MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 23, 21 October 1921, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By

"Clutch.")

The Motor Vehicles Bill. Special consideration was given to the Motor Vehicles Bill at a meeting of the committee of the Wellington Automobile Club on Tuesday. There were present: Dr. Prendergast Knight (chairman), Messrs. J. J. Williamson, W. Mantel], B. Donne, C. M. Banks, 11. W. Lloyd, and S. Underwood. Tho president and secretary of tho Wellington General Carriers and Customhouse Agents’ Industrial Union of Employers attended the meeting by invitation, with a view of giving their opinion on tho Bill. Mr. Drake (the city motor inspector) also attended the meeting by request. Mr. Munt (president of tho Carriers 1 Union) explained that his union advocated a straight-out fee to cover all taxation, cutting out local body fees After, considerable discussion it was resolved that it bo a recommendation to the Government: —“That tho Government collect all fees on power-driven vehicles, including heavy and trade vehicles, and allocate such foes to the local bodies in proportion to the vehicles registered in each district, and that no other fee shall be imposed by any local body in respect to a trade motor vehicle. It was also resolved that it be a recommendation to the Minister: '"lhat on unladen freight of trade vehicles up to and including omj ton, a license fee 4"’ and Al per ton above be charged.” (This refers to clause 2 in the schedule.) “that part 4, section 34, sub-section 4 of the Bill be amended to read: 'Fees paid into the Consolidated Fund in this section shall be applied solely for the construe, tion of main arterial roads.’ ” "That part 5, section BS, sub-section 1, be amended to read: ‘Every person commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding £5O who drives a motor vehicle . . . highway.’" . . Tho club was of opinion that all fines derived under this clause should be paid into tho Consolidated Fund, and bo npplied as provided for in part 4, sention 34, sub-section 4, of the Bill. Another recommendation was: "That part 3 of the schedule be amended to read £2 instead of £5/ A fee of .£2 for annual license in respect of every private motor-car as suggested previously by tho club. Referring to part 1, clause 5, subsection 2, tho club decided to recommend: "That registration shall be made annually, and renewal shall be granted to tho owner of the motor-car without further fee.” “That in cases of motorists arriving overseas with a car, they bo required to register such car at port of arrival, and be charged a fee ot Al per month." It was also decfffcd point out to tho Minister that no provision had Icon made for a tax on power-driven vehicles with iron tyres, nor had provision b<*i* made for a fee to bo paid on trailers using the road. It was agreed that in the event, of ‘ho Parliamentary Committee set up for the nurpose of reviewing tile Motor A chicles Bill desiring to meat representatives from tho club, Dr. Prendergast Knight, Mr. C. M. Banks, and the secretary (Mr. Stott) should act. Rimutaka Hill Telephones. The Wairarapa Association has informed the "Wellington Automobile Club t! at the cost of putting in the telephones on the Rimutaka Hill amounted to £66 17s. sd„ and the annua! subscription to £57, of which .£36 was being paid by six subscribers in the neighbourhood, thus leaving a balance of £2l. Tho club decided this week Io donate .£lO 10s. towards the annual subscription for one year only, the matter to be reconsidered at the end of the year. Race Day Traffic.

'l’lie secretary of the Automobile Club has made arrangements with officers who have previously acted for the club to check motor speed limits on the days of the Trentham races. His action was confirmed by the club committee this week. Anti-Glare Guard.

A new though fairly obvious method of avoiding the danger caused by meeting unduly bright headlights on other cars has recently made its appearance in England. This consists of a piece of bluet glass sin. by Sin. in size, mounted in a frame by which it may be clipped to a wind-screen, being available in different forms to suit various types of screens, such as the single panel and the divided panel kinds. The idea is that the “glare gnats!*’ should be mounted on the screen a little out of the driver’s direct line of vision, so that he need not. look through it when ho does not wish to. but at the same time may look through it easily when meeting •bright lights. The gvjnnd has a usefulness quite apart from its minimising the glare from oncoming headlights, and that is that in very bright sunshine it is very restful to bo able to watch the road nhead through the screen so that all the glare of the road is avoided. Small Car’s Thousand-mile Test.

A run of 1000 miles was recently negotiated in England by a little 8-h.p. car. Half the journey was driven on the road and the last 500 miles on Brooklands track. The journey was accomplished with 10 minutes to spare. It was a fine fest and demonstration of what the modern. light car is capable of doing. Cars and Cycles in England,

In pre-war days motor-cars in England outnumbered motor-cycles by four or five to one. The latest statistics issued by the Ministry of Transport show that more motor-cycles are now in use in the Old Country than motor-cars, the figures being 370,000 cycles and 226,000 cars. There are also in use in England 120,000 commercial motors, 10,160 motor ploughs, 1400 motor tractors, whilst motor-buses and other motor vehicles plying for hire Teach tho big total of 90,500. Automobile Garage Door Opener. The closed garage door is a bugbear to the motorist when returning home on a stormy night. Various means have been tried to enable him to open it without leaving his car, but most qt these have been home-made affairs of doubtful utility. A device is now marketed in America which consists of a plate inserted in tho driveway in front of tho door, connected with a release in / such style that the passage of one wheel of tho car over the plate automatically and immediately opens tho door. Incidentally. in the absence of a car to run over this plate, the device is said to act as a trick lock which would puzzle a thief very 'badly. Ignition Systems.

Battery ignition is becoming _ increasingly popular, and there is a likelihood that it will be a serious rival to the magneto during the course of the next few years. Several American manufacturers are equipping high-priced cars with coil and battery ignition only, their claim being that it is more reliable and satisfactory than a magneto. Some will •not bo t.o'o ready to fall in with this point of view, as the ignition system is one of the most vital parts of tho whole mechanism of a car. Neither magnetos nor coils are absolutely infallible, but the former can very nearly be so described, whereas Hie latter most certainly cannot. There is no part of a car which is less understood by tho average owner than the electric system, and he invariably neglects it altogether. Nothing con'hr bo better for a magneto than this. If left undisturbed it will give excellent service for years, but if tampered with, it will prove an endless source of trouble. The same cannot lie said of battery and coil ignition because, though tho latter is best left alone, the former requires the most careful attention and consideration. Battery and coil ignition, in conjunction with a magneto, is excellent, but alone it is by no means an unmixed blessing.

Lighting-up time:—To-day. 6.18 p.m Next Friday, 6.26 p.m.