MOTORING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 885, 11 December 1916, Page 3

MOTORING.

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES. December 18—Gymkhana at Timaru. February 17—Patriotic .Motor Carnival at Canterbury Park. A film highly interesting to motorists, was running iast week at His .Majesty's, showing how the game of polo is played by motor-cars. Played on ponies, polo is a game which occasions a few thrills, and not infrequently a

pony has a leg broken, but to see the hair-raising turns, manoeuvres, and. evolutions performed in this picture was an experience entirely new to Christchureh. In some places, the cars were seen to exec, te a complete about turn in not more than one length. Numerous collisions occurred, but apparently the cars sustained no damage. There is a very large number of side car outfits about town, in which the motor cycle has a decided leaning towards the side car. It is extremely disadvantageous to run a machine in this condition, and the fault should be remedied by readjusting the couplings. When an outfit is allowed lo run in the condition above indicated, unnecessary wear on tyres is the result, while in

addition undue strain is placed upon the motor itself, as it is pulling sideways. The fault is particularly noticeable in the case of high powered machines. The appeal in connection with the Timaru Cqurt case where a motorist was charged with failing to have a front, and rea'r number plate will lie heard at Timaru on December 21. In the first place this case was dismissed by the Magistrate, who on learning that an appeal would be made, adjourned it till the above date. The eleven entrants for the Pioneer Motor Club's single-geared and petrol consumption test all started. There was a little delay at the starting point where ail the gears and clutches had to be scaled. A. Morland was late in arriving, but as he hail to come from Rakaia, he was allowed to start. There was a good showing of Hendersons, Indians, and Triumphs, but it is strange that there were no Harley Davidsons or Excelsiors. There *is room on the market comments "Fortis" in the ''Australasian," for a really well-designed, mechanical lubricator for motor-cycles, to be actuated from the engine; but, to ensure efficiency and satisfactormess, it must be simple, accurately fitted, and reliable. The problem has been tackled by several American manufacturers, who have devised several serviceable and reliable instruments, which have been applied to machines produced in that country with successful results. It may be that ideas as to what constitutes a really satisfactory design of autoina tically operated pump, for use as described, vary considerably as between British and American motor-cycle designers; and what does faithful service on one type of machine may not be considered suitable for another. In principle, however, power-actuated, lubricating systems are a long step in the right, direction, and should be embodied on all up-to-date machines. However, there are some, and practical men, too, who prefer- to adhere to the original principle of the hand-force pump, whereby the engine depends entirely upon the driver's care and attention for its supply of oil. Wood spirit is being looked upon as a possible substitute for benzine for motors. It has been pointed out that from 1912 to 1015, the production of completely denatured and specially d.e

nature*] alcohol in the United States rose from 8,0(70,000 gallons to 14,000,000 gallons a year. Alcohol is being made from sawdust. In the yellow pine ilia trict alone, there is said to lie enough piatorinl wasted to make 000,000 gallions of alcohol a dav, and there are 110,000,000 tons of material available j every year. An enterprising motor ediar-a-bane j owner at Nottingham (England) has I adapted his vehicle to the use of ordinjary coal gas, owing to his petrol sup- | ply having been "cut out." A huge i collapsible gas bag is attached to the roof of the char-a-banc, holding 450 | cubic feet of gas. This suffices the [vehicle for a 12 miles' circuit on each refill of bag. The coal gas, it has been j found, is a long way cheaper than running on petrol, the cost being a halfpenny per mile, as against threepence | for petrol. Two South African motor-cyclists undertook for a wager to beat the train [service between Johannesburg and Durj ban, the time usually taken by the 'trains between the two cities being '>'■', hours 22 minutes. The attempt, was [quite successful, the motor-cyclists 'beating the train service by approximately live hours, taking IS hours 24 'minutes over the journey.