express such but Ihe warning coming | * «nch a source stirred up some , * f°the members of the Wellington City ! Council, and there was at once a sugHon for the passing of a by-law ?o prohibit pillion riding in Welling“xhis suggestion raised a storm of pro- ‘. among motor-cycle riders, and the a itv Press was flooded with letters of “iT.,. At a public meeting held in the^Town Hall, attended by some 500 interested parties, the question was ,rv fullv discussed, and resolutions „,re carried protesting against any such by-law being passed. in investigation of the causes of accidents fails to prove that p.11.0n r.ding is less safe than other forms of transport in general use. The evidence of experienced riders ‘ t 0 prove that a motor-cycle is less ?£hle to accident with a pillion passenger than with a rider alone. This question has been very thornnahly investigated in England, which. ? the stronghold of motor-cycling, and .L British Government’s attitude was laid down by the Minister of Transport in the House of Commons, on Februrv 8 1925. when he stated: “On the Information before me I do not confer that a case has been made out instifv the introduction of legislate/ prohibiting the practice of pillion ri The Royal Automobile Club oi Eng ~nd has also interested itself in the matter and maintains that pillion ndne is a safe and economical method t travel for two persons, providing that the three following essentials are complied with: (1.1 The pillion rider must always sit must be provided on which Ihe passengcr can place his or her feet. (3 ) A seat of some description, either a spring seat, a thick cushion or something similar must lie provided for the passengers to sit upon. At the Wellington meeting plenty of evidence was submitted, which went to „how that there was no reason from the point of safety, to prohibit pillion riding, although it was generally ac--epted that conditions somewhat simitar to those laid down by the R.A.C. Bight be necessary. The storm of protest raised in Wellington appears to have nipped the suggestion in the hud, but it may be raised in other centres, and the reason for these notes is to advise those interested to strongly resist any such bylaws being made by a local authority. Ia our opinion th* evidence is so strong in favour of the practice that it would not be possible for any such bylaw to be framed if those interested placed alt the facts before the local authority. GET OUT AND GET UNDER NOT “NOW” BUT "THEN” LOST PLEASURES “It’s a funny thing-, but the presentday motorist does not get the fun out of motoring that we seemed to get a few years ago,” remarked one of the members of the Automobile Council, at its last meeting, “and I set out to find out why—and was quite unsuccessful. The opinion seemed to be that the ppresent-day motorist has been so pampered by the car manufacturer that like other classes his standards have changed. His only thrill is to put his foot down and see how much he can get out of his machine, and liow often he can evade the law. He has become satiated with changing scenes, and nothing new holds any attraction. He can go to a movie show any night in the week and see scenery in reproduction that he would not undertake the trouble to see in the original. LOST HARDSHIPS—LOST PLEASURES "That the motorist nowadays docs not realise the good wicket he is on” is the opinion of Mr. F. O. Crosby, one of Auckland’s most experienced motorists. He proceeded to mention one or two of the things of that distant past not so distant, but seemingly so—when motoring was not the easy thing it is to-day, when it was quite unusual tor a car to go ten miles without stopping. "The first car I really remember details of, was an old French De Dion Jjolton, a single-cylinder rated at about » horse-power,” he remarked. “Judged y present-day appearances it was a most crude-looking contraption.” It had platinum-tube ignition, which was heated by a benzine lamp, and as mounted in a small cage near the rear axle. This particular model was a belt-driven job. 4 1"° change gear you had to stop ‘ae car, get out, and crawl underneath. The gears were mounted on two reducing wooden pulleys, and you had to change over the belt from one to the other. Just and realise the difference, from the perfectly effortless and silent aouble-shuffle-change-down on the Present cars. AWAY SHE GOES . There were no self-starters in those ' * ys > and no handles, and to start up ; l l adjusted the belt on the gear und then pushed the car until Th e ared > then hopped on and seized tiller—there were no steeringwheels either.” system of cooling on these cars ■ .~y ai L and in place of the fins p«vn!i ea circle the present-day airen»ine - metal rods, three-six-i ’ n *hs of an inch thick, were screwed |- ile outside of the combustion . ‘ mber to catch the cool air and head Sm *t e Atects to the cylinder PIRST WATER-COOLED to i?™.t type of water-cooled engine x> e its a PP ea rance was the Ger♦i.. ** enz . and its radiator was not in ta.! h^° nt of the car as now, but atsiimhUjlo the running board, and reamant? . two kettles about 30 inches Wat a •*° lned hy thin copper pipes. The Was carried to the radiator in er tubes. This model was a flattlojacA ft °P en crank-case, and exai Hn .• fl^'w heel. The two gears were somethinSi ° pen ’ and the effect was ..x tike that of a traction engine. :»0n o ld f n i aUy these cars cost between •*|m and £900,” remarked Mr. Crosby. w h ftft?L5 ays P e °P le expect palaces on neeifc—for about £200.” c *>ajged*an _^ to . . innkeeper who Ims hlg ?" e ?e rblt ! ant for stabling man the nigbt: “But my good Make ei '* surely must be some mis‘nnkeepei ■ “wen* 1 ®- 8 sh ;‘“, n f. a , f,J V 7 '' “Xaetly r ° b a?ore n r d.dnt were Lvi J. at charge. And us you Power tLh that it; were 40 horseWelu ior the LSiSJf tW ° ahiUin ° 3 a