MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 165, 8 April 1921, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By

"Clutch.”)

An Important Conference. A conference between the New Zealand Aui s -> , .'’bile Union and the South Island Motor Union will be held to-day to discuss various matters of importance to motorists. Among the subjects to be considered will be those of registration and lighting, roads improvement, taxation, rule of the road, annual licensing of drivers of motor-vehicles, toll gates, and the advisability of adopting a uniform policy on vital questions when approaching the Government and local bodies.

Warning Signs, The opinion has been expressed here that local bodies should follow the Royal Automobile Club method of exhibiting warning signs. Generally speaking, under this method, a wide circle indicates the speed limit, which is supposed to be marked on the board underneath the circle, and a red triangle denotes either danger or caution, but there is no other mark to suggest the class of danger. There is no special sign to indicate the approach to a school except a board which is marked "school, drive slowly,” and which is exhibited very often in an inconspicuous spot. Tn England, a very excellent suggestion has been *mnde by the journal "Motor Transport”' to the Roads Department of the Transport Ministry. The proposal is that the red triangle shall indicate danger, and that underneath the triangle shall be a mark of some recognised kind which will at once explain the nature of the danger. For instance, a flaming torch would signify a school, a right angle triangle a steep hill, a figure like, the letter N a double corner, a gate, a level-crossing, and X cross-roads. These symbols can he clearly drawn and easily seen, and their meaning is scarcely capable of misunderstanding. Some such ideas, it is contended, might with advantage be adopted in New Zealand. Illustrations . of these road signs are to be found in the March’ number of the "Australian Motorist.” Gear Ratios.

Before the war there was a distinct tendency among 'light-car manufacturers to reduce gear- ratios; in order to improve the hill climbing and top-speed abilities of their productions. Some of them went rather too far in this direction. with the result that in one or two cases the engine had to turn at 1000 revolutions per minute to attain a road speed on top gear of fifteen miles per hour. Apparently such makers have appreciated the fact that they made the gear ratios of'lhe pre-war cars much too low, and they have comemnced to move in the opposite direction; but some would appear to have gone too far already in raising the gears. For their two-seater models, ‘perhaps, the higher gear ratios are quite satisfactory, giving a road speed of twenty-two miles or so per hour at 1000 revolutions per minute; but these same chassis, when fitted with light fourseated bodies, are distinctly over-geared, and the use of the great lever is called for with somewhat annoying frequency in other than comparatively flat districts.

Across Australia by Motor-cycle. The late Lieutenant MTntosh, who flew to A ustralia from England with Lieutenant Rarer some months back, and who was killed a few days ago in a flying accident, recently accomplished a very fine performance. Up to that time no motor-cyclist had succeeded in making the overland trip across Australia from east to west, the difficulties of negotiat-i

ing the sandy country between the South Ausralian border and the Western Australian goldfields being the cause. Lieu, tenant M'lntosh, however, succeeded in getting through. He was accompanied by a friend, who, through an the side-car axle striking a hidden stump —had to take to the train at Kitchener, a railway siding some distance from Kalgoorlie. The worst stretch of the whole trip was 200 miles of sandhills between Port Augusta and Ooldea. The rider

was thrown to the ground many times, and the machine was .put to a severe test; but it came through remarkably well. At several camps Lietuenant

MTntosh had to remain for a ■ day or more to effect repairs. He had an exciting experience when travelling between Kitchener and Zanthus. The motor-cycle hit a stump and fell on him, pinning his foot to the ground. Unable to free himself, he lay there for two and a half hours, but eventually, with the aid of a stick which he used as a lever, he succeeded in lifting the motorcycle sufficiently to enable him to release his foot. When within 37 miles of Kalgoorlie, Lieutenant M'Tntosh took the wrong track, and rode fifty miles out of his way. Guessing he was off the track, he steered by compass through rough bush country, reaching Bulong just as his supply of petrol gave out. Lieutenant M'lntosh said that he felt, none the worse for his trip, but declared that lie would rather fly back to England than again make the journey to Adelaide on a motor-cycle. Care of Tools and Spares. Many motorists and drivers are particularly careless as regards the care of their tool kit and spares. Unless a motorist or liis chauffeur is of particularly careful disposition, tools and acces sories are usually carried in an arbitrarily selected position; left there, forgotten. until a roadside emergency calls for their use. Very often when tools are suddenly required, they are found to be rusty and otherwise in a condition which renders them unfit for use; so that in these circumstances a breakdown, or even an unimportant roadside stop, assumes aggravating proportions. The man who throws his tools anyhow into a box on tho running board deserves trouble on

thet road when such tools are required—and ho generally gets trouble. Care, even to the extent of fastidiousness, is well repaid with regard to tools, and if boxes or other receptacles set aside for their accommodation are not weatherproof, a little outlay to correct matters is well justified. Fall In Car Prices. While the prices of some makes of motor vehicle show no signs of reduction, others have been heavily cut during the last few weeks (says a writer in the "Overseas Daily Mail" of February 12). The recent Scottish show was almost as noteworthy in this respect ns was the Olympic show in 1919 in respect of the increases in prices then announced. Some few of the recent reductions may be fairly attributed to increased output and consequent lowering of costs of producdo.rp Siq u ‘.raAa.Moq ‘tioqjo o.iojy -nop in price is merely a public acknowledgement of the known fact that practically all manufacturers 'have amassed considerable stocks and are comparatively short of ready money. Some few are ready to sell temporarily at almost any price rather than not sell at all. Thus the

reductions are in many cases quite abnormal. and prospective buyers would do well not to regard them -as an indication of any general and permanent drop, which is commercially impossible unless expenditure on lalxmr and material mn be considerably reduced. This is not a. case in which manufacturers have been taking enormous profits and are now compelled by competition to put a limit to their greed. In some instances, at least, it is pmctically certain that vehicles are being sold at prices which represent a dead loss to their makers, this policy being necessary for a brief period in order to provide the requisite cash for continued operation. The actual factors vary in every case, and it is impossible to generalise.