MOTOR AND CYCLE

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1916, Page 11

MOTOR AND CYCLE

NEWS AND .VOTES. Soapsuds with a little kerosene will take spatters of tar from roadways off the body or fenders of a car. A good dust eover for the rear seat is made of a piece of grey cambric fastened in place to the top of the seat back and sloping to the front edge of the seat cushion. When passed by a car winch obscures your view with clouds of d-jst, do not pui] across the road to yon- for.rnev position, but continue onit'iuiMy, well into the side of the road, and at tin. same time hoot violently. The necessity of driving in England without lights in any strategic area is resulting in many motorists discovering that they are able to see quite v -'I in the dark. The use of small lamps always has the effect of making the darkness more intense, and much safer progress can usually be made without lights at all. There has been much favorable comment on the Thomas transmission rail car, the new type of petrol-driven .coach liieh is being assembled in the Petone workshops for the New Zealand railways. Its chief mechanical feature is the method of transmission, which is partly mechanical and partly electrical, and is said to eliminate all losses during 90 per cent, of the distance travelled. When completed, the Thomas ear will convey about fifty passengers, besides hauling a trailer. Interesting proof of the great improvements effected in the manufacture of motor tyres are the big mileages frequently recorded. An instance of gpod service is just reported by the Rev. Henry Worrall (Victoria), who over two years ago purchased a 2%-h.p. machine shod with 2G x 2Vi tyres. Up to date the same covers are still in use, never having been changed even from back to front, and they have covered over 11,000 miles. During the period in use the front tube has not been punctured. Thirteen years ago Lord Kitchener made a motor tour on an early model of ft motor car through his native county of Suffolk, when he was presented with the Freedom of Ipswk.li shortly after his return from South Africa. Sreat precautions were made throughout the country, and a vociferous welcome was accorded to Lord Kitchener through the gaily decorated towns and villages he passed. The prearranged time-table was kept to the minute, a then unusual occurrence, and worthy of special mention. The last thirteen years have wrougtit little change in Lord Kitriiener, but there is practically no resemblance to that early car and its progeny of to-day. This was probably one of Lord Kitchener's first experiences of motoring, and maybe his early impressions of the car helped in no small measure to influence his encouragement of motor traction for military purposes.