MOTOR AND CYCLE

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1915, Page 11 (Supplement)

MOTOR AND CYCLE

NEWS AND NOTES. English motorists now have to pay 2a per gallon for petrol, of which Cd per gallon goes into the English Exchequer as a petrol tax. French motorists have had to pay this sum for their motor fuel for some time past, whilst in Berlin, if procurable at all, it is more than double the price charged in England. * * » * During the year ending June, 1915, America exported to Australasia motor vehicles to the value of £534,000, this covering some 3186 cars. During the same period motor tyres to the value of £49,000 were imported into Australasia. The figures for car imports show a falling off of £205,000 over those shipper to Australasia in 1914, the imports of American cars totalling 4244 in 1914. • • • • Frank Kramer, who for fourteen years has been champion of America, and one of the finest sprinters the world has produced, uses a gear of 100 inches, which even in these days of high gears is abnormal. It must require immcnsa strength to start a sprint on such, a gear. Zimmerman, the greatest rider ever produced by America, and by many considered the best rider the world ever saw, raced on aO4 gear. That, of course, was in the early 'ninetieSj at a period when most men were using gears of between 70 and 80. • * * • In Hongkong the Chinese love a drive in a motor-car, and the garage propriet--1 ors are kept busy. Quite a small car is considered capable of carrying a dozen or so of passengers. A four-seater, for instance, is loaded up something on the following lines: The grandparents take the rear seat, father and mother sit on their knees, and as many children as possible are piled in over father and mother and on the front seat. Sometimes a child is plated between the driver's knees. Then off they go, but they don't go far, and the passengers laugh and squeal and clap their hands and revel in the amusement they are enjoying at the least possible expense. * * * • Among the chief forms in which the fine 'Russian petroleum reaches the markets of Europe are gasolene, petrol, benzine, paraffin, vaseline, shizoline and benzol, the latter being a very volatile oil and largely used—indeed, almost Indispensable—in the manufacture of rubber, as it is the best rubber solvent yet discovered. Then naphtha and water oil also have important parts to play in other manufactures. This list takes no account of an array of by-produots associated with the petroleum wells, such as sulphur and certain dyes extracted from the mud springs, or mud volcanoes, which are a feature of the oil-spring bearing country in Central Europe. • • • • It is surprising that some effort has not been made by motor-car manufacturers to eliminate or cheek vibration between the car chassis and bodywork. The use of rubber buffers or pneumatic cushions interposed between the chassis and body appears to offer many advantages, for there is little doubt that the insulation of the body would considerably lessen road shock, which in the pre-sent-day car is transmitted from chassis to woodwork of body, and from that to the passengers. Pneumatic cushion suspension of the body appears to offer greatly increased comfort to car occupants. Probably some day motor body builders will pay more attention to the problem of giving increased flexibility between body and chassis. • • * • Motorists will ibe interested to learn that the English War Office has intimated to the principal manufacturers of industrial motor vehicles that it is prepared to release a limited proportion of the output of their factories for filling the requirements of private firms. Certain conditions, however, attach to the permission, chief among which appears to be one requiring the purchaser to furnish evidence that the vehicle or vehicles are required in connection with War Office contracts for the supply of munitions, foodstuffs, and other war necessities. While this concession will not by any means meet the demand for British heavy industrial vehicles, it is, nevertheless, bound to have an easing and reassuring effect upon the situation. • * * • In respect to motor vehicle reliability the war constitutes the greatest test of motors ever run. It Is suggested that the knowledge gained in his direction by the English Government should be collected and made available to the English motor trade witli a view or their taking advantage of same. The lessons learned from a reliability point of view will be invaluable to the English motor industry if proper use is made of the data that should be available, and, considering that many of the leading English car-makers have lost their motor business connection owing to being engaged on War Office work, it would be a slight return by the British Government for the invaluable work rendered by the English motor industry in supplying motors and munitions. The war must have taught many lessons in car construction, and it will be a tremendous loss to the English industry if some effort is not made to take advantage of the knowledge gained. # * • • Details are to hand of the first longdistance motor-car race held on a cement track in America. This took place in September on the new cement speedway at Fort Snclling, Minneapolis. The event, held over a distance of !500 miles, bids fair to rival the classic Indianopolis nice, for no less than £IO,OOO was offered in prize money. The entries, however, numbered only fourteen, but included the bc-st known of the usual participants in these competitions. Apparently America has yet to learn how to build cement tracks. The surface was undulating and full of bumps, notwithstanding the fact that for days before the race men were ranged all round the track endeavoring to level it. Sufficient time had not been allowed for building! and operations were delayed by rain to a large extent. As a consequence unsual mechanical troubles were caused by jumping the "high spots," and only relatively slow speeds were obtained. For the first 100 miles the racing was good, but by the time the 200 th mile was reached, six of the competitors, including Burman (Peugeot), De Palma (Mercedes) and Resta (Peugeot), had withdrawn. The field was then left to the Americans, and the two Stutz cars, which had been running vcrv consistently throughout,, took the lead and maintained it to the end of the race, when their times were almost equal, ' Cooper being only 15 sec. ahead of An- . derson, the driver of the twin car. The winner's average was 86.15 ni.p.li. Of the fourteen cars entered only six finished the course, and not all the money prizes were carried off. No competitor having qualified for any one of them, four remained in the coffers of the speedway treasury