MOTORING.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1923, Page 4

MOTORING.

UN lIIF. CONTI NEXT. . liv all Australian). NICK, March ti I laving been motoring abroad for tinlast 12 months, I have been grenth imptesscd by the .splendid service rendered to the man at tlie wheel by the Koval Automobile ( 'tubs of both France and England, and also by the Autumofuh- Association. 1 lee! even that our like chibs in Australia could profit ...... 1 1., 1 1 y their example, and thereby nutk*- motorin'.-; in Au-lr.tlia more so-,-ui-i- Loin .!•>■ many dangers el the I-O,id. Wherever yc.i travel in England the association has its representative.-, for the assistance and convenience oi" the motorist. One oi tin* finest features oi their organisation is the manner in which they iniorm you ol danger ahead. In descending steep

inclines nr vice versa the grade is plainly stated. In France l lie finest possible mean-, of deedination that me in he found in :tn\ part of the world are given, i. 0., h\ numbering ol all the national routes, for instance, lrom Orleans to Bordeaux, a disfamv of some hundreds of miles, you take N. 10 all along the route ai intervals. This number is plainly marked on signs, at each side oi which are given the two nearest villages, ancl the mileage to

same. This applies lo all nilferont routes in France, so all that concerns the motorist is to see by Ins map before he sets out on his journey wlial re,me number lie should take, and by the noticing of the signs-mi Ids way, lie has no worry whatever. It is a very wonderful system, and for Australia would lie of incalculable value, hi England one of the greatest delights of motoring is the complete absence of dust. This lias been brought about- hv the liberal use of tar. Wo covered our eight thousand miles of road there and were not oil a tarred surface practically the whole time. They start tarring in the spring and wherever you travel you see hundreds of casks of tar at intervals all along the roadside.

In England the roads are perfect, and an instance of same can he given when I mention that T still have one of my original tyres on my car, and have completed 10,000 odd miles. The other three I averaged sO'JO with. This is a big performance, as the car I drive weighs two and a quarter tons, without passengers or luggage. In England the rustic beauty of the scenery, the wonderful cathedrals, and the magnificent estates, which on application you may visit, arc delightful accompaniments of travel. The glorious trees, with their every shade of vivid green in spring, and the wonderful contrasts of their autumn tints, are perfect pictures of l iveliness. Me have motored 3000 odd miles in Frame. The roads are in a fairly had state, and very dusty, hut they are everywhere being tackled in great earnest, and it should not lie long before they are mice again in the famous condition that they were before tinwar. Wherever yon travel i-n Era lice volt are amazed at the wonderful engineering feats that their roads represent. In places they stretch as far as the eye can see for miles and miles in one straight line ahead, and at other times wind in a perfectly graded manner around the mountain sides, very often ascending thousands of feet, which could he accomplished with ease on top and third gears. Such a climb is the Grand Cornielie-road, from Nice to Ln Turbie, and from the latter place to Afoot Agal, which is 3000 ft. This road, as are all roads in the Riviera, is in perfect conditioiq and the view from its heights is one never to bo forgotten. In conclusion, I would add that motoring from Biarritz along the southern base of the Pyretieeright along the wonderful Cute D’ Azure, is one of the moat amazing trips for the visitor to France to make.