MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2216, 31 July 1914, Page 11

MOTORS AND MOTORING

The Tax and Its Objectors. The discussion through the country 011 the Motor Bill has thrown light on a number of interesting points.'First of all there are those who object to any tax oil* motors at all. These are plainly in the minority. Then comes tie party which desires a, tax that will fall in proportion to the use made of the roads by individual motorists. If a poll'of carowners were taken this party would undoubtedly carry tlw day., as the motorists who hoped to 'escape lightly under it would easily outnumber the heavy users of the roads. The Government Bill is frankly a proposal to tax motors in proportion as they are a luxury, and the imposition is such a' light one that it cannot be called unfair. The motorist has escaped exceedingly lightly up to the present, and the indignant protests against the Bill by Some motoring organisations are not calculated to do the movement any good with the public. Last yearmotpr chassis to the .value of over half a million were imported into New Zealand and paid not a penny in duty.. Now an annual levy far lighter, than that imposed in England produce,? a chorus of protest. Not only is the Government's tax loss than the English one,' but the New Zealander escapes alto-r gether the threepence a gallon tax on petrol which,is the English motorist's principal contribution to the revenue. A. motor tax is no more a class tax than tho beer, duty or the ; dog license is a class tax. No motorist with a spark of public spirit' in him will object; to paying a reasonable levy provided' tlie money, goes in road-improvement work.

Tires as the Basis of Taxation. The three principal bases of taxation put forward are: (1) Horse-power; (2) weight; and'(3) tires. It aUowance'is for the difference in engine design and ratingvin Britain and America, as the Government proposes, there'is little to .choose between horse-power and weight. /The proposed tax on tires is certainly an attractive one from several points of view. It is in the main as fair a basis for taxing in proportion to the use made of the roads as could be devised. It can bo collected through the Customs far more economically than a direct tax through local bodies' and, motor registrars. lr : a tire tax is imposed, it can'hardly fail to be at the' rate of much less than 20 per cent., as this is about the drdii'iarj Tate on similar classes of goods. The published returns do not show the quantity or value of motor-car and niotor-cycle tires,- but some years ago the Customs Department made an estimate of the value of.the' tire imports. Qn the basis of that estimate the motor-ear tires imported last year would run into about £200.000. This does not include the , tires ' imported .with motors, as these are included as part of the chassis. The nUinber of chassis imported, last year was 2913, and ..if the value of the tires is put at about £30 'per set, a sum of £90,000 will'be realised. The motorbicycle' tires wouid .work out at about £30,000. = 'AH' these figures * are' the roughest approximations, but it should be somewhere near the mark to put the total tire imports for motor vehicles at about £300,000. A 20 per cent, ad valorem duty on this sum would'therefore yield about £60,000. Its cost of colbe about nil, and practic-. amount, I ,jvould' be ayaiil-: able for expenditure on road improvements. Tho tax proposed in tlie Motor Bill would probably..yield,,about half t'he above sum.' It "is iiecessarv to remember; ; however, tie. motor • trade ; is growing at a rapid pace, and the turns from- any,tax will be, an annualtyinoreasing quantity. •• The advocates of a tire tax will, have; to bear in. mind, the.fact.that for motorists.to open up the question of tarilf duties is like playing with gunpowder—there' is no knowing whore a revision'will" end. •

Dealers and the Bill. . . Motor, dealers; held a meeting last week Ito consider their position under the' Bill. It is provided by Sections 25, 26, and 27, that. Before any car or motor-cycle, may ,1)6 taken out for trial 'a permit must be.obtained. .The fee.is' fixed at toil, shillings for every car so taken out, and five shillings, for. every, motor-cycle. A ,fresh permit has to be obtained' for every ..individual machine take.i out, and ariothoi" fivo or ten shillings paid as" the case may be. The provision in the English Act iB that a manufacturer or dealer on payment of an annual fee, of three pounds, is given a generaridentification mark, and is not liablo for further fec3 on cars taken out for trial, provided, the identification mark is affixed. An i annual fee per dealer certainly seems, a better proposal than, to demand oontinual application to' registrars, of motors ■ who may Ibe iii centres two hundred miles away from a dealer's placo'of business, • -

Day's Bay Road. ; I'he Day's Bay. Road is in a shocking condition, and city motorists will bo well advised to avoid it until drier weather comes. The road to the Upper Hutt is also in a bad state for motor traffic beyond the Taita, and altogether it may bo said, that it is much' easier just now to find a bad road than a good one in tlie neighbourhood of the city. .

A British Anomaly. ■. Tho Royal Automobile. Club is endeavouring to obtain a' concession from the British Treasury- for; the benefit of colonial motorists visiting .the Old Couu'try. Jlotorists _ coming from abroad and bringing their cars with theiii 'are entitled' to circulate and tour in tho British Isles. for, four' months without having to pay a tax on their cars, but. visitors from the colonies, or elsewhere abroad who may buy a car in England, and desire to'toui; in England. before taking the machine home with them, have no 'such exemption. Consequently, visitors from tne colonies have for the most part bought their cars abroad to avoid the payment ol : the motor-car tax. ~lt is hopod that this effort on the.part,of the iI.A.C. will result in a system .being introduced whereby a car bought in England by a visitor for tho purpose of eventual export to the colonies or elsewhere abroad will not bo thus penalised. . Sale, of Second-hand Cars. The arrangements which the Automobile Union is about to make to facilitate the sale of' second-hand cars aro , expected 'to result in considerable benefitto tho members ot the affiliated associations. ■ It is proposed to open, registers at'the office of. each .association, in which particulars will, be entered "of al! cars owned by membors of which their , ■owners, wish to disposo. - Theso will'bo : open to inspection by all and sundry,' and copies of each entry ivill be sent to secretary of tho Automobile Union in .who will keep a register for tlie whole of -the Dominion. Each association ivill bo requested to appoint V qualified aiid thoroughly trustworthy person, who, for a fee to bo arranged, will make an examination, and report on the condition of any car at tho request of intending purchasers.

Tourist Trophy Race. ;Tho, speed .of G6.44 miles ,-per hour, maintained by Kenelem Lee Guinness in the 600,. miles motor-car race in the Isle'.of Mail last,, riiont.h l'or the Tourist Trophy,: as announced'' by the 'cables, did "not appear to bo anything out of tljo way for a modern racing car with, a four-cylinder cngino of-3300 c.c,- capa-i city; but thoyEuropean files by the last i mail, describing the raco over the...tortuous- and hilly circuit of 37J miles, 6tatnps the performance of Guinness and

[By Cmjtoh.]

his Sunbeam as a truly marvellous one. Tlio second car to complete the full distance was a Minerva, driven by Riceken, whoso time was lOhr. 57min. 38 1-5 sec., which corresponds to an average speed of 54.74 miles per hour. The third place was filled by Molon, driving another Minerva, in llhr. 22rom. 20sec., which equals 52.76 miles per hour.' The. raco was held over two days, the oars being locked up after completing the first eight circuits, until tho morning of thesecond day, Thursday, June 11. All and tire changes had to be mado during "running time." Although the Sunbeams were by far tho fastest machines in the . race, tho remarkable success of tho Minerva cars, which were fitted, with the Knight sleeve valvo erigine, aroused' great comment. . There is no doubt that the double sleeve valve has shown a capacity- for high sustained speed, with which it has never been previously credited, by most of its critics, and not a' few,of its admirers. The race was not merely an' engino test, and the severity of the strain on tho chassis may'be gauged by the fact" that one-sixth ,of the total distance was spent in wild hill-climbing on the fanacfell Mountain. On the sixteen cir-' cuits the cars would climb a total height, of 22,000 ft., and there.was nothing to be gained on the tuii down the other, stac,' owing to the innumerable sharp turns and hairpin bends. ' Glen Holeiv was . another ascent of 800 ft., and, in addition, there wore several level cross-, ings and inverted culverts or bridges which called for the cars to be literally thrown. on end every few miles. To meet these conditions the makers introduced a hundred and one innovations in the design of their chassis. It* is safe to say,'however, that anj new■ part of' a racing car which comes successfully through such an ordeal, is at least proved to be promising and worthy of consideration 'for everyday use;' especially' in models for oversea use. "No laboratory -tqsts," says "The Autooar," "could really Simulate the racking and tearing; of the cars at the corners, the effect of the brakes, or, above - all, that vital { quality of holding tho road; in this re-, spect there is no doubt- that the winning car was remarkable; if not only kept, steady under very violent braking, but its acceleration was extraoi* diuary. Indeed, there was nothing that could hold tho Sunbeam for «t moment."

Praise for tho Light Car. One of the highest all-round authorities on matters motoring is Mr. S. F. Edge. -"Discussing the light car in England Inst month.- he stated: "The modern light car is a proposition to be used to bo appreciated. I happen to have one, and its performances are simply amazing to one who has been used to all sorts-of cars for numbers of years; and there are others besides; .which' do uinazing things, as the,receilt.light/car trial showed. What lvfind so. remarkable is that the light car keeps up such a high average of speed with comfort to the occupant.

"Mine does 35-to 36 miles to the gallon, and averages comfortably 25 to 26 miles an hour.. 1 This is an average on l a long journey, which I find not at all •easy to keep up even."on a powerful car/,, , wo|ild ivliat American ear a); anjrtliiig like tho prico ■could do the same with the extreme economy with which these light cars do their work..e:?,;-I car trial had allowed cheap- large motorcars to compete with light cars; and I think that next year a trial held'upona price • IjSsis .' would. be extremely;-in-structive and probably surprise' a, good many people.".. " -\ ...,

ATaranakl Association. A Motorists' Association to be known os tho Taranaki Automobile Association was formed in New' Plymouth last week. Mr. T. 0. List presided, and among those present were a number of motorists from Waitara. Mr. C. R. Stead, of that towii,_ explained-that in view of tho tolls .which the: Clifton County Council: proposed to impose, Waitariv motorists, had resolved to form an association, but hearing that- a similar: movement was'on foot in, New Plymouth, they had decided to join with it, and wefe in favour of the formation of .an association for Taranaki. Some'discussion'topk place on tho Question as to whother it would he possiblo to work one association for Taranaki. or whether it would be better to havo separate branches. Eventually the meeting decided to form a, Taranaki Association ■ . . 1. ■ The following officers wero elected:— Patron, Mr. H. Okey, M.P.; president, Mr. T. C. List; vice-presidents,-Messrs. C. H. Burgess and J. W. Foreman (Waitara); secretary, Mr. C. Grovdr; treasurer, Sir. .'E. Gihnour; captain, Mr. 0. N. Firth ;,vice-captain, Mr. C.' R. Stead; auditor, Mr. H. Stacker; committee,, Messrs. S. Teed, ; 8.. W. Griffiths, D. J..White, R. Pepperel], A. Jones, D. R. George, and H. J. Brookman! •

The annual; subscription was, fixed at £1 Is. for car-owners and 10s. 6d. for' oycle-owners. :

The Driver We Don't Ukel If only all road users would realise that, the roads are used by other people, and, where there is any likelihood of danger, assume another vehicle to be near, there would be fewer accidents. "I am very frequently driven by drivers'of all kinds,' 1 writes Mr. Eric W. Watford in the "Auto-car," "and I am always very glad to leave the man who appears to assume that there is nobody else on the road, or that everybody else is doing, and will do, the'corroct thing.. This class : of driver probably assumes that, if any vehicle wero coming rounda blind corner, it would .keep to its propert side, and the driver of the other vehicle probably assumes' that, if- ■ a moter-par were coming, lie ' would hear, the sound of its horn.

Hints and Tips.' Not all motorists whose engines - nre> fitted with compression taps understand ,their, uses. • They serve(l) To judge -the carburation by noticing the cohinlu of the burning gases as they spurt through tlie open tap. (2) To injeot petrol 1 or; other to ensure easy strating. (3) To inject paraffin to keep piston rings frqo ,and provont "summing up." (4) To test the engine for misfiring by opening taps and thus cutting out th« cylinders. (5) When placed directly over the piston they can Lb used to admit a wire to verify or correct .the valve and ignition-settings. . Beforo attempting to remove piston rings, it is advisable to have a practical demonstration by an experienced hand, If the proper tool, known as piston ring pliers, is used, .there is. very little risk of breaking a ring. It i 3 important that' a ring should only be expanded just sufficiently to enable' it to clear the piston. Thin strips of metal must be inserted, at oqui-distant positions behind the ring to enable it to be slid off with' a partial rotary movement. .

Nuts which oannot be unscrewed can be removed as a last resort l;y drilling them and cutting thorn through with a chisel. If, however, tho sides of the nuts allow of a grip from a box spanner being obtained thereon, it von Id bo pcasiblo" 1 to uso tho special typo made for leaching inaocassiblo nuts, and which has a. universal joint. Previous to- this, liowover, tho nuts should have some paraffin squirted pver them and allowed to remain on for a day or two.-: •Before using the box spanner, the huts might with advantage be heated with a blowlamp, as the slight expansion

caused thereby is of benefit in. easing them on the bolt. '

All motorists know that it is easier to clean the outside of an engine when it is warm, as any oil or dirt which may havo accumulated externally rubs off so much more quickly when the grease to which the dirt sticks is warm. Oil the other band, it is not so generally known that when it is desired to clean the engino internally it is much easier to do tho job'if the. engine is warm ;of courso. .it'must not bo too. warm-.to handle, but if the ear lias stood for half hour or so tlio engine will be cool enough to work-on. First of all, tlio valvo caps, as a .rule, come out much mors easily when the engine is warm. Incidentally, too, turning tho engino over so that the piston is at the top and both valves of each cylinder closed before one starts to scrape the piston head is : also. nmch easier with a warm engine.

It is not an easy matter to replace a valve spring on the road when not equipped with a proper valvo lifter. Tho trouble is due to not being able to obtain sufficient leverage of power to compress the spring. A good plan is to 'hold the spring against a gate post and then close.the gate on.it. Sufficient power can be obtained to compress it, and while in thisposition two pieces of string, at opposite sidea, ' can be threaded \through and tied, tnus retaining tho spring in compression. The spring can now be easily replaced on the valve stem, the washer and cotter put into position, and on cutting the string tho difficulty will have been overcome.

Here and There.' Legal lighting-up time for motor-cars and motor-cycles To-day, 4.56 p.m. Next Friday, 5.3 p.m.. At the commencement of the present yeas there were 90,959 motor-cars registered in France, as compared with only 76,771 at the beginning of 1913. New Zealand, with a fortieth • part of tho population of Franco, has about a tenth of tho number of motors possessed by that country. ' Children in the schools of New Jersey have been carefully taught for six months how to, avoid danger in the streets, with.the result that there has been a reduction in the number of accidents,, fatal ~or otherwise, of- no less than 44 per cent. The Ontario Safety League not only warns pedestrians to be on- the" lookout, but motor drivers are urged to be more careful. A card is _ issued, asking them to observe certain specific precautions,' and concludes "Better be safe than sorry." { It is not generally known that Great Britain imports more motors than she exports. The_ total value of cars and parts of cars imported into the United Kingdom amounted to £6,382,000 in the twelve months ended March 31,1912, to £7,266,000 in 1912-13, and to £7,898,000 in 1913-14. Tho total value of motorcars and parts thereof of United Kingdom manufacture , exported from this country to all destinations amounted to £3,260,000' in 1911-12, to £3,834,000 ill 1912-13, and to £4,324,000 in 1913-14.