MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2389, 19 February 1915, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

[By Clutch.]

Motor buses and Road Damage. "Motor omnibus traffic can only be satisfactorily conducted on. roads specially and properly constructed for that purpose." Such is the finding of a special committee set up by the 26 nnmcipalities constituting the Melbourne metropolitan area. In summarising the committee's report issued last week, the Melbourne "Age" said it was apparent to members that ordinary motor-car traffic need not be given special consideration when dealing with the questions of special road construction and special taxation for the maintenance of roads. Tho necessity for continuously maintaining perfect surfacing of roads to prevent the dust nuisance which otherwise was created by the speed of ordinary motor traffic, however, fully justified, in the opinion of tho committee, some grant to" the municipalities out of tho revenue received'by the Government for the registration of motor-cars, and which revenue was now placed to the credit of the Country Itoads Board. The total amount received for registration fees, license fees and fines under the Victorian Motor Car Act was £99,338 13s. for the year ended December 31, 1914. The amount paid to the Country Eoads Board for the vear ended June 30, 1914, was £28,953 17s. 6d.' There. was no doubt whatever that' motor-omnibuses and motor-wagons in that order of precedence were so destructive to the ordinary macadamised roads of tie metropolis as to make it imperative that special modes of construction aad maintenance must be adopted for roads on- which there was any appreciable concentration of those classes of traffic. This traffic was only' in its infancy. There were now five companies owning 50 of tho 63 motorbuses registered. The success financially, if not in other respects, of. the motor-omnibuses was materially affected by the condition of the roads. At the present time the buses had the advantage of using the superior road surface of the tram track, and thereby effecting a saving in working expenses, while actually competing with the tram service, which was bearing the cost of the road. The ownership phase of tho question was one that must be early dealt with, .as the success financially of the people's tramways was likely to be materially affected by the motor-omnibu6 competition as long as the conditions mentioned existed. The committee wa6 strongly of opinion that the municipalities should own the motor-omnibus services.

A point to be strongly emphasised in regard to .'road maintenance was the necessary continuous supervision and immediate action on any signs of destruction of the impervious surface of the road, with a view to preventing the disintegration of the binding material and the formation of holes or depressions. Cheapness in the repair of roads was not economy. The committee strongly recommended that some form of special taxation or licence fee bo charged to cover, or as a contribution towards covering,. the cost of special road construction and maintenance for motorbuses. The two problems to be considered were: 1. The amount and basis of such taxation in view of the large extra capital expenditure which would bo involved in road construction. 2. The manner in which such taxation was tc be imposed.

Tho most equitable scheme appeared to the committee to bo the imposition of a charge based cn car mileage run on all classes of vehicles to be included in the scheme. That was the method at present strongly advocated in Great Britain. The schemo was not without con-, siderable difficulties if it were made' to apply to all heavy and fast motor vehicles. One 'of those would- be the obtaining of tin accurate record of mileage travelled along the roads specially constructed. With its application. restricted to motor-omnibuses the scheme could be administered in conjunction with the licensing of the vehicles by the authority. The question of the limitation of speed of motor-omnibuses was considered, but it was thought, as the accelerated speed of the motor-omnibus, was one or its principal advantages over other means of passenger transport, it was patent that an appreciable restriction of tho present rate of speed, would practically be a prohibition of the traffic for financial reasons. The question was whether it would not be advantageous from every point of view that the motoromnibus traffic should be restricted' to i-outes where it would be a great public convenience in providing for or opening up districts not otherwise efficiently provided for, and. that without the necessity for the maintenance of the excessive? speed, which is one, if not the most, important of the factors causing the road destruction cdmplained of.

A Handlcapper's Difficulties. , The handicapper at a motor-cycle race meeting has no easy task. At the Wairarapa Automobile Club's meeting last week tho difficulty of the handicapper was, according to tho "News," fully exemplified in the first two races, in fact throughout the day, for the light weight machines wero apparently "thrown in;" But the contrariness of mechanism accounts for this, for a fortnight before, in Palmerston North, the light-weights, with even longer handicaps, did not get a place in any of tho eVnts, neither first; second, nor third. Tho big machines raced riiigs round them. At Tauherenikau the position was reversed—the little fellows weiit with great exuberance, while the big fellows plugged, stolidly. In the championship events the racing . was most exciting, and the brilliant riding of Colman, Hines, and Anderson was a treat to witness. At times the first two mentioned were running at about 70 miles or over per hour Mere the track permitted, while Anderson was doing well over /60 miles.

Motor-car Accidents, . Last year 22 persons were killed in motor-car accidents in Melbourne, 23 were killed on i)ho suburban railways, and toil by tho trams. These figures wore responsible for the appearance of an article on "The Motor-car Peril" in one of tho Melbourne'dailies, to which Mr. H. W. Harrison, editor of the "Australian Motorist, made a prompt reply. Taking the trainway mileage and railway mileage from tho Government year-books, and calculating the motor miieago, Mr. Harrison obtained the following result: — Miles >ruii before a'fatal accident is caused.—Railways, 557,430; tramways, 1,200)000; motor-cars, 2,450,000. Mr. Harrison based tho motor-car mileage on two calculations, namely, the petrol used in yictoria, aud the average number of miles motorists are known to travel yearly. Very. conservative estimates aro given. For instance, taxicabs are allotted 100 miles weekly. Nearly all exceed that distance. Motorbuses, also, aro brought down to the level of. motor-cars, and allowed 5000 miles a year each, although figures supplied by tho Melbourne Motor Omnibus Coriipany show that each bus averages 53,000 miles a year. . The whole fleet of motor-buses how running m Melbourne actually covers 2,000,000 miles a year: but Mr. Harrison has only allowed them 200,000 miles—l,Boo,ooo miles less than tho actual figures.

The Rule of the Road. The question as to the validity of a municipal by-law regulating traffic, was tlio subject of legal argument in the action in the Magistrate's Court at Auckland on Monday. The Auckland by-law states that in the case of trariicars runiiihg on rails in the con fro of any street, any driver overtaking and desiring to pass any such tramcar. shall do 50... on tho left.Wnd side. Tha" Police Offences Act,

However, says: "Any person wlio drives any vehicle whatever, or rides any animal; and when meeting any other vehicle or animal, does not keep oil the left or near side of tho road or street, or when passing an)'other vehicle or animal going in the same direction, does not go or pass, or does not allow any person desirous, so to do to pass, when, practicable on the right or off side of such other vehicle or animal, otc." The Municipal Corporations Act provides that a by-law shall only be deemed to be invalid simply because it deals with subjects dealt with by the general law, but the next section stipulates that the by-law shall not bo valid if "repugnant to tho law of New Zealand or tho provisions of this Act.".

Air. Hackett, for tho plaintiff, said that it seemed to him that a good deal deponded as to whether a tramcar was a vehicle within the meaning of the Police Offences, and Public Works Acts. If it was, it would have to leave tlitf rails to pass another vehicle, and that was impossible. Tho Magistrate said that tho opinion of tho Supreme Court should be obtained as to whether the municipal by-law overruled tho Public Works Act and Police Offences Act, as the regulations were similar in both the latter instances. Ho thought it would bo well if regulations for traffic could 1 be made by statute for tho whole country. In that particular case it was not necessary to decide the question as to the validity of the by-law, but it seemed to him that the municipal authorities should get a definite decision on the point. In connection, with .the above it is interesting to note that clause 52 of the Wellington City By-law No. 1, dealing with the rule of the road, states: "This provision should not apply in tho case of meeting or passing' a train or trmway carriage running on Tails." The by-laws do not appear. to state specifically_ what course k vehicle shall folbw in overtaking a tramcar, but in the motor bylaw it is laid down that the driver of a motor-car on overtaking a tramcar which has stopped to set down or take up passengers shall, after satisfying himself that the course is a safe one, pass such tramcar on the off-side,. or remain in the rear until all the passengers have alighted or boarded the train. Where there is more than 17 feet between the tramcar and the kerbing of the near side of the road, it is sufficient to pass the stationary tram on the near side at not more than four miles an hour.

"Sociable" Cars, ~ A feature of this year's New York motor show has been the appearance' of "sociable" cars, in which the driver is brought into closer contact with the Other pasßoagers. With the simplification of the control of the car, the installation of electricity to do the starting and lighting, automatic devices regulating lie air pressure on tho gasolene tank and the flow of oil, the driver has more time to participate in the conversation. .

So cars were to be seen at the show whose chief features were ttie bringing of tho front and rear seats of the open touring car closer together, especially through the separation of the 'two front seats, so that there is an aisle-between through which passengei'c may pass at will from the back to the front compartment. In the closed car of the sedan type, the driver has opportunity to be quite "sociable," aiid thus to derive from motoring something more than the mere pleasure of piloting his motor. Then there was a coupe exhibited which has three seats in a row !Viid a fourth one in the corner; it had too this advantage, that, with the front and rear compartments communicating; there was no need of more than a siugle set of doors; the doors art usually in tho middle, and in some cars there is but one door, located on the right side.

Brake Attention. • However well a brake may be designed, its surface 'will wear by use, its connections will become worn or rusted fast from neglect, Worn and inefficient brakes are a menace not only to the motorist, but to pedestrians and other users of the highway as well. So vital a factor of safety are the brakes of a motor-car that the police of some cities consider poorly-operating brakes as prima facie evidence of carelessness on the part of the driver in case of accident. ' In America, for instance, police officers are instructed to hold cars involved in an accident for a brake test, and if tho brakes are not reasonably efficient tho driver, is held. •

Not only should the driver give prompt attention to aiiy indication that liis brake is not acting with full efficiency and adjust it at Once but he should make it a point to examine all his brake connections periodically to see if they are working at or near the end of their possible movement. When the surface of tho lining; becomes worn, it may happen that when the brake lever is nut backward to its fullest extent, with all the power available, it may hold the car nicely on a moderate grade, or at a moderate speed, but will not permit further power being applied, for the reason that the,levers aud connections cannot be moved any further in tho direction required. If tho connections have been fully taken up and have got to tho end of their tether when full forco of the brake is required or are anywhere near it. either new brake blocks are required or the band needs relining. This is a thing that, for the sake of. safety; should not be put off to that indefinite to-morrow which may never come. In Sisting the efficiency of ah adjustment little dependence caii be placed on the method of jacking up the car and hauling a wheel around, by baud against the brake. Such a inethod might be effective if a 10ft. or. 12ft. lever could be applied to tho spokes, but tho best course is to see how it acts on the road against tho engine, and to see how great a distanco is required to stop the car from a speed of 20 or 25 miles an iiour.

One of the features of brake cars which. most often Is sadly noglccted is the lubrication of all working joints and bearings in' the brake connections. It is a very common failing to allow these to go without oil for weeks or months. Joins of this kind without lubrication ale sure to bind and rust in time, and nlay even stick so tightly that some of the connections aro broken, in which case, which usually occurs in some emergency) they are useless when wanted most. Alriabst as bad as brakes which slip are brakes which drag all tlio time. The mere loss of power and pick-up this occasions is not the most serious effect. Tho fact that as long as the brakes are dragging they are being made less efficient for the futuce is the most objectionable results. Tho dragging wears the friction surfaces so that it is impossible to adjust them properly after a time. •Vp.irt frohi the neglect of brakes, .the drivers are likely to got into bad habits, ■nich as relying entirely on the foot brakes and never using or never testing tho emergency. Then, when they ate wanted, and wanted badly, the einergeno'j brakes may be found out of order or rusted fast, so that -they are useless. Another' bad habit is that of usinir the brakes too harshly. It is 'sad practice to apply the brakes severely except in tho case of an emergency where a stop has to be sudden; and as sudden as possible. In coming up to a pie-intended stojiping place tho brakes should bo applied only as a filial'check io stop tho car exactly at the spot intended.

Here and There. Iyepjal lighting-up timd for Inotor-cars aiitl motor-Cycles:—To-day, 6.59 p.m. Next Friday, 6.46 p.m. The .Postmaster-General stated in Ghristchurch a few days ago that the first shipment of light cars for mail collecting and rural delivery work had iiist arrived, and would soon be working

in Now Zealand. The idea was in the nature of (ui experiment.' Motor-c.ycles had been tried for the work, but the cost of upkoep had been such as to make their uso prohibitive, and the light car woidd bo given a trial instead, , Experiments carried out by experts' in England have proved that motor engines do not "knock" when benzol (produced from ooal) is used as a fuel. Tests proved that vehicles under load knocked badly, necessitating reduction in throttle and setting back of spark with petrol, whereas with benzol the same engines could not bo made to knock. The reason claimed for this phenomena ia that a benzol and air mixture fires in a different mannor from petrol and air when a certain critical temperance i 3 reached. Tho orphans of Christcliurch woro last Saturday taken for their annual run by the members of the Canterbury Automobile Association, between forty and fifty of whom turned out with their cars. Despite • somewhat threatening weather the children from the. various homes thoroughly enjoyed the run out to Waikuku Beach and back. A representative of an Italian manufacturer, who recently arrived in New York stated that the Italian makers are- building large numbers of motor Vehicles of various types for the German Government, and a great many have already been delivered. A new world's record was' established in connection with the recent six days' bicycle race, held ,in Chicago (U.S.A.), when a distance of 2804 miles was covered by the winning team, Oscar Egg (Switzerland), and Verri (Italy).. R. J. M'Namara, the . crack New South Wales rider, who teamed with J. Moran (Boston), finished second. The previous best six days figures were 27755' miles, recorded in Paris by A. Goullet and J. Fogler in 1913. Tho Australian record is 1085 miles, established by Messrs. Goullet and Heliir in Sydney in 1912. The Ford Company, the leader in the number of. cars built, has long been the great example of the one-model idea and still is, but the Ford this season, according to the New York "Post," has expanded its body line from three to five types, two new enclosed models having been added recently to the touring car. roadster, and landaulet.