MOTOR AND CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 140, 6 November 1914, Page 7

MOTOR AND CYCLE.

Another movement has entered the American motor-car field, namely, the eight cylinder one, which gives promise of creating much discussion m the I'nited States during the next few years. This movement is not new in the motor world. It is nearly six years since De Dion brought out his first eight-cylinder i:iotor, which design it has been manufacturing and marketing for passenger rar work ever Bince. While this leading French maker has been a consistent exponent of eight-cylinder design, practically no other foreign maker has taken it up; but suddenly America has entered the arena, and the Cadillac company has decided to make an eight.cylindcr model its standard car. for 11)15, whilst half a dozen other prominent American ear manufacturers have been experimenting with "eights" during the past few months.

Motor tyre prices in America, which jumped from 10 to 15 per cent when war broke out, have now gone to nearly normal again.

.It i 3 now up to the motorists of Australia and New Zealand to see that the British motor industry in future receives their support. English made cars and snndries stand unequalled for quality and workmanship throughout the world, and from now on the slogan of 'Australasian motorists should be "bar made in Germany and Austria." Cut out purchasing magnetos, lighting sets, tyres or any other parts or accessories made in Germany or Austria. Motorists should be whole-hearted in this, and see that England gets her share of the motor car trade that has in the past gone into foreign channels. As regards tyres, there are none better than those now made in England and Australia. See that your support is given to Brit-ish-made goods. Common-sense and your patriotism demand it.

The motor-cycle side-car, now so pop- ! ular for carrying an extra passenger, is now used very considerably in a lighter form by many cyclists in England for the carrying of juvenile passengers. On good roads, two children can easily be carried in aside car without much extra exertion by a cyclist. The average weight of carrier used is from 13 to 201b5., and the cost of the outfit is small.

Writing of the work done by cyclists in the war, an English war correspondent at the front states that they "may be almost said to have scored a triumph!" He adds that "the commander of a force I that embodies one or more cyclist battalions has an enormous advantage in possession of the quickest known striking weapon."

Of the English, Belgium, and French cyclists he speaks in the highest tcrmß, but the Germans he considers "typically Teutonic," and of less value than foot soldiers. He maintains that they have rendered cavalry more efficient by relieving them of a host of tedious duties involving a terrible wastage of horseflesh. ."The spirit of military cycling," he says, "is essentially a twentieth cen. turv. development. It is the personification of a mechanical machine callable of working continuously at high speed, while allowing every man to retain his individuality."

"The old spirit of the light cavalry, the quick-moving troops for raiding, aiid the unexpected seizure of strategic points, the swift descent of lines of com-. munication, or a destructive rearguard action, causing the enemy to deploy and lose time capturing position after position, only to find that the defending troops have retruated to take up another fine position further back, wh it'll will necessitate the sanirt measures being ; taken over again that is' now all part lof the work of a cyclist battalion."

Some interesting particulars are sup- ' plied by an English motorist who followed along the route from Boulogne taken by the motor transport of the English Army in France:—"Upon overtaking the Motor Transport, we visited their camp, and found a collection of motor vehicles, probably unique in the history of motordom. Imagine a broad avenue more than a mile in Jength, with a central roadway of unusual width, two side rows, six rows of trees, and four paths. The central road was left free for the movement of the lorries.. The broad grassy space between it and the side roads was used as a parking ground, the thick trees giving welcome protection for tlie men, Every type of motor vehicle, from traction engine to motor cycle was represented; and they were from every town in England. A certain number of the vehicles were manufacturers' stocks; tin- majority had been requisitioned from owners and had come away with all their iXvertisment matter on them. They, were roiri Manchester, Liverpool, 'nhiKgow, Perth, T-eeds, Keswick, Kcwcastle, Conway, Edinburgh, Kingston. Nottingham, and Bradford. We cannot say how many motor vehicles have been sent out with the British Expeditionary Army, but at this centre alone there were hundreds, and the total certainly runs into several thousands. As one examined this fleet, one could not but be impressed with the magnitude of the task of sending an armed fo--ce. abroad. We had plenty of opportunities of examining the detail work of the Army Servieo Corps, to which these motor lorries naturally belong, and can only say that it is admirable. The men are magnificent; their equipment is excellent, and the general organisation shows : , well thought out scheme executed to the letter.'

It was a strange scene in that avenue on the outskirts of tin- old city. Mechanics were lubricating their vehicles, Cleaning out carbureters, ■examining plugs, making adjustments. In one of the side avenues a score of traction engines were lined up. A little further on three well-equipped travelling workshops were Imsily engaged in preparing the vehicles tlint hud heen towed home, the previous evening. The workshops are- big high-wheeled waggons either open or closed at will, containing a lathe, band saws, forge and tools, the power being generated in a siiHecylmder motor placed behind the -.rag. gon and having a belt connection with a dynamo or to shafting. A few vnrds away stood a group of motor cycles in ! charge of a sergeant. They are used! as escorts to the motor convoys running I backwards and forwards along the line I keeping in touch with the leaders as with the laggards. ' |

The motor, vehicles were shipped at various ports in Knglaud. and sent, to different ports on the French coast. From these towns they travelled eastward to the headquarter towns, from which they move forward regularly with ammunition and food for the fMiting

line. Everything necessary has been .brought with the army.' The motor vehicles have their owti petrol and oil supply, quite independent of that needed by the French vehicles. They have their own food supply. Live cattle have been carried through on military trains; ships with frozen meat lie in the various ports, and are replaced by fresh vessels as soon as the stock has become exhausted.

, Quite a number of accidents occur on the road through unwise people look- ! ing back. It is one of the tenets of the skilled motorist's code of behaviour that to look back when the sound of a horn is' heard is undignified, and he keeps his watch out ahead, whilst pulling over to allow the following car to overtake if its driver so desires. Apart from the question of appearance, the practice of looking back is undesirable, for it leads to swerving and consequent accidents. Cyclists are bad sinners in this respect, and motorists who are overtaking cyclists should exercise special care when they see a rider looking back, for it is almost a foregone conclusion that he will swerve, possibly into the track of the car. Motorists at least, the unskilled ones, sometimes allow roadside scenes to attract their notice, and transfer their attention from the road with unpleasant and sometimes disastrous results. It behoves all road users to refrain from looking back. To systematically follow the rule of the road, and give way to faster overtaking traffic, is a far safer and more (Consistent and common.sensi? procedure, j