MOTORING

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19179, 9 December 1927, Page 5

MOTORING

BY "ROADSTER."

DEATH-TRAPS.

MAIN HIGHWAYS. BOARD'S ANNUAL REPORT.

SYDNEY'S TRAFFIC

DANGERS

OPERATIONS REVIEWED. The third annual report of the Main Highways Board contains, inter alia, the following information: The total expendituro by the Board tor the year under review has been £1,120.952. Of this amount £547,091) was expended from the revenue fund and £573,862 from the construction fund. The operations under the revenue fund involved the payment of subsidies on the maintenance of 0391 miles of main highways, as well as providing assistance towards the cost of the maintenance of over 200 miles of continuations of main highways passing through boroughs of under sis thousand inhabitants. The following summary shows roughly the achievements in the way of _ construction : —Length of highway surfaced, 252 miles, made up as follows: Portland cement concrete, 10 miles; bituminous concrete, 12 miles; bituminous macadam (penetration), 38 miles; tar and bituminous surface treatment (sealing), 33 miles; gravelling and metalling, 151 miles. Length of highway formed and widened. 174 miles; length of bridges completed. 6108 lineal feet. Board's Finances. The outstanding feature of the Board's financial position is that the expenditure from the revenue fund for the year roughly approximated the actual/receipts. The receipts for the year show an unduly inflated figure, due to the late issue of the numberplates for motor vehicles in the year 1926. For the purpose of gauging the true position it may be pointed out that the Board's average revenue for the past two years from all sources has been £458.748. The anticipated revenue for the year ending March 31st, 1928, is £530,000, but it is expected that the expenditure from the revenue fund will reach £750.000, an estimated excess of expenditure over income of £•220,000. This position has been brought, about through the Board: framing its policy of increased maintenance subsidies with the object of reducing its credit balance in the revenue fund, which was appreciably augmented by the accumulations in the first' two years of its operations. It is a.fact also that the great increase in motor vehicles has demanded a corresponding increase in expenditure on maintenance, and had» the Board not increased its rate of subsidy, as explained later in this report, the position would have been most unsatisfactory, not only from the point of view of the travelling public, but also from the point of view of the local authorities of the Dominion, who would have been called upon to shoulder an unbearable burden. Indeed, even with the increased subsidies, the local authorities of the Dominion during the past year found a sum of £91,334 in excess of their contribution for the previous year. There also has been an, insistent demand from several parts of the Dominion that the Board' should spend its accumulated funds at au even greater rat© than the above figures disclose. It is obvious that the surplus in the revenue fund will be very quickly absorbed, and if the present standard of mafhtenance is to be retained under the ever-increasing motor traffic it will be necessary for the Government to furnish the Board with additional revenue.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE POLICY

As has been the case since the commencement of the Board's operations, the bulk of the construction work during the year under review has been carried out in the North,lsland, but it is gratifying to record that the local authorities of the* South Island have applied for their full share of the construction fund for the year 1927-28. Revenue rood. For the year ending March 31st, 1927, the- appropriations and expenditure under the revenue fund were as follows: ••', , Appropriated. Exp. £ .' s £ North Island ... ,364,087 284,594 South Island .. 187,220 3 54,16 ft Administration charges 50,000 27.U& Commission paid to Portal Dep«. tor collection of motor registration-and liaenae fees .. 81,3.00 8,885 Miscellaneous payments, Jncladint; recoupment o£ interest on loans to Con- ~«,»•> golidsted Fund .. 65.500 '2.3^5 ToSaU . - £643,307 £347,090 It will be seen that the total expenditure for the past year from the Board's revenue , fond has been £547.090 The corresponding figure for the year ending March 31st, 1926, was £321,016. There are three main reasons for this substantial increase in expenditure—(l) The increase m the. Board's maintenance subsidy from £1 for £1 to £1 10s for £1 from September 9th, 1926; (2) the willingness of local authorities to find a greater amount towards the cost of maintenance of the main highways system, partly brought abont by the Board's improved subsidy; and (3) the alteration by the Board on December 2nd, 1926. of its definition of "maintenance" to include tar and bituminous sealing or surface treatment. Construction Puna*. For the year ending March 31st, 1927, the appropriations and expenditure under the construction fund were as follows: — Appropriated. E.tp. North Island .. 409,810 <?&** South Island .. 123,690 116,009 Administration charges and compensation for accidents to workmen .. 21,500 33,000 Totals .. £555,000 £573.862 An analysis of the Board's expenditure and the expenditure by local authorities under the construction fund shows the following position :■ — Local Board's Authorities' Contribu- Contribution. ,tion. Total. «• £ S North Island 424*1353 225,042 649.395 South Island 116,009 30,818 146,827 Totals .. £540,362 £255,860 £796,223 Expenditure. An analysis of the Board's expenditure and the expenditure by local authorities on actual maintenance, as distinct from interest on loans and [ other overhead charges, shows the following position: Local Board's Anthorities' Contribu- Contribution, tiou. Total. North Island 334~,594 19t!691 482,385 Sonth Island 154,168 78,658 232.826 Totals v . £438,762 ±'276.349 £715.111 It will be seen that the local authorities have contributed towards the maintenance of main highways during the past year a total sum of £276,349 The corresponding figure for the year ending March 31st, 1926. was £185,015. so that there has been an increase in twelve months of almost exactly oO ner cent*

(F3Oll OUR OWN COKKESFO.XDE.vr i .SYDNEY, December 2. One of the amazing things about Sydney, a vast city which is becoming more and more overcrowded every day, is the laissez-faire policy of the authorities towards its traffic problems There is no lack of town planning and kindred organisations, which emerge at intervals with some ambitious proposal or the other to try to meet the situation, lint nothing in a really big way ever seems to be attempted. I: the position is allowed to remain as it is for, say, another live or ten years, the city of Sydney will be an unsafe place even for the most hardened and wary of its citizens to move about in.

Two of its most notorious death-traps are what is known • as St. James' Square, where half a dozen tides of heavy traffic have their confluence at all hours ot the day anil night, and the Centra! Railway square, where, again, there w a ceaseless whirl of motorcars, buses, taxis, trams, and pedestrians. The position is the same in several other quarters of the city. It is, of course, the pedestrian who is caught in this maelstrom of traffic who suffers. Unlike Argus, the unfortunate citizen has only two eyes; he cannot look before and behind him, and to the right und left simultaneously, A section of the Press has raised another howl about all these deathtraps and the fact that the authorities appear to have gone soundly to sleep over the question of meeting effectively the present and future traffic problems of the metropolis of Australia. "Pro Bono Publico" is again flooding tlk> Press with letters on the subject. But it will be all forgotten before long. When trams were introduced n Sydney, a learned judge laid down the law that the pedestrian had the first right to the road. Let a pedestrian try to vindicate that right in the city to-dav. Any compensation arising out of his death, especially after the lawyers have had their cut. will be poor consolation to those he leaves behind.

CARE OF THE CAR.

Cleaning the Chassis. To remove grease arid oil from tho chassis of. a car, apply petrol to the parts to be cleaned, and, if dullness results, polish with, linseed oil and a soft cloth. Mud and grease on axles and under the fenders can easily be removed by washing with suds made by dissolving two pounds of soap in a gallon of water.. It is best to rinse the washed parts thoroughly. Dirty and Bent Rims. When trouble is experienced in getting the rim on it is usually due to dirt or rust on the rim or felloe band, and especially around the lug or its hole. A moment's time in cleaning before attempting to replace the Tim will correct this'difficulty. Among other causes that make it hard to force the rims on wheels are: Rim may be bent or wheel warped; the valve stem may not be in. the centre of its hole in the rim. Causes of Squealing Brakes. The squealing of brakes is caused by the scratching of the brake drum by brass wire in the brake lining, high rivet heads, particles of steel from tho drum, or grit from the road, which set up vibration in the drum. To overcome squealing brakes all foreign matter should be removed from between the drum and lining, and if the drum is scored it should be smoothed with fine bmery cloth. If the band is not perfectly circular and concentric with the drum and lining, and if the drum is scored, it should be smoothed with fine emery cloth. If the band is not perfectly circular and concentric with the drum, it should be hammered into conformity with the drum. The perfection of the rounding of the baud can bo tested by applying tho brake and trying to insert a thin feeler gauge between the lining and the drum to find a place where the lining fails to grip the gauge. The use of an oily or greasy lubricant is dangerous, and often leads to the violent seizing of the brakes and serious damage to the car, such as a broken axle, sheared rivets, or stripped gears. The only lubricant that should be used in any case is dry powdered graphite, which will not collect dirt, and even this is a makeshift.

When putting away a part for future \ use, place a tap; on it with description. | By using the proper ate wrench or j a nut- the possibility of stripping tho j threads is lessened. ' ; When the fan belt on a car is too ; tight it will cause undue wear of bear- j ings or bushings. i The rear axle nuts should be tightened occasionally to prevent the wearing away of the key. , i Bancid butter is aa effective agent for removing spots from the finish, as are vaseline and kerosene. . Loose lining in a water hose, restricting free passage of water, will sometimes cause overheating of the engine. An engine idling in a closed garage of 10 by 10 feet by 20 feet will change the air to the point of fatality in three minutes. Common laundry soap will stop a leak, in case of emergency, if the gasoline or gasoline line should develop a hole or crack. , If the engine develops a piston slap after the bearings have been taken up and the valves ground, then tho cylinders should be rcground. HAVE YOU BOUGHT YOUR USED CAR FOR THE HOLIDAYS YET? VISIT THE STATION GARAGE. Have the best holiday you've ever had this year-see your own country in your own car. This can be made quite possible if you pay an early visit to the guarantee Garage and select a suitable car from the finest stock of Osed Car, ever offered to the public. Don t let hard cash debar you from owning one of these fine cars, for J. Grant Mackie will arranpe easy purchasing terms to suit you, so hat you can actually buy a car out of salary without feeling 1 Iwry car has been thoroughly overhauled by our expert mechanics and put into perfect running ordei the hoods renovated or uew onea fitted, and the car re-Ducoed to a nice colour. Each car that leaves our &**&J* covered with J. Grant Mackie s personal guarantee of many years service Call and make arrangements without delay. We will take your .motor-cycle in part payment. J. Grant Mackie, the Station Garage (opp. Christchureh Railway Station). —»