MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2252, 11 September 1914, Page 3

MOTORS & MOTORING

[By Cltjtoil] America's opportunity. The European war will naturally afford a groat opening for American motor-car manufacturers to increase their export trade. ■ It is noteworthy that while the number of American cars exported is still increasing, tho value is declining. Tho latest_ returns availablp are those for April last, during which month 3291 vehicles of a value of £566,631 were exported from the United States, as against 2766 estimated at £530,844 in tho same period a year ago. While Canada still remains tho largest customer for American cars, tho shipments to that country havo fallen from £265,215 to £173,064. On the other hand the exports- to the United Kingdom advanced from £58,435 to £102,995, or nearly double. : France; Italy, Germany, Australasia, and the West Indies have also taken larger quantities, the only other markets showing a decline being South America and Mexico.

Caps to Cairo Expedition. Some time ago it was announced that Captain Kelsey, the leader of the Cape to Cairo Moter-car' Expedition, had been killed by a leopard which he had wounded; From the "Egyptian Gazette"(Alexandria) of June 10 the following .further details of the manner in which Captain Kolsey met his death are taken:—"On Easter Sunday Captain Kelsey wounded a loopaa'd, which retreated into long grass. A native gunbearer said that the leopard was very angry; Captain Kelsoy understood him to say that the leopard was dead, aud followed. Captain Kelsey's rifle jammed. The leopaid charged. While Captain Kelsey was struggling with the animal tho native seized its hind legs and dragged it off. Readjusting his rifle, Captain Kelsey shot the leopard." Captain Kelsey received injuries to his left arm and left 'thigh, and suffered considerably- from nervous shock. Afterwards he became very w&ak and was unable to movo by himself. Hβ wae taken by two of his companions of the expedition to Broken Hill Hospital, ; where immediate treatment was necessary, but he smecumbed to his injuries.. The expedition has been definitely abandoned, and the car left somo miles beyond Livingstone for the present. Precautions After Collisions. v . Every motorist's instinct may bo trusted to ensure that his first action after an accident in which other rqad iisers are unfortunately involved will be to succour the victims. His next concern (says the "Autocar" in an interesting article) should be to obtain tho names of several independent witnesses, a task that often requires '. great tact aud persistence. Speaking generally, men are more ready to volunteer their testimony than womon, public servants (postmen, for instance) are more ready, than civilians; and educated men are the least likely to imagine that a car was necessarily being recklessly driven beca\iso, for example, a drunken cyolist collided with it at a blind cross-road. '

If tho motorist were genuinely blameless, and driving with real care, there should bo one or two witnesses who havo sufficient Sportsmanship to protect him from auy fear of blackmail;-the driver should not forgot that if the accident occur in a crowded street there are sure to bo plenty of hysterical persons ready, to swear that, he was oxeseding the legal limit and did not appear to bo quite sober.

A precaution of.almost,equal importance is.to ensure tho .production of any evidence afforded.by road marks, and 1 under certain conditions of the road sur/aco the gathering crowd will soon obliterate a-ny traces both of the car tracks nnd swerves, and of the movements of the person or vehicle with whom it collided. If the car contain several persons, the driver should .briefly, tell one of his friends to examine the«o' road marks while he himself—as ■ the suppositions culprit pro tern.—interviews or succours any obviously injured or aggrieved persons. The attention of witnesses (carefully selected -for intelligence) and of the policeman (when ho arrives) should bo firmly drawn to tho road marks, and in all casesments should bo taken, including measurements of the distance between the kerb and any tracks from tho moment when the car and the person or vehicle with which it collided camo in sight of each ot-her,' measurements of the distance occupied in pulling up, etc, Rash Admissions. Tho motorist should be very careful not to admit b'ability (when his conscience assures him that none exists on hi 3 side). In some cases genial men are easily tempted to , accept blame which they do not feel is justified; for instance, if a professional man knock ft. working lad off his bicycle, buckle the machine without hurtiiig the lad, ho will very likely say, if ho be a fool, "Woll, my lad, it may have been partly my fault, and I shouldn't like you to bo out of pocket: send your bieyclo to ths repairer and let me have the billit shall bo all right!" Such rash and generous treatment has before now appeared in the public press as, "Witnesses showed ■ that accused admitted his recklessness," and such simple accidents have been known to cause serious nervous ailments. Any of us would gladly indemnify a working lad to any amount which we could afford, whether wo were- to blame or not; but in extreme cases an_ uninsured man of moderate means might thus incur damages running well into three or oven four figure's for an acoident in which tho whole guilt actually lay on the other side. Similarlyi an insured motorist should not publish tfhe fact that he is insured. Men have been known to say: "Well, you may think that it was all my fault if you like; I am insured for £1000, and not matter a farthing to me —the company would have to payl" As the average Englishman considers all public companies fair game, 6uch an admission- will inspire absolutely unjustifiable demands and also colour tne- evidence of nine : witnesses out of ten.

Consequently the most genial motorist must steel his heart until tho question of formal and legal liability is set- , tied by correspondence or otherwise; and afterwards he may be as.generous as his heart dictates or his purse admits, irrespective of questions of guilt. Politeness Paye. It is often very difficult to be polite and to keep one's temper after a collision. Ono may bo absolutely blameless, but frightened men and women, especially if they are not hurt, ( are prono to be outrageously abusive. If the motorist be foolish enough to give as good as he gets, no advantage can possibly come of the slanging match, and he is extremely likely to bo outsworn by the other side. He should be as courteojs as possible; and courtesy does not begin and end with a few polite inquiries and disclaimers—he may be of great service in conveying some hurt or frightened person to a doctor or to a home at some distance. Ho is not very likely to be thanked for his courtesy at tho time; but the fact that he has behaved as a gentleman should may'contribute towards preventing vexatious and unjustifiable litigation. Even if tho car bo apparently, undamaged, ho should not proceed without examining it. A bent steering rod, loose dotails of valuable lamps, etc., easily escapo attention at tho moment, and tho consequent annoyance may be considerable.

' The time at which the accident oc? cur red is worth, notice, as some magistrates are ridiculously impressed by tlio general statement that tlio enr lind taken two tours to «ovor the forty miles

Srior to the accident, • though such evicnco is wholly irrelevant to tie car's speed at tho critical moment. There is, of course, never time in the awful moment preceding a smash to glanco at tho speedometer, and if I were a judge or a juryman 1 should instantly acquire a great prejudice against any motorist who insulted my intelligence by swearing tli.it ho read his speed off the dial on the ver"y brink of the collision. Here and There. Liege, which lias been the centre of such terrific fighting in Belgium, is the homo of the well-known "F.N.". car, nnd it is almost certain that these fine factories, employing over 4000 hands, have been destroyed. Tho_ Minerva, the premier car of Belgium, is made in Antwerp, and their works have so far escaped the fate of tho "F.N." plant. The factories of Messrs. Dyl© and Bacalan, whose big steel works in Louvain supply many English motor firms with steel tubing and chassis stampings and frames, havo gone with the burning of the city by the Germans.

The number of private motor cars registered' in Germany at the commencement of the present year, according to the figures recently issued by the German State Statistical ' Department, was 60,876, as contrasted with 49,760 at the beginning of 1913, tlie number thus having increased 11,116 during the twelve months:

The Bradford Corporation Fire Brigade, and Licensing Committee.has■ instructed "the'chief constable to notify all proprietors of licensed motor vehicles that after the . expiration of tho current licensing iyear the committee would not license any such vehicle in which provision is not made to prevent' any person sitting beside tho driver." .

Commissioner Richards last evening took_ the chair at the third night's proceedings in connection with the international fair which is being held in tho Vivian Street Citadel. Tho Berhampore Baptist Church,' who received a very hearty welcome, provided the entertainment. Sales were very brisk, and quite a substantial sum should be realised as a result of the fair. Much favourable .comment has been passed upon tho artistic way in which the stalls have been arranged, and in this direction much' cr'edit is due to Adjutant Bladinand. a bard-working body of assistants. ' The speech of the Hon. Mr. .Fisher on the previous evening was a generous tribute to the operations of the Salvation Army., and his kindly allusions to the great social work which is being carried out has met not only with tlio warm thanks of Salvationists, but with the cordial approval of all social reformers. To-night, Tuesday evening's procession through the principal streets of the City will be repeated, and the Wellington • (City S.A.) Band and the .songsters, under Major College, will provide an interesting programme.

Belinda Brown is off to town, On biz and pleasure bent; She'l.l not return to Ingleburn . ■ Till every benn be spent. Her poor old dad, who coughs so bad, Beseechcd. that she be sure,. • . To promptly buy a big supply . Of Woods' Great Peppermint Cure. ■ ■ . . —Advt. Mr, F. P. Welch, labour agent, Masterton, requires benchmen for sawmill, shepherds, women cooks, etc.