MORE HINTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 633, 9 April 1929, Page 6

MORE HINTS

Care of the Car Handling Polished Parts Should it become necessary to grip a highly finished part in the vice, it is a good plan to interpose wooden blocks between the part and the vice jaws so that the teeth o£ the jaws will not damage the surface of the metal. These blocks can be carved to fit awkwardly-shaped parts which are otherwise difficult to hold securely in ttte vice. Squeaking Floorboards Sometimes the rubbing together of the floorboards will cause squeaks that are hard to locate. A little grease rubbed on the edges of the boards will make your car run quieter. A floorboard edged with felt or aluminimum strips will seldom squeak. Tack to the floorboards strips of cloth if it is not possible to obtain felt or aluminium strips. Tightening Battery Terminals Tapered battery terminals sometimes become worn so that the tapered plug fits loosely in its hole and a poor contact results. To tighten slip two or three iron washers, having an internal diameter larger than the tapered plug under the nut. so that when it is tightened the plug will he drawn securely into its hole. Truing Up a Wire Wheel When it is necessary to true a slightly misaligned wire wheel one should be careful to use a close-fitting wrench or parallel pliers on the nipple and do the job slowly and evenly. A wooden block serves to steady the hand in chalking up the -‘out" and “in” places on the wheel. The general principle is that tightening nipples on an outer row of spokes throws the rim in while tightening those on inner spokes moves the rim out. Nipples directly opposite those tightened should be loosened about half as much. Wet Curtains Will Mildew There is a good chance of the curtains mildewing if folded and packed away when they are damp. It takes but a few minutes to dry them thoroughly before stowing them away, and the assurance of their keeping in good condition is worth these extra minutes.

THE KALAHARI CROSSED MOTOR CONQUERS THE DESERT Mr. W. J. Makin. the "Daily Mail” special correspondent with the Imperial Government expedition into the Kalahari Desert, South Africa, tells below of the thrilling adventures encountered and the remarkable sights witnessed by the members of the expedition—the first white men to accomplish the 500 miles cross-desert journey. “The Imperial Government expedition. comprising six white men, a native guide and a wire-haired terrier, reached here to-day. We have crossed the worst desert in Africa. “it is a route from east to west of 500 miles, shunned by all other desert travellers because of its lack of water. We are the first white men to accomplish this journey, and our two Morris commercial trucks have blazed a new trail in Africa. We expected to cross this desert in five days: it has taken us 12. “Ghanzi is the real outpost of Empire. It has provided us with water and petrol, of which we were in desperate need. Food they could not spare, for their own supply consisted of a few tins of baked beans. We brought into this outpost half a buck, which we had shot. It provided a great feast. “One important discovery of this expedition is that the desert is not entirely a desert. For the first 300 miles we travelled through scrub and sand. An occasional tree was found, tortured and twisted in its growth as though existence in that desert was continual agony. The only living creatures were white ants, packs of wolves and wild dogs. “It was all the more extraordinary to pass from these plains of desolation to grassy lands which told of water beneath the surface.

.“ ‘This should make ope of the finest ranching countries* in the world,’ said Captain Clifford, after a whole day spent traversing this area. ‘lt is better land than any to be found in Rhodesia, which claims to be a great cattle country.' “There is no doubt that if wells are made this part of the desert should see great herds of cattle roaming the long grass in the future. The fact that the land is at an altitude of 4,000 feet also makes it a zone where the white man can live. “At a time when we were approaching the grass lands our petrol supply was running short. We seriously debated abandoning one truck, draining the petrol from it, and pushing on to Ghanzi. There were days when we could not travel more than two miles an hour owing to the heavy sand. “Time became precious. We began to travel day and night, and our progress was better at night owing to the cold air. For three days not one of the expedition slept. Neither did time permit of more than one meal a day. The water we drank was tainted with petrol. Each of the six men became irritable. We soon discovered each other’s vices.

“There came an evening when our guide, Hendriks, leaned over and shouted excitedly, ‘Camels have been here!’ Camels meant that a party of police and some cargo had entered the desert at this spot. "We were 30 miles from Ghanzi. Then Hendriks saw a shrub with a piece of paper fluttering from one of the twigs. It-was obviously an indication of some kind. “ ‘They have buried something here,’ said Hendriks. In a few moments we were all digging frenziedly, and two drums of petrol were revealed. We were saved. “They were part of a dump provided by the Shell Company, which had been carried by the police on camels to this point and buried some days previously. Moreover, within a tew minutes of finding this petrol we also found our first supply of water since we entered upon the journey. It was hidden in a cleft of rocks. "The next day, refreshed, we set out on the few remaining miles to Ghanzi and we laughed and shouted to each other as the three white huts came into view.”