MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1520, 12 June 1919, 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, will be inserted in these columns if posted to “New Zealand Sporting and Dramatic Review,” P.O. Box 52, Auckland. ‘

The road to Wairoa is reported to be in a very heavy condition and motor travelling is difficult.

The Auckland Farmers’ Union has decided to urge the Government to take over the control of the main arterial roads and to make inquiries concerning the Victorian of road management.

A poll on the Piako County proposal to borrow £19,000 for a concrete road from Te Aroha to Te Aroha West, four miles and a-half, was carried by 102 votes to 41.

Twenty-five vehicles driven by electricity are now charged at the municipal supply depot in Christchurch. The revenue derived by the City Council from the sale of power for these vehicles is £lOOO a year.

In a commendable endeavour to minimise accidents, the London Geneneral Omnibus Company awards a shield each year to the one of its garages drivers have had the least number of accidents in each 10,000 miles run.

There has been a marked increase recently in the Thames fishing fleet of motor launches, owing to returned soldiers taking to this calling in fa ? r numbers. Some ten more have already been granted up to £3OO each under the Repatriation Act to purchase boats and gear.

The Mayor (Dr. Thacker, M.P.) has informed the Canterbury Automobile Association that, in response to the association’s invitation, he will officially open the conference of South Island automobile associations, to be held on June 26. The use of the City Council Chamber has been granted for the sitting of the conference.

Captain C. E. Blayney, late squadron commander' Royal Air Force, has been appointed to the charge of the motor department of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Distributing Co., Ltd., Wellington, and will take up his duties about the middle of this month.

A remarkable accident occurred at Dannevirke at the Allardice Street railway crossing, when a motor car, driven by Mrs. Fisher, of Terehunga, collided with a train. Mrs. Fisher, who was the only occupant of the car, had a miraculous escape from death. She was thrown on to the front, nart of the train, a cushion from the car also being thrown on to the engine. She was then caught by the cow-catcher, and was carried about 100 yards till the train was pulled up. Mrs. Fisher sustained bruises, and is suffering from shock. The motor car was smashed to splinters.

A fatal motor smash occurred on the Main Road, about two miles north of Oamaru, just after dusk last week. Hugh Glass, licensee of the Pembroke Hotel, in Otago Lakes district, accompanied by his wife and young daughter, was coming into town by motor, via Lindis Pass. In the darkness the car apparently missed a narrow bridge over a small creek and dropped into a shallow depression, the car being capsized. Mrs. Glass was killed, her neck being broken, and her four-year-old daughter apparently was suffocated by being held down under the car. Both were dead . when the accident was discovered. Mr. Glass, whose peon’e reside in Oamaru, is in the hospital seriously injured. At the coronial inquiry, the jury returned a verdict that Mrs. Glass and her daughter met their death by asphyxiation bv being pinned under a car in mud and water. The jury added a rider which referred to motor cars with dim lights, and expressed the opinion that the bridge where the accident occurred should be widened, as the approaches were dangerous.

A most unpleasant surprise awaited a Christchurch doctor on a recent night (says the “Press”). About 8.40 o’clock he left his motor car standing outside a building in Worcester Street, between the Square and Manchester Street. Both head and tail lights were left burning. On returning a few minutes later he found only the wreck of his car. The near front wheel was torn right off, one of the axles was considerably bent, and the body of the car was badly twisted, while there were various smaller injuries. An examination of the tracks showed that another car had evidently crashed into the doctor’s machine, then had backed and ultimately driven on. The matter is in the hands of the police.

A trip from Auckland to Russell was made on Saturday week by one of the seaplanes attached to the New Zealand Flying School at Kohimarama. Mr. A. B. Williams, of Waipiro Bay, who desired to visit Rus sell, having missed the steamer the previous evening, decided to undertake the journey by air. Having made arrangements with the proprietors of the flying school, a start was made at 11 a.m. in a 125 horsepower machine, piloted by Mr. G. Bolt. The machine had a successful non-stop run to Russell, which was reached in 21 hours. The distance is about 145 miles. A heavy head wind was encountered, the route followed being approximately that taken by the coastal steamers. The return journey was made on the following Tuesday. The seaplane left Russell

at 10.30 a.m., and a stop for lunch was made inside Whangarei Heads. From there the machine flew to Kawau Island, where a second stop was made at Mansion House Bay. Kohimarama was reached at 2 p.m., the flying time totalling two hours, against 21 hours taken on the trip from Auckland to Russell. The trip was made in fine weather, with a light head wind, conditions improving as the seaplane neared Auckland. This is the second occasion on which a machine from the school has made a prolonged flight with a passenger, the previous occasion being when Dr. H. W. Cleary, Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, travelled to Mercury Bay.

“We do want an air service with Australia, saving three days, and it might be a useful link to have a service between Wellington and Lyttelton,” remarked Mr. Davidson in the course of his quarterly report to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. New Zealand, he added, was fitted for aerial defence, and a postal service might verj r well be warranted if organised to be an auxiliary to the Defence Department in war time. Private flying for pleasure and convenience should find its headquarters in Canterbury, owing to the nature of the country.

A proposal that all bicycles and motor bicycles used in the city should be registered for a fee of 6d. or Is. a year is made by the Mayor of Christchurch. He believes that this will stop bicycle thefts, as every person in possession of a bicycle would have to produce a registration card or a transfer certificate. The money obtained in fees he proposes should be spent in employing men to remove large stones and other obstacles from - the streets, and to smooth out the hollows. It is stated that it is a fairly common practice to throw stones out of gardens on the streets, to the cyclists’ annoyance. Dr. Thacker hopes in this way to make the streets both more convenient and safe.

Two motor cars travelling in opposite directions came into collision at the intersection of the eastern corner of the Square and Church Street, Palmerston North, with the result that both were considerably damaged. A four-seater Overland car, which had just come out of the garage after being overhauled and repainted, was being driven along the Square in the direction of Church Street by Norman Tremuen, of Shannon. Just as it turned the corner it was met by a two-seater Austin, driven by Leo. Andrews, of Andrews’ garage, in Fitzherbert Street. Seeing that an accident was imminent, Andrews put on the brakes, but was unable to stop the way of his car until it had bumped into the forefront of the other car, and pushed it up against the kerbing. The impact was so great that the rim of the near front wheel of the Overland was wrenched off, and the

generally was bent and strained. The Austin suffered to a greater extent, the front axle being bent and the forecarriage considerably damaged. The wind screen and one lamp were smashed, and a younger brother of Mr. Andrews had his face cut by the broken glass. Some little time was occupied in getting the wrecked cars off the street. It is understood that the police will take action against one of the drivers for a breach of the rule of the road.

Passenger flights by aeroplane are to be as comfortable in the future as railway journeys in a Pullman car. During the war period, which has seen so wonderful a development in the art of aeroplane construction, utility has been considered rather than luxurious ease, but now that builders are turning their attention to commercial traffic, careful consideration is given to the accommodation intended for aerial travellers. The passengers’ saloon on the Hand-ley-Page aeroplane illustrated on this page conveys a good idea of the preparations which are being made for aerial travel in the future. The compartment extends the full width and about one-third of the length of the fuselage, and is 6ft. 6in. from floor to ceiling. Armchairs are provided for 17 passengers. These are placed along both sides of the fuselage, and all face forward, with an unobstructed view through the windows, which extend along the sides. The saloon is entered from below through two trap-doors in the floor, giving access to the gangway between the seats. There is an additional seat for an outside passenger in a cockpit—formerly occupied by the forward machine gunner—in front of the pilot. The main compartment is fitted with electric lamps of the candle pattern and gilded mirrors. The machine, though only half the size of the Giant Handley-Pages, is 62ft. 6in. long, the span from tip to tip of the wings is 100 ft.. the height is 23ft., and the fully loaded weight will be 6J tons. The “aerobus,” as it has been called, will be driven by two RoPs-Royce engines, of 350 horse-power each, and the speed obtainable is about 100 miles an hour.

The Government of Quebec has spent approximately £3,000,000 on roads in five years. In 1907 the Quebec Government and municipalities systematically maintained 1000 miles of highways. This total had jumped to 18,000 miles in 1916. The need for a motor car for the use of the Plunket Society’s nurses was referred to by the secretary, Miss A. Henderson, at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch. “Although our staff has increased to four, an enormous amount of walking still falls to the lot of the nurses day by day,” she said. “The more nurses we have, the greater number of calls we get, and the farther we are asked to go. This continuous walking is telling on the health of the nurses; a long walk is perhaps pleasant for those who do it once or twice a week, but after the six or seven hours’ walking done, daily by the Plunket nurse, in addition to giving exhaustive explanations at each house visited, it is decidedly wearying. Other centres have provided their nurses with a car; let us hope that Auckland will see its way to do the same.” • • • • The following further advice with reference to the pay and allowances of cadets in the Royal Air Force has been received by the Minister of Defence from the High Commissioner: The Air Ministry states that cadets who received commissions in the R.A.F. from February 15, 1919. are entitled to pay at the rate of 10s. 6d. a day to the end of the standardised voyage period, also to the issue of a field allowance of 2s. 6d. a day, a special messing allowance of 10s. per month, when admissible, and an outfit allowance of £5O, less any issues in kind or cash already made. The Air Ministry has arranged with the Staff-Paymaster of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces for the issue in New Zealand of balances due to cadets already repatriated, and in future cases to those whose accounts were not adjusted prior to repatriation. The Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce ,recently passed a resolution in favour of nationalising main arterial roads, and circulated it to local bodies and others interested throughout the Dominion, with the idea of testing the feeling of the country in the matter and getting an expression of opinion. Mr. E. H. Crabb reported at the last meeting of the chamber that out of 136 bodies circularised 89 had endorsed the resolution. and 47 had either “received” it or left it over for further discussion. Mr. M. E. Elliott said that the bodies almost unanimously endorsed the resolution. In the country districts. opinion had been evenly divided, 25 endorsing it and 23 either holding it over or “receiving” it. It was all a question of finance. Mr. Freeth said that while people here were talking about improving the roads those in Taranaki were doing it. They were well satisfied with the results. It was finally decided to send the results of the circular to members of Parliament, to the Minister of Public Works, and to the public bodies concerned, and to send the resolution * with the information gathered as a remit to the Provincial Conference in Wellington.

Mr. Handley-Page, the inventor of the famous Handley-Page aeroplane, recently stated 'in London that they were starting an entirely new company, the Handley-Page Air Transport Company, which would be at the disposal of anybody, with machines to fly people between England and the Continent, and from there through its allied companies as far as it was possible for an aeroplane at present to reach. Their machines had already reached down beyond the centre of Africa, and to Delhi and Calcutta. This transport company was going to do the work with their own machines, and they would carry passengers and freight at a price which would pay anybody to utilise the service. The only way in which they could do this would be by having an enormous volume of goods and large numbers of passengers with a small running cost. Their policy would be to run aerial

motoi* lorries and not aerial racing cars. With regard to present methods of carriage, they would not be competing with anyone, but adding to the facilities already existing. They would relieve the railways of fast traffic, which in the past had been their bugbear.

The East Coast district’s request for improved road facilities was cordially supported by the Hon. A. T. Ngata during the course of the deputation of Waiapu settlers which waited upon the Minister of Public Works at the Waiapu bridge. The member for the Eastern Maori district declared that compared with other districts this was the one rich district that was not served by a main arterial highway, or by railway. The Gisborne-Napier railway would take many years to eventuate, and in the meantime the local bodies of the East Coast were urging that the district should, with the assistance of the Government, be linked up with one main arterial road. He supposed they would never see the railway up in the Waiapu in their time. The Minister remarked that expenditure had been limited on account of the lack of population. Mr. Ngata contended that the Government should keep the expenditure ahead of settlement. The Waiapu had provided an outlet to the various ports, Tokomaru, Tuparoa, Awanui, etc., but the arterial road to Gisborne had gaps in it, one big gap being between Gisborne and Tolaga Bay. In Gisborne the Minister would be met with a request for

£50,000 a year, in view of other districts having been provided with railway facilities, and in view of the fact that a railway would not come to Waiapu for years. The Minister said he recognised the want of a road between the Waiapu and Gisborne. The whole thing was a question of policy, and the amount the Government was prepared to place at the disposal of the public works vote. Owing to the changing conditions and purchase of land by the Crown, the East Coast was entitled to more liberal treatment than in the past.

“There is only one way to drive, and that is to handle the car so that it is always under complete control,” says an American motor expert. “Modern motor cars are so constructed that they are simple to operate and easy to handle, and the braking systems have been so perfected that a car travelling at fair speed can be checked and brought to a stop within a few feet. One thing the motorist must remember when driving along the road is that nothing connected with a motor car must be done suddenly. When you decide to turn let the man behind know it by holding your arm out at full length. Do not decide to turn to the left and put your arm out after you have begun to turn. Many a driver has done this and then found that the man in the rear could not stop in time and that the other car jammed his and smashed the headlights. Another thing to remember is to keep your distance. Don’t crowd too close to the car in front. He may have to stop suddenly and then you can do

nothing but crash into him. Keep at least 50 feet from the rear of the machine ahead of you. At the speed that cars move along the road this is a safe distance. You then have your car under full control at all times and can stop slowly, warning the car in the rear and you will avoid a lot of trouble. This first principle of making haste slowly applies in more than one way to motor car driving. When you decide to stop, put out your arm. No matter which way you are about to turn or whether you want to stop or not let the driver behind know about it by extending you r arm. When a man in the car behind sees an arm outstretched he is warned and slows up involuntarily until he finds out what you are going to do.”