CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 994, 25 March 1909, Page 12

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

The remarkable growth in the use of the taxi-cab in London is shown by the following figures published. In 1903 there were registered in London 11,404 horse drawn cabs and 1 motor cab; in 1904 the figures were 11,057 cabs and 2 motor cabs; in 1905, 10,931 cabs and 19 motor cabs; in 1906, 10.492 cabs and 96 taxi-cabs; in 1907, 9,818 horse drawn cabs and 723 taxicabs; whilst in 1908, there were 8.4 75 cabs (3,000 less than in 1903) and 2,805 taxi-cabs-

Of the two interstate road routes, Melbourne to Sydney and Melbourne to Adelaide, there is little difference in the actual mileage, but a wide difference in the nature of the country to be covered. After the recent grand drive of Messrs. Bertie Barr-Smith and Murray Aunger across from Melbourne to Adelaide in 22 hrs. 24 mins., d fferent expressions of opinion were voiced as to which was the better performance, Messrs. Smith and Aunger’s, or Messrs. H. B. James and C. B. Kellow Melbourne to Sydney drive of 2 5 hours 40 min. After his recent drive across from Adelaide to Melbourne, Mr. James states that, considering the difficulties of the two routes, he is of the opinion that Mr- Barr-Smith's performance is the most meritorious of the two. On the Sydney route there are certainly less good roads, but the bad tracks are of a known quality, and a car can be driven to a time schedule. On the Adelaide route there are two bad sections. the Strathdownie sand stretch and the Coorong, that make this trip a matter of considerable uncertainty; you might get across without trouble, and, again, you might lose hours getting out of a sand-drift or loose patch. “ Only those who have motored over the sections. mentioned/' says Mr. James, “can realise the wonderful performance recorded by Messrs. Smith and Aunger. and the man who beats it will want everything in his favour and a lot of luck.”

Messrs. F. H. Forde and R- White, with their respective parties, have just returned from a ten days’ motoring tour of the Waikato district, extending to Okoroire. Bad roads constituted the chief grievance.

The cycle record, Wellington to Palmerston North, was broken by Mr. F. Birtles on Tuesday. Mr. Birtles started from Wellington at 8.30 a.m., and reached Palmerston at 2.45 p.m., the journey thus occupying six and a-quarter hours, fifteen minutes less than the previous record for the distance.

The ninety-miie cycle road from Hamilton to Auckland will be decided on Saturday. The race is being run under the auspices of the Eden Cycle Club, and valuable prizes will be given to the successful riders. The following handicaps have been declared by Mr. G. Hely, handicapper: —H. Fiewellyn and A- Flewellyn, scratch; W. W. Scott, 5m.; D'. Scott, 12m.; M. Scott, 15m.; T. Benyon and N. Wadman, 22m.; B. Maberley, G. Howard, and V. R. Scott, 25m.; J. Lynch, W. Wickstead, and G. Herring, 35m.; S. Kitchen and A. Twidle, 40m.; T. Sullivan, M. Brennan, and A. Viall, 60m.; A. Stewart, withheld. The race will finish at the Tivoli Theatre, Newton.

The Australian cyclist, Clark, and the Americans, MacFarland and Nat Butler, got badly beaten at the Paris Velodrome d’Hiver recently, Butler being defeated by the French rider Parent in a 60 kilometre paced race, won in 44m 56 2-55.; MacFarland going under to Marcel Berthet in an unpaced match; and MacFarland, partnered by Clark, sustaining defeat in the Prix des Etats-Unis from Dupre and Heller.

It was estimated that at the end of 1908 there were fully 150,000 motor vehicles in use in the United States, while another estimate places the production of the current year at 75,000 new cars. The expansion of the motor industry in America during the past two years is stated to have been enormous.

A published list of the injuries received by the police of the metropolis (London) in the execution of their duty shows that during the year 1907 the following, amongst others, have been sustained: —By horses falling, 32; thrown by horses, 17; by stopping runaway horses, 49; assisting with fallen or restive horses, 18; by ve-

hicles when regulating traffic, etc., 27; kicked by horses, 15; trodden upon by horses, 18; knocked down by horses, 3. In the whole analysis there is not a single case mentioned of injury caused to a police constable by a motor-car, which, in view of the large amount of motor traffic in London at the present time is, to say the least of it, good evidence of the safety of that kind of traffic.

The great American race meeting on the Ormond-Daytona (Florida) beach this year was to have opened on the 23rd inst., and will close on the 26th. The programme includes a race open to cars that took part in the Vanderbilt Cup, and a competition for Sir Thomas Dewar’s £4OO trophy, the winner of which must attain a speed of 120 miles an hour, or two miles a minute.

THE GREAT RELAY RIDE.

Messrs. G. R. Broadbent, S. H. Day and H. B. James, three well-known Melbourne motorists, drove across from Adelaide to Melbourne last week for the purpose of making arrangements in connection with the forthcoming Dunlop Military Despatch Relay Cycle Ride, which is to be held from Adelaide to Sydney at Easter time. All along the route the keenest of interest is taken in the forthcoming ride, in fact, no cycle event yet held in the Commonwealth has commanded such public attention. All told some 28 relay stages were allotted, changing boards erected, etc. The severest portions of route are the sections over the Coorong, between Meningie and Kingston, and the bad sand stretches from the Adelaide border up to within ten miles of Casterton on the Victorian side. The Coorong was crossed during last week's very hot spell of weather, the heat being intense crossing the white sands and salt-crusted, dried-up lagoons. What with loose sand drifts, some of them ranging from two to ten feet deep, across the tracks, the motorists named had a trying time crossing the dreaded Coorong, strips of cocoanut matting being requisitioned before the soft fine sand could be negotiated. At one point nine miles of smooth pipeclay ran along the edge of a lagoon, affording probably the finest speed track in Australasia. This stretch was some three hundred yards wide, and would carry any speed. All told, this country, whilst difficult for motorists, affords a better track for cyclists, and Messrs- Pfundt and McKinnon, who carry the despatch over this section (some 38 miles) will, with decent weather conditions, probably cover this part of the route in 3 % hours. On the Victorian side, near Strathdownie, some very trying conn-

try to cyclists will have to be crossed, sand and bracken fern, which will nnle> of track being nothing but loose probably necessitate considerable wa king. After inspecting this half of the route, the Dunlop Company’s representative anticipates that, with fair weather conditions, the 583 miles from Adelaide to Melbourne w,il be covered in about 38 hours. The prese .t intention is tor the despatch to be handed over by Lieutenant Colonel J. H. Lee Commandant of the South Australian military forces, at 10 p.m. on Good Friday eve at the Adelaide G.P.0., so that the despatch will proably reach Melbourne between eleven and noon on Easter Saturday.