HIGHROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14764, 1 October 1921, Page 15 (Supplement)

HIGHROAD AND BY-ROAD

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS. (By "Crank.") MOTOR FUEL PROBLEM. PETROLEUM OR ALCOHOL? No one who has studied the transport difficulties of Australia can fail to realise the enormous importance of the motor car and the motor truck as the only immediately available solution (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph). We have no canals, no navigable rivers worth considering, and very little railwar, in comparison with other countries of similar size. We must depend upon carriage by road to a'very large extent.

Far-seeing members of the motor trade in Australia think that this country has scarcely begun to be "motorised" yet. They can see the time when there will be ten times as many trucks and five times as many cars in use as there arc to-day—and they don't think that time is far off. But those same men also give an occasional thought to the great problem of finding fuel for a "motoriscd" Australia. Australia is in the unenviable position of being entirely dependent upon imported motor fuel. Almost every gallon of benzine and other motor fuel that is used in this coTirlry has to come from overseas. Recent happenings have shown what this means in the matter of price.. What it might mean in the event of another war, or might happen if America should, as seems likely, require more fuel than she can produce, it is not hard to imagine.

The importance ,which the Federal Government, attaches to this matter is proved by the substantial prize which it offered to theifirst discovery of petroleum oil in payable qauntities in this country. But (lie price remains unclaimed. There have been many attempts to secure it. A West Australian concern has just had a disappointment, finding that promising-locking seepages held no trace of petroleum, A reported ••find" in South Australia a few months ago has not been heard of since. Efforts in this State have proved unsuccessful, and it looks as though one or another of the Queensland investigations will be the first to tap the deposits of oil which geologists think must be beneath us. The opening up of ,-, big "gusher" on Australian soil would be wonderful news, pregnant with promise for the future prosperity of Australia. Motor transport is the most economical, speed and convenience being considered, even with fuel handling our products, even with fuel at its present price. With unlimited supplies of cheap benzine one of the country's greatest problems would be well on the way towards solution.

But, meanwhile, there may be no oil here; or it might not pay to treat it. Apparently we must then fall back on the recommendation of the British Anti-profiteering Committee, that all sections of the Empire should produce their own motor fuel, preferably an alcohol fuel. There is another alternative —benzole —and it is repm'tod that the Broken Hill Co., at, Newcastle, is erecting a plant to turn out large quantities of this fuel. It has been suggested, too, (hat the brown coalilulds of Victoria could be profitably worked for the production of benzole. Neither of these sources, however, shows signs of being able to supply any material portion of the country's require me

New Smith Wales went through something of an alcohol fuel boom a year ago. Syndicates were formed for me manufacture, of alcohol fuel, and ■ Iwo actually went to flotation —Natalite, the South African fuel, and Powrol, which was to be made on an Australian formula. The latter has not been heard of for sonic time. The former, which carried out exhaustive tests with samples of the fuel from South Africa, has also been little in the public eye, but it is still in existence, and Caliban for tenders for the manufacture of its plant, to the plans secured in England recently by one of 'the directors. Plans and specifications are out, and it is understood that a number of local and overseas firms are likely to submit, quotations. This plant is to be erected at New Guinea, where the company controls land which is said to carry the necessary raw materia!. It is post'.hie, according to one official of the Natalitc Motor Spirit Co., of Australia, Ltd., that production may commence within 12 months. It would not, be correct to say that Australia is entirely dependent upon imported petroleum oil. for there is a small supply from Newnes Junction, New South ' Wales. But this fuel, which is of undoubted quality, is made from shale. It is purely a by-product, and- to that, extent the output is strictly limited. Experts are not hopeful that distillation from shale will ever produce a sufficient and cheap sunply of fuel in this country. We must find some ready-distilled by Nature, and stored under the ground, or look to another class of_fucl altogether. HUMAN NATURE ANT» THE STORAGE BATTERY. The following advice to battery ' users, regardless of the make of storage battery he is using, is given by Mr Gnrriek Nisbet, the local service agent:— In spite of all that has been written regarding the proper care and attention of storage batteries, there is an appalling number of these useful little "power boxes" ruined every year purely from neglect. However, as long as human nature remains as it, is, it, is going to he a difficult task to persuade motorists to give their batteries the proper amount of attention. They won't give it to their own bodies: doctors will bear out die statement Hi.it everyone should submit to a thorough physical examination periodically in order that, if any serious symptoms are present, they may be detected and checked in their incipient stages. Most of us know this, but we neglect going to the doctor until we are acutely conscious of the fact thai we need his service. How then, can we, negligent beings that we are, be expected lo give proper attention to a litllc inanimate pari of our cars that seems to give satisfaction (at least lo a certain degree) whether we take care of it or not. Obviously, the only thin-; we can do is to keep hammering awa> at the battery user, bombarding him vvilh facts about his battery until he Ic-'ins to realise, how much he can save by heeding the suggestions offered him, Probably uo battery was ever

installed without attention being called to the fact that it needed distilled water at least once a week in warm weather and every two weeks In cold weather. And yet, in spite of this many batteries go for weeks, at a time without the slightest addition of water, it's true, the battery will light your head li.Tb.ls and tail lights, it will even start your rnolor, but it's doing these things" at the expense of your battery's life. For the water, having evaporated from the cloctrolyte leaves practically I'Olhing but acid, in which the lower half of your plates are submerged. This acid is aeting constantly at the active material in your plates, and in a comparatively short time, the lower half of your plates is stripped to the grid. No amount of good treatment thereafter can remedy this trouble, nothing but new plates. If motorists can onlv be impressed will the savings that can he effected through the use of a little care, they will find that, their latteries give thorn far better service. '■'he Exide' battery Service Station exists to help motorists to secure better service from their batteries