The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1913. THE COST OF MOTORING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3, 8 May 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, MAY 8, 1913. THE COST OF MOTORING.

Same interesting and instructive figlues regarding the cost of motoring have recently been compiled and pub-j lished by a Scottish motorist, who drove his own car and kept a care-' Ini account of his expenses. Though ! conditions are not quite the same | in New Zealand as in Scotland, the ex-1 perience of the motor-owner referred \ to, extending as it does over a per-1 iod of four years, will be of consider-1 able value to many of the ever-grow-ing army of car owners who motor on a moderate scale and do not employ a chauffeur. The car used was a 1420 h.p., and in the 1 four years during which a strict account was kept it I covered 3713 miles, 6724 miles, 7118 miles, and (in the last year) 7390 miles respectively per annum, or a I total of 26,940 miles in all, thus aver-1 aging 6736 miles a year, or 130 miles a week, and used 1326 gallons of petrol in all, while the total outlay for the four years under all headings was £273 6s lOd, or £T 6.s 6d per week, the average cost working out at 2.4 d I per mile all told. Repairs, cost of' which was £1 16s Id the first year, £3 18s 2d the second, £l4 3s 3d the third, and £2 3s the fourth, includ-

ing the cost of housing the car while on tour. One expert on car miming referring to the a hove figures holds that in Britain the average of less than ‘itd per mile is “a striking re--1 illation of the popular belief that the keeping of a motor vehicle is a thing which only the wealthy can afford. Not only i« the cost hut fractionally greater than that of a firstclass railway ticket, hut it has to he very materially reduced by subdivision among other passengers.” Added to which one has to remember the very great convenience of the ear, its owner not being tied to time-tables or restricted to particular routes of travel. Tlio motorist who compiled the figures given above, it must, however, he remembered, was his own mechanic and chauffeur and nothing is allowed in the figures for depreciation. In

motoring circles figures are regarded as affording a highly interesting indication of what can lie accomplished with a typo of car which, if not highpowered, is at'all events capable of ton ring with a full load of passengers in any normal region.