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Otago Witness, Issue 4029, 2 June 1931, Page 66

This story, of the bread poultice and the hungry child, is a true one—it happened in Christchurch, a few days ago The child—a boy, it was—had a poisoned hand. Bread poultices are supposed to be good for things like that, so the mother applied one. But in the morning the poultice was gone. Under crossexamination, the truth came out. He had become hungry in the night, and had eaten the poultice.

and parts are readily accessible. Too frequently the tool locker is not as conveniently placed as it might be, and in the dark or in dull weather tools cannot, readily be seen because the interior of the locker is nearly always painted black, or some dark colour. The selection of tools will be greatly facilitated if the interior of the locker be repainted some light' colour. Not only will this reflect and use to the utmost all light entering the locker, but it will also provide a contrasting background against which the darker tools will show easily. Aluminium paint will serve excellently for the purpose, and fresh coats may be applied from time to time. A useful fitting in the tool box for use at night is a small electric lamp operated from the car lighting system. Such a lamp may be worked from a dashboard plug or wired permanently on to the car lighting system and controlled with a switch of its own. It should be carefully protected against breakage and equipped with some form of simple reflector which will throw its rays only down into the interior of the box. Its value will be greatly reduced if direct rays from the filament reach the eyes of anybody using the tool locker. A SILENCE CLUB. It is generally realised in these days that “ unobtrusiveness ” is a sign of the good rider, but the makers of the A.J.S. are going a stage further, for they have inaugurated a silence club for riders of their machines. A leaflet setting forth the rules is now dispatched with every new machine, and A.J.S. riders can obtain a neat enamelled club badge for fixing to the rear mudguard. The rules of “The Silence Club” are as follows: — Don’t tamper with your motor cycle’s exhaust system. Other people don’t like it—neither does a policeman. Don’t accelerate noisily in low gear, or, in fact, any gear. It not only annoys other people, but the transmission and tyres do not like it. Don't rev. your engine in neutral. It makes an unnecessary noise—motor cycle engines “ tick over ” nicely nowadays. Do take special precautions in towns and at night. Don’t forget—safety first always. THE DIMINISHING WHEEL. It took motor car designers and users a surprisingly long time to realise the advantage of the large section tyre, which could be inflated to a lower

hot—and also the ravages of constant detonations in the combustion chamber. Both car owners and service men are constantly giving more attention to spark plugs. They appreciate that engine performance can be improved and economies effected by installing new spark plugs when they become worn or badly carboned. Worn spark plugs, in addition to retarding engine power, cause petrol waste and hard starting, as well as straining the battery.

Undoubtedly there are millions of spark plugs in service that have passed the stage of real usefulness and should be replaced with-new ones. This means that the spark plugs should be inspected every few thousand miles to make sure the sparking points have not worn away too much or become badly pitted, and that the plugs are free from excess carbon formation. As "an automobile grows older it gradually loses power. This power decrease is so gradual that the owner does not realise its extent until the sluggishness is very apparent. Of course, this trouble is not always due to spark plugs, but a recent test shows that a motor, with plugs that had been in use for more than 12.000 miles, when run at an engine speed of 20 m.p.h., developed 31.2 h.p. The same motor run at the same speed equipped with a new set of spark plugs had a horsepower of 38.0, an increase of 6.8. Millions of live plugs are dead as far as maximum efficiency and fuel economy are concerned. The matter of spark plugs and maximum engine performance is a vital one, and dealers and service men are trying to impress this on car owners. To that end they had adopted several courses, listed as follow:—lnstructing their mechanics to inspect spark plugs in customers’ cars every few thousand miles. Recommending to car owners that spark plugs be changed if points are badly worn or insulator thickly coated with carbon. In spring and autumn reminding owners by mail to put their car in condition for the coming season, listing cost of service. Spark plugs are included in the list of things which should be done. Sending postcard reminders telling owners importance of having spark plugs inspected, and asking them to drive into the service station for this service. TWENTY YEARS OF SPEED. Captain Malcolm Campbells recent achievement of a new mor Ids speed record of 245.7 miles an hour at Daytona Beach, Florida, serves to emphasise the rapid development of the automobile. In 1904 when W. K. Vanderbilt drove his famous Mercedes at the rate of 92.3

miles an hour, that was considered as tearing through the atmosphere. Yet the next year Arthur M'Donald went over the hundred mark, making 104.65 miles an hour in a Napier. That record lasted only a year. In 1906 Demogeot, in an eight-cylinder Darracq, accomplished 122.4 miles an hour, and a few weeks later Frank Marriott, in a Stanley Steamer, burned up the track at 127.66 miles per hour. The next record shattcrer was “ Barney ” Oldfield, who attained a speed of 131.7 in his Lightning Benz, only to have that record topped the following year by Burman in a Blitzen Benz that travelled at the rate of 141.7 miles, an hour. This record stood for eight years. It was not until 1919 that Ralph de Palma drove a Packard “900” at 149.87 miles an hour, but a year later T. Milton, in a twin-engined Duesenberg, reached ’156 miles per hour. Seven years after that m 1927, the late Sir Henry Segrave appeared on Daytona Beach and set a new record with an. English Sunbeam at 203.79 miles an hour. , r S i r penry Segrave’s compatriot, Captain Malcolm Campbell, entered the contest in th e next year, and piloted a Napier Bluebird at 206.95 miles an hour, only to lose his position as record-breaker to Ray Keech, who attained 207.55 miles an hour in the Liberty Triplex. Sir Henry Segrave came back again in 1929 in his txolden Arro-w and sped over the sands of Daytona at 231.36 miles an hour. -k T ™ . s year Captain Campbell, in another Napier Bluebird, topped the Segrave record by going 245.73 miles an hour. Captain Campbell does not think he has come near the ultimate limit of motor car speed. He and others qualified to judge believe that 300 miles an hour will be attained within the near future. Yet when Mr Vanderbilt went 92 miles an hour 27 years ago, people thought the day of dizzy travel had arrived An attempt to better Captain Malcolm Campbell s automobile speed record of 245 miles an hour is planned for an early date by Norman Smith, the Australian racer, on the beach at Kaitaia, Auckland. ROAD-MAKING METHODS. The Commonwealth of Australia was represented at the last International Road Congress in the United States by Mr H "J- bherrard, assistant chief engineer, and Mr Luker of the Main Roads Board of rsew South Wales. x On his return, Air bherrard submitted a long and interesting report, accompanied by data supplied by the American Bureau of Public Roads covering his experiences in the United States and in Canada. There are still mahy thousands of miles of earth roads in the United States and' to prevent dust they, are frequently treated either with calcium chloride or sprayed with low viscosity oil (states the report). In other instances, notably in California, light oil was applied to the surface as a form of permanent construction while in Minnesota what was termed the blotter treatment with heavy oil was applied to heavy clay roads, the surface being first made. smooth and hard by maintenance. Oil was then applied at a cost of about £3OO to’£3so a mile. Sandclay and top soil surfacings -were extenstised in the southern States such as Virginia and South Carolina; the latter is subjected to no laboratory tests, but if a natural soil will hold to a steep batter in cuttings, a moist ball of it squeezed in the hand will just bold together, or if a ball of it placed out or doors will hold up,, it is considered suitable for use. Some light roads with original surfacings of sand-clay four years old were seen in South Carolina, and were in excellent condition. In all States, the , ob J ects economy with the greatest efficiency for the traffic strains which might reasonably be expected after investigation were always kept in view. COMPOSITE PISTONS, Designers are still paying close attention to the improvement of engine parts, and the piston, which has already been the subject of many developments, is being

kept under notice. From the heavy old cast-iron types there have already emerged the steel; the aluminium alloy of various descriptions, and the composite aluminium and steel. Another interesting improvement announced in France recently consists of a light steel sleeve or jacket embedded in the piston itself, and held firmly at all temperatures, it is claimed. The •new piston is claimed to have overcome the difficulties experienced in former composite designs of equalising the expansion ot the two metals at working temperatures, and so avoiding the danger of separation with consequent injury to the whole engine, and it is now being tested in a famous French automobile works. PETROL PRICES. Developments in the petrol price war that was started in Christchurch have' taken an interesting turn, as the service station proprietors have refused to take up the challenge issued by the garage firms (says the Christchurch Times of Ihursday). The position yesterday was that firstgrade petrol was being sold at from Is 9d to 2s a gallon, and second-grade at from Is 8d to Is lid, according to the particular firm dealing in it. Several of the large motor firms have not followed the example set by others of reducing the price of petrol to the wholesale rate, and the trade generally is not adopting a uniform policy in regard to the matter. A few of the firms which handle petrol largely as a side-line, and have one pump for their own convenience and for the convenience of their regular customers, have brought their prices down to Is 9d and Is 8d a gallon, with a charge of a penny extra for booking.

Others who have several pumps, and do considerable service station business, have been content to reduce their prices to Is lOd and Is 9d. Some who have been selling petrol at a penny less than the service stations have not altered their prices at all.

We are still charging 2s and Is lid, and we have our prices nailed to the wall,” declared the proprietor of one of the largest service stations yesterday. A hint was thrown out that the service station men have an unpleasant surprise in store for the garages, but what this surprise is was not revealed. Meanwhile the public' have the choice of a variety of prices, but the service stations do not report any considerable loss of business as a result of the action taken by the garages. REAR-VIEW MIRRORS. “It is surprising that it is necessary, after _ all these years of motor transport experience, to draw the attention of motorists to the elemenary rules of the road, but it is so,” states the latest message froni the Canterbury Automobile Association. Thousands of motorists are careless enough to hug the crown of the road, or if they do not actually travel on the crown of the road they get as far away from the extreme left hand side as possible. It is selfish or thoughtless to do either, particularly if one is driving slowly. Following traffic, travelling faster, may wish to pass, and if the car in front is on or near the crown of the road danger is created for the overtaking car. Strangely enough the drivers who monopolise the roadway are those who never make use of their rear view mirrors if they have them as part of the car equipment. The Motor Vehicles Act demands the use of such mirrors.

If the thoughtless drivers consulted the rear view mirrors habitually they would correct the habit of obstructing traffic by driving in the middle of the road. It is imperative that all traffic should keep as near to the left hand side of the roadway as possible, and that applies to all classes of traffic, particularly slow moving vehicles, _ and big motor vans or trucks. The action of many drivers of heavy vehicles in using more road space than is necessary savours of autocratic behaviour, and in the interests of traffic safety there is no place for such behaviour in the code of the motorist.

The only way that complete safety can be made certain is for every care towards what lies before him, and show every consideration for the traffic following immediately behind him. Motoring would be infinitely safer and more pleasant if sweet reasonableness and tolerance were practised at all times.

REFLECTORS FOR POLICEMEN. Rear reflectors to protect mounted policemen are the latest traffic innovation in France. French mounted police who ride the highways at night, and in all probability cavalrymen as well, -will in the future be equipped with reflectors ’to be worn on their backs in order to safeguard them from motorists, according to the report. The reflectors will be inserted in a row across the back of a Sam Brown belt, or else inserted in a triangular piece of leather attached to the back of the overcoat collar. BRITISH CAR INDUSTRY. The imposing array of British motor cars and motor cycles which made up the Ernnire Week procession was a very convincing proof that Britain has taken her place in the motor manufacturing world. The growth of the British motor industry has been one of the romances of modern times. Handicapped by a short-sighted legislature and by peculiar economic conditions, great progress has been made. Ito growth has been steady, but its growing pains have been carefully cured, until to-day the industry stands in the healthiest of positions. Hampered by the horsepower tax, the manufacturers turned their attention to the small' engine with high r.p.m., and as the consequence Britain is supreme in this form of car design. Likewise in heavy traffic the British manufacturer has been quick to visualise the future of the truck, the omnibus, and other forms of commercial vehicles, and to-day the supremacy of Britain in this class is undisputed. Having secured the home market, attention has been turned to overseas, and a great bid is beiiisr made for the Dominion’s busin-'ss. Holder of the world’s speed records in the air, on land, and in the water, Britain has every reason to be proud of the makers of her internal combustion engines.

MOTOR CAR RACING INDIANAPOLIS CONTEST. VANCOUVER, May 30. A message from Indianapolis states that Louie Schneider, who was at one time an Indianapolis motor cycle policeman, won the 500-mile automobile race to-day in 5 hours 10 minutes 28 seconds. !■ red Frame, of Los Angeles, was second, two and a-half miles behind. Forty cars started and 17 finished. Billy Arnold, of Chicago, last year’s winner, when apparently a sure winner, was forced out by a collision 95 miles from the finish. Rain postponed the start until noon, and several times slowed the racers up. The attendance was about 150,000. There were a number of smashups and minor injuries, but none of them was serious.