MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2395, 26 February 1915, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

[BY Cltttoh.]

, : Dangerou3 Crossings. t One of the most dangerous railway ; crossings in the vicinity of Wellington is undoubtedly that at Johnsonvillo. It .is. impossible to obtain a view of tho I line on either side until ono is praoti.cally across the rails, and this applies 'equally in tho case of vehicles coming towards tho city and going from it. One side is a steep 'cutting, and on the other the view is obscured by buildings. The line carries more traffic than any other through lino in tho Dominion, and the road 1 is the main highway from the city \ to all districts except the Wairarapa. There is a staff at the station at Jonnsonville immediately alongside the road, and it would not bo at all unreasonable for' the Railway Department to place gates across the road in tho interests of public safety, to bp closed on tho approach of trains. In any case if one of the warning crossing bells is required anywhere it is here. In his report last year Mr. Hiley stated that the automatic alarm installed at. the Levin crossing had.been a success, and that material had been ordered for 300 nia'chines; to be installed at tho rate of : 1.00 ,per annum. Only one bell is re-, quired to protect the public at the Johnsonville crossing, and it is to be hoped that its installation will not be further delayed.

A Strenuous Journey. Those who know the road fro® Waroura to Tokaanu over the Rangipo Pass and around the shores of Lake Taupo to Taupo township will not lightly venture on it on a'motor tour._ The writer not long ago met one motorist who had taken the route unaware of what was ibefoje him, and his ."views on it were i.ot of a kind suited for publication. The Auckland "Herald" the other day recorded that "a party of motoristsMessrs. W. L. I/uxford, of Hamilton; S. W. Luxford, of Devonport; end F. .H. Luxford, of'Waikanae —had just returned from a three weeks' tour through i the central part of the island. Leaving Hamilton in a Ford car the party proceeded to Te Kuiti, where the car was put on a track and taken by rail to Waioura. The party rotumed by car | from "Waiouru. The first stop was made at Tokaanu, the 44 miles being accom- ! plished in good time in spite of delays -.tn the sandy patches. were : spent in the vicinity of Tokaanu, the members of the party accepting the opportunity to do some trout-fishing. The Tongariro River ■ was tried, and good sport was obtained, particularly late in the afternoon, when the fish rose freely. The fish generally were of good average size and in good condition. It was stated that there were not many visitors fishing at Taupo this year. Mr. Charles Naylor, of London, had Just arrived, and his first day resulted in a catch of ,42 -fish. From Tokaanu "the Messrs. Luxford proceeded to Taupo, that part of the journey being via the road,, which runs round the edge of the lake, and which in some places has become rather narrow and leaves but little room between a safe rim .and a drop of 200 ft. into the water below. From Taupo the party came on to Hamilton, a stop being made at Atiamuri, where some more lishihg was indulged in." Good Roads. In a letter.heartily agreeing with..the suggestion recently made in this column that there is need, in New Zealand for a good Roads Association, Mr. G. T. Stewart, of Featherston, xemarks that fourteen years. ago he endeavoured to form such a body, but he was then much too previous, as the.time was not ripe.He'adds: "The system of local rating only will 'become obsolete, and road users must pay for tho use of the road, and' in proportion to the mileage travelled.' The Good' Roads Associations of England and Amerioa are doing a very great deal of good, and are always ready to help. They nave tested and reported on samples of road metal which I have sent from New Zealand. They make no charge, excepting the annual subscription of 55." Mr. Stewart encloses a copy of a circular which he. sent out in 1901 to all; local government engineers, and to which he reoeived favourable replies from almost all the persons to whom it was sent. It is . interesting to recall what was then written: —"For years it has been in the thoughts of many' that this colony should have .an Association of Roadmakers. I have waited for older and more experienced men to take the initiative, but so far I know of no move' in this direction. . . '. I am sure

that could we unite it would be to the improvement of the' roads in the colony, and tend to a more economical use of the moneys of local bodies, and give us an added interest in our work. Machinery must, I think, enter largely ; into roadmaking and maintaining at no distant date; if so, we must know where to get tho best, and how to use it to ad.vantage. It has'been suggested to me that the institute could be run in connection with the Agricultural and Pastoral Associations. It is, I thinkj an excellent idea. An annual convention and possibly an exhibition could be held at different centres. Later on it might be possible to publish a journal devoted to all that which pertains to road-making." A portion of the ground is now, of course, covered by the institute formed by the' local bodies' engineers a few years ago, but this is concerned m inlv with the technique of road-making and not .so much the general policy of highway maintenance, and developmentr— matters that urgently call for attention.

Australian Motor Corps Disbanded. Henceforward there will be 110 Voluntary Automobile Corps in the Conimomvealth. The Defence authorities have decided that the corps is of no practical use as organised, and the official announcement of its disbandment will, according to the Melbourne."Age," be made shortly. It will vanish 'from the Defence lists, and it will no longer be possible for a man to obtain a commission as a lieutenant or captain merely on the strength of his ability to drive a car and to. own it. In taking this step, which few military men regret; the Defence Department is acting as the Imperial authorities have acted ill Groat Britain. The War Office,, after recent peace manoeuvres, decided that a voluntary automobile corps was little better than an incubus, being unnecessary and a hindrance iu many ways. It therefore brought the voluntary organisation to an end. In its place the War Office bought motor cars for military service and enlisted drivers as privates. These oars take the place of the voluntary' automobile organisation. A similar policy is being followed by tho Defence Department. A good deal .of criticism was levelled by military men at the Department's policy at the outset of the war. Certain rich men, who had 110 military experience or Knowledge, were given commissions 011 tbo strength of their gifts of cars to the force. Because they happened to bo wealthy enough to own motors they Were made lieutenants, in order that they_ might drive tho cars, whilo the experienced military mail in the ranks, wno qwned no car, had no chance of rising to a commission. This system has one very serious disadvptage. - It might happen that in action one of these "motor lieutenants" might bo called upon by a brigadier or general to take command of a leaderless body of men. The general would see the marks of rank on the lieutenant s uniform. But those marks would signify nothing, since the lieutenant would know nothing of military work, and might well lead men into disaster. For i this and other reasons, tho Department has, since the departmrj of the first contingent, changed its policy. It has I houfiht cars for Govemmont use, anas

has enlisted chauffeurs as privates to drivo them. Throe ciirs aro allotted to an infantry brigado pud five to a light horso brigado, and the system lias proved in every way efficient, despite the fact that the cars aro not driven by so-called officors.

The 6amo reasons have necessitated tho disbanding of the Voluntary Automobile Corps in Australia. It servos no useful purpose. But the officers of tho corps will lose nothing by the cliangc. The Defence Department has agreod to allow tliom to transfer to other-units,, and in so doing to keep their rank and seniority. The automobile corps has had a comparatively short life, since it was only formed some ten years ago. A Desirable Reform. The Hawera County Coimoil, one is glad to note, is making it obligatory upon motor lorries to have observation glasses, so that drivers can see anything approaching from the rear. This action is' one that other local bodies might well follow, as it is often impossible foi' •an overtaking vehicle desiring to pass a motor lorry to attract the driver's attention. The provision might with advantage be extended so as to apply also to all hooded vehicles, covered vans, and the like. These are ofteii a source of danger through the drivers suddenly drawing across a line of traffic without indication, and without looking out to see what is approaching from behind. Why Not a New Zealand Motor Show?

In a special article on the value of the trade of the New York motor 6how an American journal says: "The .show is an annual tonic. It takes place at t'he time of the year when the buyer is in a receptive- mood —when he is beginning to make up his mind regarding the purchase of a new car. .In many cases he is contemplating _ the purchase of a first car. ■ The show is of great value because it begets enthusiasm, resulting in a determination to buy . At the show the maker displays his car to upwards of a quarter of a million people, lh newspaper, magazine, or outdoor advertising he has described hjis product! At show, people see the. real article. The exhibitor buys so much space for so much money, just as Jie does in any advertising medium, but in this particular medium there is no waste circulation. Every one who has seen the maker's published advertisement is interested in seeing the product itself. Furthermore, the goods are displayed to the buyer in the most favourable light, for the buyer is naturally interested by the number of people around him who are also intent on purchasing cars. There is always enthusiasm in numbers." With the rapid development of the motor business in New Zealand,/ it should be good policy for . the trade to unite in making ,a joint display of new models annually at, say, the Manawatu winter or spring 6how, as might' be ■judged most suitable. ~ In the past, motors have been, displayed by different firms at the A. and P. shows, hut no attempt has been made to hold a thoroughly representative exhibition of all types of motor vehicles. The buying public here is a large one, and what an American contemporary says about the value of the New York show should apply equally here in proportion.

Hints and Tips. One should always keep a look-out with regard to the wear of- the steering connections, for several reasons. In the first place, " if the; wear shows signs of becoming excessive, there is an element .of. danger which should not be allowed to continue; then there is the fact that such, loose connections would probably entail a lack of alignment of the steering wheels, thus cansing excessive, wear of the tyres, and in tie third place there is a certain

amount of rattle usually caused. On some cars provision is made for taking up wear and tear in the-steering connections ; on othors there is not. In either case, unless the amateur is of a mechanical turn of mind, it is better to get soino capable garage hand to make- tlio necessary adjustments. In a recent issue of the "Autocar!' a good tip is given for deadening the noise produced by valve tappets, etc., whore the engines are not provided with valvo cover plates. The idea is to line, t'lio bonnet with thick felt, such, as is used for liorso saddle covers, and then to again line the interior with.tin, so making a bonnet within a bonnet, tlie interstices being filled with tho felt. Somotimes one of the lady members of the family essays tie work of mending a tear in the leather or. liood. In such, a case soft yarn should be used instead of hard woven thread, as it will laat muoh longer without tearing through. Another matter on which many motoTists show indifference is in regard to the alternate use of hand and foot brakes in making long descents. This advice is' given not so much for fear of tho great heat evoked leading to tho possible firing of tho car, as to reduce the brake wear, which is disproportionately heavy in the case of excessively lieated braking surfaces.

Here and There. Legal lighting, up time for motor-cars and motor cycles: To-day, 6.46 p.m. Next Friday, 6.35 p.m. The total number of- motor-cars and motor cycles registered in .Victoria is 19,847. ■ _ A . The proprietors of Prattrs spurt, the "Autocar" states, have .been fortunate in securing £200,000 of the recent British war loan. i

Somebody, with an obvious axe_ to grind, has been circularising British motorists to. the effect that a. rise in the price of plantation rubber will shortly necessitate a corresponding increase in the prioe of tires: The "Autocar", has the highest authority for declaring that both these statements/are devoid of fact. Indeed, it is pertinent to point out that rubber, having bean declared contraband of war, and its export prohibited, supplies in Great Britain should be plentiful. Analysis of the "Light Car Buyers' Guide" prices for 1915 shows that the most popular range of prices for light cars in the Old Country runs from £175 to £200.. Next to that is the range from £150 to £175,Although there 'was a slight revival in September last, the importation of European cars into the United States shows a considerable falling off when compared with former years. Thus, during the nine months ending with September last only 186 cars, valued-at £58,722, were' imported, as contrasted with 388 and £131,759 respectively in the corresponding period of 1913. While the decrease-extends tc all the_ European motor-car producing countries, the drop is most notable as regards France, and, of course, Germany. Tne Otago Motor. Club is directing the attention' 'of the Bruce County Council to the number of unliglited vehicles, motor-cars, and motor cycles which -are still to. ba met with on the. roads north and south of..Milton after darkness has set in. On last Sunday evening the president of the- club met one horse and cart, one motor-car, and three motor cycles on these roads without lights. One of the cyclists, especially, was speeding along with his head down, and an accident. was narrowly averted. Apparently, advantage_ is taken of the fact that on Sunday, nights no ra'nger is on the -roads.