MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 14, 11 October 1918, Page 9

MOTORS AND MOTORING

(By "Clutch.") After tho War Prospects. An' English expert (Mr. R. J. Mocredy) ventures tho opinion that expectations widely entertained regarding tho production of cheap but highlyeilicient light cars after the war are uriduly optimistic. The man in the street, ho, says,, is ..clearly determined to possess himself, at the earliest possible moment after the declaration of . peace, .of a .small car of superlative excellence at a atrictly moderate .\price. So long, as it is a light car and a cheap car he. is content .to leave technical details to the .expert. ~, registers an opinion that dreams of this kind are futile; ' transition from guns to motor-cars," he observes, "will bo a lengthy process; financial adjustments will bo complicated, .labour' problems will bo insistent, questions' of international trading, .- of tariffs and Customs,, of raw material, of ..transport, will be intricate; while the'practical conversion of a factory from one- process of manufacture to' another is beset with difficulties which will be less readily overcome .in peaco tinie than' th.oy were under the stress of war. For a long time'after the war is over, for years'it. may be, jVe ■.believe-that the supply of motor-cars will be inadequate to: meet the demand. : The price; will clearly, be proportionate to the magnitude of the unsatisfied demand.'.' .Nov-, e'rtheless,-'Mr. 'Mocredy- is of opinion •tliat tlio production of a really cheap 'light car is to. the advantage of the manufacturer as well as. of the public, and should bo aimed.at'. • One.way to make the cheap car possible, he suggests, is to eliminate expensive luxuries from the standard models.and list ■them as extras. "Such things- as electric sePf-starters and dynamos are, however, valuable and desirable,, luxuries with which tho motorist' of modest means will willingly dispense." ~

Cermah Magnetos. . r'lt is now considered, says "The Motor" (England), that'owing to the steps taken by tho Allied: Powers, tho .German magneto industry, except 'in so far as it-is at' present meeting their own requirements, has been' killed, and that after "the war it will- practically have to 1 shut down as the home, demand [ will only call for about one-tenth of the manufacturing capacity; The neu- | tral powers require only a very small number of magnetos, and Russia for'some years to come will not be in a 'position to buy'cars.on a big scale. No matter where Germany-, looks,' she will find tho .markets.'• of the world 'barred and bolted against her magneto industry. Australia and Now Zealand iiave made t it'a penal offence for. .a Bocho magneto to bo imported,- and ' America likewise vigorously- excludes this, machine or any other, German niako. Tho'financial loss that this entails to Germany "-rßns into many millions of pounds,- and it has to be roraombcral that this i.s what has. .occurred in numerous.other key■ industries of a higjily-speoialised such as dyes, chemicals, scientific instruments, fine machinery,.. electric plant, the great pianoforte industry, photographic appliances,- and a hundred others wherein Gormany had practically a world monopoly, air are dead or slowly dying out. • ■ ■ ■ Here and There, ■ It is claimed by tyro experts that the left rear tyre .wears faster than tho other tliree,_and a reason is furnished, with some timely advicoon interchanging tyres to" realise maximum wear. Since the power and traction come from the roar wheels the rear tyres aro subjected to the hardest wear. Driving on the left'side of the road, and frequently on crowded roads, the car,' nearly always, is slightly ' tilted, and more weight being on that side,-tho' left rear tyro takes hold fast and bears more traction than, tho one on tlio right. When in motion tho right rear tyre rolls along'comfortably on the smooth middle portion of the road, while tho left rear • tyre gets the rougher surface—possibly the ragged edges of asphalt, the stones .and ruts, etc. Then, again, tlio rear tyres bear the brunt of tho stopping, sometimes sliding, and mostly to the left. The tyro receiving the next hardest usage is the right rear one, then the left front, nnd.'last, the right front. When the loft rear tyro Bhows signs of wear,' place it on the right front wheel, and .likewise change the right rear tyre with that on- tho loft front'wheol,

Commenting on an announcement that the Commonwealth Government contemplates the imposition of restrictions on tho uso oiF petrol, an Australian writer contends that it will ho anything '_ but/ easy to carry out the project without doing more harm than good. "The suggestion is," he observes, "that pleasure motoring should be restricted, and investigations arc now being made with a view to ascertaining the amount of petrol used rcr spectively for business and pleasure purposes. •■ The difficulty, now that tho car has become a matter of .utility in tens of thousands of homes, in tliis country, will be to equitably determine where the .business use of cars ends, and the pleasure use begins. The automobile is essential to the speedy development of this cduntry, and anj--■thing- that is going to curtail its legitimate use will be a loss to tho community, and a set back to Australia."

The man who dosires to reduce expenditure will give- his tyres a weekly inspection. Fpr small cuts, those up to half an inch, a tread filler of some sort may be used. For the-. longer cuts vulcanisation is essential. .Every cut in 'the tread should be thoroughly cleaned out. • A cloth soaked in petrol may bo' used for wiping, and then cloth on the end of a screwdrivor may bo used for removing dirt. Next a coat of cement should be' applied to :tlio sides and bottom of the cut. After this- has dried, a second-.coat should be applied,- .and when this is dry tyre filler should be inserted. A piece oi. the filler may be worked into'the cut with the blado of a. knife, the mass being levelled off with-the surface of the cut. If the tyre has to bo used immediately a small piece of cloth or paper should be cemented over tho filler, so'that it-will not pick up the dirt or stones from the road. In addition to undcr-inllation, misalignment of' wheels causes excessive tyre wear, ' When the wheels are not running true, a scraping motion is set up, which quickly tears the tread and ruins tho casing.. . The harsh application- of brakes is a potent source of wear,-in the rear tyres.' Gare should bo taken to .use enough talc on the inner tube to keep it from sticking iii tho casing, but too much of this powdor is likely to form in balls or ridgos and cause trouble. • Tyres should be removed from the rims once in- six months, and a coating of graphite applied to the rims. : Oil is a' deadly enemy of rubber, and the tyres must be kept carefully out of puddles on the garngo floor, - . Lighting-up time:—To-day, 6.G p.m. Next Friday, 6.14 p,m ; ■ .

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