MOTORING

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20173, 27 February 1931, Page 4

MOTORING

"Roadster" Invites articles and paragraphs of interest' to motorists for this page.

AMEBIOA'B RpADB. Although New Zealand has done wonders is a short Bpaco of time in regard to the construction of good roads, especially since the Main Highways Board a&me into existence* it appears that we have a long way to go before .-vfe can hopo to approach-the achievement of the United States in this connexion. In that country the mileage of metalled roads is given as 662,000, of ( which 64,000 wore converted from "dirt" to "metal" last year. Incidentally .at might be mentioned that there - are still 2400,00 miles of "dirt" roads in the States. In 1929 the Americans expended no loss a sum than £352,000,000. More would "have been spent but it_waß found necessary' to carry £80,000,000 forward. Of course, America Is ft huge and progressive country, but at the same time she certainly does spend money on a big scalo to bring hor high* xvoy system Into lino with modern requirements. SPEED RECORD.

Sinco Captain (now Sir) Malcolm ; Campbell has driven his car, the Blue Bird, at a speed of more than four miles a minute at Daytona Beach, Mr Norman Smith, the Australian, ha#, a big task set him to put up a new world's record. His attompt is to be made at .the '.Ninety Mile Beach, Auckland Province, which, some authorities regard as being more suitable for the purpp.se than Daytona. When, he reached a speed of 144 miles an hour on the Ninety Mile Beach he did so' in a car named the Ansae. It had an American Cadillac chassis, frame, and wheels, a British Rolls-Boyce aero engine of 350 h.p., and an Australian body. , The car he will use,on the oiseasion of his next attempt will be similar in regard to the engine and dimensions, but it will be able to achieve greater efficiency than the Blue Bird, according to reports. . . Mr Smith will have an advantage oyer . Captain Campbell in the fact that he vriU liave a beach with a straight of 36 miles,' more than 300 yards wide at low, tide, and a surface as level and firm apparently as a flrst-clase road. Captain Campbell had only nine miles on which *to drtvd at Dayftaa, and to develop his' 'full speed he. had to take a tuft In on Ave and a half miles, trusting I to his brakes to arrest his progress before he got into difficulties la the remaining two and' a half some way was. found to make'a ynore lengthy seetioii available foypulling up at conclusion of 14s uteeessful drive. ' A notable feature of; the last \ two record driyes, tlftS late ;Sir' H6nry' »e- ---■ gravels "and Captain Campbell's,"is**the remarkable evenness of the times in £&ph direction. When Segrave mad? record .'of 231.36 miles, fpywed; tijjj ; &41e in/.one .direction, w SiiwSMtaiisfe than.' 281 MeSiftnlMWjr, the toM&A being 831.86 nßjtjt 'a* Captajn 4 damplb(?ll covue, ivmiins 5546.73 miles an hour. .•MftfttAtevto' need the Aiiitralian'dtiVe* w«h the Immense j&wor hel wUJ - Zttfi AQni constructed special' ear than' the Ansae which Mr D. J. Harktifiga ia now completing for hint, ha will almost ' certainly raise the Australian and New Zealand record. The world's speed record Juts been increased by - impressive mileages tod percentages during the past 16 1 and the present holder, has imII oft hi* own early performances S miles ,an 1 houriS. part eight & 1028 he- <***«*> » worldsensation by coverings mile in mja *v««ge tim& of 26,145 ec (187.7 ait hour) ' 40 T&od Beach.- Pentho'piwfc.fe'ir days he has AO*«njf the -Maue diit/tn4e & 14,8Bsae 1 (84)5,78? t^Ue<*nhow>)« CAKE OF THE CAR. ■ tl& metal give their idvancj?. fed " high•tension cablos are a fruutui source of of ' Jj ii badly scored, It it fyiMess to, fit '' that the gap between e£ a'spark plug be aj) least.twico p year. Electric muat 3ump f across.this small gap ch'>in lunrlgiitea ■1 und air in the of the -cylinder, the, width of the ting' to too /ear ■ations in "the in-' usual gap is .025^ I|P>' of incH„' jjpcpifSie of' Various kinds, "Noting to fnlly qr partially - separate' moving units of veanee'OCrietion. , aperid At the Car. eannot be. |ncjoee(sed bßyon'd fen miles an hour in ' second gear on hills, tho engine is, ahd tlie driver'should shift to' '' 'Whop* ehecking over' the tool kit,' stjre 'that there !» r a long handle ;*o* the jack.. , " '' After n r period, of hard driving, it is '|to > see that the .potrol pipe eonnexlifna are tight, 'Vspeclally the on the vacuum tank. A' ittolt WJpyiiH? ritttle or buzz, can bo >et up by. a loofic bnlSa inl tho sllentsorjf but "dismantling this .ent tfl.rejlx tho baflfle is not always easy. jjKftaible -tjj. locate the offendtlhg bafßc 'it. is of<en possible to the trouble by hammering J)&f|o and hold it fipnly in posli% ■>' • ■|ho new is^e^

BY "ROADSTER."

NOTES. While it has been noticeable for a considerable time that women are taking the places formerly occupied by men in a number of occupation, it has probably not been so well known that they have invaded the potrp service business to a mors or less extent. In a number of stations ih a nd around the City it is not uncommon to be attended to by young women, who go about their work in a thoroughly workmanlike manner, giving satisfaction both to their employers and patrons alike. In some instances petrol service stations are owned by women, who prove themselves well able to carry out their duties.

In tho report of the meetinKof the Waimairi County Council held on • Wednesday evening it stated in yesterday's issue that it had been deoided to support the prowsal of the Rangitilwi Ctonty Counoil that thp cost of maintenance of county roads other than wain highways be subsidised £ for £ out of .funds to be provided by an increase in the petrol t£! or out Of other mo or avenue. What the Countv . Council did decide to do was to receive the letter, only two members voting m favour of tjie proposal. •

The annual inapeofcion of Peel Forest will be made by membere the B°ard «nd of the Canterbury Automobile Association on Sunday next.. Representatives of the South Canterbury Automobile Association and of the Asuburton branch of the Canterbury Automobile Association will also bo in attendance. N • Itis a pity that some, attention is , not given to the bridge at Kaiapoi, which is in 4 very bumpy state. it shows up the more in that the main road presents such ft splendid surf®©®* One of the moßt entertaining motor runs near the City is along the sand spit from South .New Brighton to opposite Shaglßook, Sumner,. when thetide iff out. Many motorists travel over the sand, which provides a splendid speedway. There is. pood fishing to be obtained from the bank •which the channel runs between tne estuary and the sea. Alfred Reeves, general manager of tite National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, in an address; recently, declared that the motor industry m America was menaced bv_ burderißome taxes and excessive regulations. There were,'he pointetl out, 15 different hinds of taxes in forte and inoreases were foreshadowed. ' , The effects of the glut of oil in the United States were referred to at tne "recent'meeting of the shareholders of fthe Kern River Oilfields, Ltd., in London, when the ehatonan stated that on ajrecent vis# to Eos r * .petrol , if they bougnfc tt fivd-gßlon ,drum of lubricating oil. 'sciefte Is'in oOR* NAihietidtt'V^of' "Route- diißord de Mer/' or motor road, about 24 miles m „length and 88, to 108 feet in Width, to jonnect ihe beginning of work on the section between Nice and mot, a distance of about 10J jp" eß, ( Chicago ha* in operation the foflt, extensive super highway in the applied to the solution of city traJHe problems. It is now possible to drive from 76th street to tne fjiot of Randolph which is'in the Chicago's business district, a distance of nine miles', ;. o bstru Ifterano signal . lights, ™», traffic offioers;- nor ctoss traffic on the -new road. v-S,"■ *' ' ' ' t * . From Paris it is reported that the Prefect of Polioe Of the Department of Seine-«t-Oise hw , issueda notice *iu» AAWil(f,lAf)ik tinder which

concerning ,tfl« conditions. unaer »«•«' nsw Owm*« of toptor ma y ™» m roHtdai tor leanung to drive. The provide that the roads ifcay cifliy ■ be* so used under the responsi- , bUtty m&Me "Constant and direct Bnrfferyisioft> of a teapber .polqwg a ,drmnV#*n?«i J the itotyr jwßt occupy ** seafcfijexfc tf> the feiiiier in «oer jfo V l -T&rpftgb?fc decision oourt >o£ Hungary, the for-.-merlk (jxlßHng. in that kingdortLpetwoen for. Injury .-qr^s 'dSg^WSLfigS yf&'gedtl^nKdltlver; ,,v not op6r4&| a Jatir swas not <to be depnyed of ofyW stand; tha^Clpuit.memto#eifcW for a, dedmon i 'e»se. was that aiptkteui'l! and that, 'the fpmer \Vere to?, Jose their Jieento? atfd be fined oV, gaoled,dn cas<? of responsibility for serious accidents, 'Just* the B&tue asthe 1 ' first result' of the loan of I 60,000,000 ' 'dollars - .recently- floated by | Atisfria ib,seen,in the decision to start l Work'' on the, much-discussed Glockner i Toad*' will-be the second highest Atone road in Europe, with a height of, #oo' test, 'the, great Paster* i 'len' glacier in'the Eastern Alps. The Mgheist rOad-;inf Europe; at ; Saint JESlviq tsss was corffetriieted by Austrians, who ISd- the world in mountAn road build-1 4*™. Tfte Glockner road will be a firsttourer attraction,, arid Js, part ,of , "1 plan of-iilyestmfcnts to modernise and' improve roads, railways, post and _ tele* ■graph system's tb which tho loan is al--sJotted- ..' t '?■ When the-Weather is warm-in Berlin, Germany, and' the asphalt becomes soft with-the heat, a heavy-roftd-rolling machine -ia-run over the surface. ±" e Wheels of .this'•vehicle' mark tho Surface 'with a - pattern, like that .of bricks, to prevent skidding. p. Europe's, largest garage has just been Completed -inrStockholm, Sweden* It las a floor; area of .about 340,000 »quare , Space is provided for 1500 autotoobileS -in addition to" numerous' workshops and- ' | t: (JondraJ Motors, Corporation'has pur-1 chased all -the stock of Electro- i .Motive, Company'' Ohao, effective as of November, Btlt, _ 1930. | •This.company B&nufaotures gas-electric 'motor-ears for-pailf o£cUj"locomotives ana power plant, and is dosebr-associated With, the ijinton Engine tympany,-**«• Gently", purchased by General Motors •Corporation." 'tfbe 'nahywijl be operated as an independent . Mfof, Geieral.Motdfra Corporation, nndee the * direction / of the present, man? sg<jmetit.. 'i :••: t | TheW'Scottish'.motto, f'Gaflg ; foribf" t<J h<We been lost sight M during' «wn% three _ days' fog ik corppration reports that 182 ti-afcm and 44' burts were domaged by-eolliaions -during tb*t

SAFE tjRTVING. ' -„ J -,i!vv r -' x 1

avoiding ACCIDENTS* J 1 ' ' t AB9OCIATION GIVES ADVICE. "Anybody up.y : become a .safe driver i by 'obeying one simple, rule, namely, 1 never out-drive your eycs/jwlricb. means , | that speed Should bV ftc J •cording t<L.wh*t yoiw cyes can' actually see op the road Ahead'," says ; thfe ( Canterbury Automobile Association. "The strange part of-it is thatnegrly, all motorists think- they are drivers, -whereas many of them'fre-. quently violate this rule, and consequently they often have accidents which are their own fault. Think of the so-" called careful drivers ,you know who have had smasb-ups, 4 "It isn't easy always to obey the rule —never out-drive your it has many applications. It means, for instance, that -when' you come to a street intersection you should reduce yOur speed sufficiently so that if a cttr dashes across your path unexpectedly you can stop in time. It means that you shquld not take a bend faster than stopping ability permits. In other words, if , you Can see the road ahead ior a distance of 75 feet* your speed, 'eljould be'-low enough to enable yon to stoja. within this distance, and remember that- it requires half a second for you, to get. the- brake - pedal'in action, and ~,if you arq rtanning 30 wiles on hour I you will travel 44 feet while doing go* It means that you should 'top ti, knoll-|,in-,tho road/ at reduced'speed bcc(iußo' .i.you cannot; see beyond. It m'eans that you should, never passjß. c&r on a bend, , Intersection,oorr r '. " !There are nxanyj other- applications, Wet paVementS and* downhills should fee taken a,t deduced speed because yOUr stopping Ability is less. k Crowded llhoxoughfares, ?E»ptP'»% where there are pedestrians; or" any highway where 1 there are children;, should 7l)e at,low speed be'ehnae you are likely to i be - called on to 'stop almost instantly, the, presence / 6t~ a <Snild within 'yjtjur >view should,tell you that, regardless of ■what, ho is,! or which way he : islooking, he';may dash in I |ronji, of. you,. More than a moderate

speed in such circumstances" is criminali Never out-drive your eyes- ; I > w \ Use of "Nothing is ; morV calculated to.en--1 courage a lafcy and even dangerous style of driving among novices th'air the oft-repeated/phrase -concerning modern, c& rs that they'*an-be driven at 'from' five to fifty milesi an hour on top gear.' The, intention is undoubtedly that of conveying an impression extreme •tfexibility<o£ the engine, cut It is too often taken by the. novice -as advice on how'the car ahould be. driven. "To .a large degree . oaf-driving" is iffoverned' by the -temperament 1 or ' the individual' driver. Soirte with ,a of intuition which-invariably 1 uroApts them to do tlje right thing at ihe Tight time, .while others, less fortunately'endowed,'have to rely tin the best interpretation they are able to put on hackneyed instructions. The'me of the gears sho.uld be cultivated., , f "Quickness'f> and, '"Speed*''* L" It,"is-, notoworthy~whqn, dariving-.a high-speed engined light ca,r thatby the iudicious' use of the genr-bo*'it 5 is'possible to, travel at much quicks ra,ter than is the caße -with the aU-oii-top-e<lar'- class of driver- With - lugher"bowered and more modem cars. i-ho -flue distinction between « quickies#*' iind. 'speed-' will be observed With regard to, driving} for while ujtitrate speed litis, .a fascination all its own, the speeds of which a car is capable, can be attained, only on comparatively rare occasions on the open road; .whereas quick driving is a joy to'be indulged lh even when using "a car in traffic,-" Fof quick driving one jnust certaihly flndet', "stand the use of the gedrs and. become adept at rapid changing. As matter o£ fact, one can do far more' haftor $0 an engine by slow, belaboured -travel on top gear than when' driving -SO" that 1 the, engine aitd are used "properly to minimise the stresses of taking up-the, drive, The proficient driver uses- his gears for. safety/ his engine .as a ralu* able braking medium through gears, and his piok i up is always there' in trSfflc. 'Know your gears and' use them." / • , " I >' [»*.<■■ II* f . i *~'* J * ? FREE Q-TOL SHAVES, i, \ sample of Now Zealiuid'fl own Shaving Cream for '-who; want' ten of the ' best, • "'sbayfiNij free. ' ■ Q-tol Shaving *£ettito Jiß only Is 6d for a Gitint Tube, toilet cream base makes. face Wei'; we.' tWrite' Q-tol, Bo* 1018,' enclosing 2d for packing And postage. ' % • * i '

"1 1 i 1 " £ i; H ny m ,| t y SU.TI cn.ISI.EKS.

( engine ; j Fundamentals undisturbed., The battle,of- ejilinSeTS 'itill goes An. Formerly tho-additions of two, moire cylinders to a "niotor was a' great event. automobile manufactuiors. in all tjiink nobbling of taking :?our or eighty tnore Ibarrels ii I their stride., It is thp»day of multi-cyhndorpd ' * * '' ' - Sut, despite the,"marked tendency toward more cylinders; the fundamentals of engine defcign are not J?eing' seriously disturbed* Ilej&nexaontr such as down-draft carburettors, ancient combustions chambers, supercharges, oil eftolers, .etc., are .feeing. introduced constantly, but 'thVjNjsie design Of power >!«?■ remains "practically the same. The principal,-reason for the comparative stability d&ign ip that the engine hitherto has received ..more attention I 1 fropi - * than' any other- part of Hie automobile. ' It has been improved, to tha'points where, it is. now a efficient machine, considenng,die-> . metallurgy -and engineering.,'. Transmission of power produced, by' the, engine to the" drivfe-wheelis", isthe' problem now absorbing engineering 1 attention. ,Ab6ut novations noted in. the decent Olympic j Show in, . ; I<opdon the -Paris ..Salon were m this field. ■",* How the common grouping 1 of frontend motor, .disc clutch., thrco or four epeed-geafrbofc, propeller shaft «id\rear, .axle drive aro Jo be modified, no ono .Jcnowfi- definitely. . TUG' problem of iPOTver trsnsßuasipn * is now 'practically T - !n . the bc e in »i4 iL T 5 , Bngiaedm are again attaoklng,. vfund&taentals. After thirty^ -fjT® w^rk.; the intoSry ~an haw not found the most efficient means of gattina vover B rV h Ol f , the ' drtw » 'thr iiWßjWykpisWio drivo wheels. Burp^ijust'.iwliMftfMi,frontl) sst sswrsMSw'Ss?

I 1"!, '* *'' ii '7*' a.w lji H "i - y r\\V boxes, with: two 'fon£ : Kivera! systems of obtaining • alUm&h witfc %» tbrbujfo axleu w>6 other# Arivan through « independently -#pwi(ig "HSr 'l? ' 'r'■**-'» 4 "'s.'soo^ofto; _ ■ According"' to $, : 82,000,D00 a&Ve«£sfe »»' hide .J&joK. fermiplng of throughout , 1. That, drivers' eicfled 'taotor 'Vehicle j registrationb by •■ ' ,- 2. That tliert are 1.2 drivers to 4«ny J ;MfeS 3. That 6f*t% : to* sons> operates The fact that thero jfhs 0j609,04q tssisi drivers than oars' shows, sbrvoiy of, exists,- lift'" point is £&i - voy the number,))t 7^W?£j:«WisfllWi j*toCW»9» in the years " necessity iot fi&tirfgr for port from the standpoint of safety and smooth flow is an nurggut lom» , „ v i- Aj, jj, ■