MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1485, 10 October 1918, Page 28

MOTORING & CYCLING

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

The most recent passes at the Sockburn Aviation School, Canterbury, include G. Cromie (Rakaia), F. W. Mcllroy (GreymOuth), J. J. Laffey (Dunedin), T. P. Wooding (Woodbury), H. I. N. Melville (Wanganui), J. R. Richardson (Wanganui), D. F. G. Merrett (Spreydon), F. S. Collier (Wanganui), R. C. Macmillan (Hawke’s Bay), and W. G l . Rows (Gisborne). This brings the school tally to 161. * * * * “I regret to report that several dogs have been run over by motor cars and cycles and allowed to remain on the streets suffering pain. I hope and trust that any persons witnessing such cruelty will take the number of the vehicle and report the same to me.” Extract from the annual report of the Inspector for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Christchurch. * * * * Advice has beeh received by Mrs. R. B. Bannerman, of Dunedin, that her husband, Flight-Lieut. Ronald B. Bannerman, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and has been promoted to captain. * * ♦ ♦ At Invercargill, Mr. G. Cruickshank, S. gave his decision in the case of William Scully, Dacre, who was charged with reckless driving, thereby causing the death of the racehorse Clynelish. His Worship said: “This is an information charging the defendant with recklessly driving a motor car whereby a valuable racehorse was, killed. The owner of the horse is contemplating a civil action to recover the value of the horse, which is said to be £BOO. There seems to be a difference between the degree of negligence which may lead to a civil liability and the kind of negligence that brings a defendant within the penalty clauses of the Motor Regulation Act. I have not to try the civil case, and do not wish to influence the verdict either way. It is a question for a jury, which would take all the probabilities of the case and the fine questions of contributory negligence into consideration.” His Worship concluded that it was not conclusively proved that it was not an unfortunate accident. He could not find the defendant criminally liable, though he might be civilly. The information would be dismissed. # # * * At the Magistrate’s Court, Wanganui, a man was charged with driving, on September 12, 1918, a motor car along Dublin Street at a speed dangerous to the public. It was stated by the police that defendant drove along Dublin Street towards Victoria Avenue at a speed between 35 and 40 miles an hour. Defendant, who admitted the breach, said he had the car under proper control, and did not think he was travelling at a dangerous speed. Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., remarked that it was a case of ordinary over-speeding, and imposed a fine of 20s. and 7s. costs. 3: * # » A narrow escape from what would have been certain death but for a wire fence, was experienced by Mr. J. R. Stansell, of Lyall Bay, Wellington. Mr. J. McCarthy was driving Mr. Stansell’s car down a steep grade at Paekakariki, when it collided with another car driven by Mr. J. Schwass, of Tokomaru. No serious injury resulted, but both cars were damaged considerably. Mr. Stansell’s motor, which contained five people, ran towards a cliff twenty feet deep, but was prevented from running over by a wire fence.. Mr. Stansell stated that the narrowness of the road made it extremely dangerous for traffic. He expressed gratitude to those who had ’ assisted him. * * * ❖ Speaking at a luncheon at the Automobile Club, London, Mr. Handley Page, designer of the famous bombing aeroplane ■ which bears his name, pointed out that before the war mails took 72 hours between London and Constantinople, now the journey can

be done under 20 hours. Rome can be reached in 12hours, instead of 42, and Marseilles in eight instead of 23. He was convinced that an 800mile service could be run at a profit, both for mails and .passengers, at a rate a little in excess of that now in force, a medium-sized machine being used to make non-stop flights of 400 miles. They would have 200horse power engines, and would carry 44001 b. of revenue-earning load, besides the pilot and mechanic and petrol. A 600 horse power machine could carry comfortably six passengers ,totalling 9001 b., and 35001 b. of postal matter and merchandise, and the passengers could be carried at Is. per mile per 800 miles, or 2%d. per mile. On that basis the charge for letters would be less than Id. an ounce, and that would include the handling of mails. America would become within reach in a day and ahalf, and would be as close as Manchester was at the end of the eighteenth century. Jjs if if The gas emitted from an oil bore on the estate of a Gisborne resident is to be put to a new use. The owner is having balloons made to act as holders for the gas, which he intends to use for the driving power of a motor lorry in the Poverty Bay district.

News has been received by his mother of the death on active service of Major J. J. Hammond on September 23rd. The Feilding “Star” says: “Joe Hammond was born in Feilding thirty-two years ago. In his youth he performed some of the most daring feats with a complete unconcern. It was with no surprise, therefore, that his people here heard, some little time after Joe had gone to England on a trip, that he was flying. That was twelve years ago. He came out to Australia with a British aeroplane, and was the first aviator in those Southern Seas. Returning to Europe, Joe was one of the first in the air when war broke out. He had seen years of service. Some six months ago he was reported as having been sent to America as an aviation instructor. It is not known yet how he lost his life. Major Hammond leaves a wife but no children.” * * * * Flight-Lieutenant K. Simson, son of Mrs. lan Simson, of Hastings, leaves shortly for England to take up military air work at the front. His brother—also an aviator —recently died on the way out to New Zealand.

The result of a recent case in the Supreme Court at Timaru, N. F. Morgan against Michael Flynn, will be of considerable interest to motorists. The plaintiff, who was riding a motor cycle along the Waimate-Forks road, ran into an unlighted gig and was severely injured. The plaintiff’s motor cycle had an acetylene lamp, which was tilted slightly downwards so as to comply with the provisions of the Lights on Vehicles Act in regard to dazzling lights. Mr. Justice Herdman, in summing up, said it would seem that it was the intention of the Legislature that the primary •object of carrying lights was to enable other users of the road to know the position of a vehicle, rather than that a vehicle should carry lights for illuminating the highway. The jury awarded the plaintiff £543 damages. « * * * Three young ladies have already applied to the Canterbury Aviation Company for enrolment as flying pupils at Sockburn, but the applications have had to be declined with regret, as the company at present is accepting none but candidates for the Royal Air Force. The latest application was received from a young lady in a North Island country centre. She stated that her brother, who was in the Royal Air Force, had been an instructor before going to France as a pilot, and had sent her many books

on flying and on the different types of engines and machines in use. She had had a great deal of experience driving motor cars, and thoroughly understood the construction of a petrol engine. Although these applications cannot be entertained while the supply of candidates for the Air Force continues (says the “Lyttelton Times”), it is regarded as a certainty that many women will learn to fly at Sockburn in the not far distant future. * * * « "This riding on the footpaths is pretty bad,” remarked Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., in the Gisborne Magistrate’s Court, when, consequent on a watch being kept by the police on the footpaths in Whataupoko, quite a number of offenders appeared to answer charges of riding bicycles on the footpath. His Worship added further that a warning had been published in the newspapers before proceedings were taken by the police. The practice was a menace to the safety of pedestrians and children, and must be stopped. A maximum fine of £2O was fixed for this class of offence, and in future he intended to treat

such breaches as of a serious nature. Seven people were each fined £1 and 7s. costs.

A curious story is to hand from San Francisco, to the effect that a man named Romer, who is imprisoned lor motor car stealing, has applied for a patent on a device intended to protect the owners of automobiles from the theft of their cars. Romer’s invention is electrical, and he claims that no machine equipped with the device can be started or towed away without a warning being given by means of a horn or whistle, which will not cease until the switch is unlocked by the correct key. Tampering with the wiring will also set the signal in operation. * -7 C £ The announcement that the Commonwealth Government is considering the advisability of limiting the use of petrol for motor car and motor cycle use, is causing much concern in trade circles, inasmuch as few people want to buy cars and motor cycle outfits with the probability of their having to lay them up for want of petrol. Should drastic reductions be made in this direction it is going to result in a deal of unemployment in the automobile and’ allied trades. The suggestion is that pleasure motor-

ing should be restricted, and investigations are now being made with a view to ascertaining the amount of petrol used respectively, for business and pleasure purposes. The difficulty —now that the car has become a matter of utility in tens of thousands of homes in the Commonwealth-will be to equitably determine where the business use of- cars ends and the pleasure part begins. However, it is to be sincerely hoped for the sake of the thousands of Australian workmen whose bread and butter depends on the automobile trade, that the Government will not have need to bring in restrictions that will deprive them of their means of existence. If it is essential that some curtailment be made in the- consumption of petrol, it is hoped that an adjustment will he made by the authorities whereby the industry in Australia will not be crippled. The automobile is essential to the speedy development of the country, and anything that is going to curtail its legitimate use will be a loss to the community and a set-back to Australia.

According to an English paper, boys between 16 and 17 may now get licenses to drive motor cars, but not heavy motors, taxis, or omnibuses. •F * * • Mr. Alfred H. Court, of Auckland, son of Mr. John Court, who is with the French forces, has been awarded the Croix de Guerre. Mr. Court has been ambulance driving for three years and has been in the Vosges Mountains for the greater part of the time. He was engaged in this work during the long battle of Verdun in 1916. Flight-Lieutenant Jasper Naish, killed in France, was the only son of the late Mr. Paul Naish, inspector of the South African Bank, Cape Colony. Lieutenant Naish had served through the East African campaign, and after recovery from an attack of malaria, he went to England. He had been flying in France for some months, and was wounded in July fast. After spending two days in England, he returned to France, where he was killed soon after his arrival. Jack Arnst, one of the greatest road riders Australasia has produced, has made the supreme sacrifice, word lately having been received of his death in action. Arnst was born in Christchurch, and was one of a remarkable athletic family. He first came into prominence in New Zealand road events, notably in the TimaruChristchurch Road Race, and he was soon at the top of the tree in Maoriland. In 1903 he represented New Zealand in Australasia’s greatest long-distance event, the Dunlop Road Race from Warrnambool to Melbourne (165 miles), and, starting off scratch, astounded the cycling world by winning in the then remarkable time of 7 hours 43 minutes. He was the only rider to win the “Warrnambool” from the scratch mark. Amongst many other fine performances to his credit were the Christ-church-Dunedin road record, 247 miles of mountainous road in 12 hours 21 minutes, and the Timaru-Christchurch record, 112 miles in 4 hours 50 minutes. Arnst also recorded two great rides in the Goulburn-Sydney race (131 miles), in which he twice established the fastest time. In the writer’s opinion he was the greatest road rider Australasia has yet seen, he being more brilliant than laterday long-distance road champions, such as T. Larcombe (N.S.W.), Don Kirkham (Vic.), and P. O’Shea (N.Z.). Other members of the Arnst family to earn fame on the cycle were Dick and Walter, the former gaining fame through winning the “Sydney Thousand” and subsequently the world’s sculling championship. * * ♦ « At the annual meeting of the Otago Motor Club, Mr. M. Stevenson, referring to the question of good roads, said he thought the county councils had done fairly well considering the funds at their disposal. As regards the city streets, however, they were a disgrace to the town of Dunedin. In Princes and George streets the cost of the tar and the macadam had been an absolute waste of money. The council had thought fit to send its engineer to Australia to enable him to advise it on the best methods to adopt in spending the £175,000 allocated for the repair, etc., of the streets. The engineer had been back some considerable time, and the money had been spent bit by bit, but nothing permanent had been done. He thought it was a pity that the engineer had been sent to Australia, in view of the fact that he understood that visitors from Australia had come across to see the roads which had been laid down in Taranaki. Anent a motorist of 18, whom the police stated was a most reckless driver and had already been convicted five times for exceeding the speed limit, a London magistrate remarked recently, “The best thing to do is to get him off the road. I will adjourn the case so that the military authorities may ask why he has not been called up.” The Clerk replied, “This is just the man to drive a tank.”

Wherever I go and whatever I read —and I go to a good many places and read a good many periodicals —I notice innumerable advertisements couched occasionally almost in mock denartmental style, calling attention to the demand for lady motor drivers, and going on to offer a full automobile education and course of lessons for inclusive and varying fees. As a rule, references from bodies of high standing in motoring circles are quoted, and everything at 'first glance seems a case of roses, roses all the way. But is it? Are there all these innumerable vacancies waiting to be filled, and does this unlimited demand for chauff euses exist? ... I realise that the idea of wearing a smart uniform and driving elegant and brilli-antly-tabbed officers about is very enthralling. I love to see these de-lightful-looking girls swishing along the streets of the West End, for, let me say it right here, they are as a rule so pretty that their looks simply must have had something to do with their success in their profession. Their uniforms, their caps, and their modes of wearing them, are chic-ness itself. I do not believe that the judges who select them can be from their own sex, and I see no reason why they should be.” —“Owen John,” in “The Autocar.” ♦ ♦ • • Mr. A. A. Martin, who was in charge of the voluntary motor service, did fine work when the troops

disembarked in Auckland on Monday. Over 70 citizens were in evidence with their cars, and the city and suburban men were soon conveyed to their destinations. The southern men were well looked after, and expressed satisfaction at the manner in which they were treated during their brief stay in the city. Sixty-three cars were utilised in the morning to take the men for a two-hour tour of the city and suburbs. Ellerslie racecourse and One-tree Hill were visited. On the return journey the cars travelled via Mountain Road. The Grammar School pupils were assembled outside the school, and as the soldiers passed gave round after round of enthusiastic cheers. Those soldiers whom it was not possible to accommodate in the cars were taken out in the afternoon. All the men were entertained at luncheon and afternoon tea. * * « « One result of the Railway Department’s refusal to make special train arrangements to suit race-goers, and the consequent use of hundreds of motor cars, is that local bodies in the country are called- upon to repair damage to roads done by a continuous stream of cars, probably every one of which is paying license fees to a local body far away (writes the Rakaia correspondent of the “Weekly Press”). The Road Board whose roads they damage is not reimbursed in any way. Road destruction wrought by cars is particularly noticeable where there are side-bridges over water-races. The curves which a car is obliged to make in negotiating these awkwardly-placed bridges scour out the stones as no straight run would ever do. This can be clearly seen on the South road in the Rakaia district, where the motor traffic at

race time is very heavy. The sidecrossings constantly need repair, whereas in a case where the culvert is in the centre of the line of traffic it requires no special attention. * ••• * A Sydney cable states that a meeting of prominent business and financial men subscribed sufficient funds definitely to commercialise an aerial service between Australia and London, bringing the latter within 150 hours.