MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2419, 26 March 1915, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

[Bi Clutch.]

Easter Holidays. Tho present wet and wintry weather does not augur well for the Easter holidays, and motorists contemplating runs up country will probably be well' advised to confine themselves to main loads with a sound bottoming of metal. The Wellington Motor Cycling Club is organising a club run from the city to Castlepoint, and given fine weather this should be an enjoyable outing. All members desiring to take part in it have been requested to notify the secretary in order that arrangements may be made for the neccssary accommodation.

Cood Roads In Victoria. The Victorian Good Roads Association held its annual meeting in Melbourne last week. _ Mr. Sydney Stott (president) occupied tho chair, and among thoso present were the State Governor, Sir Arthur Stanley, the Lord Mayor (Alderman Sir David Hennessy), and the chairman of the Water Commission (Air. Elwood Mead). The chairmaji, in opening the meeting, referred to the good results which followed the work of the Country Roads Board. . There were good roads in South Australia and Tasmania, and he ventured to say that before long the roads in Victoria . would be equal to the best in the Commonwealth. With tho exception of a small stretch, the road from Melbourne to Mornington jvas excellent, and in a very short time the Roads Board would have constructed a.good highway to Geelong. Good roads were a national asset, for they .lightened the burdens of all, whether they be motorists or farmers, (Applause.) The State Governor said he appreciated gopd roads, and approved of any movement which had as its objects tho rostering of the question generally, fn England they had good roads, and they were properly cared for.' If ones they got a good road in a country district they might be sure that it would be kept up to perfection. The meeting was to act as a sort of conscience to the road authority. Good roads wera not ,a • matter for motorists ■ only, but for every road user, whether he carted produce or timber—whether he propelled his vehicle by petrol or horseflesh. Everyone knew tnat bad roads added very materially to the cost of production. A man could get far better value out of his cart or motor-car if tho roads were good. (Hear, hear.) An important matter in road construction was a suitable . foundation. In this country, perhaps owing to the scattered nature of the country and the small size and rateable value of the districts, the road authorities sought to economise on the foundation and patch the surface. He would urge all those who had anything to do with road authorities to pay moro attention to the foundations and leave the surface to take care of itself. If tho foundation was good the surface could be easily made.' Public opinion was strong in this country, and he bad no doubt that-it would demand that the roads ■of Victoria should be equal to the best. (Hear, hear.) . He' was glad to be present to support tlio. movement, because he felt' that every citizen had a right to reasonable economy in the means of conveyance, whether' by motor-car. or other vehicle. • (Applause.)

Melbourne City Problems. The Lord Mayor assured the association that the City' Council would carefully consider any suggestions which might be made to it. It had been proved /that; properjy-iliade. roads were not mjurioiisly affected by motor-car traffic. The roads here were not properly constructed. They could quite Understand, therefore, why they cost so much 111 maintenance. The motor.bus traffio_ was the greatest difficulty the municipal authorities 'had. Sinoe this traffic had begun tH©. roads 'bad beooin© very uneven. He believed'that the motor buses should belong to the municipalities, which could direct" the traffic where it desired. . The heavy motorlorry traffic was also another phase of the problem confronting the municipal authority. He believed wood-blocking Would largely get over the difficulty, and he was glad to say that during, the next twelvo months a good portion of £600,000 'would be spent on Woodblocking, and road construction. Woodblocks had a life of from 35 to. 40 years, with' tar spraying, so it' was therefore economical to make roads «of this character. (Hear, hear.) He looked forward to the time when they would 'have good main roads throughout the State . (Applause.) " ■ Dr. Weigall (president of the Automobile Club) spoke of the old time prejudice against motor-cars, which h© said was fast disapjpearing. Motor transport was the backbone of tho present great war. (Applause.) Mr. Elwood Mead said- that good roads were not only an advantage to motorists, but they were certainly going to be one of the great factors in increasing the profit of those living on the land and adding to the attractiveness of living in rural homes. (Applause.)

Wheel Tax Recommended. _ The following resolutions were carried ;rThat this meeting urges the State Government of Victoria to institute a universal wheel tax, and that revenue so raised and collected within a municipality be spent by that municipality in providing interest and sinking funds for additional loan moneys for road construction. That the State Government be required to exercise its powers under the Country Roads Act, and request, the Country Roads Board to take over suburban and city roads connecting up the country thoroughfares now declared as main roads.

That in view of the great use made by the Federal Government of State roads for delivery of mails and for conveyance of troops and military stores, the meeting recognises the justice in the demand for some immediate contribution from the Federal Government to the State for road construction, and further that for the defence of Australia inter-State military highways should uo built by tlie Federal Government without delay. That in view of the moneys now being spent by the Government and municipalities in relief work, this meeting urges that all relief moneys'be expended on the more permanent forms of road construction, and further expresses the opinion that any moneys expended in patcliing faulty roads unsuitable to the traffic they have;to bear is a direct loss, because such work will require renewing within a short period. Australian Ambulances In Action. 'l'he Australian motor ambulances dispatched to Egypt with the Expeditionary Forces have already been in action. A sergeant in the motor ambulance detachment, writing from Egypt, states that during tho recent fighting in tho vicinity of the Suez Canal a number of tho Australian motor ambulances were used to transport wounded Turks from the field hospitals to tho base. "We drove right into the desert, almost, as far as the firing lino," ho informed his correspondent. In describing the operations, ho said—"lt was just like a sham fight until one saw the terrible condition of tho wounded, which brought home in a startling manner the horrible realities of war." The same writer communicates the fact that the Australian Red Cross motor ambulances arc' the niost up to date of their .kind in Egypt. He states that they, liars proved - thoroughly reliin tta ft©ld A «j,d.luY.o earned golden J

opinions from all. "Those people in Australia who-so generously subscribed towards the Red Cross ambulances," he adds, "can rest content that their money was well and wisely spent." Road Taxation Formula. In a report to the Society of Automobile Engineers at its annual meeting, the research division of the .standards committee disclosod the fact that the U.S. Government is now conducting a series of road experiments, the results of which will aid materially in the development of an engineering formula for vehicle taxation, based, in part at Jeast, on >'oad destructive effect. In addition to these data, which wiir be furnished the division as soon as they are available, the highway commissions of various states have already on file information covering the road destructive tendencies of practically every type of vehicle, both motor-driven and horse-drawn, and it is the purpose of the division to secure the results of these experiments to aid in tho determination of a proper formula for road taxation. It is, of course, realised that between the development of the formula and its adoption, by the various State legislatures lies a gulf to bo bridged only by the various politico-social organisations interested in the subject. It is hoped, however, that with a universal formula on which to base taxation, something more nearly approaching a uniform tax rate may be established. It is even possible that the much -discussed and long-hoped-for national motor vehicle law will find its inception in part in the work of tho SkA.E. Research Division. Hints and Tips. Tt is-not an easy matter to cut a cleah circular hole in a washer unless special cutters are to hand. If the hole is of 6ome standard size a short piece of steel tube having a diameter of the desired dimension should be obtained, one end of it cut off square and then turned, ground, or filed to a sharp edge. The sharp end of this tube is then pressed on to the washer and rotated. A clean circular hole will bo cut.

Whenever one finds the clutch getting "fierce" for any cause whatsoever, this little defect should be cured, especially if the engine is a high-powered one. Not only is extra 6train put-upon the mechbut the excessive, wear of the tyres is most marked.

Cars in which electrical starting mechanism and a lighting outfit are installed impose extra duty on the driver, and that is the ocasional inspection of the wiring to see that there are no loose contacts at terminals, or damaged places in the insulation. Defective insulation will not only cause loss of efficiency, but leads to more serious trouble, such as a short circuit, and in the one-wire systems only a, single socalled "ground" is necessary in order to cause, a short circuit. Each wirr should, so far as practicable, bo carefully traced from one end to the other, and all intermediate connections, be properly examined. • The steering gear as now universalis adopted is considerably more reliable »!iati it U6ed to be some few years ago which fact is probably responsible foi the lack of attention which tliis important unit of tho chassis generally receives. If the car is not supplied witl" leather cases for the steering joints the prudent motorist will purchase these and fit them, as this is not only enhancing his safety, but is also an economy. All the steering joints should be properly lubricated, and one should always make a point of testing the steering wheel alignment every month or two so as to ensure that the wheels are not out of track. If they are, 1 considerable extra strain is thrown on the steering gear, and the tyres will wear out far more quickly than they would do when running under proper conditions. The supply of lubricant in the steering box

itself is usually sufficient for a lengthy period, but-, nevertheless, a little fresh lubricant suppiad every now and thou is a very good tiling. One of the jobs which ought to bo undertaken periodically, say every six months, is that of inserting lubricant between the leaves of the springs. The old method used to be to jack up the frame (not the axle) so as to take the weight oft the springs, then to push a knife or screwdriver between each pair of spring leaves and inject some tiiick oil or. grease as best one could. Recently many tools have been devised for separating the spring leaves so as to make this task easier, but a moro permanent job is made if some material ivliich will hold lubricant be placed between the leaves. This may be a perforated metal, or some woven material, which will stand the wear to whicli it would be subjected. The perforated metal strip idea is a very old one, but is not often used.

Here and There. Legal lighting up time for mot-or-csirs and motor-cycles: To-day, 5.59 p.m. Next Friday, 5.47 p.m. A volunteer cyclist battalion is to bo inaugurated in England. The corps is to be used for horns defences, and n ill act in various capacities, such as reoruiting work, scouting, dispatch riding, and also mounted infantry operations. It is estimated .that some 50,000 will join the new corps. The Royal Automobile Club has recently published a new edition of its table of motor-cars manufactured during tho years- 1911-15 inclusive. This book has been compiled by the technical department of the R.A.C., and gives the bore and stroke of the cylinders and_ the R.A.C. rating of each car. In addition, it contains various 'useful tables, such as conversion tables from English to metric units. It also gives the Treasury regulations for taxation purposes, and should form a very convenient reference book for the enthusiastic owner who wishes to know what sizes and types of cars have been built during tho last few years.