MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1244, 19 February 1914, Page 31

MOTORING & CYCLING

The new motor service between Tauranga and Rotorua was commenced bn February 2nd and promises to be successful. , The new motor club recently established at Stratford made its first official run to New Plymouth last week, and although the weather was rather damp the run is reported a , being a successful function. Thirteen members took part.

The motor car has many uses on the modern farm, from towing home a dray to rounding up the sheep; but the North Island farmer at Tarata, Stratford district, who, having found some difficulty in getting motive power for chaff cutting, rigged up his Ford car and cut fifteen tons of chaff, must take precedence for ingenuity. Outside the trouble of fitting up a platform for the car and other work, the cost of the job amounted to two tins of benzine.

New Zealanders bid fair to enter the arena against the nimble witted American as inventors. Not content with motor engines as they are, a Christchurch resident has invented a horizontal two-stroke engine, intended for use in cycle cars and motor cycles. It consists of two horizontally opposed cylinders, containing trunk pistons connected to a two-throw crank-shaft. It is stated that its special feature is its robust construction and ample dimensions of all working paits. Amongst the other novel features are the double-bore pistons and the rotary distributing valves. The rotary valve is shielded by the piston when the explosion pressure is at its maximum. By a system of forced lubrication every moving part receives oii under pressure. Tests were to be made on the Brooklands track, and English motorists were looking forward with interest to the road results obtained with this interesting engine.

The subject of motor ’bus services has invaded the City of the Plains, and the subject was briefly referred

to by the Christchhrch Tramway Board, when a letter was received from the Spreydon Borough Council, which stated they were strongly opposed to any special rating area for tramway extension, and that they would suggest, failing an extension without such special area, the bpard consider the question of a motor ’bus service. A member thought it was time the board secured a report on the question of motor ’buses for certain districts, as otherwise other people would be getting in ahead of it, and the board would have to buy up these services at ,a premium.

Christchurch may be known as the. city on a chassis. Already the motor waggon is used to deliver goods, groceries, fruit, drapery, stationery, books, and many other daily necessities, and the motor lorry no longer creates even passing interest. In the

city there are 302 motor cars licensed for hire, and the number grows steadily. All are not in use at the same time, for many are kept in reserve to meet emergencies and cope with the abnormal traffic on carnival and Grand National weeks; but even so the total is a large one for a town of the size of Christchurch. Once there were 200 horse vehicles licensed to carry passengers in the city, but as the motor cars have steadily increased the cabs have steadily decreased, and to-day only 66 are licensed by the City Council. In all there are 3712 motor cars and mo for cycles in Christchurch, and the number grows every day.

At the last meeting of the Otago Motor Club a letter was received from the secretary of the Dunedin Expansion League suggesting that the club should hold a gymkhana in connection with the gala week, promoted by the league, to be held on anniversary week, in March. The proposal was put forward by the league as a commercial proposition, and it

was willing to take any reasonable proportion of the profits that the club liked to give. It was practically unanimously decided to hold the gymkhana and hand over to the Dunedin Expansion League 50 per cent, of the takings.

The days, the old romantic days of the wool waggon, with its long team in swaying chains or the sleepy ponderous bullock team, are passing into the mists of Time. The road train has arrived. There has been landed in " Melbourne a petrol-electric road train. The hugeness and completeness of the train amaze even the hardened motorist, and nothing like it has been seen in /any part of the world, except the land of its origin—Germany—where ten similar trans are in commission in the German army. The train consists of a motor van and ten trucks, the propelling power be ng drawn from two motor units of 125

h.p. each. These units are placed, one in the front of the van, and one in the back, each engine comprising six cylinders (120 m.m. bore by 220 m.m. stroke), thei work of the Aus trian Daimler Company. Each set of engines has two carburetters and two magnetos. These motors in turn drive a huge dynamo, which supplies a direct electric current to propel the train, which weighs unloaded 43% tons, at any pace up to 18 miles per hour when empty, and from four to 10 miles per hour when loaded. The train is not drawn by the engine, as in a railway train, but each electric truck is itself driven independently by two electric motors, on to each •axle and pair of wheels, the electric current being derived from the dynamo in the motor van, which is propelled in the same manner as the trucks, namely, an electric motor fitted in the centre of each axle and pair of wheels, all of which run on ball bearings. Thje power unit of each vehicle in the train is equivalent to about 25 h.p., the weight of each •empty truck being 3% tons, whilst the motor van weighs 8% tons. The

mechanism is manipulated by one driver, who sits in a covered cab, with a set of petrol engines at each end, and the dynamo in the centre of tne cab, and controlling mechanism being wonderfully simple.

The petrol consumption is 1% to 2 gallons per mile, according to road surface and gear in use. The trucks are all detachable, and the train can be made up as desired, according to loading. The length of the tram, including ten trucks, is 218 ft. An idea of the cost of this great road tractor may be gathered from the fact that the Commonwealh Government ciaim to collect £4700 duty alone, which will bring the landed cost in Australia to about £17,000. The first long trip contemplated is a 277-miles’ run from Melbourne to Wagga, New bcuth wales, with 60 tons of mercnandise abjoard. The train has been landed to tne order of Mr. R. S. Falkiner, a weaitny Kaverina pastoralist.

iiiie conference of motorists held at Woodville, at the instance of tne Hawke’s Bay Automobile Association, to consider the dangers of the route niiudgli the Manawatu Gorge, was awenued. The local bodies lepieseaceu were the Woodvine i. ana County Councils, urn ramierston and Feilding Borou & ii uoununs, tne tvairanga, Pahiatua, tua Uiuua County Councils, and tne Hawne’s Bay, Wairarapa, Oroua, tmu .uauawaiu Automobile AssociatiOxi-,. ii. was decided to ask the Pahiaxuu. and Aairanga County Councils to expend the grants at control in improvements to tne road and also to i epi esentanous to the Government to take over this short length of highway. me motorists propose to raise what money they can by voluntary succription for the improvement oi the road. It is thus hoped that, m the meantime, the danger points win Le removed, or the risk at least minimised, for traffic. The only permanent solution of the difficulty,however, lies in the Government taking over and maintaining the road properly. It is an important link between the two coasts, and should really be a national liability. Previous Governments have declined to accept the responsibility of maintenance, but the case should again be represented in the strongest light possible to the present Government. An arterial road like that at the Gorge should undoubtedly be a matter for the State, and not for two local bodies.

The amount spent annually in New Zealand in motors is enormous, and Southland is contributing its quota. During the twelve months ended 31st December, 1913, there were registered at the Southland Country Council Chambers and the Corporation office 335 motors—l 39 motor cycles and 196 cars —a substantial increase when compared with the returns of any previous year. Taking the average value of the cars at £3OO, and the cycles at £5O, It will be seen that the amount of money expended in the latest means of transport in that province last year was approximately £65,750 —£58,800 in motor cars and £6950 in motor cycles. It is interesting to note that with very few exceptions the cars and cycles are registered as having been purchased for private use. In case of a motor being transferred from one owner to another a second registration is necessary, but only in isolated instances have transfers been recorded.