CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1916, Page 7

CYCLING AND MOTORING.

NEWS AND NOTES. Motorists in this part of the world are better off for motor fuel, despite its present price, than car and motor-cycle owners in England. Owing to the liuge demands for petrol at the front, and the necessity for husbanding supplies in England, a system of petrol permit licenses is to be introduced in Great Britain. A draft of the proposed regulations is interesting:—With the exception of doctors, veterinary surgeons and users of commercial vehicles, who are to be totally exempt from the new tax of 0d per gallon, all consumers can only obtain spirit under a system of permits as set in the following regulations: (1) A person shall not obtain or attempt to obtain a supply of motor spirit unless he is the holder of a license for the time being in force under this section, or in excess of the amount with which he is authorised to be supplied by license; (2) a person shall not supply motor spirit to a person unless lie is the holder of a license for the time being in force under this section, or in excess of the amount authorised to be supplied by the license; (3) a person supplying motor spirit shall, in such manner as may be directed by the regulations made under this section, enter on the license of the person supplied the name and address of the supplier, the amount supplied, and the date on which it was supplied; (4) a person shall not use motor spirit with which he is authorised to be supplied for any special purpose by his license for any other purpose; (5) if any person acts in contravention of or fails to comply with any provision of this section or makes any entry on a license which is false in any material particular, he shall be liable to an Excise penalty of £IOO. After an application of less than two months, France has abandoned the total prohibition of motor imports, and has imposed a duty of 70 per cent, on the value of all motor vehicles up .to 2'/» tons in weight. Such a duty is practically equivalent to the continuance of the prohibition, and as long as it is applied will serve to keep all touring vehicles oft' the French market. The. feature of the new law is tlri vehicles weighing more than 2'/ ; tons will be admitted at the old rates, which are equivalent to about 10 per cent, of the value. This will satisfy those manufacturers who are in need of motor lorries either in connection with private business or for the execution of Government contracts, and are unable to get these lorries from the French motor factories. While the free entry of touring cars into France might have been considered a danger for the home manufacturers, the introduction of lorries during the war period will not cause them uneasiness. French-made lorries compare favorably in price with those of American construction, while the army subsidy scheme, which only applies to French vehicles, will always give the home manufacturer an advantage over a foreign rival. Nearly eleven thousand miles have been covered on the Sheepshead track, New York, by an American eight-cylinder car in two weeks. The object of the test was to run the car continuously without an engine stop for the full fortnight at an average speed of about 32 miles per hour, and the cfl'ort was successful. The actual mileage negotiated was 10,851), of which 200 miles was coved on the road. During the course of the run, 100 stops were made for petrol supplies, etc., whilst drivers or mechanics were changed on 09 occasions. One of the features of the trial was the fact that the car averaged 1172 miles to a gallon of lubricating oil. Excluding stops, the speed maintained averaged over 34 m.p.h. The engine was never stopped right through the test. Experience with motor-cycle side-cars fitted with screens shows that only when the screen is placed close in front of the passenger and, not some distance away can anything like satisfactory results be obtained. Where there is a big space between the occupant of the sidecar and the screen, the former is subjected to inconvenience through draught, and in cold weather especially there is considerable risk attending the use of the appliance. Where, on the other hand, the screen is of the pattern which is connected with the door and arranged to move with it, to allow of the passenger entering and leaving the ear, the screen then being closer to the seat, this inconvenience is largely removed, although even then it is not entirely absent in many eases. What is really needed to ensure against discomfort of this kind is a wing or wings hinged to the main screen and adjustable to the required angle. As a rule the draught is most noticeable on the side next the motor-cycle, where the current of air is induced or forced to pass between the two component, parts of the vehicle as it were through a channel. It is often found that the addition of a wing on this side only entirely removes the trouble, but unless fitted on both sides it gives the screen, a one-sided experience, and tends to spoil the look of the combination as a whole. Cycling for pleasure has now been prohibited all over Germany as well as in Berlin. It is announced that the bicycles of offenders will be confiscated. The new decree has caused much dissatisfaction among the working classes. It is stated that the order will shortly be followed by confiscation of bicycle tyres in the case of all owners who cannot obtain a license according to the merits of each case. They will, for instance, alllow brain-workers to ride their bicycles I on Sundays, but will not give the same permission to people engaged in manual labor.