MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2407, 12 March 1915, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

[Bt Clutch.]

A Motor Show for New Zealand. Discussing the proposal recontly made in this column that an annual motor show should bo held in the Dominion, the head of cno oi the leading motor firms in the city said he thought the idea an excellent one. It would be no use attempting it this year as it is impossible to got cars in any quantity from England. Inquiries aro plentiful enough in the motor business despito t'he war, but. it is exceedingly difficult to get deliveries from the makers. English motors in largo quantities aro being sold at retail prices to the Governments of the Allies, and the manufacturers are so busy exploiting this profitable field to the utciost that the colonial trade is in abeyance, or nearly so, for the time being. It is interesting to note, by the way, that despite the scarcity of cars the purchasing public in New Zealand is determined ■ to support British industry and most of the letters from prospective custom-ers-received by this firm contain stipulations that the car shall be made in Great Britain. In the circumstances set out an attempt to hold a show this year would be foredoomed to tailure.

Palmerston is undoubtedly the most central spot for a motor exhibition, and the best time of year would be at the Winter Show. The new models would .be on the market then, and purchasers would be thinking of cars for the spring. ■ Unfortunately, states'the gentleman in question, the Palmerston show authorities have not given too much encouragement hitherto to the motor trade. The exhibits have been placed in a tent with the inspeoting crowd walking about on wet and sloppy ground. It wa's, of oourse, essentia] that a show would be housed in a proper building where the publio could inspect the different cars m comfort at their leisure. He recognised that t'he A. and P. Association had a big demand for all its building space, and it was possible that it might be more advantageous to have a motor exhibition in Palmerston independently of the Spring or Winter Shows. What he would like to see would be a really representative six-day exhibition.

When peace returns again the committee of the Manawatu A. and P. Association might do worse than go int-o. the possibilities of adding: a national motor exhibition as additional attraction to the Winter Show. There is a very big, and rapidly increasing, section or the public that is keenly desirous of inspecting the new models placed on the market every year by the_ motor manufacturers. Farmers especially are interested, and a first-class motor exhibition should' be an' exceedingly popular annual event. . War Stimulates Trade. In an article in the London "Morning Post," Mr. H. Massac Buist, one of tlio leading English authorities on motoring, makes some interesting speculations on tho prospects of motoring for 1915,,

He says that the outstanding feature is the extraordinary various nature of the activities. .In past seasons the motor had been almost entirely considered as a pleasure car proposition, with a very small proportion of the demand for commercial vehicles. The outbreak' of the war and six months' experience of campaigning revealed that hitherto unthought-of fiarkets had been created for motor vehicles. - The demand for War Office purposes would not cease with the proclamation of peace'. On the contrary, every lesson of the war so far pointed to. the necessity of the nations of the world equipping themselves with motor .vehicles, designed and built solely for war purposes, of types for whioh the civilian community had no vise at any time. This fact represented an enormous expansion in tne field of motor manufacturing enterprise, particularly in Great Britain.

In addition, the effect of the wastage of the war on the world's supply of horses would be felt none the less severely' when the campaign closed, despite the policy of returning from the front' all slightly wounded mares. War ha I given an impetus to air parts of the 'commercial motor vehicle industry— from the largest vehicles of many tons capacity apiece to the small machine designed for a burden of only a few hundredweight—to an extent that would not have been obtained for at least five, if not ten, years, had peace, continued. The world could not mark time. As a ■ motor vehicle could be produced and put on' the road within three months, whereas horses could hot be produced, reared, and trained in as many years, it followed that the commercial community had no option but to take to motors in a wholesale fashion for the transport of goods. For many seasons to come the demand for commercial motors would be as great as, if not greater than, that for. pleasure cars. _ This meant doubling the scale of Britain's motor manufacturing, apart from the opportunities opened up as a result of the war for the export abroad. The Light Gar and the Future. Even assuming that there would be no increase in the demand for mediumsized and .large. pleasure cars, another factor, which was developing when war broke out, and which was stHl making steady progress, was opening up fresh fields.' This was the light car, which .was emerging, not only as a distinct pleasure vehicle (with alternative industrial uses) from the medium or large car, but it was also becoming distinct from the cycle-car—a very different proposition. There was an appreciable school, which argued that nobody would think of buying any light car on the market in face of the fact that the cheapest form of American mediumsized car 'could be purchased for a much smaller sum. That school, however, was being proved wrong. Tho purchaser who required such a vehicle was not deterred solely because of its initial cost price. Probably because he was desirous of having as much motoring fpr as low an expenditure as possible, he gave study to the question, and realised, that the cheapest form of motoring must embrace durability, with the minimum amount of attention and expenditure on repairs, and economy in tires and petrol. He also realised that if he were given any form of motor-car of the middle size, Amori-. can or otherwise, it would be of 110 use to him, for, though it would have cost him nothing to _ acquire it, it would mulct him in middle-car charges for maintenance, repairs, housing, licensing, and so on. Although light carshad already proved very serviceable, they were as yet in their infancy. Hawke's Bay Activity. An injustice was inadvertently dons the Hawke's Bay Automobile Association in a note in this column last week. In contrasting the activity of the other associations with the lethargy of Wellington motorists, it was incidentally stated that nothing had been heard from Hawke's Bay for some time. A correspondent promptly posted down a copy of the Hastings "Tribune," with tlio report of the' annual meeting of tho Hawke's Bay Association, hold a fortnight ago. The annual report presented to tho meeting showed tlie usual record of good work. Tho association has now over a hundred members, and finished its year with a credit balance of £178 7s. During the year a sum of £1298 Us. Cd. was raised for patriotic purposes, in additiou to other contributions by private members. By arrangement with the county councils denger eignsls have hson repainted and .sls wjogg coimeito

have agreed to have the approaches to bridges and culverts painted white. Work is being carried out at the Manawatu Gorge road and bridge in accordance with the agreement made by the Minister of Public Works in reply to -a deputation from the Local Bodies and Automobile Associations. The committee expressed appreciation of the improvement effected on the Taradalo Road by -watering, and trusted the system would be used where possiblo on the main road to Hastings. At the instance of the asooiation important improvements had been made on the Noj)ier-Taupo and Napier-Wairoa Roads during the year. Association Jottings. The North Canterbury Automobile Association has secured an undertaking from twenty-one county councils to erect guide posts supplied by the association. Another examplo to Wellington! The Lake County Motor Association is the newest motoring organisation to come into existence in New Zealand. The secretary is Mr. Edgard T. Shand, of Arrowtown.

_ Tlie Otago Motor Club haß under consideration a proposal to grant £50 towards the improvement of the LeithWaitati Road.

In response to inquiries from the secretory of the Y.M.C.A. at Masterton, and Mr. S. M. Vaughan, of Whaligarei, the North Canterbury Association _is forwarding all particulars . regarding the organisation of a gymkhana.

The Hawke's Bay Association's officers for the year as as follow; —President, Mr. P. S. M'Lean (unanimously re-eleoted); vice-presidents, Messrs. Douglas M'Leen and J. S. Handyside (re-elected); honorary treasurer, Mr. Geo. Kelly (re-elected); honorary auditor, Mr. C. H. Gould (re-elected); committee, retiring members re-elected with the exception of Mr. Rathbone (now o£ Dannevirke Association),. who wa3 replaced by Mr. A. C. Mathieson. Delegates to the union are the president and Messrs. Duncan and Gascoyne.

No fewer than seventeen new members were elected at last week's meeting of the Otago Motor Club. Four new members were elected by the North • Canterbury Association on Monday.

Mr. P. S. M'Lean, in his presidential address to v the Hawke's ' Bay Association, announced that the committee had given considerable attention, to road improvement matters. He was. able to inform the meeting that very material and somewhat expensive alteration has been made on the road which crosses the hill between Tarawera .and The Nunnery, which will enormously improve that portion of the road to Taupo. Largely owing to tho efforts of the committee, a considerable expenditure is going on upon tho Wairoa Road. /

The .Saturday half-holiday movement .is being supported by the Otago Motor Olub.

The Melbourne Automobile Olub is holding a gymkhana to-day in aid of the Belgian Fund. The events are to. include lemon outting, potato race, obstacle race, ladies' driving contest, and cigar and ginger-beer contest. There will also be a- race between , the old-time ordinary (high) bicycles and a novelty race between a man, oycle, motor-cycle, and racehorse. - Road Crowns. A protest against high road crowns was made by a correspondent "A;F.W." in a letter to the Auckland "Star" a few days ago. He says: "I am aware that the general cry is - for very high crowns, and as far as I know I am in a minority of one in appealing tor lower crowns. But by the mercies of God, gentlemen, I beseech you to consider the possibility that you may be wrong,' as Cromwell said to his Parliament. member that no man has. ever yet seen or ever wiE see a good road with, a high crown. For the 'useless and even dangerous slope' that delights the heart of our roadmakers concentrates the traffic on the narrow summit. .. This, at onoe causes three rows of deep ruts, where water collects, and is churned into mud puddle. Now,. no_ height. of orown—please consider this—and mo depth of useless and even' dangerous side slope and water table will drain wheel ruts. Make a model road with ruts, and, though you tilt it to an angle of sixty degrees, you won't got the water to run over the sides of the rut. Look'through the'eoriritry in wet weather, and you wiir see'that ruts mean puddle, and puddle means rapidlydeepening ruts, though' the side slope be so deep as to be dangerous, and though the water table be two'feet below the crown. For the very danger and inconvenience of running on such sides concentrates the traffic right on the summit, which is murdered by the merciless unceasing blows ever on the same spot, and that spot weakened by puddle. Moreover, the constant stirring of the water in the rut so puddles it that it canno't be absurbed bv t'he road. The first principle of road-mak-ing is not to drain water out of ruts by tilting the sides (which you cannot do) till oountry driving is like running on the top of a low wall, but to "have no ruts. Now, to have no ruts you must scatter the traffic out of the centre, all over the road, and this you can never do if both 'horse and driver shudder at . the thought of touching the 'useless'and even dangerous slope? A crown is, of course, necessary, but it is a,necessary evil, and should be a minimum." Motor Mall Service Abandoned. The attempt to establish & motor service from Pahiatua to Makuri and Pongaroa has been abandoned, and the motor company is in liquidation. The portion of the run between Makuri and Pongaroa has lately been carried out by coach instead of motor, and the Postal Department; recently notified the company that the subsidy was to be reduced from £400 to £300 per annum from the date on which the motor service was abandoned. At a meeting of the company last week the situation was discussed, and some criticism was pasßed on the class of cars bought for the service. The state of the roads appears to have been the main obstacle to success. The "Pahiatua Herald" thinks it ia scarcely fair, however, to put all the blame on the condition of the road and the' Minister's failure to provide money for the improvement of .the thoroughfare. It adds: "Admittedly the road has been unfavourable for motor traffio and money was not spent in time. However, the Minister provided a grant of £800 for £ for £ expenditure by the two County Councils, and inquiries made by Mr. J. H. Escott, M.P., recently discourage the "belief that the Minister promised a sum of £3000 as has been stated. Had the £800 subsidy been earned the worst parts of the road would have been put in fairly good order, and it is not unreasonable to suggest that local pressure should have been exerted in getting the work carried out." proficiency Certificates. The Hamilton Borough Council at its meeting last Friday night adopted the following recommendation by its Legal and Finance Committee, relative to motor _ proficiency certificates"That ten shillings be charged the first member of a family, all others free; that for firms ten _ shillings be charged for the first certificates, and for subsequent ones 2s. 6d.; that no certificates be required for drivers resident outside a fivemile radius; that taxi drivers be compelled to oxhibit prominently a sign 'For hire'; that motor stage carriages submit a. time-table for the council's approval." The Mayor said the council was introducing these regulations simply as a. public safeguard, and not for making money. The regulation regarding the "For fiif®' l Blgft wu abeoliij&lg jasssfe,

sary, as cases had come under notice where .taxi-men. refused-certain runs. Ho understood other outside bodies would fall into line. Auckland had already intimated its willingness in this respect. The whole object was to protect the public against incompetency in driving, and he thought the Government should framo regulations to deal with the matter. City Streets and Roads. An expert in street and road construction, Mr. James Tylor, superintendent of works for the Auckland City Council, who lias been visiting Christchurch, was interviewed the other day by the "Press." Mr. Tyler stated that he had been piloted over the city and suburbs by Mr. A. Dobson, city engineer, and had been able to form an opinion of the construction and condition of the streets and roadways. He was wonderfully impressed with the success of tarred macadam and waterbound macadam for streets and roads about the city. There was not the concentrated traffic here that there was in the northern centres, which wore seaport 'towns, and because of this traffic a more solid and expensive roadway pavement had to be gone in for in the north, such.as nouohatel asphalt or wood blocks. For the class of traffic he had observed in Christchurch, and for residential streets, there was not the slightest doubt that the right thing had been adopted, and it was in. splendid condition.. Excellent results were , being , obtained from tarred macadam everywhere he had seen it put down, .and be understood thatr the cost was very reasonable.' He was surprised that tarred macadam and tar-painting had not been Extended to roads further from the city's centre. Canterbury Trial Awards. The following are the official awards of. the Canterbury Automobile Association's recent reliability trial from Christchurch to Mount Cook and back: Private Owners' Class. •' Marks. H. W. Piper (Cadillac) ... 1000 ... 1 Capt. M'Lean (Cadillac)... 099 ... 2 F. W. Johnston (Panhard) 979 ... 3 Dr. Simpson (Hupmobile) 969 ... 0 H. E. Kennett {F.1.A.T)... 960 ... 0 G. F. Fleming (F.1.A.T.) 916 : ... 0 T. L.' Cowlishaw- (Leon-' :-Bailee) did not finish Open' Class. J. C. Mercer (Hupmobile) 1000 1 L. Montgomery (Hupmobile) 999 ... 2 Hawkes, Ltd. (Delage)...... 990 ... 3 F. W. Johnston (Panhard) 979 ... . 0 Dr. Simpson (Hupmobile) 969 ... 0 H. E. Kennett (F.I.A.T. 965 ... 0 G. Fleming (F.1.A.T.) ...... 946 ... 0

D. V. Grant (Vauxhall), M. W. Stevenson (New Pick), A. Irving (Calcote), O. Blake (Overland), Kibblewhite and Vaughan (Overland) did not finish. . The Christchurch "Evening News" remarks that seven American cars entered and five finished; two Italian started and both finished; three French started and two finished, and three English cars started and none finished. So on these figures the Italian cars have the best percentage (100). Here and There. Legal lighting up time for motor-cars and motor-cycles To-day, 6.24 p.m. Next Friday, 6.11 p.m. The Manawatu County • Engineer reported at last meeting that the Palmer-ston-Foxton Road is being, greatly damaged by motor lorries trading between Foxton and Palmerston. v Heavy loads of merchandise are being taken inland, and fibre is being carried on the return trip. Unlesß something is. done to regulate the weight of loads, a large expenditure will have to be faced to put the road in order. ■ There are 14,000 men attached to the Army Service ■ Corps, Motor Transport Section.

The Swiss Government has lately issued an order prohibiting the export from Switzerland of, among ■ other goods, petrol motors and other component parts for automobiles, suoh as chassis/ Bodies, eto. Kentucky, U.S.A., is leading the way in the matter of motor proficienoy certificates we gather from an. overseas journal. All chauffeurs will shortly have to possess a license which will only be 'issued to them upon passing' a set examination, paying two dollars, and supplying a certificate as to honesty, sobriety, and general, character, signed by three reputable " citizens. It'is officially' announced in the/'London Gazette" that the 'exportation of motor vehicles of all kinds and of their component parts is prohibited to all foreign ports of Europe and to ports on the Mediterranean and Black Seas other than those of France, Russia (except Baltic ports), Belgium, Spain, and Portugal. This regulation is by no means so far-reaching as would appear on the'surface.

A section of -the motor-cyclists of New South Wales is taking up a movement to organise a military corps of motor-cyclists. The idea is an excellent one, for even on. the rough loads that abound in Australia it is really wonderful what can be accomplished onthe .up-to-date motor-cycle. The value of a motor-cyclist for dispatch work lias boen well demonstrated in the European war, and coming nearer home we Have the fine record established by motor-cyclists in the 1912 Dunlop relay dispatch ride from Adelaide t<> Sydney, Tvhen despite adverse weather , conditions, a message was carried from ■capital to. capital —a distance of 1139 miles—in 51 flours 50. minutes.

Prizes valued at ' £1000, '£500, and £300 .have been , donated by the Wellcome Bureau of Scientific Research in England for the three best designs submitted for. an ambulance body, which shall fit a standard pattern car chassis for motor, ambulances. Hints and tips. Nearly every driver of a motor-car will have noticed in his travels that a large proportion ,of the automobiles met with suffer from minor defects, as, for instance, wheels out of alignment, noisy gears, and imperfect action of the differential. In many cases (says ' the motor contributor of the Melbourne "Age") this is -not th© fault of the car, but rather is due to the negligence of tho driver, who, by turning corners at excessive 6peed, and by careless operation of the ges.rs, places unnecessary strains upon every part of the vehicle. In climbing hills many drivers constantly abuse their cars. A motorist will relate with pride that his vehicle can climb 6uch a hill "on top," and when the gradient is so steep that a lapse into one of the intermediate speeds is necessary, ho complains that the car is not pulling well. Yet these intermediate speeds are incorporated in the mechanism of tho automobile for the express purpose of relieving the engine of undue strains. Frequently an owner is heard to express satisfaction with the stopping power of his brakes by reason of tho fact that he can lock the back wheels. If ho uses them in this fashion he will ■not, a 6 the "Light Car" points out, obtain the maximum braking effect for the following reason. A oar in motion has acquired a certain 6tore of energy known as momentum, and to stop the car we must , dissipate this energy in the simplest manner by converting it into heat, "l'his is best performed by ■the friotional resistance of two suitably designed braking surfaces. Now, when the proud but inconsiderate driver locks these frictional surfaces, the rubbing contact is transferred from the brake shoe to the point of contact of the rubber tyre upon the road. The rubber melts or is reduced to a kind of sand papering action, in either case diminishing the adhesion of the tyre on tho ground, which is the factor determining tho rate of pulling up.