THE MOTOR WORLD.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16260, 29 October 1920, Page 3

THE MOTOR WORLD.

NEWS AND NOTES, (By RADIATOR.' 1 ) 11 Where's that benaine?” asks an Auckland writer, aud ho goes on to fiay that the question “ gives ono furiously to think ” when tho facts are known and considered. A study of the Customs returns shows that tho quantities of petrol imported into this .Dominion for the first sis months of tho present year and tho two preceding years were;— PETROL. 1913 (6 months) , , . 3,534,463 gala. 1910 (6 month?) . . . 1,'219,417 gals. 1920 (6 months) , . , 7,738,333 gals!' V It is, therefore, plain that the importations this year are very largely in excess of previous years. Tho writer is of the opinion that the -normal consumption of petrol is increasing very lunch faster than is realised by those responsible for its importation. Petroldriven vehicles for road traffic avo coming into the Dominion at tho rate of about 1000 a month, and arc practically all going into immediate commission. 'Tho commercial motor vehicle is coining into more general use, and this is an. important factor in the fuel problem. Tor the seven months ended I’-dy 31, 1020, 790 of these commercial vehicles have been imported as against 804 for tho twelve months of 19ip. Iheso commercial motor vehicles consume much more fuel than the ordinary pleasure car. They aro in. constant daily use, and the mileage to tho gallon is very much dess. There can be no doubt that this class of vehicle accounts for a. very large quantity of the fuel. Cut after allowing a liberal margin for all the increased uses of petrol, it is still impossible to believe that the large quantities imported durmg the last few mouths can have been used, as wc aro now asking each other “AYhevo is the petrol?” The oil stores aro practically hare, aud there can bo no suggestion of hoarding on tho part of the importers. It is not the policy of distributors to hold stocks larger than necessary. Stocks have an unpleasant way of evaporating and leaking, and every distributor likes to keep his stocks on tho move, as hia margin is too line to stand much loss by leakage. Tho consumer must be saddled with the responsibility of tho disappearance of the .petrol, mid if all the truth was known it would probable show large quantities of petrol stored away for the oncoming milking season and the coming summer. it « « A deputation of Auckland garage proprietors waited on Mr Hugh Hamilton at the Grand Hotel last week. Mr Hamilton is a director of the Vacuum Oil Company, Melbourne, and visited Auckland (iccompanied by Mr Gate (New Zealand manager) and Messrs F. B. Clapp and D. S. Aarons, of tho Melbourne staff. MrM. Gillctt, on behalf of the garage proprietors, outlined tho position of supplies, or rather shortage of supplies, from which Auckland has been suffering for mouths past, and asked what the prospects of future supplies were likely to be. Mr Hamilton in reply outlined tho position very dearly indeed, and stated that Ins company was doings all it could to hustle up increased supplies for Hew Zealand; The whole tenour of his remarks was characterised by extreme frankness. Details of the number of cases imported into How Zealand for

tb© past six mouths showed'that cott* siderabiy' more benzine has been imported than in a "corresponding period last yearas a matter of fact,- the total importations of all brands for the first sis months of 1920 show that they exceed the 1910 figures by over 3)000,000 gallons. Mr Hamilton mentioned that the quality of some of the benzines shipped to Now Zealand is very much higher than that at present used iu U.S.A. by the motorists; that is,’ j the U.S.A. motorisfs would "like to be able to buy gasolene of the quality that 1 we use hero. _ The.garage-proprietors'' came awaywith a satisfied feeling that the. prospects for future benzine supplies aro very much brighter. f V Not all the inventions that aro added to the car are the work of men engaged in the great centres of mauufaclure, A Rarotonga correspondent writes that Messrs Henry -Rey 'and* W. M'Birney have returned to the,, islands from America after successfully floating the Hey patents into a corporation capitalised at. ‘IOOjOOOdoI. These patents embody several inventions upon which, Air Hey had been, working for some two years. The, most important of these is the Key wheel, a wheel stamped out of sheet steel and constructed' upon entire|y new principles. Thirty -seconds is the time claimed as necesearjrto detach the rim and replace it with another. Mr Hey was born in ■ Tahiti, and is of Trench and Tahitian descent. For many years ho was resident in Karotonga, \ . ...VThere are a number of tilings that ■ muss bo done if the inner _ tube is to give its best service. Care must ba taken to protect it from • its natural enemies, such as - sunlight, oil, grease., acid, water and the atmosphere. These, enemies act in various ways, sunlight dries up the rubber, making it brittle, so that it loses its elasticity. Tubes should never bo carried loose in a tool uox, for they will come in contact with sharp edges, tools and grease, or rags covered with grease or oil, and unless the spots where the rubber was tbuchcd are quickly cleaned the- tube will go dead.” Also a tube folded, but unprotected, will chafe where the folds occur, and when filled wifh air is liable to ieak._ Placing undersized tubes in casings is a practice that will niin the tube in a short time. \ A new car is announced under the ' na,me “Parent!,” which in design and construction is a radical departure from wha. is termed standard practice. The new machine has no frame in the accepted sense, the body (formed of laminated, wood sections metalled over and carrying pressed steel running board and fenders riveted to it) is itself the frame and axles. The front and rear wheels are carried on stub axles which attach to the springing system, and the drive _to the rear wheels is by uuiver-sa-Uy jointed shafts from a standard differential gear mounted in the b.6dy. The design eliminates .practiallb all unsprung weight, and the manufacture ' el’s claim for it unusual economy in consequence. The designer, Mr J. S., Parent!, was at one time with the Fiat-. ‘ psopio in Italy, but lias for many years been engaged the motor business in America, and it is in the latter countrv that he has undertaken to produce this radically different car.