MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1545, 4 December 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 Poverty Bay Athletic and Motor Cycle Association has decided to endeavour to get T. Uren to compete at the championship sports. It is probable that Uren will be boxing in Gisborne on January 1, and it is hoped he can be induced to take part in some of the events on the programme.

Comparing seaplanes and aeroplanes, Captain Euan Dickson said, in Christchurch the other day, that the former had their advantage where there was water but no suitable landing ground available. North Auckland, for instance, was rough country, but it had plenty of good harbours for seaplanes. For harbour work seaplanes were useful, and good sport could be had with flying boats. An “amphibious” machine was now being manufactured in Britain, and would be placed on the market shortly. Many attempts to produce an “amphibious” machine had been made during the war, but there had been no successful design.

An attempt to create a cycling record between the Christchurch Post Office and Governor’s Bay and back was made one day last week by Geo. F. Goodall, a well-known local cyclist. Goodall set out at 6 a.m., Mr. A. S. Pearson acting as timekeeper. The time for the journey, a distance of about 16 miles, was lhr. 20min. The over-night rain made the road over the hills very heavy, and the rider was confident that with good conditions the time could be reduced considerably.

Conflicting by-laws in connection with pillion riding were disclosed when a case was called at the Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch. SubInspector Mullany stated that a sidechair was attached to the motor cycle, an extra passenger being carried behind on the seat of the machine. The magistrate, Mr. V. G. Day, said that on a previous occasion a similar charge had been dismissed when it was- held that pillion riding was not an offence providing a side-chair was attached to the motor cycle. The sub-inspector said that according to the section under which the present charge was laid, it was an offence to carry a passenger, except on a side-chair. The magistrate: “If the by-law is unreasonable it is not an offence.” Mr, F. W. Johnston stated that the subject was at present being considered by the By-laws Committee of the City Council. The case was adjourned for two months.

Mr. V. G. Day, S.M., delivered his reserved judgment in Christchurch in the case Herbert Mclntosh (City Council Motor Inspector) v. Edward C. Gardiner, in which the defendant was charged with having driven an unlicensed omnibus within the city. The information was that the defendant, while holding a license for a motor cab, took passengers at separate fares to the Addington saleyards. It was pointed out by the prosecution during the hearing of the case that the driver of an omnibus was restricted to the particular route for which he was licensed, while the driver of a motor cab could ply for hire anywhere in the streets of the city. The magistrate said there was no provision in the bylaws prohibiting the driver of a licensed cab from charging separate fares, so long as he did not charge more in the aggregate than he could lawfully claim for the distance travelled or the time occupied in the journey, and the information was dismissed. Mr. Mclntosh gave notice of appeal.

In France all traffic keeps to the right.

When an accident occurs in which a motor car is concerned the motorist is usually blamed. At the Magistrate’s Court, the state of things was altered, remarks the “Poverty Bay Herald,” and the responsibility for a damaged car was attributed to a cow. Douglas Stevenson, taxi proprietor (Mr. Burnard), sought to recover from Findlay McKenzie (Mr. F. W. Nolan) the sum of £l6 12s. 6d., for repair to his taxi-car, and for loss of time occasioned through one of defendant’s cows running into plaintiff’s car on June 23. John Henry Jones and plaintiff both deposed that as the car was passing two of defendant’s cows near Waihirere, one of the cows jumped right in front of the car, which was pulled up in a few feet with the beast underneath. The car was proceeding under 20 miles an hour, and had the cow stopped where it was when the occupants of the car first saw it nothing would have happened. As defendant is away driving sheep, the case was adjourned until December 15.

At a meeting of the executive committee of the Poverty Bay Athletic and Motor Cycle Club, it was stated that Miss Bessie Grandemange, the Australian woman athlete, might be induced to appear at Gisborne for the New Zealand championship meeting. The secretary, Mr. H. Lockie, asked what support he could get towards this object. The members of the executive immediately took the matter up, and offered to defray any expenses in connection with the visit. “The footpaths surprised me,” said Mr. J. H. Stewart, in talking of his American trip to an “Otago Daily Times” reporter. “Obstructions are taken as a matter of course that would not be tolerated in Dunedin. Cellar doors may be raised two or three inches above the level of the pavement and nobody takes any more notice than to walk around them. The reading was the most wonderful thing I saw in the States. In the Milwaukee and Chicago areas especially there are miles and miles of concrete roads, some surfaced over with a two-inch coat of asphalt.” In a place like Waikouaiti, he said, there would be a fine concrete highway through the country. The general procedure was to raise a loan for the purpose, and the rates were often very high. People realised that it was cheaper in the long run to have a good lasting road built than to knock their vehicles about on inferior highways. There were brick roads in some of the cities, but they were jolty, and were being rapidly superseded by concrete, which was being more extensively used every year for reading.

At a meeting of the Canterbury Automobile Association, Mr. A. S. Clarkson, for the Soldiers’ Car Committeee, reported that during October the soldiers’ car did 25 trips, carrying 139 men, and covering. 1041 miles. Since the car was put in commission in November, 1917, it had made 437 trips, carrying 2584 men, and covered 16,334 miles, besides doing a large amount of Red Cross work.

A proposal to erect a permanent exhibition building in Christchurch was mooted at a motor trade gathering in connection with the visit of Major R. E. Goddard, R.A.F., Overseas Commissioner for the British Motor and Allied Manufacturers, Ltd. Mr. H. J. Ranger said that the motor exhibition had come to stay, and the trade might well consider the question of providing a large building to’ house it. Quite probably they would have the Canterbury A. and P. Association coming to them for the use of the building for the purpose of holding a winter show. Major Goddard commended the pro-

posal, also a further suggestion that the building should be flat-roofed for aviation purposes.

There are about 500 to 600 men in New Zealand who have done air work, and who could be constituted a reserve. “Captain Isitt is taking charge of the equipment that is down here,” said Sir James Allen in Christchurch. “We have got four aeroplanes, and we are considering also how many of the 100 machines offered by the Imperial Government it will be wise to accept. I have no doubt that some of them will be accepted, probably 25 of them, but consideration has to be given as to where we will store them. Meanwhile there is a scheme being presented to me for keeping hold of the men who have had flying experience.”

During the course of a by-law prosecution at the Wellington Magistrate’s Court, Mr. H. F. O’Leary, who was defending a prosecution, stressed the fact that if the pedestrians themselves exercised a little more care when crossing streets fewer accidents would occur. “It is quite a good thing,” said counsel “for the City Council to introduce by-laws controlling vehicular, and particularly motor traffic, but the City Council might well organise some campaign in order to get pedestrians to maintain a sharp look-out on the streets. Some sort of ‘safety first’ campaign was desirable in order that we all might fully realise the real need and necessity for keeping a sharp lookout.”

The executive of the Poverty Bay Athletic and Motor Cycle Association has decided to invite Miss Bessie Grandemange, the Australian woman athlete, to appear at the championship meeting. The members of the committee offered to meet any expenses in connection with the visit.

“This class of crime is made easy by the cheap purchase of bicycles,” said Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., at Gisborne during the hearing of a case involving theft of a bicycle. Sub-, Inspector Dew said that was so, and that he thought the matter should be brought under the notice of the Crown Law Officers with a view to having the law altered making it an offence for people in the bicycle trade to purchase bicycles from strangers at low values. The magistrate suggested the facts of the case before him should be brought before the Crown Law Department. He, however, did not wish to suggest that the witnesses in the case who had purchased the bicycles had done anything morally wrong.

The report of the Wellington Automobile Club, presented at the annual meeting last Thursday, announces a record in new membership, 192 having been elected. Reference is also made to the importance of a new road to Paekakariki, as an essential link in the main arterial road, and to the desirability of completing the Upper Hutt-Waikanae Road. As regarded dazzling headlights, the report states that it has not been possible to arrive at any definite conclusion to avoid the trouble. The committee recommended a tax on tyres as the best method of meeting proposals to tax the motorist —a method approved also by the'New Zealand Automobile Union. A movement, is now on foot to promote a Dominion mutual insurance scheme, and efforts are being made to arrive at an agreement with kindred associations. The committed expresses its appreciation to those members of the club who are also members of the Voluntary Motor Corps, and have turned out to carry returned soldiers from ship or train to their destination. The work done in this way has been extremely heavy, and a great tax on a busy man’s time. The V.M.C. is congratulated on the patriotic services its members have rendered. The bal-ance-sheet shows a satisfactory credit balance of nearly £2OO.

Major Kuyon Kenneth MacDonald, R.A.F., who was killed at Cheviot while rabbit-shooting, was the eldest son of Mr. Ranald M. MacDonald, of Bealey Avenue, Christchurch. Major MacDonald, when 25, enlisted in December, 1914, in the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and went into camp at Trentham. From Egypt he went to England to take up a commission in the Sherwood Foresters, and in 1915 transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. After spending some months in training he joined the 54th Squadron in France in April of the same year. In September, 1916, Major MacDonald was dangerously wounded in an air fight, but managed to get back to his aerodrome. For several months he was incapacitated by his wounds, and also suffered severely from shock. Afterwards he was appointed flying instructor at Grantham, England, and at various other aerodromes. In 1918 he was promoted captain, and was appointed wing examiner in the south-eastern district. Subsequently he was promoted major, and attached to headquarters in London. In April he was demobilised, and returned to the Dominion. Major MacDonald was born in 1889, and was educated at Christ’s College, Christchurch, ’at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and later was at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln. For some time prior to enlisting he was engaged farming in the Chevoit district. He was married to a daughter of Mr. John Grigg, of Longbeach, and leaves a widow and two young children.

The value of tar-sealing was instanced at a meeting of the Eltham County Council. There was some question as to what should be dope with certain surplus toll-gate revenue, and the clerk said he did not know whether it could be used for any purpose but the upkeep of the Eltham road. Councillors said there was no stipulation to that effect, but when the toll-gate . was erected they had not anticipated any surplus to be available. That there was, only went to prove the success of the tar-seal-ing policy adopted by the council in all its road work, which, while necessitating much greater initial outlay, yet was, in the long run, much moie economical than the ordinary macadamised road.

The aviation policy of the Government, Sir James Allen, Minister of Defence stated, in Christchurch recently, had not been decided and could not be decided till the Government had time to consider the matter from the military, naval and commercial aspects. Meanwhile the Government had put £25,000 on the Estimates, which was to be utilised in keeping alive the existing aviation schools at Sockburn and Kohimarama. Indeed, the Government had alreadyrendered some assistance to the Kohimarama school, which was in financial difficulty. In regard to Sockburn, negotiations were proceeding between the proprietors and the Defence Department. “We have had a report from Colonel Bettington and from Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Jellicoe, dealing with the question from the military and naval points of view,” said Sir James, “and the military have been considering Colonel Bettington’s report, and are about to submit a report. I know something of the contents of the report, but I have intimated to the military heads that the Government can do nothing in deciding on its policy until the military and naval are brought into line, as there must be co-ordination. We cannot have two schools, but one, and military and naval aviation must start on the same basis, though, as they develop, they , may differentiate. There is a considerable number of New Zealanders who have served in the Royal Air Force —500 or 600 of them —and we are considering as .to how far we can create a reserve out of these men so as not to lose the value of their experience.”

Reference to the roads of the county was made by Mr. G. A. Monk, chairman of the Horowhenua County Council, at the last meeting of the council. Some progress had been made as far as road construction during the war, he said, but they would have to go even further in this connection. Twelve months ago matters had been shelved to see what action the Government would take, but beyond promises it had done nothing. One thing ‘ was certain, and that was that the council would have to have up-to-date machinery for the roads; and he did not think it would be economical to go on as they were at present doing. South of Otaki there was a perfect stretch .of road, but the question was how long would it last. He considered if a permanent surface was not put on it would be unable to hold against the motor traffic. They should take into consideration the question of going in for a big loan —it was no good tinkering with matters. Thousands of pounds would have to be raised, and he suggested that the council should secure the services of a consulting engineer, who would be assisted by the council’s engineer. Mr. Monk considered it would cost £50,000 to £60,000 to do the roads, but he asked councillors to give the matter full consideration. It was to the council’s credit that the present road-making machinery had been bought out of revenue; other counties had purchased theirs by special loan.

The following new members were elected at the last meeting of the Canterbury Automobile Association: S. Spedding, H. Gresson, J. Murchison, G. G. Greig, R. J. Parsons, J. F. Taylor, R. W. Hanna, W. A. Nicholls, H. S. Kyle, J. G. Taylor, L. White, L. R. Barnett, H. E. Martin, H. N. Francis, Norman Rutherford, N. C. Vale, W. H. Taylor, H. J. Knight, Wm. Cunningham, E. A. Broughton, R. F. Marshall, Thornton Scott, Nelson Jones, T. H. Wilkinson, D. Grimmell, R. G. Power, A. J. Read, T. G. Ware, F. Scott, F. Corrigall, H. A. Millar, W. G. Wrott, T. Masefield, A. W. Adams, A. W. Colee, J. L. Sailers, N. A. Gardiner, D. P. Galligan, James Clucas, A. Cooke-Carwell, G. W. Bailey, R. Forsyth, A. J. Johnston, John Ballagh, H. E. Button, A. E. Wright, D. Deans, C. Deans, H. W. Candy, M. Park, W. H. Perryman, W. J. Ballock, C. E. Gray, C. Were, T. S. Young, S. J. Archbold, R. F. Henderson, R. T. Neale, A. Kellaway, Captain E. Dickson and Mrs. E. M. Read. Ashburton branch: A. Read. Greymouth branch: F. Maine.