The Girl in the Car.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1790, 8 November 1919, Page 3 (Supplement)

The Girl in the Car.

They had just become engaged, and she had a question to ask, a quite inevitable one with all lovers. Very fchyly she begged him to tell her when he had first began to—er—■ that is—when he had first began to fare about her. "From the jump," he answered Concisely. "In fact, before I had actually set eyes on you. A friend 6howed me a photograph of a remarkably pretty girl taken in a slaptip motor car, and I felt hard for froth—the girl particularly." "Oh," she said, "that must have been the one I had taken by Claude Ring, that very clever and capable photographer who lately opened a studio in High Street. I think, myself, tltat I looked rather nice in that cute little motor-bonnet. Most people think it's a rather nice photo." "It is the finest thing I have ever sWn in portraiture," answered the , tnan emphatically, and, as he had just returned from overseas, and had |een the best that London and Paris ' ifcoiild produce, his opinion carried Weight. "The finish and the style, &nd the general get-up struck ipe as second to none, and the very best thing about it is that it is exactly you. It was something so Arresting, so alive, so different to the hard, cold, every-day photograph, that I fell in love with it, or father with the girl it represented. : Xnd what a great idea," he went on, (Ro be taken in your motor car like (that. I wonder morejjeople don't Sorrow the idea. They will soon, I ['expect." ! Later on, when the wedding day 'arrived, the services of Mr Ring were iigaiii requisitioned to "place on ■ record" the portrait of the bride on her day of days, and to make an artistic picture of the charming bridal group, which, in the hands of Hie photographer who pursues suited, old-fashioned methods, is so .Jjften a crude, stiff-looking collection !of people which all concerned regard jfoth horror ever "after. Before they set off for their Honeymoon, the bridegroom insisted on having another picture taken of his bride and himself in his brandfew motor car, in which they were 10 make a tour of the country. He pad a weakness for motor car photographs—which was hardly to be wondered at, under the circumstances. u The pictures "came out" in the tnost successful way, and all in the jjridal groups were delighted with them. Their story is the story of many, and will be the story of jnany more. Claude Ring is the photographer for motorists, as he is everybody else. Appointments may be made over the telephone—number 3053—and all inquiries receive prompt and courteous attention. Christmas is Approaching, and, if you cannot give your best friends a motor car, you can give a photograph of yourself, and if it's a "Claude Ring" one—well, there won't be any kick coming.

British Car Market. AN AMERICAN ESTIMATE. j- , . A recent American estimate gave the rate of cars per head of population in Great Britain as 1 to 225. The potentiality of the car market in Great Britain can hardly be dismissed with reasonable accuracy or any numerical conclusions arrived at on the usual methods of assesftient and computation, because of ihe changing relations of Capital and Labour and the unstable financial conditions pending reformations of the coinage and rate of exchange. However, there is some source of information to be found in khe recent oQlcial evidence at the in-iome-tax inquiry of the Royal Comtnission. At present there are 3,500,000 payers of income tax and 59,000 who Jiay a super-tax on their taxable incomes. The amount obtained is £338,000,000, of which £8,000,000 is from weekly wage-earners, the 59,000 super-tax payers, be it added, contributing £42,000,000. In the absence of the number of workers concerned in this £8,000,000 contribution, it seems safe for our present purpose to assess the incomes earned at £250 per head, remembering that £5 per week, and much tnore in some cases, is being paid to Skilled mechanics.

If you are in doubt as to which Svay to turn needle valve, try choking the carburettor slightly. If the JiDgine speeds up the mixture is too ean; if it slows down the mixture may be right, but you are making it too rich. If an air valve is accessible, try pushing that open a slight amount. If the engine speeds up the mixture is too rich; if it loses speed the mixture is correct or too lean.

A supplementary air valve, which, Instead of being fitted to the inlet tnanifolfl is screwed into the cylinder wall at the bottom end of the Stroke, is attracting attention. An Advantage claimed for this arrangement is that the air admitted through fhis supplementary valve will refrain at the bottom of the combustion chambers, thus causing a stratification of the charge, so that the additional air will not interfere with the inflammability of the Charge when only a small amount is Admitted, as when the engine is heavily throttled.

STORY OF THE C.A.A. [Continued from previous page.] fence Department it formed the North Canterbury Recruiting Board during the early stages of the war. The board was composed of three representatives of the association, three from the C.D.C., and two from the Defence Department. Transported by the members of the Automobile Association, speakers visited all parts of Canterbury, and addressed audiences in an endeavour to secure recruits who would go to represent this province on the battlefields of Africa, Asia, and Europe in the death struggle that *was being waged against the German. The coming of conscription rendered further continuance of that phase of the association's work unnecessary. Severai successful soldiers' and sailors' picnics have also been arranged by the association, the one held on January 16, 1916, at Oxford, being the largest and most enjoyable outing of the kind held during, the War period. Nor does this complete the record of good work done by the association on behalf of the returned soldiers. At the annual meeting of the association in 1917 it was decided to ask the members to find the necessary funds to purchase a motor car for the sole use of the returned soldiers in hospital and in other institutions; also that a levy of 5/- per member should be made in order to provide for the upkeep of the car. Members responded readily, and a sum of £169 was raised by way of levy. Through the efforts of the association donations towards the purchase of the car were quickly forthcoming, and an amount of £372 was raised for the purpose during the first year. The car was secured and placed in commission on November 5, 1917. During the succeeding nine months the car did a great deal of Red Cross work, made 134 trips into the country, with soldiers, covered 4348 miles, and assisted 649 convalescent soldiesr towards regaining., their health. ' Appreciative Letters. ■ That the "Soldiers' Car" was much appreciated may be gathered from the following letters received by Mr C. W. Hervey, secretary of the association. The letters were as follow: The Hospital, Christchurch, August 9,1918. Dear Mr Hervey,—Just a note to tell you that the "Soldiers' Car" has been a great comfort and a source of pleasure to the returned men. They have gone all over the country, and, as far as I am aware, found the driving and everything else about the car to their taste.—Yours truly, WALTER FOX, Medical Superintendent Christchurch • Hospital. Christchurch, August 8, 1918. To the Chairman, Soldiers' Car Committee. • Dear Sir, —With reference to the "Soldiers' Car" used for tht benefit of invalided soldiers, I should like to express to your members the thanks of the C.D.C. for their gener-

ous undertaking. The motor car is doing wonderfully good work, and is very much appreciated by those who use it, and no doubt it was a very happy thought on the part of your association to supply the "Boys" with this much-needed want. Yours faithfully, For the Citizens' Defence Corps, CHARLES WOOD, Officer in Charge. Christchurch, N.Z., August 23, 1918. The Chairman, Soldiers' Car Committee, Christchurch. Sir, —We desire you to convey to your committee and members of the Automobile Association the appreciation of our association in placing the "Soldiers' Car" at the

disposal of returned men, of whom quite a number have been able to spend many pleasant hours during the various runs to the surroundings of our city, which is assisting them to regain their health. We trust that this concession vwill be continued in the future, is the expression of all wounded men who are unable to follow occupations on account of wounds or illness contracted during their services with his Majesty's Forces

in this great European War, and shall take this opportunity of thanking all connected with your association for the very great assistance that* has always been given in meeting returned invalided and wounded men, transporting them to their homes, and also the various patriotic functions in which you have been interested, not only in the interests of returned men] but comrades still at the seat of war. Yours faithfully, H. M. COTTON, President. C. W. GREEN, Secretary. During the next 12 months—that is, in the period between the annual meetings of 1918 and 1919—the soldiers' car made 208 trips, conveyed 1545 convalescent soldiers, and

travelled 8863 miles. During the period of influenza epidemic the soldiers' car was lent to the Public Health Department, and did valuable work in that capacity. , The cost of running the* car during the latter 12 months was £339 5/10. Improvements effected to the car, and other incidental expenses, brought the total up to £6lO 6/11. To meet this a sum of £239 19/- was

raised in levies from members of the association. A sum of £SO was also donated towards the Soldiers' Car Account from the general funds of the association, leaving a defiftency of £316 17/4. The association also provided a car donated by Mr G. D. Macfarlane for the use of the soldiers at the Queen Mary Hospital at Hanmer, which rendered much useful service in the transport of wounded and invalid soldiers. Eventually the Government purchased a car for the Hospital, and the Automobile Association sold the car, and put the proceeds to the reduction of the Soldiers' Car Account. Influenza Epidemic. Yet another fine work carried out by the Automobile Association was at the time of the influenza epidemic. The city is under a deep debt of gratitude for the work of mercy done by the members of the association during the hour of the city's great trial. Wherever there was a home that the scourge had entered, thither went the cars of the members of the Automobile Association, carrying doctors, nurses, medicines, comforts, food—whatever was needed to combat the bacterial fiends that were poisoning the life Stream of the community. From early morning to late at night the cars wended their way through and around the city, and often their drivers were kept busy the whole night through. Surely an organisation with a record such as that the Canterbury Automobile Association is entitled to the support of all motorists, and to the gratitude of the community. There are still some motorists who are not members of the Automobile Association, but nevertheless its membership has increased rapidly during recent years. The increase has been as follows: Year. * Increase. 1915-16 .r *.•'■•►. 208 1916-17 V. ;..• .. 289 1917-18 4. .. .. 170 1918-19 .. .. .. 459 The total membership of the association on July 31, 1919, was 1347. / Reliability Trials. A feature of the work of the association which has not hitherto been referred to is the various reliability trials which it has conducted. Many of these have been held since they were inaugurated in 1907, and they have been uniformly successful functions. The object of the reliability trials is to test the reliability of the various types of cars, and they take the form of both hillclimbing and long-distance running, under conditions designed to secure a fair test. Runs have been made to Dunedin and back, Mount Cook and back, Akaroa, and Kaikoura. Prizes were awarded on points. Much more might be written of the work done By the Automobile Association since its inception in 1903,- but sufficient has been said to demonstrate effectively that the Canterbury Automobile Association is a organisation to have in the community.