MOTORDOM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 806, 29 October 1929, Page 7

MOTORDOM

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ROAD IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETING ROUTE ROUND LAKE WAIKAREMOANA CAMPING GROUNDS CHOSEN A marked improvement in the condition of the various roads is reported by Mr. A. Grayson, president of the Auckland Automobile Association, and Mr. R. E. Champtaloup, touring manager to the association, who returned | a week ago from a 1,200-mile tour of | the Taupo, Lake Waikaremoana, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty districts, j The route taken for the tour was from Auckland to Taupo, Napier, WaiI roa, Lake Waikaremoana, Gisborne, j Cape; back to Gisborne to Opo--1 tiki, Bay of Plenty, and then back to Auckland via Waihi and Paeroa. | Throughout the roads showed much improvement on last season, particularly from the point of view of curva- ; til re and alignment, while many nari row and winding roads had been con- \ erted into wide and adequate highj ways. 1 Owing to recent works, however, some of the roads were a little rough, but in most of these cases top-dress-I lns been started, and -when this , was finished they should prove good : permanent highways. It is considj ered that had preparations been made j earlier, the routes would have been j 111 &ood order for the earlier summer months, but it is held that the Highways Board may have been inclined ; to hesitate owing to the recent discussion concerning the Government grant. Tolaga Bay surfaces were disappointing. and it was felt that the application of little maintenance snould have been provided, although it j is realised that the most satisfactory I provision from an economical point of j view would be tar-sealing i Further north of the East Cape, near Tokomaru Bay and Waipiro, the condition of the roads was disappointing. The old tal portion of the road between Gisborne and Opotiki was in shocking order, and had been absolutely neglected. The old clay gap between Matawai and Otaka is now metalled, but is a little rough, although the work of top-dressing is to start shortly. Now that this road is available in the winter the question of three bridges provides a matter which should be dealt with immedi- | ately Previously, only minor: i llou ble was experienced with the i flooding of the streams during the ' touring season, although in bad 1 weather the clay portion of the road 1 pi e\ ented all traffic from going j tin ough. It is now an all-tlie-year- ! round route, excepting for the cross--mgs over the streams.

In the Bay of Plenty the conditions ere very fair with the exception of the Tauranga-Te Puke surface, which

HEADLIGHT **

: is deplorable, while the same could well be applied to the old metal section between Kati Kati and Tauranga. Xo attempt had been made to grade ,or improve the clay section. ROUND THE LAKE Last summer cars were able to pr<)ceed from Rotorua to Hawke's Bay I via the Urewera Country (Te Whaiti and Wai-iti). There is now road i access to Lake Waikaremoana, al- | though there are yet two small gaps of a little over a mile each which have yet to be built up before cars can proceed to the lake, a distance of 77£ miles from Rotorua. The lake will be reached at the Hopuruahine landing, and it is expected that this road wil! be opened before Christmas. It will be essentially a summer route. The road round the lake to junction with the road from Wairoa is being proceeded with, but owing to the difficult country it is not contemplated that it will be finished until early in the New Year. The latter section to the Lake House necessitates the building of three bridges, and these will be erected before Easter. Mr. Grayson and Mr. Champtaloup found it necessary to take a launch across the lake to inspect various portions of the road. They also chose four sights for camping-grounds. They conferred with the Commissioner ol Crown Lands in that district to have these “spots” set aside for campers. The road round the lake extends for about 18 miles, and then branches oil for a. drive of about 65 miles through dense native bush. Although the road in many respects will be a good one. it is not held : advisable for inexperienced motorists. HUGE PRODUCTION ATLANTIC UNION OIL WELLS On August 19 last, the Union Oil Company had a total of 610 producing wells that were averaging approximately 159 barrels of oil each, bringing the total production figures to more than 9 *,OOO barrels a day. There were 46 rigs drilling on the various leases. These figures show an increase over the report of July 15. when the company owned and controlled 604 wells with an average daily output of 126 barrels a day, comprising a total daily production of about 76,000 barrels. The largest increase in total barrels a day for any division was shown in the Los Angeles County field, where the production jumped from 56,000 to 78,000 barrels a day.—“ Atlantic Union Bulletin.”

Summoned at a Middlesex police court for having an indistinguishable number-plate, a driver said it was all right when he started out, but the bad roads must have jarred the enamel oil".

TYRE FIRM’S MOVE GOODYEAR OPENS OWN OFFICE Faith in New Zealand as a potenj tial market for motor-ear tyres is | expressed by the establishment in the Dominion by the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company of New Zealand, Limited, o£ their own selling and distributing organisation. This world-wide organisation which lias factories at Wolverhampton, England; Toronto and Bowmanville, Canada; Sydney, Australia; and Akron, Ohio, U.S.A., is the largest manufacturer of motor-car tyres. Mr. J. H. Blakeney is the managing director in charge of the new Goodyear organisation in New Zealand. Goodyear tyres have long- been sold in New Zealand, but it is indeed gratifying' to see an .international organisation of this size establishing a branch of its parent company in this country. The New Zealand staff with the excexition of three executive heads, are all New Zealand men and women. Mr. A. C. Hammond, the sales director, who is well known to motor j traders in this country, has repre- | seated Goodyear in New Zealand for the past nine years. Branches for distribution of their products have been established in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill, and further depots will be opened as trade expands. CAMPING GROUNDS STANDARD DESIGN OF BUILDINGS Camping grounds, well-equipped, j are the order of the day in motoring circles, and it is probable that the Canterbury Automobile Association ■will decide on a standard design of buildings for the grounds within its territory. The question was raised at the meeting of the Canterbury Automobile Association last week, when the question of equipping the new Ashburton ground was discussed. The Ashburton branch suggested an iron building at an estimated cost of £77. “To put up an iron shed is a sacrilege,” said Mr. J. X,. Danks. He wanted to see attractive buildings erected on camping grounds, chalets if necessary. Mr. G. S. Morris thought that a definite plan of action should be decided on with a standard design for camping ground buildings. The question of finance, design and general details was left to the executive with power to act.