HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS.

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19663, 24 August 1935, Page 24 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS.

WOMAN MOTORIST’S PROTEST. j i j WENT VOLUNTARY TO PRISON. “Prisoner 1692," Miss Fay Taylour, woman racing motorist, who went voluntarily to Holloway gaol' to serve a week’s imprisonment rather than pay a £1 fine for exceeding tiie 30 miles an hour speed limit, was “put out" of prison on June 25. The fine was paid by a Daily Express reporter on the previous day, j four hours after she entered the i prison, but she vainly insisted on remaining there. When seen later in the day at her flat she said she was not at all pleased that the fine had been paid. “1 wanted to serve the week’s imprisonment as a protest against the absurd speed limit,” Miss Taylour said. “I did not go to the prison as a joke, and I realise that a week there would not have been a very pleasant experience. Paying the fine has spoilt it all. I protested when the woman deputy governor told me I would have to leave. She Insisted that I should go, and in the end they virtually put me out. “A prison official gave me five shillings to pay the taxicab fare home. I shall, of course, pay that back. As I was leaving the prison, I asked that the bill for my board and lodging should be sent to Mr llore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport. Refused to Have Fine Paid. “I had changed into prison clothes when I was told on Monday evening ! that a man had paid my fine and that i I was to go out. When I was taken ; before the deputy governor I said I refused to have my fine paid by a I stranger, and that I was determined ; to serve the week’s imprisonment. I “Finally, I had to sign a document ! stating that I did not know the man who had paid the fine, and that I did not wish to be released. I was then locked up in a cell. I went straight to bed, and was so tired that I slept for nine hours. I did not even hear the bell go in the morning, and was . late for exercise. “During the preliminaries after I 1 entered the prison I was put for a time in a cell in the reception block. There I made friends with a cat, and ilso took several photographs of the

cell and of the corridor with a camera I had taken into prison with other belongings. That, of course, was done before my things were searched and checked. “The point I have tried to make is that if every motorist convicted under this new speed limit refused to pay the line and went to prison an alteration would soon be made in the law.”

“RENOVATING” SPARK PLUGS. Most spark plugs are easily dismantled for cleaning purposes, and an occasional renovation of the spark plugs on a car is well worth while. After the two parts of llic plug have been detached with spanners, or in a vice, the mica insulation on I tie inside of iho plug should be cleaned with a rag dipped in petrol—in no circumstances should an abrasive material be used. The points should then he rubbed with emery paper, and after alt carbon lias been removed, ttie plug should bo reassembled, taking care the joint is sufficiently firm to make it gaslight. The points should then bo set so that a gap of about 18/1000 in is left, or , witti a low compression and coil ignition, about 25/1000in.

SAFE CRANKING. It is seldom necessary nowadays to crank a motor vehicle, which may account for the number of minor accidents which occur when it does have , to be done. Should an emergency compel a driver to crank his car, Hie following is the satest and liest way of doing il: — Hull Ihe handbrake on, set the gears in neutral, relard the spark, and open the hand Ihrotlle slightly. Then lake a linn stance in front of |he car in such a position Hint llie arm can gel a fairly slraiuhl pull upwards on the crank, while the bndv and chin j are clear of its swing should a bark- I lire occur. I •Hold the handle so Hint Ihr .thumb j is on tlm sanu' side of the handle as j the hack of Hie hand. ( Hull the crank up smartly, allowing | the leg muscles to lake most of I In' ! strain. Finish the movement with a j jerk, and thru release the handle. , Pushing downwards is dangerous, ami 1 is seldom as choc live. I

| THOSE OLD TUBES. SOME SUGGESTIONS. Among suggested uses for discarded motor tubes the following may prove useful:— Emergency leggings.—Cut pieces of tubing long enough to reach from instep to knee, removing a piece to leave the heel to project through free. As j these leggings are only for an emerg- } ency they may he secured with string, j They may be useful often when washi ing the car. ’Stopping rattles: —Besides stopping | rattles about the car use bits of rub- ( ber on the house windows, etc. Strips may also be used to deaden the noise of doors shutting and fixed to the bottom of doors make good draught excluders. Circles glued to the bottom I of chair legs will prevent grating. ■Knock-about footwear. —Old boots j and shoes will 'Continue to serve if pro- | vided with soles cut from old tubing, j ’Children at the beach. —Lots of fun | will toe got at the seaside if the children are given one or two old tubes blown up to float. The tubes, of course will not last long, but they are safe. DRIVING IN FLOODS. Serious flooding of roads in many parts of ’Great Britain has directed motorists’ attention to their brakes which are often rendered temporal- ! ily ineffective by immersion. Unless j 1 a driver is aware of this, an emerg- | ency requiring hard braking may place j him in a very awkward predicament. J The Automobile Association sug- j gests that the effectiveness of the. 1 brakes should be tested immediately after a car or motor cycle has negotiated a flooded stretch of road, and if efficiency has been impaired the vehicle should be driven some distance with brakes lightly applied so ,■ that the warmth generated will dry the linings. When there is a risk of the exhaust pipe outlet being submerged the A.A. recommends that the lowest gear should be engaged and the vehicle driven steadily through the flood with a constant pressure on the accelerator. Sharp bursts of accelera- ;

tlon and deceleration may cause water to be sucked into the engine. In deep floods speed should be kept as low as possible to prevent water splashing through the radiator and being thrown by the fan over the sparking plugs and carburettor.

FROM EARTH TO MOON. It was a memorable day for science when the great Newton brought the mind of a genius to bear on the very simple happening of the apple falling from the tree. As a result, the laws of gravity were enunciated. Since then much light lias been thrown on the nature of tlie world wo live in, and its relationship with the myriad other worlds that move in Hie firmament. By applying Hiese laws astronomers can tell us, for instance, that the moon is nearly 210,000 miles away from Hie earth. Compared with Hie distances of oilier planets, this is a mere bagatelle, but lo the mind of man, who must coniine his movements within our own small planet it is a distance vast enough. The average motorist would not cover such a mileage in a life-time.

All the more remarkable then come Hie details of a performance put up by Mr .1. Stewart, a resident of Johnnesburg, South Africa. In a letter to the Vacuum Oil Company, Mr Stewart says:—

“My Ilupmobile car has covered over 267,000 miles (which is more than the distance of the earth from the moon) on taxi-work, on all types of roads. At 153,000 miles it received its > first and last major overhaul. I have ■ never had an involuntary slop through • engine trouble, and the engine is still ! |in perfect running condition, although ’ it has done 11 1,000 miles since last ! | decarbonised. Since 1023 the ear has | operated exclusively on Mobiloil. 1 j think the above fuels suhslanliale j ymir claim Unit .Mobiloil is the best oil j money can buy, and that if il, is con!staidly used it will give almost perfect | luhricalion.” This is an amazing tribute to (lie reliability of the modern ear and Iho | efficiency of modern luhricalion. The j moon, for all its 2•if),000 miles aloofj ness, is not so very far after all. ! ! Moor rallies caused h.v wear of Iho 'rubber Puffers can he cured by removing the buffers and placing behind Ihoiil washers about 1-lOiu or I-Sin lliiek. When replaced, il. wilt be found that Iho increased spread is sufficient lu jamb Hie door lightly. .

SPARKS. When you've driven 10,000 miles you will be out of the novice class. In testing upholstery, says Punch, the proof of the padding is in the seat- , ing. j Never sound your horn on the road. | Save it until lale at night for a door- ] bell. Few homes have guns. j Tyres should be examined at interi vals and flints embedded In the rubber j removed. i The Wellington city by-law which prohibits what is known as doublehanking on bicycles is worthy of imij tation. ; Always lock your brakes when skidding. It makes the job more artistic. Often you can even turn clear around. An oily, greasy running-board spoils ' the appearance of a car. A rag or cotton-waste saturated with kerosene will be found to be a better cleaner tiian soap and water. j I The checking of valve clearances I should be carried out while the en- | gine is warm. At this time allowance ; is made for expansion caused by any increase in temperature of the entire power unit, the clearances being those normally obtained under working conditions. It is suggested that in the event of the main fuse blowing and there being none of the normal fuse wire available, a temporary measure can be provided by taking the tinfoil from a packet of cigarettes, folding it into a narrow strip, and then fastening it across' the terminals of the fuse holder.

It is not an uncommon experience to I And that the windscreen wiper leaves ! a smear across the glass which interj feres with visibility and increases the I strain of night driving. This can be j remedied by vigorously rubbing a piece J of newspaper—the black bold type of j advertisements is the best—over the screen while it is wet. A sliced apple or potato is equally effective in assisting the function of the wiper. It was stated in the House of Commons in May that the number of motor ; vehicle policies which have become invalid during the past four years in consequence of the winding up of five insurance companies was about 188,000.

Wipe the windscreen with a sheet of newspaper and see how much better are the results obtained. This is particularly appreciated in the summer time, when the glass is so quickly covered with a film of dust. Although not particularly noticeable in the day, the dust considerably accentuates dazzle from other head-lamps at night lime and increases eye strain.

To. remove dirt and travel slain j from aluminium running boards | (such as were fitted to most I cars in the past), a wire brush [ dipped in paraffin will be found very j effective. The brush must not be too j stiff, but of the type used for clean- • ing suede shoes. A fair amount of | scrubbing may be necessary on longstanding stains, but the results are invariably very satisfactory. Subsequent regular cleaning will keep them in good condition and only occasional scrubbing will be needed. * “It is a very great shock to me; I should think there are plenty of second-hand ones about,” commented Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court when a man charged with using. a motor vehicle not equipped with a rear-vision mirror gave as his explanation that the mirrors were not procurable in New Zealand at the time. A shipment had arrived recently from Australia, added the letter addressed to the court, and a mirror had been fitted. Motorists are to seek representation ! on the district highways council, ac- j cording to a decision reached by the ! Executive Committee of the South Is- j land Motor Union (reports the Christ- j church Press). The suggestion to do i this came from the Automobile Assoc- j iation (Otago). It was supported by l two or three members of the commit- | tee, but the opinion was expressed that ! the obtaining of representation would 1 not be easy. The suggestion was i

placed on the order paper for the annual meeting of the union, and the secretary was instructed to write to lire Highways Board asking for representation. Every motorist should know the bylaws dealing with the traffic of his district. His duty is lo get a copy and know what lie can and cannot do.