JOTTINGS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 181, 2 May 1925, Page 23

JOTTINGS

I The Rangiriri deviation south of Auckland is to be formally opened today. This deviation is 17 miles long since metalling was begun on it fifteen months ago a total of -15,000 of stone has been laid, according to the Auckland "Herald.” Now that electricity is, so widely distributed over the countryside the lighting of rural roads is cropping up. Horowhenua County is considering an application for lights on the Waikanae beach road. Waihemo County, said to be the smallest in New Zealand, has declined an invitation to amalgamate with the adjoining Waikouaiti County, which has no money to maintain the main road into Dunedin. The total production of motor vehicles in Great Britain during 1924 exceeded 90,000, an increase of 50 per cent, on that of 1923. One firm produced upwards of 10,000 cars after making a substantial price .reduction. On the East Coast road north of Gisborne it is expected within a week or two to have a continuous metalled surface as far as Whangara. The Cook County engineer reports that between Whangara and Pakarae metal is being put on bad cuttings. Two Auckland motor cyclists who recently completed a 2600-mile tour through'' both isi/ands, informed a “Herald” representative that the best 1 roads encountered were those in Taranaki, while Canterbury- came second. The Auckland province roads were the worst met with on the trip, which over the North Island portion was via the Awakino-West Coc«,st route. Under the Hutt Road extension scheme Wellington motorists can be charged up with the cost of all street lighting on the. roads in the scheme. It would be interesting to know whether such charges are being borne so far out of Hutt Road Board funds. Except for the lights put up for the trackless tram service to Kaiwarra., very little of the lighting on the roads inquestion is of benefit to motorists. A new motor-cycle speedway is to be constructed at Werrington, near Sydney. Pacing the western road an area of 100 acres, forming a natural amphitheatre, has been secured, and is being cleared. Tenders have been invited for the laying of two tracks f try-out and racing), 40ft. wide, with circumferences of one and two miles respectively. A manager for the track will be brought from America. The track is expected to be ready for racing about the end of JulyIn answer to a Parliamentary question suggesting the institution <jf tests for motor drivers. Colonel Ashley, of the British Board .of Trade, recently stated that he is disposed to agree with, the conclusion arrived at by the Departmental Committee on the Taxation and. Regulation of Road Vehicles, as stated in their second interim re- | port, that it would not be practicable • to institute any general system of . tests.

About a mile and a half of the main West Coast road south of Paremata has now been widened by the Public Works Department, and gives a foretaste of what the road will be like around Porirua harbour when the Government and Hutt County work is completed.

In an excessive speed case at a Yorkshire police court recently, a constable estimated the speed of a car down an incline at 60 miles an hour. On being asked by the defending solicitor for the grounds on which he based his estimate the officer replied : ‘‘l have done sixty miles an hour myself on the open road at .” Here the chief constable interpolated: “Sh , you had better not say where it was.” At which there was general laughter.

According to the New York correspondent of the London “Times,” Dr., Julian Sears, of the United States Geological Survey, considers that American oil production methods are of a very wasteful character. Dr. Sears estimates that 80 per cent, of the original oil content remains in a field after it has been abandoned as exhausted.

In the State of Massachusetts the possibility of utilising abandoned roadbeds of steam railways as possible motor routes for commercial use is being considered. Following on statements that the New York, New Haven, end Hartford Railroad Company cor: ten-plated cutting off sections of n-. n-paying lines, is the announcement that the Bcston and Maine Railroad Company pre pcses to scrap about 1000 miles of track. With the chairman of the State Leprrtment of Public Works, representatives of steam railways, and executives of motor organisations, have been discussing the_ matter for some time, and it is thought' that legislation bearing on the matter will be brought up this year.

In his annual report, Mr. T. Mason Chambers, chairman of Hawke’s Bay County, states: —“During the year 136 miles of county roads were declared main highways. For these roads the Government pays one-third of the cost of maintenance and half the cost of new construction work. The Government’s contribution is small, and I think it should be increased to one-half of the cost of maintenance work and twothirds of the cost of new construction work.”

Several British tire experts contend that the large size or balloon type of tire has been carried to extremes, especially when applied to latge end powerful cars. The result is what is called ti “mid-balloon” type, a size smaller in cross section, to be inflated somewhat more than the full balloon tire. “There is every reason,” says the “Autocar,” “to suppose that these semiballoon tires will prove a great boon to users of powerful cars who desire complete isolation from road shocks. The true full balloons were, of course, originally produced for small cars only, and for such vehicles they are absolutely satisfactory, and will continue to be manufactured for such purposes. But the newest tire development will mean that the delights of the soft tire will be available, with equal satisfaction, to users of both big and small cars, and represents true progress in the develop, ment of the automobile as a jwhole.”