CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1916, Page 7

CYCLING AND MOTORING.

XEWS AXI) XOTKS. H is stated that there arc now about CO.fliM) motor vehicles of all kinds 011 tin; Allied front, l-'or heavy traction work, the S'/o-ton truck lias proved the most successful. A somewhat .sensational attraction which was 'Worked as a feature of the Spokane (U.S.A.) Motor Show, licld recently, com|)rised a head-on collision hetwecn ail Oldsmobile and a .Studebaker at miies Jier hour. The cars were .started oil' 011 their own account and the result awaited. Both cars were considerably smashed forward, though, judging from the photograph, not so much as might be expected. TheY both caught lire, however, and this presumably gave an ample spectacular effect to satisfy sensation seekers. It has been unotticially stated in England that the recent advance of the Allies 011 the Somme front means an increased 'weekly consumption of over 1,00U,<1()0 gallons of petrol. If this is so, then gigantic supplies of motor fuel v.'ill be needed later on when the present lines-are pushed back nearer tile Herman frontier. With a view to building up the necessary reserves, it is anticipated that English motorists will have their supplies of' petrol reduced by the Hriti>h Government fully 70 per cent. Many doctors with large country practices have already had their supplies cut down to '2o gallons a month, whilst motorists in general are a long way worse oil'. The writer watched a motor taxidriver struggle with a stack detachable wire wheel for fully half-an-hour one night recently. Want of a little grease caused all the trouble. Every motorist and driver who handles a car fitted .with detachable wheels should make a point of removing them every 1000 miles or Po and to grease the hubs well. If you do not, you are likely to have a lot of trouble tile next time you have to remove one, preparatory to replacement with the extra ivlieel. After the studs or locking devices have been removed, detachable wheel? ought to come oil' like "greased lightning," but they will not do so unless you provide the greass liberally and frequently. If rusted up, removal is a fearsome job—worse than removal of a stubborn cover—and as water ju rainy or muddy weather readily finds its way into the "works" occasional attention is absolutely necessary. If a wheel does stick, there are one or two tips for its removal. The wheel will generally come oil' more easily if it is simultaneously pulled outwards and upwards—not straight outwards. Tf it is a back wheel, insert a tyre lever in the crack between the brake drum and the hub, and hammer it, with the idea of using the tyre lever as a lever, thus forcing the wheel oil'. Paraffin, applied to the studs and the axle, loosens rust and grit, and makes a sturdy pull effectual. If. after removal of the locking rings, releasing catches, etc., you take :)li the brass axle cap and hammer on the end ol' the axle proper (preferably interposing something to receive the direct impact of the 'blows), the wheel will often spring towards von. (The wheel must, of course, have been previously jacked up oil' the ground). Rut all this trouble can be avoided with certainty by the occasional use of a little grease.

Speculation .as to what will happen after the war in connection with the huge army of motor drivers gives plenty of scope for the imaginative (says an English writer). There is one. change which it is very easy to forecast, namely, the lessoned importance of the professional car driver. This will not be brought about by the decreased number of cars for general and purely business purposes, but by the enormous increase in the number of persons who have 'become motorists during the war period. If I were beginning my career and looking for a suitable employment, the last I should be inclined to take up would be that of professional chauffeur. It is not so many years ago that the trained professional driver was a man whose susceptibilities had to be carefully considered; he was generally rated a good many degrees higher than a mere coachman, and was inclined to place himself in an entirely different category. One of the truths that the war iias forced home is that no special intelligence is required to drive and look after a modern car. During the past two or three months I have spent a fair amount of time in those military circles where raw recruits are being transformed into skilled lorry and touring-car drivers. This experience has shown that with an intelligent system of instruction any man can become a good driver in three weeks, and that two months' constant training are sufficient to make the average man a really clever driver of a fast touring ear. The greatest difficulty is to train men for fast road work; in this section there are many failures among men over .3(1 years of age. But f>r commercial vehicles, small and slow cars, it is found that failure among men without previous knowledge of motoring and with no apparent natural aptitude are not more than 1 per cent. Not very much has been said about the fact, but it is nevertheless known that the Army has been training unskilled men into drivers by the thousand. This; ivas inevitable in view of the great increase in our armed forces. Xor has the movement been confined to our ouwi country; every nation at war has been increasing its number of motor drivers, and when the end of this war comes it will liiul Europe with an imnicasura'bly greater number of experienced drivers than it possessed in the middle of 11)14. Hundreds of these newcomers to motordom will be tempted when released from the Army to change from their former employment to the apparently pleasing profession of ehaur'eiii. The close corporation of drivers will become an open one, and the wages and professional standing of drivels will fall. It is quite easy to sec that professional drivers are likely to be divided into two distinct classes—the super-chauffeur and the ordinary driver. The latter will be able to drive, change tyres, screw down grease cups, maintain the oil level, etc.. but will not be expected to know any more about the detailed structure of a car than an under-groom usually knows about the anatomy of a horse. I'iie super-chaull'cur, who will be a \ really good mechanic, will lind a limited liehl of usefulness, for 1 cannot see that men of that type, will be needed except 'v very rich persons owning a number of cars. Most owners will be quite satisfied to employ a men' driver who does not claim to be a mechanic, but who can, as events are now proving, look after a car with every success.