NUMBERS FOR NAMES

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 103, 28 October 1933, Page 13

NUMBERS FOR NAMES

Tlio proposal, at Home to substitute numbers for place names on signposts includes among its many opponents no less an authority than Sir Malcolm Campbell. The famous British racer can nnd no ground, "save possibly .that of a cheeseparing economy," for such a proposal, which he considers "utterly unpractical and' foolish." He .shudders to think of starting from the lovely town of X^Si along Route 89127, passing through the residential section of Y5638 on tho way to the up-and-coming city of Z2049. The plan, he reports, has aroused a storm of criticism and will probably get nowhere. The present scheme of supplementary numbering and lettering of tho roads he finds "exceedingly helpful" to the motorist. * As mentioned some weeks ago the idea of numbers/ was imported from France, but photographs of French sijjn : posts published since the controversy arose show a big difference between the French signs and tho English ones. In the English sign the number is everything. Tho French signs contain the number, but far moro prominent than tl'e number is nothing less than- tho name place tho route is loading to. This is a bird of quite another feather.

Next year all motor-cars in Istanbul must be paiutod ono colour. The authorities havo not ,yefc chosen the colour, but red is banned —being reserved for the iiro brigade.

The regulations for next year's Indianapolis 500-milo race provide for a limitation of fuel to 45 gallons, which means that the 1934 racers will have to average slightly over 11 ni.p.g.

A valve has been placed on the market at Home, to be introduced at any part of the rubber tubing which operates the windscreen wiper, and act as an extra air inlet to tho carburettor.

An aluminium silver coating that will withstand extreme heat and flames without burning off is a new advent in the motoring conveniences. It has only to be brushed on.

Tho perfection of a process for lengthening v.alve stems in such a way that the fiddling task of tappet adjustment can be obviated is announced by a British engineering firm. A new and very hard metal is electrically welded on to the ends of the steins.