MOTORING & CYCLING

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1559, 11 March 1920, 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.

One well-known American motor cycle manufacturer produced 22,685 machines during 1919. Thirteen years ago their output was 50.

The disbandment of the New Zealand Forces’ Motor Service Corps is notified in the Gazette.

The following new members were elected at the last meeting of. the Wellington Automobile Club: Messrs. H. F. O’Leary, A. Smith, J. A. Priestly, F .A. Vaughan.

Motor traffic between Te Kuiti and the Waitomo Caves is rapidly: growing, and with the recent carrying of the loan for metalling, the road gives promise of being in excellent order before many months have passed.

A Ford commercial chassis is to be purchased by the Wellington City Council for the use of the Fire Brigade Department.

An Oamaru motorist who recently returned after a tour of the South Island, in which he covered 1500 miles, states that the worst roads he encountered were those between the Waitaki bridge and Oamaru.

Mr. R. N. Moore, of Tiritea, and Captain Preece have left Palmerston North on a holiday trip to the North Cape. They will motor from Auckland, and will visit the various places of historic and scenic interest on their way north.

A mishap occurred to a private motor car proceeding from Nelson to Blenheim, and conveying a small party of nurses bound for Christchurch on holiday. When on the Wangamoa Hill, near the scene of a recent accident, the car went over a bank. The passengers were thrown out and severely shaken. They were brought back to Nelson, and one of them, Nurse Taylor, being rather seriously hurt, was admitted to hospital.

A meeting of representatives of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria and of motor car importers and allied traders took place in Melbourne recently to decide whether a motor car exhibition should be held in Melbourne during the present year. After hearing the expressions of opinion from members of the Motor Traders Association it was decided to postpone such a show until a period is reached when English post-war models are really obtainable on this market, and when prices have become stabilised. The primary object of a motor show is its educational value, anl the decision to postpone such an ex hibition until the trade “have the goods” is to be commended.

Reference was made at last meeting of members of the Canterbury Automobile Association by Mr. N. M. Orbell to the recent automobile tour of the Dominion, during which an average of 40 miles an hour was recorded. Mr. Orbell thought that the Association ought to express an opinion on the matter. Mr. F. Hubbard said that he had read of the wind screen of the car referred to being splashed with the blood of birds, and it was lucky that it was not human blood. The association ought to put its foot down hard on such driving. Mr. J. S. Hawkes, president of the association, said that the secretary of the association had received a telegram from someone connected with the car, and he (Mr. Hawkes) had instructed the secretary to have nothing to. do with it on behalf of the association, as the association would not countenance anything of the kind.

The Prime Minister stated last week that he had arranged for the despatch of 1000 cases of benzine to the Auckland district, where a very acute shortage has been embarassing the dairy farmers. Mr. Massey secured 5000 cases for the dairy farmers a few days ago.

“Carburettor” in the “Dunedin Star” offers interesting comments on a recent record trip:—Mr. W. S. Miller and his Chandler Six put up a magnificent performance. The run, which was undertaken as a selfimposed reliability trial for the car, proved a strenuous test, from .which both car and driver emerged successfully. The total distance recorded by the speedometer was 1173 miles, although that is probably longerby a few miles than the actual distance between the two places, as wrong roads were taken more than once. The total time taken was 36hr. Bmin., and, allowing for stops amounting to 4hr. 22min„ the actual running time was 31hr. 46min. This works out at the surprising speed of 36.92 miles per hour. The average through the North Island was 33.27

miles and through the South 39.84 pei- hour. This is unquestionably the fastest trip by any means of locomotion between Auckland and the Bluff, and is not likely to be reduced until Captain Euan Dickson ox- one of his fellow-aviators does so. One thing stands out clearly—for getting through the Dominion in a hurry the motor has the train hopelessly beaten, despite the fact that the one has fair, bad, indifferent, and unformed roads, steep hills, and bad bends, while the other has well-graded, carefully-laid and scientifically-curved rails to travel over. But there -is another aspect of this trial to be considered. Have we to stand by and see this kind of speed work continued? Will some other enthusiastic agent, . confident in his own skill as a driver and the reliability of his own car, be attempting to reduce Miller’s record next month? Throughout those 1173 miles of racing and rushing and roaring thousands of people must have been encountered. Hundreds of people love the motorist still less because of that run. I had a long chat with Mr. Miller. He is a quiet, gentlemanly, unassuming young fellow. I admire his undoubted skill and nerve as a driver. When motor cai- racing becomes a “fait accompli” in the Dominion Mr. W. S. Miller will be a driver to be reckoned with. His run was made, not as a speed test, but with a view to demonstrating, as a slow run could not do, the reliability under the severest conditions of the car for which he is agent. Under these circumstances

one does not condemn the run so roundly and so readily as in the case of the driver who decides to go all out over a certain run for no other reason than the desire for speed. Mr. Miller could have cut down his running time still furthex- if he had so desired. At the same time, I am against this class of motoring in general, and sincerely hope that the performance will not be repeated.

Miss Nellie Miller, of Port Chalmers, has been touring the North Island via the West Coast with hexbrother, Mr. W, S. Miller, and Mrs. Miller, in their speed car Despatch, which did the record trip from Auckland to the Bluff.

Considerable interest is being taken in motoring circles as to what make of cax- the Prince of Wales will favoux- and use during his. Australian visit. The probabilities are that the Prince’s party will bring three or four cars out with them aboard H.M.S. Renown. If this is done then Britishmade cars are almost sure to be selected.

Captain Albaxi Roberts, physicist expert to the Royal Naval Air Service, who has just invented, according to late Home papers, a marvellous whistle which will astonish the world, is well known in New Zealand, having as a young man of 21 established the electric light in a southern town. He is an inventive genius of no xnean order, and to him belongs the credit for many of the “hush.” inventions of the war.

An aeroplane flight from Christchurch to Invercargill was completed last Tuesday week by Captain Euan Dickson, who covered the distance from Gore, 42 miles, in forty-five minutes, carrying two passengers. A strong head wind was experienced. After circling over the town the machine landed on the racecourse, where Captain Dickson was welcomed by the Acting-Mayor.

Many warnings have been issued by magistrates presiding over sessions of the lowex- court, or over inquests, as to the necessity of motorists complying strictly with the rules laid down by the city authorities for the use of public highways, and still another warning was given by Mr. E. Page, S.M., at the close of an inquest on the body of a victim of a recent motor fatality at Lyall Bay, Wellington. “The rule should be,” said he, “that no driver of a motor vehicle, taxi-car, or private car should take liquor while he. is in charge of that vehicle.”

The practice of pillion riding oxx motor cycles has been growing steadily in Wellington for some time past, and not infrequently serious accidents have been attributed to this dangerous forxn of locomotion. Ixx consequence the City Council has decided to frame a regulation prohibiting riding on the carriers of motor cycles.

There is probably more than one patented arrangement for recovering a certain proportion of the energy absorbed by the flexing of car springs by causing the spring to operate a small air pump fox* charging a reservoir. the compressed air which would be stored at round about 1001 b. pressure to the square inch being used for tyre inflation and conceivably also for starting the engine, but nothing commercially has yet resulted. The point of interest, however, is that a simple means of recovering a certain amount of wasted exxergy oxx a car does exist, but whether it would pay to adopt it is another question. Incidentally, a spring-operated aixcompressox- would make quite aix efficient shock absorber.

On all the country bridges in Canterbury the Automobile Association proposes to affix name-plates, giving the name of each stream for the guidance of motorists who may have little local knowledge, or be dependent on a road map. The new departure will also be useful in cases of breakdown, for the motorist, in telephoning for assistance, will be able to give his approximate position in relation to the last stream he has crossed. It is also proposed to take action to secure the erectioxx of notice boards giving the name of each township and the speed limit to be observed.

A narrow escape from a serious accident occurred at the Christchurch ferry wharf the other day. A motor car was being loaded on to the Wahine, when a steel ring on a band around the aftermast gave way, with the result that the derrick carried away and crashed down across the deck, snapping off where the end projected over the edge of the deck. The substantial wood and iron railings were crushed and twisted level with the deck, and the motor car, which was about five feet in the air at the time, was landed on the wharf with a severe bump, some of the wood-work being badly damaged.

General Richardson and Colonel Myers paid a visit to the New Zealand Flying School at Kohimarama last week, and were taken for short seaplane flights.

A joint deputation from the Dargaville Borough Council and the Hobson County Council waited upon the Hon. J. G‘. Coates in regard to coal and benzine, of which there is a great shortage. It was stated that one farmer had 70 cows and no benzine for his milking plant- Labour was unprocurable, and he was struggling night and day continuously with a small family hand-milking. Many similar cases were quoted, and it was stated that cows were being turned out, though grass was abundant.

The friction drive which has been applied with considerable success to light cars makes use of two discs at right angles, the one being the rear face of the flywheel and the other a traversing disc on a countershaft. This arrangement necessarily is unsymmetrical, the pressure being entirely to one side of the crankshaft, and the single point of contact limits the power that can be transmitted at moderate pressures. A French engineer has developed the principle in a manner which, while sacrificing some of the original simplicity should extend the scope of the drive considerably. Instead of two discs, four are used. The first of the series is, as before, the flywheel. On the face of this press two parallel discs at opposite ends of the horizontal diameter, and they in turn squeeze a traversable disc mounted on the cardan shaft, and parallel to the flywheel. An infinite number of gear ratios is obtainable in either direction by sliding this disc along its shaft towards or from the centre, where the disc is in “neutral.” As regards the first and last discs of the series, the stresses are balanced, and as friction occurs at two points instead of one, more power can be transmitted at lower contact pressures. The modification has the further advantage of’ being suitable for shaft transmission, which the. twodisc system is not.

The aerial mail service to Whangarei was inaugurated on March 2, when the New Zealand Flying School’s seaplane, with Mr. V. C. Walsh in charge and My. G. B. Boult as pilot, conveyed mails from Auckland for Whangarei, Kamo, and Hikurangi. The seaplane left Auckland at 10.20 a.m., and arrived at Onerahi at 11.40 a.m., reaching a height of 1700 ft. en route. As it was the first time a flying machine had been seen near Whangarei, the event constituted a redletter day. A large number of people lined the foreshore and watched the arrival of the seaplane, Messrs. Walsh and Boult receiving a warm reception on landing. A representative gathering, headed by the Mayor of Whangarei, Mr. J. S. Dent, welcomed the airmen. The mail carried by the seaplane was despatched from Onerahi to Whangarei by motor cycle. The aviators were, asked to take the seaplane up the river to Whangarei, but the winding course of the river made the risk too great. After receiving the return mail the machine was flown toward Whangarei as far as the railway bridge, and then circled back. Onerahi. where the official time

was taken, was passed at 2.51 p.m., and the seaplane reached Auckland at 4.11 p.m., the highest altitude reached on the return being 1800 ft. The flying time on the journey to Onerahi was 78 minutes, and on the return trip 80 minutes.

The carriage of mails by seaplane from Auckland to Whangarei was successfully performed for the second time last Thursday. A seaplane from the New Zealand Flying School at Kohimarama left Auckland at 10.10 a.m. with a quantity of mail matter. A portion of the mail was dropped at Whangaparaoa from a height of 800 ft., and it landed within 30 yards of a marked position. The seaplane eventually alighted at 11-26 a.m. in the Whangarei River at Limeburners, just below the town, the journey having occupied one hour and sixteen minutes. The mail was delivered to residents of Whangarei by mid-day, so that those to whom English letters were addressed received them 24 hours after their arrival in Wellington. The return journey with mail was commenced at 2.20 p.m. Strong southerly winds were encountered, and the seaplane did not reach Auckland till 4.16 p.m.

An instructive pioneer trip between Sydney and Melbourne by a Britishmade “Leylands” 5-ton motor lorry was successfully carried through last month. The primary reason for the journey was that the truck had to be delivered to the agents in Melbourne. The railway freight was in the region of £25, and. delivery could not be promised owing to the strike “hold up.” It was therefore decided to make the journey by road, and to help defray the expense of the trip by taking a,5-ton load of merchandise across from Sydney to Melbourne. The journey, despite the shocking state of the road in places, was negotiated in 64 hours’ driving time. The cost of delivering the load was £5 10s. a ton, as against the railway charge of £7 12s. 9d. The consumption of petrol for the trip was 96 gallons. The truck is a post-war model, and is shod with solid rubber Dunlop tyres.