THE MOTOR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1425, 27 April 1912, Page 14

THE MOTOR.

(Br AurHiua.) Military Trials and Uses, Lately, ia the Commonwealth, a good deal ot attention has been paid to the use of iictrol-propellfil locomotives us a branch of tlio national defenco scheme. In Continental countries both motorcars and motor-cycles aw recognised as an important factor of the war establishment. It is contended by many that, in actual warfare machines are as much trouble as tney are'worth, on account of their inability to go across country. But it must bo rcinomijfrcd that the modern system ol signalling and communication has done away with a great deal of crosscountry work. The wireless system is also lo" be reckoned with in the new war, but if the enemy aro able to intercept the. messages at "random, the value of wireless will be so much lessened. And if "wireless" is thus dangerous, motor-cars and motor-cycles will, to a certain extent, provide an expedient mode of dispatch. As scouts along roads iiiey are, of course, valuable. Between iielil force and base, they will soon be indispensable. The results of the relay military dispatch ride organised by the Dnnlop Rubber Co. from Adelaide to Sydney is interesting. Especially so when tho times taken by the ears, the motor-cycles, and the cycles aro compared. The distance between the two capitals is IH9 miles, and the three divisions ot contestants comprised 130 cvdists, 52 motor-cycles, and 12 cars. The cars beat the motor-cycles, and covered the distance in 4(>hr. limin.; the motor-cvcles in 51hr. aOmin., and— mu«t astonishing of all—the cyclists covered the distance in 691n\ IKimn. The average pace per. hour was-.—Cyclists, US* miles; motor-cycles, 22 1-5 miles; cars, 21 2-3 miles. The test was made even more severe by had weather and bad roads. A "Vauxhall" car came across the "Coorong" dessert from Adelaide to Kingston, 185 miles, in 5\ hours. Most of the cars used wero hi"hlv-poweral first grade machines. It is doubtful if the cheaper makes would bo reliable enough for such severo usage. •U1 the cars and cycles wero privately owned, and volunteered for the. trip. This eays something for the spirit of the motoring classes on the other As

Zealand is a smaller domain, motors could be mado still inoro useful, for instance, with relavs, l'almerston, the district miutarv headquarters, could be brought within ij or 3 hours of "Wellington, the staff headquarters—an instance of importance if tho telegraph were not working. Useful Presentation. Tho motor cycle bids fair to become popular as a presentation. Several cycles have of late formed the 6ubject matter" of such pleasant functions. Ono caso was that of tho Rev. Father Peoples, who received from the members of the Thorndon parish a 3i-h.p. Victoria cycle. This ho is going to return for a machine of ti-horse-powor, which will be of advantage in mountaineering journeys. Detachable Wire Wheels. It is interesting to notice that the French-made detachable wire wheel, now almost readv for tho market, will not bear the name of Dunlop, although it will be an exact reproduction of the Dunlop Company's successful pattern. The relationship between tho parties can be explained in a sentence. Tho Dunlop Company has entered into an alliance with a very powerful group of French motorists and carbuilders for the manufacture in Prance of the Dunlop, undei the trade /nark "R.A.F.," ana a very large portion of the share capital of the Societo Prancaise des Roues Amovibles is held by the Dunlop Company. French Llght-weiahts. The French have recently been iai;.ioving tho light-weight cars and motor ojdes. Their latest light car—the Bebe—appears to be the link between the car snd the motor bicycle. The seating is arranged en echelon, instead of 6id« by side. For a tiny runabout at a low price, ono can. hardly imagino anything better. The Zedel motor cycle engine of 2J-h.p. has a 07 bore and a 73 stroke; is fitted with a Kosch magneto, and with tho pulley weighs 351b. Motor Sleighs. Motor sleighs would seem at first thought to be impracticable on account of the difficulty of propulsion, but European inventors have overcome tho diflicitltv in several ways. One form of motor sleigh is driven by'the action of . a screw, or worm, which cuts into the snow, and this ia said to have attained a speed of thirty miles an hour.