The Motorist.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 779, 9 February 1905, Page 14

The Motorist.

(By “ Petrol.”)

When interviewed the other day in Christchurch, Mr Charles Glidden, who is now on a motor tour of the world, made some interesting remarks on the speed regulations for motor cars : — “I have been through 6000 cities and towns,” said Mr Glidden, “and my experience is that fifteen miles an hour within the city .is a perfectly safe speed for a motor car to travel. Most of the cities of the world allow that, and France even’ goes one better. Six miles an hour is ridiculous. I never heard of such a thing. Should a motor car be obliged to go at the speed of the ox ? I always travel at least 15 miles an hour, and I have never collided with anything, but always have my car under control. In American cities they allow a nominal maximum of 12 miles per hour, except in a few special parts, but the police don’t interfere so long as v ou don’t exceed 15 miles per hour. Six miles an hour is certainly ridiculous. Vthy should Christchurch be more strict than London or New York ? In New York they would have you up for blocking the traffic if you only travelled at six miles an hour. In Sweden there is n’o law limiting the speed. The authorities say you can go as fast as you like, but if anything happens they will hold you responsible. In Stockholm I took the American Consul out for a spin, and we travelled down the Boulevards at something like 40 miles an hour, much to the astonishment of the natives, who gathered round to watch us.’’ Mr Glidden also expressed the opinion that it was not necessary for motorists to sound their horns in the city. He never followed that practice. A competent driver always had his car well under control, and there was no necessity for blowing the horn. The new by-law of the Christchurch City Council, providing that the wheels of all motor cars must be locked, also came in for Mr Glidden’s disapproval. “It is unnecessary, as it is impossible for a motor car to start of its own accord when it is standing and the brake is on,’’ he said. “I will set my brake so that it would be impossible for any eight men to start the car, although they might be able to slide it on asphalt.” New Zealand has made cne or two records in Mr Glidden’s experience. “For transferring my car from Wellington to Lyttelton I paid £5 7s 6d for a distance of 178 miles. From Vancouver to Auckland,- 7200 miles, I was only 7 charged £6, and from Liverpool to Boston £4. If I had to pay- always : at the same rate as from Wellington to Lyttelton my round-the-world tour would have to stop right here. I have crossed 21 frontiers, and had to make 21 deposits as a guarantee that I wouldn’t sell my machin'e, but Auckland insisted on the heaviest deposit, £160.” *- ft ft- * 'rhe prize list of the Dunlop Reliability Motor Contest, Sydney to Melbourne, will be as follows : Perpetual trophy, “Buchanan Cup.” To the winner of this trophy will be presented the “Garland Cup,” and the motoring blue riband of Australia for 1905, together with a gold medal commemorating the event. To the light car (12001 b and under) scoring the highest points, apart

from the actual winner, should a light car win the contest, will be presented the “Robert Hurst Cup,” whilst the motor cycle section will compete for the “A. E. Kemsley Cup,” and the motor cycling road nine rinand of Australia for 1905. Besides these trophies, prizes will be awarded to the contestants that finish second and third in car competition, and to the motor cyclists who fill the same positions in the motor cycle section of the contest. Should mere than one car or motor cycle score the full number of points for the contest (2500' points for the whole distance, made up of 50C points per day), it is the intention of the promoters to award a gold medal to each of the contestants who tie on points, irrespective of the further eliminating ccntest that would l.e held to Ballarat. Holland now leads the v, orld in the enlightened attitude of the authorities towards automobilism by having a olished all restrictions as to speed limits in the country, except that of driving to the danger of the public. By this regulation the whole responsibility is placed upon the driver of a motor-car as in the case of a horse-drawn vehicle. This is as it should be, for it is unreasonable to make one traffic law for motorists and another for drivers of horses. Local motorists think that if motor-cars are to be licensed, so ought all other private vehicles, as, indeed, they are in Europe, and the fees devoted to the maintenance of good reads. As a matter of fact, the tyres of motorcars ma'-e no impression on the reads, wh ch are cut up and worn into holes by the sharp edges of horses’ steel-shed hoofs and the steel rims of wheels. Since the horse-dravn \ehiclcs damage the roads, it is but reasonable that they should make a special contribution to the repairing of them. In France, where the rovds are magni cent, the bicycles, .motor-bicycles, motor-cars and horse-dravn vehicles all pay a lax on a graduated scale, which individually is not burdensome, but in the aggregate mounts up to a great sum wherewith to keep the roads in grand order. * * * * Respite unfa' curable weather conditions, the r eeling of the North German A.C. was carried out successfully, before a great crowd of spectators on the Bahrecfeld trotting course. Ibis course is eminently suitable for fast work, although it is not banked at the turns. This meeting gained special importance from the inclusion on the programme of two international events for light-rac-ing cars. The French Darracq 40 h.p. racer was present, and maintained itsunbroken run of wins during the 1904 season by taking both the events in very fast time. The first race was for cars of 8 to 12cwt., over 1 kilometres (2 2-3 miles), and Hemery drove his Darracij to victory in 3inin 13sec. The second open event was the Lirrup Cup for all cars over 6§- kilometres (4 1-3 . miles), and this provided a very exciting contest. The famous German amateur driver, Willy Poege, drove a 38 h.p. Mercedes, and got away with a great burst of speed. He led for three laps, and kept the inside running, l ut, going wide at one of the turns, he allowed the French car to slip inside, and could not recover the advantage lost. The Darracq car finally won by the handsome margin of 6 seconds, in the fast time of smin 12sec for the distance. The consistent running of the car is shown by the average of 55 miles ner hour in both the races.

The motor-omnibus is firmly establishing its claim to be a commercial success, as well as a public convenience. Following up the satisfactory balance-sheets of the Hastings and Eastbourne motor sercices, comes the news that the Torquay service has paid a dividend of 7| per cent, on the year’s working, after allowing for all expenses and 20 per cent, depreciation. In all three services Milnes-Daimler vehicles are employed. There is no reasonable doubt that this type of motor-’bus would be a great boon to suburban residents living away from the railway, and we fully expect to see motor services established in the near future. It would be difficult to find another city where the conditions are more favourable to the establishment of paying lines of motor-’buses throughout the suburban areas (says a Melbourne writer). The comfort and reliability of the