CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1083, 8 December 1910, Page 11

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

At a recent meeting of the Council of the New South Wales League of Wheelmen, a long discussion took place over the position of affairs in Victoria, and it was suggested that a delegate should be sent across to Melbourne to endeavour to arrange some means of settling the dispute between the two Victorian bodies, the League and Union. It was eventually decided to write to the Secretaries of both the Victorian bodies in regard to a New South Wales delegate visiting Melbourne for a conference with the opposing factions with the view of straightening out matters.

Recent authentic figures available from New York convey a good idea of the gigantic growth of motoring in the United States. In August last it was estimated that there were 500,000 cars in the States of a total value of £45,000,000, an equivalent of one car for every 160 people in that country. According to these figures there are more than five cars to every thousand people in the United States. In Australia the percentrage, based on 5,000 cars for nearly 5,000,000 people, works out at one car for every thousand of population, so that the Commonwealth is yet a long way behind in th® general use of the motor vehicle.

D. <j. Alexander, a wen-Kno'wn.. Melbourne cyclist, made an unsuccessful attempt last Saturday week to win the £2O offered by the Dunlop Rubber Co. to the first Australasian road rider who betters L. Meredith’s 100 miles’ unpaced out and home record of 4hr. 52min. 51 4-ssec., a performance accomplished on the pick of English roads. Alexander picked', a course of 25 miles from Coburg to Carrum, which had to be negotiated four times, but an error of judgment was made in selecting a market morning, the result being that Alexander, who started away at 12.45 in the early morning was considerably hampered by a string of market gardeners’ carts journeying Melbournewards. Owing to this trouble the outward trip of 25 miles took Ih. llmin. to negotiate, whilst the return journey (including 6mins. lost over two punctures) was covered in lhr. 3 4min., making a total of 2hr. 45min. for the fifty miles. Alexander had now no chance of getting the record, and acting under the advice of some of his supporters, gave up the ride. He will probably make a further attempt later on in the year.

Owing to the big fight now going on between the Standard Oil Co., which handles “Pratt’s” motor spirit, and the group of Eastern Oil Companies that market the well-known “tonell” petrol, motorists in Europe are at present enjoying a drop of 3 V2 d per gallon in the price of petrol. As the Standard Co. has a capital of £60,000,000 and the Shell Transport Company represents a capital of £40,00 a 000, the struggle for supremacy promises to be a bitter one. In the meantime motorists are the gainers, but later on the chances are that they will have to pay the piper to recoup the present losses sustained in the “Petrol” war.