MOTORS MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2757, 28 April 1916, Page 9

MOTORS MOTORING

4 [By Clutch,] The Uses of tho Motor. Some interesting particulars have been issued by the N.S.W. Motor Traders' Association, which serve to illustrate tho fact that tho majority of cars now sold are not purchased for purposes of pleasure, but as a necessity in tho various channels of commerce, agriculture, and manufacture. Tho leading motor firms of N.S.W. wore circularised, and asked to fill in a return enumerating the Jast one hundred cars sold by them, and for what purpose cars were obtained. The result is as under:—

A.—Business or professional -use only, such as stock and station, commission, insurance, and other agents, surveyors, travellers, doctors, hire cars, mail services, etc. 798 cars or 50 per cont. of total sales. \ B.—Farmers and pastoralists, 387 cars, or 24 per cent. C.—Business and pleasure, .i.e., cars ÜBed partly for each purpose, 210 cars, or 13 per cent. D.—Pleasure only, 205 cars, or. 13 per cent. Tho figures afford interesting reading. Most people, not in closo touch with the industry, regard the motor-car as a luxury, and desire to see it taxed as heavily as possiblo. The figures -given above, showing only 205 cars out of 1600, or 13 nor cent., -as sold for "pleasure only" will be an eyeopener to' thorn. Applied to tho total number of cars—l2,ooo (excluding commercial vehicles)—running in N.S.W. at the end of 1915, the figures work out as follows for the various classes: —A: 6000 cars; B: 2800 cars; C: 1560 cars; D: 1560 cars. There are thus only 1560 cars out of 12,000 used in N.S.AV. for "pleasure only," and it may be taken as a fair average percentage of the "pleasure" cars throughout the Commonwealth. In addition to cars, there are also 800 motor wagons running in the Mother Stato.

Petrol Dangers. The clanger from fire in straining petrol through ohamois leather into the tank is instanced by another well-au-thenticated case recently reported from the United States, which resulted in the loss of seven cars and a total damage of £5000. In the course of the investigations that followed, reference was made to the National i'iro Protect tion Association, and it then transpired that several other cases had come to the knowledge of that body. In the quarterly report issued by the organisation there is a statement on such fires compiled from information gathered from its.officials. The report says:— Several fires of mysterious origin have been finally traced to ignition by a spark of static electricity generated by the friotion of petrol when it is poured into the tank of tho car. ... In a specific case carefully investigated by the official chemist for the Detective and Fire Inspection Department of the Metropolitan-Police, it was established that the car tajik v was being filled with petrol which was poured into a funnel through a chamois-skin strainer- from a five-gallon can. • As the funnel would not retain an upright position in the hole, of-the tank, tho difficulty was overcome by placing a wooden ring oyer the edge, and resting the funnel upon it. In this way. the funnel was insulated from tho tank. After pouring some netrol' through the skin the man brought tho pouring can so near the metal edge of the funnel that a spark jumped aoross the gap, igniting the petrol vapour. A series of experiments which followed went to show that petrol poured through a con-con-ductor of electricity such as' chamois skin did generate- electricity.' :'• Petrol itsolf, unlike water, is a non-conductor of eleotricity._ If the.'non-conductor is in contact with the ground or a large metallic body, the static electricity gen. erated will be absorbed, but if it is insulated, aa.-ih the easy of the "funnel' above, a high charge results which discharge with a good-sized spark if another metallio substance is brought into contact with it or very close to, it.- In the case cited the funnel being:;insulated by the wooden ring, became charged, and when the metal pouring can was brought near it, it discharged a spark of sufficient intensity to ignite the gasoline _ vapour. The lesson taught by this is: Do not put petrol through chamois skin, but!if you do, be. sure that you have "earth" for it by seeing that the .i funnel makes good metallic contact ,with the tank.

Getting Round the British Tariff. "When Great Britain some months ago placed a duty, of 33 1-3 per cent. on motor imports, the American car builder was temporarily stumped and driven back, but he has found a way to beat the Englishman at his own game,"' says the "Mew York Tribune.' 1 "It would not do the English motor-car makers much ■ good to see how the Yankees are preparing to invade their market from a manufacturing base iu Canada. - It is but a step from Detroit, Michigan, whore three-quarters of the motor-cars of the world are produced, across the water to Canada, The

Americans are saying that if present plans do not miscarry, through additional legislation on t'he part of Great Britain, within a year, practically every important American manufacturer will have in operation a Canadian plaut from which he can supply all the British possessions with cars. "They will be American in origin in the same sense which has caused the Englishman to stop, look, and listen, -but they will, nevertheless, be/ manufactured entirely in a British colony, and therefore not subject to the tariff which was created to shut off- the invasion of low-priced cars from the United States."

So nms the boast (says an English motoring expect), regardless of the fact that no tariff for any such purpose as is implied has yet' been imposed, and that the present war-time duties, which remain in operation till July, apply equally to imports of passenger carrying cars for anywhere'overseas without preference in favour of British colonies. Further, the big American manufacturers, tor some years Ford has had a Canadian .plant opposite his Detroit establishment, and has been assembling chassis in this country. He is understood to be numbered among those who are quite ready, when the time shall come, to manufacture entirely in these islands the vehicles to ho sold here. Naturally the costs of this war to this nation are so heavy, and the way wo have financed American industries of all sorts during it is so .colossal and so profitable to the New ■\Yorld and expensive to our own manufacturers, that if any work is to be provided for the British mechanic in oiir shops after the war, we shall have to protect our home industries by heavy tariffs, which will, be t'he only possible -way of paying interest and redemption on our huge war loans. Bankers, like lawyers and politicians, can always tell you what to do with money when y6u have it, but, in comparative obscurity, the money which they handle and about which they are so wise is created by industry and agriculture. After the war these are the powers which will have to take command and do our governing for us. In the meantime, it will pay American motormanufacturers to pursue the policy of establishing Canadian factories to seize the market in the '. Dominion Mtself. There are in Canada to-day Chalmers, Maxwell, and Studebaker factories, among others, as well aa four makers of lorries, two of trailers, and one-and-twenty makers of parts and accessories. 'All these firms are derivatives of United States concerns.

Here and There. Lighting-up time for motor-ears and m&tor-cycles:—To-day, 5.4 p.m. Next Friday, 4.55 p.m. Iu contradistinction tfi most of the.

aircraft engaged in the prosont war, which, in order to securo immunity from anti-aircraft guns, fly at high altitudes, it is learned, reports the "Scientific American," that tho. Germans have devised and introduced into sorvico an .aeroplane that flies below the line of firo of these guns. It is exceeding fast, and flies so low that anti-craft artillery cannot be trained on it, so that tho shells will burst with accuracy. However, in securing immunity from these guns it comes within range of rifle fire and machine-gun fire, and as a protection against those- it is heavily armoured. Flying close to the ground, tho occupants of tho new German aircraft are in a position .to locate accurately the position of troops and masked batteries, and secure much military information of inestimable value. A January census showed that there were 11!) American car-makers marketing 435 models at an averago price of £401. Electric car-makers numbered 19 with 57 models. '

The necessity for the inclusion of pedestrians in the regulations governing traffic in the crowded places of the world is gradually becoming recognised. Tho latest instance comes from America, where in Atlanta City one of the rules laid down is that "pedestrians must avoid interference with vehicular traffic and shall not step from sidewalk to street without taking careful notice of what is approaching." Another, clause provides that they must proceed to the nearesfcurb on alighting from trams. This is expected to eliminate accidents caused by pedestrians coming from behind trams when a motor-car is approaching. The fines imposed under the regulations apply to pedestrians as well as to other road users.