MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 155, 26 March 1920, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Clutch.")

The South Island Union.. Matters in connection with the forma/ tion of tho South Island Union eontinuo to bn.of interest. lieeenlly the c.tociitive" of :tho; Now; Zealand Automobile Union wrote to the two gentlemen who had'been-most active in the establishment of the new body, asking to> be:' advised of-.the exact- position, nnd lodeinff obioctiou- to certain renmrkn (vhrehMiad been-made at the. inaugural mefltinnr of the South Inland Union-. As a result. Mr. F. W. Johnston, who ropresents tho Canterbury Motor Association mr t.ho executive of the New Zealand Union'; has resinned his. position. .Tlia union has not vet' received any official ftdvir.n of Ih-.v secession of the Otago and Onnterburv Clubs, therefore the position at present is that botli these bodies are still affiliated-with the union, their subscriptions being paid up -to June next. Whatever mnv be tho merits of tho case for' the establishment of n- South Island Union. Wellinutdn motorists maintain that it- is still-in-the-interests of all concerned to retain ' One "nrßanjisation onlv (o-represent the legislative side for th'e'.Btiminion 'n's' a •whole..'- Any division of 'effort. th'ey hold, must necessarilv lead to a lessenins in efficiency. There will bono nced lo follow the suggestion of tile South-Islanders and form a purely North Island Union tis tha' Now Zsaknd Union''remains fully constituted, and will cimtitiiio its functjiws. If certain of .JJa component. parts secede from mnnlKr&hip, it will not' necessarily affect the interests of the remainder.' bfcyond throwing upon them the cost of- legislating for the Dominion as'a whole. ' ■

An Insuranco- Scheme. A gentleman closely, in touch with the affairs, of. tho New Zeatand Automobile Union-mentioned to "Clutch".'the other day, that .proposals.hnd been submitted to tho union touching the question of insurance on' cftKs,„.includin£ third-party-and oilier risks. Tjie proposals at pre? sent are only in the - preliminary ptascs, but,tho informant state! that if .finality should ]bo ■ readied tho' union, executive would i,ava something to offer .member* v.er,v .much to .their advantage as individuals, as-well as to the advanb;ro of the associations (o wlilch they iictong. In- all probaViity. u siijflit amctirttiMft of tho constitution of the union vjll lie involved, !m ; wkicn case ?.n extrnpr"iinry meeting will lw • cnlUxl to discuss the wuoie question, which, in the opinion of tlie speaker, cculd Hiot fail to result in benefit to all concerned.

Jottings. .. " Mr. C. M, Banks, a vice-president of ,tlie Now Zealand Union, and a delegate from tie \YMlingion iutomobik Club lios found it necessary. owing, to pressure of business, 'to resign his posit'on '.n the union executive; This is regretted, as Mr. Banks lias been a most bnergstio member. - '.' '■ '

" A "Coventry inventor has tackled the motor-cyclists' passcnger-comfort problem and has solved it. by a coupe side-ear. He has also attacked the_riuestlon of. legguarding. * and'here again lie litis been miecessful. The coupe is ouite tine of the best-looking bodiiis'we have seen, sa.ys 1 the " "Motor Cycle.?' Usually,' such bodies'have a:' very h'os-like appcarance, which is 'absent here. 1 All windows are 'glass/and the two-sidelights are made'to drop into pockets. A child's seat is also provided. One would naturally conclude that such a body would ha unduly heavy, but this is riot eo. The leg-guard is built up of three-ply wood and American cloth, and,' while a sood number nf riders would not earo' to fit such guard on th« ecoro of appearance, there is no doubt about its effectiveness. \ ■ .

It: is difficult to get at commutators as a rule, due to .the small opening at tho commutator end of the generator or starting motor. This requires that some simple tool be 'made to get the commutator throush cue of the brush-holder openings. Tho easiest. way _to do this is to' take the cover of a. cigar box or eomo thin wood stock and make a small paddle-about four or six inches long and about' half; the width-of the bru«h-holder. To' use this simple arrangement for clcnncommutators Qr>:|j .remove the-most accessible generator brush and 'then wrap a 6ti\p of No. 00 sandpaper o\er the. end of the paddle and use it through, the • brush-holder when-the engine .is running as one would use a hand •lathe' tqol. This- will ■ thoroughly clean Ihe commutator and da.it evenly. Under no circumstances use emery cloth or el?ctrical cloth, as emery is a conductor and will short the. commutator. . . ■ -

A Scottish patent relates to ;.n annular chamber provided between the hub of. the wheel niul the axle l»x, the rfdes of the cham'bor beine constitnNl by deep radial flnnpes. Within the ehnmber is 'placed a number; of'steel balls,'but these do not completely fill the annular chainbnr»"a.eerta'n amount of space heiiig left. The inventor states;' "T have discovered that if'layers ,of superimposed boils of sufficiently hnrd, material are placed around the hub of a wheel in .such a, mariner that the axle or cttfii :litupnfc thereto is. entirely, supported by, the aforesaid balls, a miich easier notion is attained during the passage of tlie wheel over a road surface. Shook, is larprely prevented from reaching the_.ixle.or falli;ic of the carriage and a uniform smooth! ppr'ne-like' movement is imparted to thft •wheel.." The,invention is really a very «trilsi'n|j. otic, because it should enable, on a very large number of vehicles, solM tyres to "lie used in place if pneurudtio lyres, with obviously a very great -rewltant wiving in cost. . A well-known.British firm is testing a; iinv col'd tyre, siiitabl" for the back wheels ofsthn henyiest vehicles. Tt is verv different from the ordinary form of dual Irre at present eimilived for such purposes,' for,, nlthoueb" the circumferential .tjropvos on its tread miirht perhaps yojruelv. '-MigßMt • something on rather similar lines, it is, in fact, a single tyre. In i»incinle,. tKi*= new tyre-is radically different from the ord'nnrv - twin lyre,-.for ' il.is m.vle in a single piece. /ind of con-cid^rablv-ntnre resilient rubber fha-n the ordinary solid tyre. Consequently, nl'liniiifli' its trend -mensArei a little. less ■ tlmn lain, across it is claimed that it jmti itwlf to. tha irre^u.ant'r'\ of road surface better, flmn the twin tyre, especiallv in the.nnttfr of excessive rnmbpr,. Another-ven-. material advnutns'e is dn f mcd for this tyre. .Tn the rnwr't of the committee. ..appointed some time ngo'to iniuive'i" l " the chief causes flif, .'.nmaee by sMid tyres to roads, this was ascribed to l',o iiicHoi .de.tinn between (lie dim l--rs. which. f n tlio .ncw big single, will '•e eliminated)

• Tiii}])fi'!?-i!p • Time:—To-day, 5.54 :p.ia. Friday, 5.-I3 p.m. ■