MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2294, 30 October 1914, Page 9

MOTORS AND MOTORING

The Motor Trade and the War. The effect of tho war upon the British motor industry is tho subject of a letter which lias been received by the editor from tho Hoxij Arthur Stanley, M!\, chairman of tho Imperial Motor Transport Council. New Zealanders who may bo contemplating the purchase uf foreign-built vehicles during tho course of tho war would do well to bear in mind what Mr. Stanley has to say on the subject. The letter is as follows:— Dear Sir, —'While this council is concoriicd only with a particular branch of industry and progress, the arguments applying in one case are likely to hold good equally in many others. Among the inevitablo consequences of a great ivar is a certain amount of disturbance in the conditions of. trade and industry. Admittedly the demand ! for certain classes of touring motor-cars has been seriously affected, and tho purchasing capacity of the public within tho British Isles must necessarily be reduced for a time. On the other- hand, military requirements are for the time being at least keeping our manufacturers of - industrial vehiclos extremely i>usy. _ Numbers of motor-vans, lorries, and private cars have been requisitionol by the War Department, and the majority of these will hare to be replaced. In many instances, however, firms whose cars have been requisitioned may delay the renewal of their fleet owing to a temporary decrease in business. All manufacturers in the motor industry—and, in fact, in every other industry—who have the welfare of the British Empire at heart,' are endeavouring, often under somewhat adverse conditions, not only to keep their works •open, but to retain the whole of their staff in employment.. This is a time during which residents in tho Dominions and colonies can be of great assistance to the Mother Country in many ways. .For example, those who aro contemplating tho purchase of motor vehicles of all sorts should make a point of assisting the.British industry to tide over the present crisis by placing orders for machines of British construction, even if by doing so they put themselves to some slight inconvenience owing to possible unavoidable delay in delivery. It is very _ desirable that they should support British industry, not only on account, of present, difficulties. but because it would be 'extremely unfortunate if • British manufacturers were to suffer permanently from loss of trade in the Empire overseas, owing to. the participation of Great Britain in. the present war. Those who agree that our cause is a just one, and that our action was necessary, will;I feel sure, endeavour to conform with the suggestion contained in this letter. As already stated, tho argument applies not to one trade, but to : many. It should be remembered that a motor-oar is in a sense a moving advertisement, provided that it is a satisfactory vehiclo. To purchase from countries other than Great Britain at tho present moment is to give trade competitors tho permanent advantage of such -advertisements, every one of which is likely to prove tho nucleus of a considerable number • of subsequent orders. Tho contention that this is a time during which British industry should be given the best possible chance of establishing itself throughout the world is not based purely on sentiment. In the industry under consideration, as in many others, •ve know that British products are at least as good value as any obtainable elsewhere. It is not suggested that anyone should br asked to buy inferior goods when better are available at the' price, but only that if in purchasing from Great Britain they suffer certain inconveniences, they - should/ regard thoso inconveniences as a much-needed contribution towards the maintenance of many thousands of 'families within , the British Isles, who are threatened with poverty if everything possible is not done to maintain British trade.— Yours faithfully .

ARTHUR STANLEY, Chairman Imperial Motor Transport Count 11. Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London, S.W., September 4, 1911. Uneven Wear of Tires. The unoven wearing of motor-car tiros is a subject of groat interest to the motorist, who often finds that exactly similar tires give vastly different mileage. The Dunlop Company state that they have seen it suggested that this is always due to - some special reason, and it is urged that the tires on the loft-hand side will wear quicker than on the right, becauso the latter run on the centre of the road, which is smoothest, whereas the others run generally cn the left-hand side, but owing to_ the camber are lower than the offside tires,' and consequently exposed to more work. This undoubtedly is so to a considerable extent. The same may be said of ft badly adjusted brake, which throws most of the strain on one tire, or of wheels being out of alignment. These, sources of wear have a good deal to say to the question, but apart from them altogether, there is undoubtedly sometimes an enormous difference between the life of tires made and put in use at the same period. In fact, iftlio matter were investigated, we should bo greatly surprised if it were not found that in some cases the tire on the near side of the car surpassed in its length of life an apparently similar tire on the olf-side. llie matter is certainly _of great interest, and would bear scientific investigation. Hints and Tips. In mending a petrol tank a. warding should be given to take certain steps to ensure that there is no petrol vapour in the tank before the work is started, a§ serious accidents have happened through omission of this important precaution. Usually the tank is apparently emptied and the work started on straight away. The tank,.is, however,, full of explosive vapour, and directly a flame is brought to it there is an explosion. The work should not be started, if possible, for somo hours after emptying, and the tank should be turned upside down, so that the heavy petrol vapour can pour downwards out of it. If it stands the normal way ,it will remain filled with vapour for many The filling of the various grease lubricators througout the car becomes somewhat onorous, and, therefore, is apt to be neglected. It is very' important that lubrication of the spring pins and steering joints should be overdone rather than ignored, the renewal ot all these pins when worn being a costly mattor, as not only the pins but the bearing parts must bo renewed. It is best and quickest to do. the job systematically, and take off all the caps, take them to a bench, fill, and then replace them. This is a quicker and more straightforward way of doing the work than taking a tin 9f grease round' the car and filling up tho cups here and there.

Just as in winter' thcro are oertain precautions that must ho taken io ensure satisfactory running of a car, so are there a few points that need, attention in tho hot summer months if a similar result.be desired. Anions the •letails to which Jiotico may ho drawn aro thoso relating to the carburetter, the lubrication, the water circulation, and tho tiros, which arc all affected by an inoroaso in tho temporatnro. In the first place, as regards tho carburetter, as the. higher temperature of the atmosphere is more favourable to the ready vaporisation of petrol, it may ha found advisable to make some ad-

justmanta either in tho way of reducing the jet or increasing the air supply. A few experiments will enable iiie motorist to eeo whether any improvement, either in power development or in petrol consumption, can in this way bp effected. In the case of lubrication, it is obvious that, the oil Tyill show a tendency to bo more fluid in summer than in winter, and in this connection it may bo pointed out that some car manufacturers go so far as to recommend the use of a different grade of oil in the summer from that employed in the winter. With regaTd to tho water-cooling, it will probably be found that the water has a tendency to 'boil more quickly than in the winter. If thero be'signs of this trouble, tho motorist will do well to keep an eye on the radiator fan, to see that it is performing its purpose satisfactorily. Ho must al»o keep a sharp eye to 'see that the radiator does not run short of watef. With regard to tires, the pressure recommended by the tire makers in their handbooks should not bo exceeded, otherwise one may have the unpleasant experience of burst tires owing tj tho expansion of the air and the undue pressure due to the heat. Here and There. | Legal lighting-up time for motor-cars and motor-cycles: To-day, 6.41 p.m. Next Friday, 6.49 p.m. Despite the war, the Olympia Motor Show will be held in England from No- | vember 23 to 28. This exposition is the greatest of its kind in the world. I A well-known American racing motorist, in E. TetzJaif, recentlv established a new straightaway half-mile flying start motor-car record by covering 880 yds. in 12 3-ssec'., which is equal to a speed of 142.8 miles per hour. Tetzlaff's performance was accomplished on a 300 h.p. car on the Salduro Salt beds in Utah. Tho track record for this distance is 14 seconds, standing to the credit of V. Hemery on Brooklands in November, 1909. A4B hours teams' bicycle race.is to | bo held in Sydney under the auspices of the League of New South Wales Wheelmen at the end of tho year. The race ia to be restricted to 12 teams of two ridors each, and will be continuous on the lines of the six days races. The event will start on New Year's Eve, concluding two days later. One important bearing the wax will have on motor-car parts is the future 6upply of magnetos. In the past, ninetonths of the magnetos used'on British cars have been of German manufacture. Already the Society of English Manufacturers has appointed a committee to inquire into the auestion, and it is certain that it will not be long before England not only supplies its-own requirements in this direction, but caters for supplies required in other parts of tho world. A French cyclist writos that bicycles are playing an important part in the .French army. In addition to the regular corps, provided with the regulation army iolding bicycle, the military authorities have equipped thousands of men with ordinary bicycles. In the eastern frontier towns every available bicycle was requisitioned. In Paris the authorities bought up all tho available stock. During the height of the mobilisation 3000 bicycles wore delivered by one firm in three days. When stocks arc seized tho proprietor is given a credit note on the treasury payable after the war' the value of the machines being decided according to a tariff drawn up in timo of peace. In many cases, particularly in the eastern towns, the outbreak of war liaj enabled apents to clear out their whole stock, .in one day, and although they do not obtain cash payment, they, go away with the satisfaction of having'nothing,more to lose' if the town should be invaded by the enemy.