MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1531, 28 August 1919, Page 26

MOTORING & CYCLING

1 ’holographs 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. It is stated that the output of American motor cars has now reached the enormous figure of 2,000,000 cars per annum. Mr. A. McDougall, an ex-captain of the Otago Motor Club, who has just returned from active service, received a hearty welcome at a meeting of the club. - • » * Mr. James Cruse, who is well known in the motor trade in Dunedin, has been appointed organiser for the Canterbury district of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. News has been received that Captain Euan Dickson, who has been appointed instructor at the Canterbury Aviation School, will leave England for Christchurch during the present month. A novel scene was witnessed in Patea when a motor lorry passed through the town with a large cage on it. In the cage was a very fine cow, which was being conveyed south by this means owing to the railway not being available. It is estimated that the day of the Grand National Steeplechase there were in the outer enclosure at Riccarton racecourse close upon 300 motor cars bearing the signs of registration districts outside of Christchurch. * * * * The Napier County Council decided to purchase a Ford car at £268 and to engage a driver in order to provide travelling facilities for the council’s overseers. The county’s overseers have to travel between Waikare, Puketitiri and Waimarama, and the chairman thought the suggestion was the best way to provide better supervision in wet weather. • » ■ » “The main thing is to get a road through to Wairoa first,” said Mr. W. Kinross White at a meeting of the Napier Harbour Board when the subject of the East Coast railway was introduced. Mr. White said he recently had to wait a week before he could get out of Wairoa. Mr. Ellison: “You were lucky to get out then.” w « w Motorists are complaining bitterly of the state of the main road from Paekakariki to Wellington. Since the railway restrictions came into force the motor traffic from Palmerston has increased to .a great extent, and this,, coming on top of a long period of rain, has cut the thoroughfare into potholes and slush. * * * * A few days ago as Mr. R. Drake was motor cycling to Manakau (says the “Otaki Mail”), he was overtaken by a big motor car —believed to be one of the express cars —which was travelling at a very great pace, estimated to be fully 40 miles an hour. Without any warning of the car’s approach, Mr. Drake was struck on the leg by the passing car. The injury was thought at first to be only slight, but Mr. Drake was compelled to seek medical advice. * * • V A tally of motor traffic over the dangerous Paekakariki hill was kept by the Wellington city motor inspector, Mr. L. S. Drake, while he was superintending the recovery of a motor lorry which went over the bank some days ago. On a recent Thursday, 60 motor vehicles going one way or the other passed the scene of operations. These included two or three big lorries, but the majority were touring cars. Mr. Drake states the road all the way from Wellington to Paekakariki is in a shocking condition, and he specially mentions the Ngahauranga Gorge as being “positively dangerous.” The task of hauling the lorry up on to the road was a very arduous one.

Sixty-eight residents petitioned the Lower Hutt Borough Council praying that a cycle track be constructed between the railway station and Wakefield Street. The petition was presented by a deputation who pointed out the wretched state of the road. The engineer estimated that the cost would be between £5O and £6O. Owing to the limited finances at present, it was decided to give the matter favourable consideration later on.

At a meeting of the Otago Motor Club, the following resolution was carried: “That this club note with regret the attempt of a well-known motorist to establish a record between Dunedin and Christchurch and vice versa, and desire to express their disapproval of such action, which, besides being a menace to traffic, tends to bring motorists generally into disrepute, and does not serve any useful purpose.”

The jubilee of the Touring Club de France was celebrated recently in the Forest of Marly. The President and Madame Poincare were there, and there was an interesting drive past, a Peugeot dated 1894 provokingconsiderable comment by its excellent running. Several machines were provided with camping apparatus.

Figures issued by the Italian Government show that last year 1071 cars were exported, as compared with 702 in 1917, and 824 in 1916. On the other hand, the number of lorries exported by Italy showed a big drop, the total last year being only 1867, as against 8032 in 1917. and 5639 in 1916.

The following new members have been elected to the Wellington Automobile Club: Messrs. A. T. Fauvel, J. M. Barton, A. Leigh Hunt, S. Kirkcaldie, C. B. Mann, H. Innis, F. W. Mackenzie, F. Lamberg, H. Brown, E. J. Righton, P. G. Easson, L. Whitcombe, C. W. Budd, Grove and Sutton, F. Richardson, W. A. Fuller, N. E. Page, A. A. Brown, A. M. Anderson, Thomson, Lewis and Co., H. A. Smith, A. W. Press, G. E. Fownes, M. L. Ferguson, H. B. Williams, G. F. Pearce, U. F. McCabe, L. Bryenton, A. Moulynox, C. Pearce, H. Amos, J. Lempars, J. W. Henderson, W. Hume, R. H. Nagle, H. H. Morris, A. Cleave, C. W. Palmer, A. Ferguson, W. Sandlandt, F. Flipp, R. Thompson, W. S. Brice, H. C. Jay, H. Seaton, F. F. Newman, Miss G. Kirkcaldie and Mrs. L. Dwan. Mr. L. S. Drake, city motor inspector, has been elected an honorary member.

The attention of the Government is to be drawn by the Hawke’s Bay County Council to the deplorable state of the Wairoa Road. Mr. W. Kinross White stated that between Waikare and Mohaka the road was positively dangerous. In the opinion of an expert who drove him over the road recently coaches were liable to meet with serious accident at any time. He considered the improvement of the road a matter of great urgency.

A motor car accident, attended with considerable damage, occurred on the Masterton-Carterton road. A twoseater car, driven by a Mr. Collins, of Palmerston, had just passed over the Waingawa bridge, when it encountered a mob of sheep, and pulled up suddenly. Another motor car, driven by Mr. Wynn Bond, was immediately behind. Mr. Bond applied his brakes, but he could not pull up his car, which crashed into the rear of Mr. Collins’ machine. The benzine tank on the latter was smashed to pieces, a spare wheel destroyed, and the back of the car was more or less damaged. The radiator of Mr. Bond’s machine was severely damaged, the wind screen broken, and other parts injured. Mr. Bond also sustained a severe cut on the hand through contact with flying glass.

The total amount of fines against motorists in Hastings for exceeding the speed limit, has to date reached £315. A particularly fast trip by motor car between Christchurch and Dunedin was made last Sunday week by Mr. R. Leslie Jones. He left Christchurch at 9.40 a.m., passed through Ashburton at 11.40, and arrived at Timaru at 1.20 p.m. He was delayed at Rakaia bridge for 15 minutes to permit a waggon loaded with petrol to cross. He left Timaru at 2.30 p.m., and passed through Oamaru at 3.45 p.m. He was delayed through tyre trouble at Hampden for 45 minutes, and left there at 5.26, and arrived at the Dunedin Post Office at 7 p.m. His actual running time was 6hr. 30min. * ♦ • • Farmers are often doubtful as to the saving to be effected by havinggood roads, and are unwilling to rate themselves to provide for improvements to roads. Interesting evidence on the subject is given (says the “Taranaki Herald”) by the experience of settlers at the White Cliffs, where a road was recently metalled

by means of a special loan. As the result of the improvement in the road surface carting from the factory is now done at ss. per ton less than the old rate. The sum thus saved is enough to pay the special rates of all the suppliers and leave £5 over. Besides this gain, the suppliers themselves have a good road instead of a bad one, and thus save much time and wear and tear to vehicles.

In the course of an address in Dunedin, Mr. L. M. Sandston, a Christchurch engineer, who has recently returned from America, pointed out that the problems of the road had been altered by the advent of the motor car. France was particularly fortunate in the possession of a good system of road construction, and that fact was responsible for saving Paris in 1914 by enabling reinforcements to be rushed up in time to turn the tide against the Germans in the battle of the Marne. For this reason the French were able successfully to defend Verdun. The National Council of Roads and Bridges was responsible for the construction and administration of roads in that country, and the whole work was intelligently planned and executed. In England the road system was much more complex, and too many author-

ities had jurisdiction over one length of road. In the United States vast sums had been spent in road constructions and administration, but bribery and corruption had been responsible for big sums having been squandered. In 1916 an Act was passed which made provision for the establishment of a fund for improved methods of road construction and a bureau to control the distribution and expenditure of the money. Since then the money had been wisely expended, and America, like France, had now a splendid road system. Valuable assistance was given to the controlling authority by national Associations, and courses in road engineering work were given in the universities. The speaker said he would like to see the matter taken up by the New Zealand Universities, and he would also like to see all public bodies interested in the question unite for the purpose of devoting their energies towards the establishment of a better system of road construction. Pressure should be brought to bear on the Government. He had spoken to the Acting Prime Minister on the matter, pointing out the need for an intelligent system of road construction, and Sir James Allen had in effect replied that when the people wanted it they could get it.

Lieutenant J. C. Griffith, R.A.F.. son of the Rev. S. Griffith, of Caversham, returned to New Zealand last week, after flying in France for six months. He was a prisoner in Germany for 12 months.

The increased traffic and the prolonged spell of wet weather have combined to cause very bad conditions on the Wairarapa roads, and motorists have great difficulty in negotiating them.

The Canterbury Automobile Association has received an intimation from the Town Clerk of Christchurch that it is intended at an early date to consider amendments to the traffic by-laws. The association was asked to appoint two delegates to the conference. Messrs. J. S. Hawkes and F. W. Johnston were appointed.

At the annual meeting of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Timaru, the congregation presented their minister (Rev. T. Stinson, 8.A.) with a motor car, a complete set of spare parts, and ten cases of petrol. Highly complimentary references were made to the work of Mr. and Mrs. Stinson, and it was explained that the car was intended for their private use, and not for the work associated with the church.

At the Hastings Magistrate’s Court, before Mr. R. W. Dyer, S.M., E. C. Coates (M. Scannell) claimed from James Brown (Mr. McNeill) the sum of £23 Is. 7d. damages alleged to have been caused to plaintiff’s motor car as a result of negligent or careless driving of defendant’s motor lorry. The facts as outlined by Mr. Scannell were that plaintiff placed his car in the quadrangle at Woodford House. The defendant’s lorry was being driven up a steep cutting, but got out of control, ran back down the hill and crashed into plaintiff’s car. After hearing the evidence, His Worship gave judgment for plaintiff for £lB 10s. 7d., costs £6 3s. 6d.