MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2359, 15 January 1915, Page 3

MOTORS & MOTORING

9 [Bi CtnoH-l Day's Bay, via Petone. After many years the stretch of road necessary to link up the end of the • Hutt River Pipe Bridge with tlio Day's Bay Road is at last completed, or practically so. The work has throughout been one on which time is no object, and even now 'there still remain a few yards of big and sharp-edged metal— or at the beginning of the week there did—on which no blinding has been placed. This is just on the Day's Bay side of the bridge over the Waiwetu Stream, and the motorist is apt to come on it suddenly, and at a greater pace than is good for a car's tires. No doubt the work will be finally finished off before long. The Pipe Bridge, it i will be remembered, stood useless for . some years without any approaches. Finally, when these wore completed, r came another long hiatus before a start I was made on the road beyond. At . length the stretch from the old Day's , Bay Road to the Waiwetu Stream was • put in hand, but remained for about nine months a dead-end and trap for . the unwary, who turned into it and finally found themselves blocked by a [ gap of fifty yards or so across a paddock. Beyond could be seen the end - of the road on the other side, but some • securely naile3-up rails put an end to . further progress. The work, a joint . one, in which se>oral local bodies co- • operated, Has been one of the most j mismanaged around Wellington. It is to be hoped that the various local bodies , will tackle the question of maintaining • the Hutt Road in a different spirit, for . that fine highway will be a mass of poti holes by the end of the coming winter - unless something is done to put it in repair, and the dispute as to liability i for maintenance settled. New American Models. Reference to some of the new features to be sprung at the New York Autog mobile Show on January 2-9 was made i in the New York "Evening Post" of December 6. Among. the surprises in , store are several now cars , equipped with eight-cylinder motors. Almost : equally interesting will be several of the new small six-cylinder cars, which it is h said will sell under 1000 dollars. In t- observing many of the new bodies of this season's cars it will be noted that fenders as a class are crowned so as to j, bug the wheel somewhat more than a the old style, and to prevent splash L " more efficiently, but at the same time avoid the danger of the tire striking the fender on a sharp rebound after ' passing. over a bump. The "one man" or''"one hand" type of top will be found n on the majority of touring cars, while a interchangeable or convertible bodies j; have been improved to a point where they are practical, and make it possible v for a buyer to - secure ■ a combination '• open and closed car that is not cumber--1 some and is easily adjusted. >f Great development will be noticed in s. smaller coupe Bodies. In fact, the !, coupe has increased in popularity each successive season, and 1915 will seo it more popular than ever. Innovations £ in seating arrangement, especially in closed cars, will be shown by the majority of exhibitors, and seats that slide r- out of the way and disappear when not Sl in use, or swing so as to permit easy inpress and egress, will be noted in gfeat a numbers. /Whereas a couple of seasons ago there were but few electric starting and lightj ing systems offered, there are now num9, erous new ones to be seen, and in those that have been on the market two years £ or more mu"h improvement has bean mado. Not only nave large cars, such 2- as limousines, berlines, and heavy touring cars, improved greatly in appear- ' ance, but very light cars have been . much refined 'in beauty and utility, s- At' least one. of tho new 1915 eightcylinder American cars has arrived in New Zealand already. The writer saw 1. one in 'Wanganui tho other day, a big ® 40-h.p. affair, with six speeds forward, x two on the reverse, electric gear-change, fl and various other now devices. _ The War and United States Exports, ' n Motor-vehicle exports from the United ie States for October last were 140-1 vehif- cles valued at ' 2,965,351 dollars 2,' (£593,070), .as compared with 1776 valued at 1,793,222 dollars in October, 1913. This is an increase of 1,172,129 dollars. The increase was due entirely to motor trucks, of which 672, worth 9. 2,286,964. dollars, were exported in October, 1914, as against 79, worth 129,506 ' dollars in the same month last year, if Exports of passenger cars fell from 1697, valued at 1,663,716 dollars in Ocd tober, 1913, to 732, worth 678,387 dol'j lars in ■ the corresponding month this year. Effects of war oh American automobile exports are refloated by large, increases to European countries and de7. creases .to other countries that previous- ~ ly were buying liberally. During October there were exported to the United Kingid dom motor vehicles to the value, .of o. 829,982 dollars, as against 250,293 dole- lars in the same month last year, but le the exports to Canada amounted to only 148,916 dollars last October as compared with 423,016 dollars tho year before. France took 171,049 dollars' worth, as - against 35,759 dollars in October, 1913, {. while to South America only 33,242 dolo- lars' worth was sent, as against 181,230 - dollars in October a year ago. Germany ~~ has taken no motor vehicles from America in the last three months, but during the fiscal year ended June 30 her 3r imports amounted to 1,059,249 dollars, as compared with 768,419 dollars-for the previous fiscal year. Italy took - only two motor vehicles in Oqtober thir year, 1450 dollars, 'as compared with eighteen a year ago, worth ,19,172 dollars. Other European countries besides those mentioned largely increased their, < purchases, which aggregated 1,461,191 dollars for the montli, whereas in October, 1913, they bought only to the value of 91,421. dollars. Imports to the United States increased slightly in October—from 74,646 dollars in October, 1913, to 79,476 dollars last year. But , the figures for ten months show a great ln falling off—from 983,445 dollars in 1913 to 373,086 in 1914. However, importa,n tions of parts increased from 242,031 dollars to 784,188 dollars. ' '! Here and There. Ie Legal lighting-up time for motor-cars and motor-cycles To-day, 7.37 p.m. Next Friday, 7.33 p.m. We are pleased to hear that one motor-car proprietor has spent his holidays profitably, and together with a Kaimai resident weilded the sledgo hammor to good advantage on tlie Kaimai incline, the road now being free 'of large botilders. Of.course, it was impossible to deal with the lialf-mile of cobbles at the top, but motors will find a great improvement.—"-Times," Tauranga. Mr. A. S. Erskine has been appointe3 secretary of the Napier Motor-cycle Club, vice Mr. Unsworth, resigned. That cycle-racing is booming in tho United States is evident from the fact that some £20,000 was distributed in America during tho past track racing season. The Australian crack —A Goullet—leads the list of winnings, he 'having won about £1500, in addition to a considerable amount of appearanco money, bonuses, etc. F. Kramer comes second on the list, whilst the Tasmanian champion, A. Grenda, won about £750. Another Australian, in A. J. Clark, did not do as well as usual, but .t,ho fact that he receives a retaining fee of £500 puts him well on the right side. |