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CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES

BY DEMON.

At a meeting of the League of New Zsailand Wheelmen the secretary reported tliat subecriptions amounting to £98 18a bad alreadly been received to' go towards defraying the cost of running the Timaru-to-Christohurdh road race. The amount which will be received- in enibranoe money should also total -a substantial sum. The last time the race was run £220 had been donated, while this 'year the amount promised 1 to be- at least £170.

A recent decis>ioi> given by a Home magistrate is to the effect that *. chauffeur, in the aJbsemce of authority by the owner, has no legal rigiht to order repairs to a oai\ In the case under notice the chauffeur was himself held) responsible for the amount of the repairs ordered

The Family Dootor in a recent issue recommends cycling as a means of reducing corpulency It also points out the rather odd fact tnat, thougin it will ''educe the weight of the weighty, the thin rider will acually put on flesh.

At the anmtal meeting of the Canterbury Automobile Association Lieut. -colonel Smith, M.L.C., said tihait whale motorists were- interested 'xi the sport as a pastime he felt sure all of them were as anxious as any other class in the community to contribute to the defence of their country 'f the necessity should arise. The speakeT referred: to the notable achievement in England a few months ago, when private motorists placed their cars at tJie disposal of the War Office authorities and conv^jed several thousand troops Srom London to Brighton with marked success and in surprisingly quick time. He added that somethi<nig of the same sort was to be attempted at Wellington, and threw out the suggestion that the Canterbury Association should make a similar offer to Colonel Hawkins to enable him to carry out a manoeuvre of the kind referred to.

In June last, at Atlantic City, U.S.A., in a six days' race foi "amateurs," the competition came to an abrupt termination through the riders striking for cash ! It is reported from Rome that on June 15 the -Pope issued s clerical order categorically forbidding the use of the bicycle by priests, but permitting the use of automobiles.

An inner tube which 1* o smaller size than the cover whioh envelops it ie peauliairly liable to puncture; owing to abnormal distension of the surface.

British oyclin'g papers, as a rule, decline to report road contests of le-3 than 25 miles, on the grounds that short-distanco road-racing is prejudicial to the sport. Ooetasianally the free-wheel clutch screwed on to the hub refuses to bite, whioh is due to the ratohete becoming clogged wih oil and- dust, or the small ratchet-springs (if of this type) may have snapped ; otherwise, cleansing with paraffin will usually suffice. A tradesman* in an English magazine writes about a car whioh he say« is badly wanted bj£ gPliJl £<e&ul tradesmen. The

oar he has in saind is as follows: — Price, ] &ho\tt £100 ; air-eool-eid, single oar V-twin cylinders ; ' direct chain drive ; metal clutch to allow for slipping: 8-h.p. ; solid tyres; mechanical lubrication; maximum speed, 18 miles per hour; body, a simple box . to euit customers' requirements. It was recently stated by an officer of the New South Wales Motor Boat Club that there were 620 motor launches in Syd- i ney Hai'bour. There are about 250 I launches in Victoria, of which 75 are on ' the Gippsland Lakes and adjacent rivers English motorists are complaining ■ bitterly about the- tax of 3d per gallon- on '* petrol. - The money obtained from the tax ' is to be used for the upkeep of main roads. The tax has been relhiated on petrol used on motor boats, as. it was pointed out that it was unfair to the owners of the boats to tax them for road-making. | The judge of an English County Court recently decided the. question of priority of right to the use of roads. Ho eaid the -person" who has the first right P to the -road is the pedestrian, after him the equestrian, then the driver of horsed vehicles, next the- cyclist, end lastly the , motorist. * I An interesting remark was made in the House of Commons recently by Mr Lloyd Geoaige anent the forbhcomiing- taxation of motor-cars. " tt appears from what he said upon this occasion %hat the whole of- tb« revenue resultinig from the new ' taxes is to be devoted to improving he highways, under the jurisdiction of a central authority. This scheme, if properly ' carried out, will remove in some measure the sting of the Budget in so far as It affects motorists, for most of them will agree that cara have considerably increased read maintenance expenses Leon Meoredith is the finest -amateur long-distance rider England has produced for. many years past. In 1904 at London, 1905 • (Antwerp), 1907 (Paris), and 1908 (Leipzic), he carried off the world's amateur lorig^ distance (62A miles) oham,pionship> which is paoed, a record ney*r approached •by any ofche.r amateur rider in these classio events. The only other rider' who has beaten Meredith's record is the Danish champion, T. Ellegaard, who has carried off the professional sprint cham>pionshio ;five times. The English aeronaut Latham, in an interview, said that an almost perfect calm must prevail for an\ of the existing machines to make a sale passage across the English Channel, but which conditions were rare. Nothing could be more unfavourable tham gusty weather, \ for then, the aeroplane would be in immanent danger of being oa.psized We learned by cable that M. Bleriot experienced a little rroubk with the air currents in his recent successful voyaige across ahe Channel, and had to navigate his craft with the greatest skill to avoid disaster j — — With uniformly good road surfaces cars could b^eT made very much lighter, and this would -resuift in ( an increase of comfort and economy. WitK the hammering of bad surfaces abolished and the suspended weight of the vehicle reduced the springs i could be made very nruch more sensitive. The weight of the unsprung parts could also be -immensely "reduced if they had not J to face the thumping of uneven roads being lighter, they would run more comfortably even on comparatively smooth roads.

Once more th« utility of the motor cycle has been demonstrated (says the Athletic News of June 21). On Monday las* the Imperial Press delegates .wer« being conveyed pe' motor car from Coventry to Oxford. These visits to impoirtant centres of indiastry, etc., are being made in. a somewhat rapid manner ; time is precious, and there is nobbing cut to waete. To obviate any delay, 'or business is being performed en route by many, of these personages, the Daimler Company placed a service of messengers mounted on motor cycles at the disposal of the party. A message could be written in a car and handed over to one of the accompanying cyclists, who called at the next telegraph office and handed in i-he document.

Vt. O'Really, the one-armed rider. who has been a prominent figure in league cycling events for many seasons, is dead (says a Sydney exchange). O'Reilly was badly ; njured recently in Centennial Pai-k through colliding with another cyclist. His skull was fractured, and he passed away at St Vincents Hospital. O'Reilly, although at a great disadvantage in possessing but one arm. was a veTy fair rider, an»l possessed a particularly fine 6print. Ho won a grout number of races under the auspices of the league, mostly at country fixtures O'Reilly, visited all parts of the State in following bus racing career. He was a skilful rider on the track, where be always managed to avoid falls, but was particularly unfortunate on the road. Two yeans igo he had a bad spill at Leichhardt, and h's life was then despaired of, but he pulled through O'Reilly, who was only 26 years of age, leaves a widow and two children, to whom all cyclists will extend their sympathy. They are in destitute lircumstanees, and George Horder, the State champion, has opened a subscription list on their behalf. According to G. H. Horder. who arrived on the scene of the accident a minute after it happened, O'Reillj and two other cyclists' were trailin? a 'motor cai, winch pulled up rather suddenly, and the cyclists, in pulling out from behind to clear the car, collided and fell, with tho fatal result recorded.. Cyclists meet with severe accidents daily through accepting pacing from motor car 3. It is a dangerous practice, and one that cyclists should indulge in. However, they have had so many warnin-ge that it is hopeless tr expect some of them to give up the practice.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19090818.2.317

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 59

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,442

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 59

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 59

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