MOTOR NOTES.

Progress, Volume III, Issue I, 1 November 1907, Page 27

MOTOR NOTES.

By " Accumulator." Wind screens are a constant source of interest in a breezy climate such as ours, and though there are many on the market, they are by no means uniformly successful. One of the latest and best to be introduced here is the " H. and B." particulars of which reach us from the Motor Import Company. It is c aimed to be adjustable to any position and a glance^at the accompanying illustration showing

a few of the adjustments possible js sufficient to demonstrate this contention. The screen is fitted with patent polished plate glass, and is warranted to be absolutely free from rattle when the car is running. In addition to supplying the screens to car owners, the agents are prepared to supply the ttrade either with the complete screens or necessary fittings to enable them to bujld for themselves

The greatest event in the motor-cycle world, vi?., the Auto Cycle Club's Reliability Trials, have just concluded. The test is a particularly severe one as it lasts 6 days and covers 1000 miles of country, a portion being through picturesque, but hilly Wdles. It looks rather humorous to see the light weight " Motosacoche " of i£ h p. competing against machines of 6 h.p. down, the nearest competitor being 3} h.p/ The "Motor Cycle" comments upon the performance of this wonderful little machine as fellows .—". — " A motor bicycle which is creating enormous interest m the A.C.C. reliability trials is the Motosacoche. One could reasonably expect that this machine would finish every day inside maximum time with reasonable luck, but it has exceeded all expectations since it has proved itself to be not only reliable, but fast, as it ha= always arrived early and when seen on the road has always been travelling a respectable speed. At the famous Fish Hill grade 1 in. 9— ll the Motosacoche came up remarkably well, only giving a few easy strokes of the pedal" on the steepest [portion. The excellent running of the Motosacoche seated a most favourable impression,'- proving to be fast on thp level and with pedal assistance a remarkable hill climber"

Among the recent purchasers of Argyll cars we notice tbe names ot Lord Wenlock, Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and Major Ponsonb^.

A long-standing complaint with New Zealand motorists has been the difficulty in obtaining spare valves when required. To obviate this the Motor Import Company, of Chnstchurch, are making a specialty of stocking a complete range of both inlet and exhaust valves 1 fcr all the leadmg'makes of cars — De Dion, -\ster, " -PanharJ,! jDarracq, "Renault, Clement, Daimler,"" Humber, Minerva Riley, etc. All the valves 'ar« guaranteed to be made of the finest 5% nickel steel, and as the prices fixed are as low as is consistent with good quality, it should certainly pay motorists who have experienced trouble m this direction to communicate -w ith the above firm. ****** According to the most recent statistics of the French Ministry of Finance, there are in France, a total of 32 000 cars, of which 4922 are owned in Paris. An exchange thinks that, allowing for cars "overlooked" and those owned by manufacturers, agents etc , the total figure would be close to 40,000. ****** Mr. H. E. Avery, of Wellington, is having his t-no-seater De Dion car com erted into <* four-seater tonueau.

The motor-car industry in the United Kingdom is progressing by leaps and bounds There seems no possible drawback to a continutd period of great activity. Last year the British motor market was approximately worth twelve millions sterling The principal British motor markets are taxed to their utmost capacity At the present rate of production there will be over 20,000 cars of all grades made this year, the half-dozen leading firms being respon sible for more than half this number. ****** The disadvantages of the standard fcur-\olt coil with its high-current consumption and consequent frequent necessity for accumulator charging, rapid weanrg of platinum contacts, etc., are well known to all motorists, so that much irterest attaches to the new two-volt coil named the " \roltoo,"\ r oltoo," particulars of which reach us from the Motoi Import Company, Chnstchurch. The advantages claimed for this coil aie — First — a big economy of current. The majority of four -volt coils consume from 1 to 3 amperes, but the " Voltoo " coil only takes 1-5 of an ampere, that is to say or less, of that required by the majority of four-volt coils. It has indeed been repeatedly demonstrated that a ' Voltoo" coil will lun a modem high-compression engine perfectly on a single dry cell (1 5* volts), consuming onl" 1-10 for an ampere Second— absence of pitting. Owing to the extremely small \olumecf the primary current, the great trouble of pitting of tbe platinums is eliminated, thns reducing to a minimum the expense and trouble of constantly renewing, trimming, and adjusting the platinum points. I bird — sp ;re battei y dispensed with With a four- \ olt coil it is absolutely necessary to cany a spare accumulator, which both takes up space, and adds weight. Such a precaution is, ho^vevei , quite unnecessary wher asipg a " Voltoo ' coil, as a standard four-volt accumulator constitutes a spare in itself, only one cell being m use at a time. This is, of course of especial interest to motor cyclists to w horn both weight and space are important considerations # * He * * x Tbe strides made by the commercial vehicle at Home, says the Commercial Motor, have been so rapid that manufacturers have been compelled to devote their attentions mamly to the Home demand. It must not be forgotten however that there is a vast field waiting to be opened up m the colonies. We were forcibly reminded of this fact during an interesting interview we had recently with Mi. -V Koshngton, an old member of the iorksnne Automobile Club, who has just returned fiom a motor tour through Australia in the interests of the Belize Company. Mr. Roshngton tells us that the motor car is used very little as a pleasure vehicle in Australia. Cars are owned by farmers on up-countiy stations, and are used very extensively for purely business purposes Carting is still done by wagons but our informant was sure that the time was ripe for the motor wagon Ihe well-to-do farmers are already owners of cars, and a r e fully alive to the value of the motor wagon which would be a real boon to them. It is important to give them the right thing at first. To use the colonies as a dumping ground is to put back the chance of business for years, if not for ever, because, once bitten, the colonial is for ever shy. Another important point for the manufacturer to consider is that the colonial prefers vehicles cf British manufacture, once his confidence in them is established. The openmg-up of trade m Australia and New Zealand is well worth consideration and careful study. Mr. Roshngton also informed us that there is a big scope for commercial motor vehicles m Ceylon What is required is a van that will carry two or three tons of tea from the plantations up-country to the cojst A \>an body that could be locked up and barred would appeal to the planteis, because the pilfering that goes on by the nativ es from the ordinary bullock wagons is so great that, if prevented, it would pay for the upkeep of the motor wagon At present, the journey takes six days by bullock wagon. They consider it would be covered in one day by motor wagon.