SHORT CIRCUITS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 386, 22 November 1932, Page 2

SHORT CIRCUITS

Gennan motor manufacturers are placing ahout 60 different models on the market. Small fours predominate. * * * * "R.osieA an Jelephant at Mianiii Beach, Florida, is iised to kssist inotorists with 'a helping trunk when their cars get stuck ih the sarid. * * * * A new use for old motor tyres has been found at an inn at Quainton, Buckinghamshire, where there are eight old covers used as flower pots. * . * * * An, English motorist has been fifled 40s for exposing a lighted eigarette near the petrol tank when it was being filled. This is helieved to he the first conviction for this offence. . * * * ^ An elusive drumming at • certain speeds erroneously connected with the engine, may easily he nothing worse than'a scuttle ventilator which is not closed sufficiently. * ■ * * Seotland Yard has accepted the offer of the Automohile Associatiori to place hundreds of patrols ahd telephone boxes at the disposal of the police to deal with motor bandits. * & * * The well-known English motorist, Mr. S. F. Edge, who was consistently success'ful in the early days of racing, both in England and On the Continent, may visit New Zealand shortly. * :'t X The tramcar will soon he a thing of the past in Paris, Already 50 of the routes have been abolished since i925, and now it is announced that within the next 18 mbnths a further 22 routes are to go. * * * it is advisable to change the watei* ih the radiator of a new car severdl times during the first 1000 miles of driving. Any foraign sUbstance which niay be in the cooling system will be eliminated in this manner. * * * * Oil spots on pyramid or ribbed rubber matting can be' reihoved by the application of soft chalk. It should be rubbed or dusted on to the spots and left for a day or two befofe being brushed off; its effect is to absorb the oil. * * * * I want a small sports car, said the purchaser to the salesmari, hot too old, with an overhead eamshaf t engine, four speeds, front-wheel brakes, and a streamline sports body . . . about £15 to £20. What the salesman thought has not been recorded. * * * * Yet another attempt is being made to employ rubber as a road surfdcing material. A Dutch engineer has perfected a mixture of granulated rubber with asph'alt, Which h# claims is an admirable road-surfacing material. Cars will not skid on the surface. It xs absolutely silent, doeS hot develop ruts or ripples, and it can be used by traffic within an hour of beihg laid. ** *,(, _ Motor omnibus companies in London have adopted an interesting means, of avoiding the difficulty of collecting fares m the peak periods. At the pomts where the majority of the trafnc is collected . automatic machines, similar to the automatic stamp-selling machines, are installed to issiie tickets o± various denomihations. Thus passengers are able to pUrchase their tickets before they board a bus. * * * % Three London taxies have been shipped to California for use in a in9°orirhlPicture' t,.The taxies are a 1906 Cbarron, which was plyW in London streets until 1920, a 1910 Arfil®'1and a d915 Ullic» which has only just been wathdrawn. The first Lon1903 app!fred on streets in 1903, The followmg year there were four, and m 1905 19. In 1906 the figures had tisen to 96. * * * * First applied to American cars the :L*utoaat*a"r engine of a car as soon as the ignition ■ switch is maniptilated, is tihdmPwh favour with British motorists Se 1 Bntish electrical firm of Lucas one of J}B Z°r\d'S largest manufacturers f electrical equijmjenli for cars has vfce® wMch 3'???8d of tM® de" aauvB* _*■*** j Never coast downgrade with the ' l&mtidtt turned off. Doing so will send raw petro! iht° the cylinder^S it washes off the film of oil hetween ! and heads and cylinder walls— I nd this means damage to the. engine I shiyngT, Wlth magneto ignition | removed ^rUn if tlle battery is remo^ed or discbniiected linless the field fuse u removed from the gene- 1 •a^r,Pr' alternatively,.the field windmgs ! disconnected, as otherwise the wmdmgs will be burnt out. * * * ^ a thiS^F Tem°r has P^dnced a tmet-pi oof device which has tested by the British Municipal Police of Shanghai. It is a Bin^ e, turne?0"1 °Uu 0i S'eht ihe cav and When tbLr ?n.th\oar is parkedwnen the ;car js tquch-ed the box lefs out a ternfic shriek and will eohtinue to do soindeflhitely. Police approach! edfrom all, directions, kicked the tyres and djpened the doors, and the electric ox never failed to send out a most heairt-rending S.O.S. The inventoit calls this dlevibe the '"Bing-beb^'-2