MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 204, 23 May 1919, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By Clutch.) ... :' British Prospects. "The precise advantages of .building standardised cars'in .big numbers,", isiys a motoring correspondent of the .London "Times," ''have ...een realised for years, but until thc"'viiv cleared 'the' .industrial decks It jyas'd'ilucult for. manufacturers to disentangle tliensclvos from old-estab-lished custom,.. which. necessitated clearing up or writing off. existing stock's and making new contracts. -"Thcro is' now ail opportunity to'make a new start,, for all the essentials aro' to hand, and'there will be nobody'.-but this makers. Ihumselves to bliu'no 'if a. jcturn is made to tho old..conditions.. In tho four.-years of tho war "designers crammed in about ■iin -years of normal improvement; I hero are now better materials ityailable, most of tho obsolete machinery has been scrapptdf there is ho shortage or ultra-modem machine-tool plant, factories iii hiiuvy caseshavo' been reorganised from top w> bottom, and extended' on ati unprecedented'scale, while the supply of skilled labour has increased. The handling of labour is, of course, a doiicate"pr6bTem, 'ori'the ■right &olutioii- : of which-much depends; unsettling r.umours. are to hand.from tho centres of tho 'motor industry,' but tbg sheer 'common seiise ;: of ' employer an<i worker must, sooner or later, find a means of blowing away ihe ; froth tliroini up by tho agitation of war. The transitionary period.at best, however, is likely to extend over some months, and it will be prolonged by industrial short-sighted-ness. Very few new cars are , now leaving the-factories; for'most'makers ; Jir6 still improving designs and cawyiiig' : out chassis and engine "tests; so that even , if all goes well we cannot.hope'to-approach the maximum'output this year.-: Many manufacturers will be" contented'if they can finish existing Government coiitraUs and show the public speoimens of their new'cars at the motor ohow', which is to bo held at Olynipia in ■November, after a lapse of five rears. , : By 'ii&xt "spring; however, the factories should.'b'e- working under' iforced pressure, but , prices. , -;.- , must remain high for spnie.time. . .'Most of-the new- Cftrs this.year/, especially those built practically throughout in one works) will, compared,.with 1914. figures,, ehow.nn increaso of CO per■• cent." ■ '■ • ■ "Doh'ts; ,, ...■ : ■•.'•':,, '..,'■...'.;; ' v A neat-appearing car reflects the owner's sense of care. Here , are some.useful doirts , for those who take pride , in their ■motor-oars :•■ ■ •■■ ■••'•■ ■■■"•■'.;■■ .'•''■ "Don't wash'the engine hood while it is hot. The effect .is the .same as washing it with hot water. Unless the hood is-, allowed to cool' before"'washing: the lustro will disappear. •'• ■■• .- • "Don't assume' that' .-iny ; finish' , rill Inst for ever.i -Good paint and varnish lasts a reasonable- length of, time, even with careless treatment, '.buf.it last's two or three times if you treat it well." - ;;, •• ■' ■' ' •■■ • ■ Motor Truck's. , ' •■• ■■■ •' ■ ■ ■ . Discussing the war development of rhe niotor-truck industry in;'; the ' United States, an .American .authority' , observes that what it .undertook ' and actually accomplished' for the. ..Army will be ..better understood'and appreciated ■ when it is recalled that tho whole "production of commercial. motor vehicles in 1014, •the. last .year before, the war, was reported by the , 'Bureau , of'.'Census ' as only '25,373, .valued at about J; ( J,OO0,d00, or-.loss, than lialf tbo .production. of\war trucks .alopie during the yeiir.just closed,'s6;4lo; ..' ,'. : But trucks' for tho/Army and Navy were not.tho;only, contribution,.of the.industry to war activities. In addilioii to tho military trucks there -were .produced .last year 162,646 commercial for essential civilian use, the majority required by, plants,engaged , .on war pfclers; .by, farmers, . commission merchants, wholesale grocers and'.dthers for hauling .farm, products and manufactured foods; by textile mills and clothing factories, •by contractors a.nd..i.nnnraerablo'other_ industrial and cdniiiiercial enterprises necessary' , to successful conduct of tho war or Welfare of tho people. .'Time in ; four yoars tho. industry increas'ed its output ■eightfold, to meet the demands of' wfir-tiniD 'activities'..'of tho nation. ■ It is» impossible to , placo^any , estimate on tho , ;valu6 of this contribution to the. , winning <of the war.; ■ '. .

To a considerable extent the cmploynicnt of jnotor ittucks compensated for. ttie ■ loss of man power and relieved the railroads of congestion of.'froißht along, their lines and nt terminal?; which oecaino • highly critical: last winter. ■ ■• A njovenient initiated by .tho..High:ways Transport Committee of the Council of National Defence and promoted through the National Motor Truck Committee of tho,National 'Automobile Chambe- of- Commere, 'resulted- in .the -.establishment' of. many rural express hues to Ijrovtdo a- means of making ' daily shipments from tho farmer*', gates to .city markets . These ■Hut's saved the tiiiwof the producers,' enabling thein.lo remain at-'home, to devote nil'-their ell'orts'-.to-increasiii? productioiuiiisteftd of spendins it , driving loads to:uiiirkut, . . Here and-There. ■ •'■'.- ■ If petrol drips .froiu the carburettorjvlien tlio ear is 'etiwding and the engine is not running, thq needle.vaive.connected with the , Hoati-slioiiM- be* inTcstigii.tt-d. If pressing it down stops -the 'dripping, tho : float , is too high.■-', If-the dripping persists, tho vitlvu leaks ami should ba (jloiind in, prelerubly pumice etono. When an emergency arises and it is necessary .to "prime the'' : uugino on tlio road aud no iiulrol-ij-iivnilnble, ji vnlvo cap' tied oirtho':pnd of''a piece of string and lowered'iiitoUlid 'gas-tank wili bring 'up enough of tile liqiiid-'-to ,prime one cylinder. , "■■'■"; "■■".:' ;" ; Motorists who use' line of the hand, 'pumps lvill'.dd welLld give'th'tT'punip a few stroke.-i' before allaeliing it to iho valve. This blows , out any grit oi' other foreign '■matter'fliut nfiiy 'be clinjriii? to tho pump valve, _ preventing it tiuding ite-ivay into the inner tube. : ' Tighten up , the boltSiion the 'wedges ''that'hold the rim to the,wheel at least monthly. Any car owner- who-takes the time , to inspect his vims'periodically and keep them in good-cbiiditioii ■ if ill •'certainly" nave himself Tjdtli trouble and money. The first four-cylinder car was brought out_m MOO.- , " '•■■:" •' ." . When grinding valves bring piston to-top-centre ami plitce "a. , pioce'of waste or clotli betwe'en i: it- ! aiid the, valve..' I'lnoe another in Vfilvtf poi't •hdtfrf seat of rajvo. These prevent "emery ■•froiu- reachiiiE the cylinders.- If emery 'geU- in around piston it. never stops grinding;" "," • When attempting to remove sprockets or gears iroin-.the'shnfts- to -winch, they am attached by. means or : puiiii iils and keys, care uins't ))tv?xercis?u-'iiot to uso ihc lianvmcr too freely, lor-Tear of either fracturing'-the .gem , or springing it out-of line. , A .-so-i-alloil -pirljpj-s. pullqr. or special pack may,, be improvisedwithout, difficulty- under alnios , '. any cir.ciunstaiice.s, and .by, its use .the.jj.iirl: may be' i'enioved slraight without imjiosinj; any undue strain .upon,it-. ".- .. .•

liigu'ting-up time:—To-day, -1.37- n.in, Noit l''rid;iy, -1.32 p.m.