HOLIDAY MOTORING

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1929, Page 4 (Supplement)

HOLIDAY MOTORING

CONDITION OF ROADS. A NORTH ISLAND SURVEY. In the interests of the many motorfeta who contemplate touring during the Christmas holidays the South Taranaki Automobile Association has obtained extensive information concerning the state of the roads likely to be travelled during that period. Such information should be of considerable interest to all road' users and is as follows: — f Auckland-Waiwera.—Beet route. Birk-enhead-Albany. Take beach at brawn. Waiwera Hill slightly greasy on corners in wet weather. Auckl'and-Helensivlle.—Either road in fair order. Helensville-Wellsford.—Clay stretches deeply rutted. Trouble in wet weather. Waiwera-Warkworth. — Direct road not advised; suggest Puhoi-Ahuroa-Woodcocks-Warkworth. Available for traffic; somewhat rough and bad in wet weather; Warkworth-Hotco-Tauhoa. — In fair order. Warkworth-Wcllsford, via Way by.— Fair order. Avoid in wet weather. Matakana Hill and Whangaripo Valley.—Very rough. Avoid after rain. WeUsford’Mangawai-Waipii.—ln fine weather t either cross railway line and join Hast Coast road at Whangaripo corner or travel via Te Hana. If wet. travel via Te Hana, thence to East Coast road via Fairy Hill. Mangawai Gorge—Rough. Wellsford - Topuni - Maungaturoto.— Clay surface; bad in wet weather. Portions reasonably graded. Maungaturoto-Waipu, via Gorge.— Care- should be exercised passing new work. Road will probably be closed after New Year fori reconstruction. ,Maungaturoto-Dargaville.—ln good order. ; Waipu-Whangarei;—ln good order. Dargaville-Whangarci.—ln good order. Dargaville or Whangarei to Kaikohe. —Unmetalled gap. Avoid in wet weather. Whangarei via Kawakawa to Kaikohe. —Take Jordan Valley deviation, between Hikurangi. and Hukerenui. Small unmetalled gap at county boundary, bad in wet weather. Use paddock, 2/(1 toll. Dargaville, via Waipoua Forest, to Kaikohe.—Metalled route, except short gap near Aranga. Clay usually fair in summer.

Kaikohe - Whangaroa - Mangomii-Kai-taia.--Negotiable all weathers.

Kaikohe-Mangamuka-Ka.itaia. —' In good order, except stretch ' OkaihauHangiahua. Railway construction has left this section in bad order, Rawene - Broadwood - Herekino - Kaitaia.—Short unmetalled gap. Avoid in wet weather.

Kaitaia-Spirits’ Bay.—lnland road very rough. Ninety-mile beach more comfortable.

Hamilton-Te Kuiti-New Plymouth.— All weather road. Much of AucklandHamilton road now tai - sealed. Hamil-ton-Ngaruawahia corrugated after heavy traffic, but continually graded. Hamil-ton-Te Awamutu, fair. Te AwamutuOtorohanga, fair order, but pot-holed in places. Otorohanga-Te - Kuiti, pot-holed between Otorohanga and Kaitomo junction, but clay deviation provides good travelling. Te Kuiti to Pio Pio, road under construction, and care necessary in places, surface fair, in parts road rough beyond Paemako, beyond Awakino surface improves.

Hamilton-Rotorua.—Road in failorder. New work between Cambridge and Tirau.

Tirau-Taupo.—ln good order. Becomes cut up and rough near Tokoroa in wet weather.,

Taupo-Arapuijiu—The surface of the road is kept in good order by graders and is now safe in all weathers. As an indication of the improvement generally service cars leave Napier daily at 8.30. a.ni. and arrive in Auckland at 9.30 p.m. This is by the Atiamuri-Putaruru route.- In this tinie at least an hour and a half ,is taken up with lunch at Taupo and dinner at Hamilton. Rotorua-Taupo.—with the exception of 10 miles at the Rotorua end, which was damaged ■ when the railway construction was under way, the surface is good, due to the constant use of the grader. The 10 miles referred, to is rough, but traversable in all weathers. Taupo-National Park.—Surface corrugated. To be graded. Taupo-Napier.—Good surface throughout, the grader being in constant use upon the pumice portion between Tarawera and Taupo. Many of the worst bends have been cut back and grades reduced. Service car drivers and private drivers acquainted with the road do the journey in 4| hours. Te Kuiti-National Park.—Mostly .in fair condition. Care should be exercised at Te Kuiti and Taumarunui, where new work is being carried out. Avoid road after heavy rain.

Pio Pio-Ohura-Stratford. — Northern section elay. rough in places. Long length of new metal south of Ohura. National Park-Wanganui.—Metal road in fair order. Improves further south. National Park - Taihape - Palmerston North. —Metal road ih fair order. Good surface on southern end.

Waiouru-Tokaanu. —Direct road being graded, very much improved surface. Avoid in very wet weather.

Auckland-Paeroa-Thames. —Metal road in good order.

Hamilton-Pacroa-Thamcs.—Fair order. One or two lengths slightly pot-holed. Thames-Coromandel. —Much improved curface, metalled. Watch for new road work. Coromandel-Mercury Bay. —Much improved surface, metalled. • Thames to Mercury Bay, via Coroglen. —In fair order, clay sections. Avoid after rain. Goromandel-Colvillc-Port Charles. — Tn good order, clay sections. Carry chains, necessary after rain. Paeroa-Tauranga, via Waihi. —Clay section very rough, unfavourable travelling. Avoid after any rain. Paeroa-Tirau, via Matamata. —In fair order, metalled road. : Matamata via Kaitaai to Tauranga.— Metalled road in good order Matamata side, somewhat rough on Tauranga end. Tatiranga-Te Puke. —Part metalled, part clay, rough travelling. " Carry chains after rain. Te Puke-Wliakatane. — Unmetalled stretches, mostly pumiced. Usually negnt.ial.de all weathers

Whakatane-Opotiki.—A good, metalled road. Rotorua-Te Puke. — Pumice, good order. Exercise care four miles from Rotorua to negotiate one car road for , quarter of a mile. Rotorua-Lake Waikaremoana, via ’ Urewera.—ln fair order. Section of road beyond Wai-iti becomes soft after rain. Rotorua-Whakatane. —In fair order, usually holds traffic throughout summer. Exercise care four miles from Rotorua to negotiate one car road for quarter mile. Opotiki-Gisborne.—All weather road, except four fords, which are troublesome after heavy rain. Metalled surfaces somewhat rought between Matawai and Otoko. Road work in progress. Alternate route via Waioeka Valley to Matawai open for traffic December 20 to January 5. Avoid after rain. Several bad fords on detour. Gisborne-Napier.—ln good order, somewhat rough at Morene and Wharerata Hills. Alternate route via Tinoroto and Hangaroa presents easier grades, but Jias clay gap. Wairoa-Waikaremoana.—ls kept in first-class order by the Public Works Department. The road is now metalled right to lake house. Wairoa-Napier.—ln good order. Southern Portion of Island. —All main routes south of New Plymouth-Palm-erston North and Napier are all weather roads and are maintained in good order. The Foxton-Sanson road under reformation, route via Palmerston North recommended. West Coast Resorts.—Raglan and " Kawhia, all weather road, in fair order. Tangarakau Gorge Road.—The Public Works Department advises that the surface of the road is very fair, but being a clay road it would be wise for motorists to carry chains. It is very greasy during wet weather, and timid motorists are advfeed not to use this road until after at least two days’ fine .weather. Moki Saddle is in fair order, but chains may be required if it rains, the road being very gremsy. Wanganiii-Raetihi, via Parapara. — This road has been open all the winter and there should be no trouble unless a large slip occurs. Taihape-Ohakune.—This is now all metalled. Taihape-Napier.—Some heavy grades. Clay surface, rouglfr Avoid in wet weather. Raetihi-National Park.—Jn good order. The deviation on the northern side of Horopito should be finished and open for traffic before Christmas. Wanganui-Karioi, via Mangamahu.— Thfe is not at present open, as several gangs are improving the worst portion of the road. It should be quite passable in fine weather by Christmas. > Hunterville-Tangiwai (Taihape-Oha-kune Road) via Turakina Valley—This road should be in good order with fine weather, as there is not much clay surface. . It is .narrow and winding, and motorists wanting the easiest drivingare advised to go via Taihape. Those wanting a new trip will see some beautiful scenery and water-falls. THE IDEAL CAR., COMMERCIAL CONSIDERATIONS. (By Our Motoring Correspondent.) London, Nov. 7. Although this year’s crop of new cars revealed few real novelties it would be wrong to assume that progress towards the ideal of perfection has been even temporarily stayed. The . thing to remember is that motor car manufacturers are business men first and idealists afterwards, and that any attempt on their part to achieve the ideal must be ■strictly controlled by commercial considerations. The workshops of Coventry, Detroit, Paris, Milan and Berlin teem with new ideas, but we have not heard much of them because car makers cannot afford to be too precipitate. They must consider their market, and experimental work, unless the , results are for inclusion in an immediate programme, _ is too costly to be lightly undertaken. Take the case of the most expensive production chassis in the world, the Duesenberg, which was displayed at Olympia. Here is a car that embodies many new ideas— the kind of refinements that one will expect to find on the perfect car. It can be driven safely on ordinary roads at a speed of well over 100 miles per hour, it is so solidly constructed, and the material is so well selected and tested that the fear of a breakdown can be practically dismissed from the mind. It is fitted with instruments that tell the driver almost everything he need know as to the car's needs. One little lamp tells him when to add more oil, another when his batteries need “topping,” and so on. It is a car that almost drives itself if the claims made for it are all substantiated. Obviously it has been designed by an automobile idealist who has put his ideal first and commercial considerations second. But what is the result?. The chassis cannot be sold at less than £2,380, at which price few people can afford to buy it. FANCY PRICES RULED OUT. Thus it will be seen that the ordinary makers of cars cannot follow the . Duesenberg example. They must cate r , for the multitude, and the multitude will not pay fancy prices for cars however near the approach to perfection. Only one or two firms have found it possible as a consequence of the need of commercial caution to adopt even the new mechanical ideas that have become available within the past few years. Such . innovations ns free wheel clutches, independent wheel springing, front wheel ‘drive, self-ehanging gears and one-ahot or automatic lubrication have had currency for some time, yet the great majority of makers fight shy of them because it means adding to the price of their products or frightening away potential purchasers by giving them something out of the ordinary rut. Of front-wheel drive I must speak with some qualification and with sympathy, for the motor manufacturer, because I am not myself convinced that the advantages gained from front wheel drive are commensurate with the extra production coot and consequent addition to selling price. A . front-wheel drive is manifestly excellent for speeding round corners—a very bad habit by the way —but I have the feeling that on hills

front-wheel drive, is only a mixed blessing because the front wheels under such a system must “bite’’ into the ground instead of performing their function of leading the rear driving wheels over it. I should imagine therefore that for speedy hill climbing the ordinary drive has greater advantages. Independent wheel springing induces no reservations, and it can only be a matter of time before almost every car —certainly every higher-priced car—will have adopted such suspension. In the home country we are somewhat pampered by good roads, and the need of independent wheel springing is not so clamant. But roads are rather worse abroad, and Continental car designers are accordingly taking the lead in furnishing independently sprung 'wheels. British and American manufacturers will soon have to follow the Continental lead, not so much because they require independent springing for the roads of their own country, but because ear makers have to cater more and more for world markets, and will soon require to produce vehicles that will be as suitable for the roads of Albania as for the Brighton road. The “nationalist” idea in car construction is rapidly becoming obsolete, and British car makers will have to produce vehicles that are as fit for Continental roads as French, Italian and German cars, and as fit for Dominion roads as the American cars.

Another proved aid to perfection which manufacturers are reluctant to adopt on the ground of cost is the selfchangipg gear. lam full of admiration for this device, which is truly a simple one. All that is necessary is to move a little lever on a dial on top of the steering wheel. You place the-lever opposite the speed you desire to engage —the speeds arc all marked on the dial —you depress the clutch pedal and let it up again gently, and away goes your car in the speed required. This is so obviously a step in the achievement of the ideal car that it is destined to become as common a feature as front wheel brakes. Soon a cheap edition of the self-changing gear will be devised and then the makers will rush to adopt it on even the lower-priced cars just as they rushed to adopt safety glass and chromium plating this year. AUTOMATIC LUBRICAT lON. I have not quite made up my mind yet whether I should like to see oneshot or automatic lubrication fitted to every car. On the face of it, a system which docs away entirely with the messy and laborious job of . chassis greasing seems to have few “snags,” but I have half a fear that perfection has not yet been reached in that respect, and that the lubricant may be prevented through one cause or another from getting to its destination. The common grease nipple admittedly becomes blocked at times, but it is a simpler job dismantling a stubborn grease nipple than having to struggle, with oil pipes. However, these apprehensions- may be unfounded, and I may only be afflicted by the fear of the unknown. As a famous politician said some time ago, we prefer the devils we know to thcGe we do not know. In any event, here is another obvious . step towards the perfect car. and no doubt before long all fears will be dispelled by the introduction of some system which, while not infallible, will at any rate incorporate some ‘•gadget” or other after the manner of the Dueisenberg, which will tell the motorist that this or that bearing fe not receiving its proper share of lubricant. Perhaps the car manufacturers are also waiting for the advent of some such system. Meanwhile the increasing use of oilless bearings and the grouping of grease-pointe in convenient and easily accessible bunches is- an excellent stopgap. Chassis greasing loses half its irksomeness if it fe unnecessary to grope under the chassis for elusive greasenipples. REGIONAL SHOWS. Motorists who have found it- impracticable to attend Olympia this year can still see the latest models under one roof at the Scottish Motor Show if. they care to make the journey to Glasgow. It is interesting to note how this show is I held year after year despite the fact that it follows so closely upon the Olympia show. The secret is, I think, unconnected with any desire of the organisers to have an exhibition for its own sake. The shrewd, hard-headed Scottish motor agent is out to sell cars, and he sells them rather well by means of the . annual Scottish show which is essentially a car mart. At Olympia the majority of visitors come to look, but at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, a large percentage of the visitors are actual or potential car buyers. They lind on the stands the agents who sell cars in their own localities, and they know that if they buy a car from these individuals they will be able, after the car is bought, to receive personal attention from them. Most of the cars shown at Olympia are also shown at the .Scottish exhibi-’ tion, but to visitors who have only known the Olympia show it comes as a surprise to see the same makes of cars on different stands, for as it fe an agents’ show they naturally put on their stands the makes of cars they think they are most likely to sell. Belfast, by the way, seems to have made up its mind that it would rather not have a motor show for Northern Ireland, even on the Scottish pattern. Admittedly motor shows are difficult and costly things to organise, and Ulster motorists can sec ail the latest models in the showrooms of their local agents. But I think there is a good deal to be said in favour of organising motor shows of a different kind in all the large towns, namely, used car exhibitions. Such shows are neither difficult nor expensive to organise and they usually give a welcome fillip to *tie second hand car business. EGYPT IS MOTJ*H-MINDED. Sales of motor care in Egypt continue at a high level. The introduction of motor vehicles >*" the land of the Pharoahs fe comparatively recent date. In 1921 the number of cars imported was only 926, but with one exception there has been an increase in the imports every year since, and in 1927 the number reached 5623. To-day motor cars are used in Egypt by all classes of the population. When the first taxicabs were introduced in Alexandria in 1922, there was considerable scepticism as to their ultimate success, but since that time taxis have entirely replaced the old two-horse victorias, even in the smaller cities, and numerous make-shift ’buses are in ser vice in country districts and are very popular with the fellahs or native peasants. This method of transport has developed to such a degree that the railway administration, feeling the competition, fe taking steps to establish a motor service of its own.