MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1472, 11 July 1918, Page 28

MOTORING & CYCLING

Photographs of private motorists in theii' cars, snapshots taken while on tour, or accounts of motoring trips and other items of interest to carowners, will be inserted in these columns if posted to “New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review, P.O. Box 52, Auckland.

The first aerial mail service has been inaugurated in Canada, Captain Bryan Peck flying from Montreal to Toronto.

The Henstead (Norfolk) District Council has passed a resolution in favour of the taxation of bicycles to meet some of the expenditure on roads after the war.

Some of the residents of the Pohangina were perturbed one day last week, in view of the scarcity of benzine, at the number of cases delivered at a settler’s farm, says an exchange. The farmer in question wishes it explained that the cases in question were empties, which he purchased at a Palmerston garage for the purpose of packing fruit.

The first case of its kind in Auckland was heard last week, when Robert Ferguson was charged with the use of motor headlights likely to dazzle people coming from the opposite direction. Acting-Sub-Inspector McNamara said the by-law had not been observed in the past, but, owing to the possibility of an accident happening because of the lights dazzling somebody, it was necessary that it should be observed. Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., agreed that the by-law was often infringed. It was right enough, he said, for drivers to use their brilliant lights in the country—even then they should use their “dimmers” when other traffic approached —but when driving within the city the brilliant lights should not be used. As it was the first prosecution he would only impose the small fine of ss. and 9s. costs.

A motor car, the property of Mr. C. Bittle, caught fire while standing in Market Road, Remuera. The Remuera Fire Brigade answered the alarm, but the fire was put out by a fireextinguisher carried on the car. It is estimated that damage to the extent of £3O has been sustained by the chassis of the car. The fire is said to have occurred through the ignition of leaking benzine.

Various matters in connection with motors were discussed by the Wanganui Borough Council at its last meeting. Complaint was made on behalf of the motormen on the tramcars in regard to dazzling headlights on approaching motor* cars. It was decided to ask the police to take action against motorists with dazzling headlights, also in the case of smoky or noisy exhausts. The Mayor pointed out that the new by-laws dealing with these matters were now in operation. Complaint was made of people leaving their private cars standing about the streets, particularly in the Avenue and Maria Place. It was resolved to point out that a portion of St. Hill Street was set aside for’the parking of private cars, and to take legal action in the case of breaches of the kind referred to.

A deputation, consisting of the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr. H. Holland), town clerk (Mr. H. R. Smith), city electrical engineer (Mr. E. E. Stark), Cr. D. G. Sullivan, Mr. L. Birks (Government electrical engineer) and others, waited on the Board of Trade last month to ask their assistance to get certain electric motor trucks shipped from New York. It • was explained that the City Council were about to enter into negotiations to take over the agency of these trucks, and Mr. Stark stated that

there was a field in Christchurch for the sale and use of 600 electric motor trucks. If this business were secured it would displace 4200 tons of petrol, at a minimum cost of 20s. per case. Mr. Holland said that the high cost of petrol and other considerations had induced the City Council to take up the sale of electric motor trucks. The Board undertook to investigate the deputation’s request for shipping space for 13 trucks from New York, and also the question of the remission of duty on the trucks.

A London cable states that Germany lost 591 aeroplanes in June.

“I have been helping in transferring men from trains to ambulances since the start of the war and have never known them to be braver or more confident than now,” declared Miss Byron, of the Sisters’ Detachment of the London Ambulance Column of the Red Cross. The column has carried 500,000 wounded since August 30, 1914. There are 208 honorary drivers who may be called on to meet a train at any hour day or night. **# * ”

A Bill is now before the English Parliament to prevent the selling of houses over the tenants’ heads to airraid refugees. If the house is sold the tenant must be taken over by the new purchaser.

Discussing the shortage of benzine and other motor spirits, the New Zealand Trade Review says that although the price quoted by primary distributors has kept at about an average of 235. 6d. per case during the past few months, up to double that figure has been charged by some retailers to those in urgent need of supplies. The

shortage has been attributed by many chiefly to hoarding of supplies by consumers in a position to lay in large stocks, and no doubt this has been going on to a great extent, but the Customs returns show a considerable reduction in the importation also, while the consumption is ever on the increase owing to the large number of motor vehicles coming in all the time, also the various other engines and machinery which use this motive power.

The London Motor Transport Volunteers received £1245 as the proceeds of the matinee held at the Alhambra in aid of the corps.

All the large automobile factories in America are employing women, states the New York “Evening Post.” Indeed, the scarcity of man power is such that thousands of women have entered the factories and more are being added to the rolls every day. Early in the war the women of England and France began to take their places at the benches and in the operation of lathes and other machinery in the munitions plants, and their example is being followed in America. Some are helping out in repair shops, some are driving cars from factories to salerooms and even out of the city; they are invading every angle of the business. At one

automobile factory the work of women employees has long been recognised. Speaking of this a representative of the company said: “Those who maintain that the physical standards of women are degenerating in these modern days should spend some time in our factories watching the women workers. They are strong, husky, and wholesome, much healthier than the men they have replaced. Absences and tardiness due to ill-health have been reduced to a minimum since women have been employed. This is due partly to the fact that women are intensely interested in this new work and anxious to make good, and partly to the fact that, being more regular in their habits than their predecessors, they are less susceptible to colds and other diseases. Our first experiment with women in the new field was in the parts division of our service department. Here they were employed as stock checkers and stock-order fillers. We were agreeably surprised to find that women at this work were more efficient than the men previously employed. The women doing this work are more intelligent than the corresponding class of men. They are also more interested in their jobs and more careful by

nature. The same spirit that insists that parts in a stock-room be kept in their proper bins insists- that pots and pans be kept in their proper places in the kitchen. Errors in the filling of parts orders and mistakes in inventory due to careless storage have been reduced enormously since the taking over of this work by women. Light assembly work on the car itself was the next work assigned to women. Certain operations in connection with the assembly of running boards and other light installations were well within a woman’s strength and required no particular mechanical training. On this class of work, too, women surprised us by their accuracy and industry. Final inspection shows less to criticise in the assemblies handled by women than when they were handled by men exclusively. In the service repair shop women were set to work disassembling jobs sent in for repair and jobs turned in for salvage. Neatness and thoroughness characterised their work in this department, and I believe the workmen would object to a return to the old order.”

The “Oamaru Mail” states that a Ure Street lady was visited by a man who offered to repair her wringer rubbers for ss. The lady agreed, and he set to work to brew some ill-smelling decoction in a treacle tin, which he

said was his patent composition. He also asked her for some strong tape, old rags, and clean brown paper. After a discreet interval he announced that the repairs had been made, and invited her into the washhouse where he pointed to the rollers reproduced in the “composition” and covered with several neat layers of brown paper, to keep them in shape till the mixture set hard. On no account was she to touch the rollers for three days. After allowing a week to pass, the confiding lady found beneath the paper all the old rags supplied by her, held in place by her own tape. Of the evil-smell-ing mixture there was no trace, nor, need it be said, of the merchant of synthetic rubber.

Reserved judgment was delivered by Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court last week in regard to a claim by Robert Richards, waterside worker, against Alfred M. Guy, dairyman, to reedver £l5O damages for injuries sustained as the result of a motor car accident on 9th March. Plaintiff, who was represented by Mr. H. F. O’Leary during the hearing of the case, contended that the accident was caused by the negligent driving of the car by de-

fendant, and said that as the result of the accident he had since been unable to follow his occupation, had incurred doctor’s fees, and had had a suit of clothes destroyed, as well as suffering bodily pain. In defence it was held that there was contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff in standing on the road. In his judgment, the magistrate said that the plaintiff, together with other waterside workers, was standing near the tramline at the intersection of Featherston and Bunny streets, waiting for a Wallace Street tram. The defendant was driving from Lambton station, and intended turning into Bunny Street. The evidence for the defence was that the motor car approached Bunny Street on the proper side of the road at about seven miles per hour, and that the horn was sounded on nearing plaintiff. Witnesses for the plaintiff, however, stated that Guy approached Bunny Street on the wrong side of Featherston Street, and that when 30 feet from the corner -he cut across in front of the approaching tram-car. Witnesses also considered that the motor car was travelling from twelve to fifteen miles an hour. In attempting to step back on to the footpath, plaintiff was knocked down by the motor car and was dragged between fifteen and twenty feet. The magistrate said that the weight of the evidence showed

that the defendant did cross in front of the approaching tram, but did not think that the course taken by him affected his liability. The plaintiff was guilty of standing on the road and not keeping a proper look-out for approaching vehicles. On the other hand, the defendant saw a group of waiting passengers, and was aware that they were not inclined to move out of the way in response to a blast from his motor horn. Plaintiff’s negligence, however, would not preclude him from recovering if the defendant had a later opportunity of avoiding a collision, and could by the exercise of reasonable care have averted it. Mr. Riddell said that in his opinion the car was travelling at a greater speed than seven miles an hour. When the defendant saw that the men did not show signs of moving out of the way it was his duty to pull up or slow down to such a point as would enable him to stop immediately on the appearance of danger. Upon the facts produced the plaintiff was guilty of negligence, but the defendant had the last opportunity of avoiding a collision, and his failure to have his car under proper control was the direct cause of the accident. Judgment was accordingly given for £l3B 12s. Defendant was represented by Mr. D. Jackson.

The French Government is to consider the construction of a laboratory tunnel in which aviation engines could be tested under exactly the same conditions as when in the air. For this purpose the tunnel would have a rarified atmosphere in varying degree of dampness and artificially formed ice, hail, fogs, etc.

Advice has been received from Australia of the death at the front of Mr. Derek Hudson, well-known in New Zealand as a prominent member of the J. C. Williamson musical comedy forces. A short time ago it was announced that Mr. Hudson was missing. The late Mr. Hudson joined the Aviation J?orps, after receiving his pilot’s ticket with the New South Wales Flying School. Mr. Hudson was trained originally as a mechanical engineer. When he finished his course he studied for grand opera, and made appearances with the Beecham Opera Company in London. When war broke out he was eager to join up, and did so immediately upon the completion of his contract. His technical knowledge impelled him in the direction of aviation, and he quickly qualified for his “ticket."

The American authorities recently held an instructive transport test between Atlanta and Chattanooga, a distance of 132 miles of good, bad and indifferent roads. The object was to determine the speed with which American troops can be moved by motor vehicles in comparison with the known rate of travel by railroad, etc. The test attracted considerable interest, particularly as a special new type of transport body was also being tried out. The result of the run surprised experts and authorities alike, for the whole body of soldiers were landed at their destination in 5 hours 33 minutes, whilst the return journey was accomplished in 5 hours 2 minutes. At times the transport train reached 49 miles an hour, which only serves to show the possibilities that lie in the motorisation of troop transport. The motor trucks beat the fastest train time between the two points named. One of the features of the truck body used in this test is the perfect balance of the load. The troops sit back to back lengthwise of the body and their rifles, when not immediately needed, may be stored in rifle chests built between the backs of the seats. The foot rails and arm rests protect them from being swayed or thrown off when rounding corners at high speeds or moving rapidly over rough roads. The foot-rail is one of the important features of the design, because it is hinged and lowered to serve as a step when mounting, and then raised and locked in position to act as a foot brace when riding. The new transport is expected to eliminate baggage waggons to a large extent, as each man carries his own shelter tent, blankets, extra underclothing, shoes and all other equipment usually carried by troops on the march. All of this material is carried in lockers under the seats, which are accessible when riding on the truck or when

standing on the ground. Special lockers are provided for 500 rounds of ammunition for each man. In the rear of the truck there is a compartment that will hold three days’ supply of the non-perishable components of rations, such as coffee, sugar, bacon, baked beans, hard bread, etc. It is obvious that this feature makes the truck of such wide utility that its limits can only be guessed at.

An American motor goggle manufacturer is marketing special glasses which are said to provide a remedy against the dazzling headlight nuisance. The left-hand portion of each lens is coloured or shaded to a point reaching almost to the pupil of the eye, but not interfering with the vision when the -wearer of the goggles gazes directly ahead, holding his head in its usual position. When a car with undimmed headlights approaches the owner of the protecting goggles

has only to turn his head very slightly, about a fraction of an inch to the right, and the rays of light from the oncoming vehicle will pass through the shaded portion of the lenses. In substance, the view of the road ahead is split in two lengthwise, with the portion directly in front well illuminated by the headlights of the car driven by the wearer of the safe goggles, and the other half shaded for him by the dark section of his eyepieces. A spring in the goggles adjusts them to a face whose pupilary distance may be above or below normal.

Is motor cycle training of value or essential for the making of an aviator? This is a question that is frequently asked. It has been asked by thousands of motor cyclists who, by reason of their knowledge of motor cycle motors and their highly-de-veloped sense of balance acquired by skidding about on two wheels, feel that they would like to be aviators. It has been asked by countless civilians who may never have been off the ground in an airplane, but who have been wholly enraptured with their first ride on a motor cycle, and who also feel that they would like to fly. The answer to these queries is: There can be no doubt that motor cycling is an excellent preliminary training for aviation. The motor cyclist of any extensive experience has acquired in a very high degree that delicate sense of balance without which no one could possibly qualify as an aviator. The very first examination that is given to applicants seeking to enter the United States Aero Service is the test of their sense of balance and stability. Various machines are used for this test, and if the applicant fails he is rejected immediately. Education or the most perfect physical qualifications count for nothing if the sense of balance is in any way lacking. At an American aero base ten applicants were recently subjected to the balance test. Five of the men had under-

gone extensive motor cycle training. The other five had no such experience. The five motor cyclists qualified with an average of five seconds each in adjusting themselves to an even keel after being put through the tests. Of the other five men, three were rejected, while the average time of the two successful applicants in adjusting themselves to the test was 15 seconds each. Consider one other point. Most motor cyclists have thoroughly familiarised themselves with the operation and upkeep of their machines, and have thus acquired the fundamental knowledge without which a thorough schooling in mechanics would be necessary. The tiny little motor cycle motor is in reality a sort of lilliputian aircraft unit. Technically, it bears a greater similarity to the airplane motor than any other type of internal-combustion engine. It is worthy of note that on the application blank for enlistment into any branch of the American Aero Service appear the questions: Are you a motor cyclist? Do you understand the care, operation and repair of motor cycles and motor cycle motors? The fact that these questions are asked by the American Government is an indication that the motor cycle trained aeronautic appli-

cant is considered to be possessed of knowledge of inestimable value, which will stand him in good stead in his air work. -T * * * It is interesting to note that America is now producing supertanks, which are said to be able to withstand the fire of small artillery and to be equipped with engines of three times the power of the British and French machines. They are to carry a crew of 20 men, and will be able to span 10 feet trenches whilst armed with small field guns as well as machine guns, and having a speed of 5 m.p.h. ? which is rather faster than our machines; whilst it is especially interesting to learn that the Ford Company is stated to be at work on a small light tank carrying one driver and machine-gunner only, driven by two engines, capable of withstanding machine gun fire, and fitted with chain treads capable of a 15 m.p.h. speed. This is particularly interesting, as it will prove the practicability or otherwise of the chain tread for higher speeds than it is approved for at present. It is also stated that military trucks are being turned out in America at the rate of 2000 a week, and that 9000 caterpillar tractors are in hand for shifting the guns.

Postage of letters by the New YorkWashington aeroplane mail, begun on April 15th, costs Is. l%d.

On June 11th, as the result of accidental injuries in France, the death of Lieutenant Thomas Howard Dawson occurred. The deceased soldier, who was a son of Mr. T. C. Dawson, Wellington, was formerly on the staff of Messrs. Young and Tripe, of that citv Having qualified for a commission he left with the 10th Reinforcements. and went to Egypt. Leaving Egypt’ he went to the western front, and was attached to the 4th Howitzer Battery as observing officer. From September 15th, 1916, at the Battle of the Somme he was with his battery through all the different engagements until May 28th, 1917, when he was severely wounded by shrapnel, and was also gassed, but his life was saved by a marvellous operation performed by an eminent English surgeon in France. He was eventually removed to Brockenhurst Hospital, in England, where he remained for six months. Afterwards he returned to Aidershot, and instead of being sent back to France was selected to go to various British regiments for instruction in staff work. He finished his course of instruction in April last, and was highly recommended by an English general for appointment as G.O.C. 3, or alternatively as staffcaptain.- Pending a vacancy in the staff positions, he returned to France, and on June 13th advice was received that he was dangerously ill as the result of an accidental injury to the head.

Before the Military Service Board in Timaru the other day, a reservist was called who did not answer to his name. His solicitor appeared, however, and stated that the reservist was too ill to appear. He was a victim of consumption, and was at his home and in bed. The chairman of the Board expressed surprise at this, remarking that the man had been classed fit A. Counsel said that such was the case, and produced a medical certificate to show that the man was suffering from consumption. The Board adjourned the case for a month, with an intimation that the reservist should in the meantime apply for a medical re-examination.