ELIMINATING NOISE

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 86, 5 January 1935, Page 10

ELIMINATING NOISE

New Enthusiasm Sweeping England MOTOR EXHAUST PROBLEM Dominion Special Service. Auckland, January 4. A -new enthusiasm is sweeping England —the anti-noise campaign. Sir Henry Fowler, who arrived by the Wanganella from Sydney, is chairman of the noise investigation committee instituted by the Minister of Transport, and a member of-the council of the English Anti-Noise League. Sir Henry said that in a referendum carried out with the help of the Press ’o England information was .gained that most offence was caused by the exhaust of motor-cycles. Last year there had been an intensification of anti-noise work, and conferences between representatives of the Ministry'of Transport, the league, and cycle and car manufacturers had resulted in a considerable reduction of motor vehicle ncises. Successful silencers had‘been evolved and were now being fitted to motor-cycles. Gear Crashing. Other causes of undue traffic noise, said Sir Henry, were' rowdy motor-car exhausts, bad driving and tire noise. He considered that if every driver were compelled to 'be better trained in the art. of-noiseless motoring there would be_less gear crashing, unnecessary revving and mechanical and body noise. Furthermore; with less noisy driving, owners would find that maintenance costs were reduced, as they would be keeping their cars in better .order. \ ‘.‘A great difficulty we have been up against is the measuring of sound.” said Sir Henry. “The Minister' of Transport has called in the services of the head of the engineering laboratory and the head of the acoustics laboratory from the National Physical Laboratory, and the whole question of classifying sound will eventually be put on a scientific basis. This will be <‘f the greatest ( assistance in onr work of eliminating unnecessary noise from ordinary'.city and even country life. Howling Radios. The radio has also its place among offensive sotinds, but that was more a personal matter. Howling and blasting radios, which disturbed the owners . and neighbours, were at least more immediately controllable than traffic noises, but whfcre the discretion of radio owners wa’s not used in adjusting the volume of sound it hail been found necessary to -take .action under the bylaws, which had been widely adopted for that very purpose.” Since he left England on his; present pleasure and convalescent tour, said Sir Henry, he had been pleased to find that most of the colonial roads were reasonably wide—a fact which prevented the reflection l of noise, which occurred between buildings in narrow streets. Driving “on the horn” was gradually being eliminated in England by education rather than by compulsion, and people throughout the Country had become really enthusiastic after they had been addressed on the significance of the campaign. It was confidently hoped that within a year or two the noisy motorist would be the rarity which the silent one was a few years ago. . Before his retirement Sir Henry Fowler was chief mechanical engineer to the London. Midland and Scottish Railway.