MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 41, 12 November 1920, Page 2

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Clutch.")

Wellington Automobile Club. The annual report of the Wellington Autouiobilo Club states that, the accounts show a surplus of receipts overpayments of xm Us. 4d. With a view to augmenting tho membership of the club, a special committee wa6 set up, with the result that tho membership was increased from 22-1 to ,459, nnd efforts are still being maintained. The subject of roa.de has been given unceasing thought, the club being represented at several deputations to the I rime Minister, with regard to the outlet trom Wellington, and also on the subject of roads in genera). Tho comiinttco has strenuously pursued Hie proposal of the deviation of tho Paokakuliki Hill road, and has made such progress that tho Government have .intimated that; when the railway deviation is made round the const the present railway would be converted into a main road. This, of course, is not quite satisfactory, inasmuch ns tho club is not con-' vinocd that tho railway deviation will be started within a reasonnblo tinio. The committee is in favour of the Victorian road system beingMnstituted in tho Dominion. Pamphlets were issued by' tho club to - Parliamentary candidates previous to the last election for their opinion of a good road scheme for' New Zealand', tho replies being considered fairly' satisfactory. The committee has supported the reso. lution passed at the New Zealand Automobile Union.meeting that in the event of a tax lieing imposed on motor-cars it should be .put on tyres, with a special provision that such money should be devoted to the 'forming of main arterial roads, nnd.(he committee is not in favour of anv rebates 'being given whatsoever.Tho committee is not in favour of a toll-gate system being instituted as .nt present, in Tarannki, inasmuch as. it is considered prehistoric and cosily. During tho year, the- committee attacked the subject of truffle, and a circular wns sent lo all members asking them for their ideas on the subject of now to deal with the congestion of traffic in the citv. Several members, sent very excellent ideas, but on tho wliolo the circular was not responded to in a satisfactory mamler. T|io attended on tho City By-laws Committee, and submitted traffic suggestions, which had beon approved by tho committee, tho principal idea being tho alteration of the tram lines at Courtenay Place, together with Cambridge and Kent Terraces. It is noticeable that several of these suggestions have lately been put beforo Ihe ratepayers by the council authorities.

In regard to tho "safety-first" enmpaign, the re|Kirt states that notices were issued warning the public how to use the streets, which members-were request-ed-to paste on their cars. The committee notices with regret that this idea has not been taken up in a whole-hearted .icnnncd bv members, Atthe same time the committee considers it is the duty of the City Council to recognise its responsibilities to tho public on how to board and leave trams, etc. The committee is still in communication with the council with regard to this matter, and undoubtedly intends to continue the safety-first campaign on other lines.

The committee, on.several occasions uointed out to tho City Council the necessity for boards being erected on tho TTntt Road indicating the speed limit fixed bv tho by-laws. request was eventually acceded to, but tho boards were not Dlaccd in favourable spots. Mr. fl. C. Holmes, a member of tho committee, went into this maltera very carefully, and niado a report with suggestions, which has been forwarded to the Citv Council. The committee favours thai; no maximum speed for motorists Should, lie recommended to Government, but is in favour of legislation being introduced to regulate the speed of motor-

"It is to be rogretotd that certain South Island associations, represented ,by tho Canterbury and Otago association's, havo definitely decided to cut adrift' from the. New Zealand Automobile Union, and ■havo formed' wlmt is self-styled the South Island Motor Union," adds the renort, "'Your committee. regrets ■' that such is the case, inasmuch as the interests of the two Islands are identical, and nothing-had occurred to justify any 6ucli step."

The shortage of Benzine has been noticeable during the year, and the committeo has been quite unable to help members in this respect, ns the Board of Trade has practicnlly taken over the distribution of all imported benzine, The committee has interested itself in a company formed in Auckland to produce motor fuel locally, which has only arrived at the experimental stage. It is proposed to hold a general meeting of motorists in the near future, in order.to discuss the shortage and price of benzine.

The matter of dazzling headlights has been eiven. considerable attention without verv definite result. As the legislation stands at the present moment it is most, unsatisfactory to motorists. ' The club defended with success a member who had been summoned for using dazzling headlights.

The committee has agitated very considerably for uniform school signboards to be agreed upon throughout the Dominion, also it has impressed l upon the City Counoil tho importance of signs being erected near schools warning, approaching motorists. The City Engineer, has nt length agreed to arrange such signs, as he desires them to be of a. uniform nature: otherwise the club was prepared to go on with the matter. Motor Reaiitratlon. No one was more disappointed at tho shelving for another twelve months of the Motor Kegistration Bill than the chief motor inspector for Wellington (Mr. h. S. Drake). "Here you have the whole community singing "out for better control of tho motor traffic," said Mr. iJrnko. "and Parliament put it all off for another twelve months. I say that we will never have effectivo control until them is an annual registration of cars and an annual license to" drive. • What is the position to-day? A man who is * competent driver to-day gets*' his license, and ho need' not come near us again. He may meet with a serious, accident, or sustain a serious illness which bright leavo his sight or nerve defective, slil) he has his license, and may drive peoplo about under its protection .when perhaps ho should not bo allowed to do so. With tho enormous and ever-in-creasing growth of motor traffic, this legislation was not only necessary, but vital to the better control of motor traffic. Parliament' could spare time to ipnss a Bill providing for tho registration of aviators.- of whom there are-about half-a-dozen in the country, vet it, shelves the Motor Uegistration Bill, on which people's lives may depend. . ,

Steering Mechanism. A great deal of discomfort and fatigue in driving is caused through heavy'action of the steering mechanism of some cars. . Of all the controls about a car, the steering, being the ono in constant operation, should bo tlio easiest of manipulation. It is noticeable on quito a number of American, cars that no attempt fleeme to bo made by the makors to causo the road whe'ol contact to coincide with tho axis of the steering head;. It is obvious that if tho road contact point and the axis of the steering head do .not-coincide a considerable drag must 1m put on the turning -of the wheel sideways for steerage purposes, then, again, it would seem that were greater attention paid to tho design of the steering mechanism itself— including, tho wheel heads, the links, tho worm bar, and the steering column, it would acffl to tneenso of control. Ball or roller bearings should bo provided wherever they are applicable. Somo would go the whole hoi and provide ball bearings and thrusts at"top and bottom'of the steering heads at tho ends of tho steering links and arms, and in the worm or other irreversible gear. Even tho worm gear itself could bo made much caoier by sonic such construction, so thai) tho whole movement, is transmitted through the ball-bearings. Such a stooring mechanism might be more expensive to manufacture, but there is no doubt that the result in added comfort, ease of operation, and cfhcioncy generally, would amply repay tho increased first cost. . Exception has beon taken by n certain section of tho United States automobile trado to the action of someone connected with British motor interests to arouse feeling against the Vrench and American practice of fitting the steeriugwheol on the left-hand side. According to the "Daily Mail," the British Govern-

Caro of the Rear Axle. Tim intense mechanical strain iinAVN gono by the rear axle calls for the bio st scrupulous watching to keep it ih condition, This is the centre of intense meclmnionl activity, carryinpr all the pushes and mulls and jolts and jars of the whole, car. The car owner should therefore guard against any rear nxle trouble. The 6afest way is to have tho axle examined by an expert as soon af slight trouble develops. Fluidity of the Oil. If the oil in the crankense is found to be exceptionally thin or light in body ie may be that the* mixture is too rich, the excess petrol being forced down past the piston rings and into the crankense, whero it mixes with the oil, destroying its "lubricating qualities. Incidentally it washes the oil off, the cylinder walls. This is -most likely to happen when the engine is operated when the temperature is low. The oil level float should be carefully watched, as petrol may leak into the crankense so fnst as to offset the amount of oil used by the engine. The fluidity of the oil should bo determined to-learn its condition. ' „ The Starting System. The starting motor takes its current from the storage battery, through brushes. It sometimes happens that these brushes for various reasons-are not making proper contact, and this, means moreorjess failure of the system. When trouble arises in this system these brushes should be carefully examined. Again, one of the cells of tho storage battery runs down before the others, wbich' are therefore called upon to do more work than they are able '_ to handle. Also a grain of grit or foreign matter may get between the contact points of a switch audi make a. world of trouble' before it is discovered and 'dislodged. .

LigliUng-up time:—To-day, G.-15 p.m, Next Friday, 6.5-1 p.m.