HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20845, 1 July 1939, Page 28 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

THE PARKING PROBLEM

A POSSIBLE SOLUTION Car-parkin z is a problem confronting authorities in many countries of the world today. An interesting experiment. hailed as a possible solution of parkins problems is being carried out by the city of Detroit fUnited States; Department of Street RailThis department has inaugurated a service whereby motorists are able to park their automobiles just outside the city proper and travel a short distance by bus to their place of business. For a 90-day trial, a parking lot just outside the business area has been leased, and motorists who wish to avoid the traffic and parking jam may leave their cars in the area set aside, and transfer to a bus operated by the Detroit Street Railways, which takes them by a convenient route to the City Hall. Each motorist is provided with a three-section ticket —one for parking, the other two for bus rides to and from the city. A small additional charge for car passengers is made for Uic bus journey. If this 90-day trial relieves traffic congestion in the city, further parking areas will be opened at points convenient to motorists driving in from all sections of Detroit. Since considerable interest is centred on the proposed parking regulations in some States in Australia, it will be interesting to watch the results of the above trial for. says the Dunlop Bulletin, in the not distant future, steps probably of a similar nature will have to be taken to overcome the parking problems in that country.

COLD MORNING STARTING

TESTS IN GIANT REFRIGERATOR 'During the cold spells of winter, many motorists find their cars difficult to start—how then, would they care to try to start a car which had stood for 24 hours in 47 deg. of frost? This task, states the Dunlop Bulletin, is frequently undertaken by engineers in the Lucas Works London J, wliere one big room is built as a giant refrigerator. it is used for “ startability ” tests, and is much in demand by car designers wishing to determine the size and power of the self-starting mechanism for a new type of engine. A great deal of the modern car’s freedom from “ cold morning ” starting troubles is due to experimental work carried out in this room.

WATER AS FUEL

EMULSIFIER DOES THE TRICK From time to time, inventors have popped up with methods of turning water into motor fuel by various mysterious means. It will be remembered, some years ago, a Frenchman found a way to use sea-water in this manner, and a car was driven from Paris t.o Rouen on this fuel. Now cuincs news that one Yaman Kokatnur, of New York. has taken out a patent covering the addition of water to petrol in a special way to increase power. Apparently water is added in strengths from 10 to 5U per cent, and an ammonia soap emulsifier does the trick. The mixture of water, soap and petrol goes through a device which “ grinds " the liquid so that the water globules are no bigger than from one to three microns four to twelvethousandths of an inch) in size.

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS

SPARKS

PARKING ATTACHMENT

SAYING THE BATTERIES Those who have to leave their cars for several hours at a stretch after dark are no doubt aware that there is always a danger of the battery being run dowu when the car is lo be driven away. Even if it is nut completely •• ilat," there might be insufficient current to operate the starter motor. It has become fairly usual practice to fit so-called parking lamps, which consist of a single lamp showing a white light to the front and a red one to the rear of the car. This type of device, although it does effect a saving of current, is not legally in order, for the regulations stipulate that any car, whether running or parked, must show at least two white lights to the front and one red light to the rear. A simple and effective device has just been placed on the market in England to meet all legal requirements while reducing the current consumption of the three sometimes four —two rear lamps, lamps to a minimum, it consists essentially of a fixed resistor and a toggle-type shorting switch, these being mounted in a small metal box from which a length of twin flex is brought. When the car is lo be parked, the switch is operated to opcncircuit the resistor, which is wired in series with the lead from the switchboard to the side and tail lamps, and so to cut down the current. On the model tested, the current was reduced from approximately three to one amp., without making the lights too dim to serve their useful purpose when the car is parked. The unit is built in a stove-enam-elled metal box fitted with a mounting tab having a number of alternative holes. Thus, it can be bent to suit any convenient mounting position. This device, known as the Legal Parking Attachment, can be fitted in a few minutes simply by breaking the lead from the switchboard and connecting the Hex from the device tu the two sides of the break.

UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENT

MILLIONTH MORRIS ON THE ROAD Monday, May 22 will go down in history as a date unique in the annals of the British Motor Industry, as it was on that day that the 1,000,000 th Morris from Yiscount Nuffield’s famous factory at Cowley was placed on the road; the first British factory to manufacture 1.000,000 vehicles. B-ehind this fact lies a story of stern endeavour and uncompromisFng courage which is largely the life history of William Richard Morris, Ylscount Nuffield, the man responsible for designing and building the first Morris car, and who has always been personally responsible for initiating each progressive stage both in the development of the company and its products. The original shops which served as the factory still stand behind Hurst's Grammar School, Cowley, England, where W. R. Morris first began to give practical expression of his ideal of building a motor car for £l6,f, although it. is overshadowed by the 120 acres of factory space which now cover the fields nestling at th.e foot of the Berkshire Hills. At the age of 16, William Richard Morris declared: “ W. R. Morris will 1 pay me a higher salary than anybody : else. I'll go to work for W.R.”— ; and he did. With a capital of little more than ! £4 he established himself as a cycle builder and repairer in Oxford, and I during the next few years, he proved t his faith in his own machines by riding them with no little success in races all over England. IHis cycling business, in which he was helped by his father, prospered, hut he lived with the times, and 1 shortly before his retirement from j cycle* racing he became interested j in the interna] combustion engine, j and, in 1903, marketed the first Mor- ; ris motor cycle. This he continued j to build until ID 10, when lie began 1 to visualise the production of the first moderate-priced motor-car, and, for the next two years concentrated on its ; perfection. Others who have had privilege of seeing that historic blueprint of the . first Morris Car were so impressed ; by its possibilities that, without fur- i ther ado, Mr Gordon Stewart gave an I order for 400. Success both for “ W.RJM.” and his cars seemed assured, but postponement of this idea, however, became inevitable when the storm clouds of war gathered and burst to rain death and destruction over Europe and the world. 'Mr Morris promptly offered to place his services, and the resources of the small factory he then owned, at the i disposal of the Government. As comptroller ot that factory he never spared himself in order to execute to time the contracts for war implements that were given to him, including 50,000 mine . sinkers for the North Sea mine field.

Solicitor at Wimbledon: “You have told the court that you are too poor to be legally represented, but you arrived here by car. Defendant: •• I did. But have you seen the car? ” The German Government has issued an edict directing that all cars produced and sold in Germany are to be fitted with tyres of Buna, which is an- j other name for synthetic rubber. j Three years ago a motorist had his j license twice endorsed and suspended I four times. Recently he applied for i a clean license under an assumed name. | The police sergeant recognised him, although he bad not seen him in the meantime. He was fined £2O. f'ne of the least, thought-of things j in the make-up of a motor vehicle is i the split pin. if they cost a few shil- ! lings each, motorists would pay more ! attention and give more credit, to the safety insurance provided by these small but important parts of a motor 1 vehicle. Many thousands of limes ! a day the split pin is all that guards j motorists from serious accidents by keeping nuts in their places and pre- ; venting mishaps that would certainly j ensue.