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Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1916, Page 9

•* J ffie'&iiieess'fiil*|!artieii)alßßpHß|| new armored cars or "tanks"' in the Semitic offensive, says the Autocar (lingland) is one that tile motor world may certainly feel great gratification over, as it is not too much "to say that '.lies./ new armored cars and the men handling them represent every phase of automobilism from the motor cycle to the heavy farm tractor. On to this automobile basis has been grafted ths armor and armament of whicli we may say ncthing, though any who have read the account of the behaviour of the machines in actual battle will be able to form their own ideas as to what powers of offense and defence must be necessary. We believe that nothing in the war has created much more widosprad satisfaction, simply because we have something here which is not a copy of German methods. The whole idea is British from its inception to its actual completion and use in battle.

As a peaceful nation our quick adaptations and followings of the enemy have been wonderful, yet necessarily ,ve h.ovo often suffered terribly while working up to copy some device which he had introduced successfully. Now it is felt that we have struck out on lines of our own, and by means of these automobile fortresses have enjoyed for once the full advantages of initiation and preparedness as compared with the previous experiences of copying and belatedness.

Obviously the armored car is but a development of the armored train, the use of which dates back more than a quarter of a century. True, there is a vital difference between the train running on rails and the armored machine working over fields, shell craters, trenches and other obstacles. One runs on rails, and the other has, in effect, to lay its railway as it goes. We mention the armored train because we have noticed that discussions are already rifo as to 7 whom originally suggested the armored car, and it is stated in many quarters that .Mr. M. (J. Wells, the famous semi-seer novelist, was the first to v.iggest it in one of his tales. Very probably lie was, though it appears to us that the most remarkable thing about the armored car is not that it has been successful in its latest form, but that the land battleship had not been previously tried, more particularly by our' enemies, as a few years ago Bernhanli. in one of his books, dealing with the biological necessity for war, or some other congenial subject, specifically mentioned tbe battleship as the ideal fighting machine, pointing out that 't was far in advance of land battle tackle, inasmuch as it provided the niaximuta properties of offence and defence with a minimum number of men. This, of course, was quite right, as to a large extent there is no getting away from tbe fact that modern warfare has largely developed into a question of the maximum of destruction with the minimum of man-power. However this may be, there is no question that the automobile has again shown its possibilities in warfare. We have scarcely yet realised its importance'in the air service, and the transport, and now there is a new form of usefulness for it in the battle line if,self. Oi)'e may well ask vhore is the tendon r to stop. Are the present ''tanks" i 'die succeeded by still uTeator moving f resses, still more heavily armed and a Tired? What, so to speak, is the land as compared with the sea limit? , Statistics to liand f .in America show that there lias bee a an increase of 50S.ti7 r 7 motci-ears in ~!it country since January 1, 11)10, m ,ing a total of 3,000.000 cars now in t se in the Tinted States. The increase represents about 21 per cent., and the'year's figures are not yet Complete. Despite the colossal home sales, America Mill bad thousands of cars available for export, and for the 1-2 months ending .June, 19HS, .£20,475,710 worth of motor vehicles were ship, ned to wirious parts of the world. Thi' possibility of improving the efficiency of the four-cyliider motor-ear engine has of late received considerable attention from the American Society of Automobile Engineers. From the discussion of two papers recently read before the society the following is quoted from the point of view of general interest:—"lloth tbe papers read show that the tour-cylinder engine has a higher thermal efficiency, and is, therefore, the engine that should ho most extensively used. An engine with a greater number of cylinders has, on the other band, a more uniform torque and a better running balance; it allows driving at low speeds without jerks and «uch frequent gear change All vibrations can be decreased better in engines of a larger number of cylinders than in four-cylinder engines. On account oT tbe increased cost of fuel, economy is most important, and therefore the greatest field for the future is to in-i-iease the thermal efficiency. The greater the number of cylinders the greater Hie jacket area exposed to the hot gases, and the greater are the heat losses. For instance, a six-cylinder has approximately 20 per cent, more area exposed to the cooling water than a four-cylinder engine, and in practice uses somewhere about 10 and lfi ( per cent, more fuel. However, even in a four-cylinder engine the losses are enormous, and some means that may prove a basis for future development may be described. Since piston speeds as .high ticable, whereas some years ago WOOft w,i> considered tbe limit, tbe combustion chamber can be kept at a much higher temperature wffiiout danger of pro-ignition, lint oil will-carbonise at higher temperatures, thus rendering its lubricating qualities defective and the running of the engine impracticable. Only the part of the cylinder below the combustion chamber might be provided with a water jacket, so as to cool flic portion requiring lubrication, while at the -ame time allowing the combustion chamber to have a higher temperature. The '-ylinder head could be bolted to the cylinder and asbestos packing or some other non-conductor placed between them. To get the best results the piston rings should be fitted lower down on the piston so as to increase the portion of the cylinder that could be maintained at a higher temperature. The cylinder bead could be bolted to the cylinder, and asbestos packing or some ether non-conductor placed between them. To get the best results the piston rings should be fitted lower down on the piston so as to increase the portion of the cylinder that could be maintained at a higher temperature. The temperature of the combustion chamber wall might be still further reduced by lining it with some material substantially impervious to heat. A higher engine speed, as previously mentioned, would greatly assist in overcoming preignition. In order to keep the mixture cool, it might be advantageous to compress it outside the cylinder, and admit it through large valveijj into the cylinder,*

by tending to lower the mixture temperatures. On the compi ession stroke, ot course, tiie temperature will again he raised. This, with the increased engine „pced, might make it possible to have the combustion chamber wall at a much higher temperature, thereby obtaining a higher thermal efficiency."" Owing to the limitation of petrol supplies in Kngiaml, motorists are in. a quandary as to the best means of obtaining motive power. Many motor cyclists have come to use .paraffin, in various stages of dilution with petrol; ether-, again, are running on fullstrength paraffin. To get the best results from the use of this heavy grade fuel, two carburetters are fitted, connecting .villi the induction pipe. One runs on petrol, carried in the usual oil section of the tank, whilst the second carburetter is connected with the kerosene supply in the main tank. The machine is started and run for a few hundred yards on petrol, when the lighter fuel is cut out, and the kerosene carburetter put in operation. It is said that this idea works well, there being no need of hot air intake, or any heating of paraffin or vaporising arrangement when running on the heavy fuel. Extra air has, of course, to be used. For lubricating purposes a small spare tank is affixed to the machine. With this combination in operation a big mileage per gallon is obtained. There are now so many motors on the American roads that car thieving is becoming very .prevalent. Tn Chicago alone nearly WOO ears have been reported as stolen from January I to August, and, as a consequence, the insurance companies are contemplating raising rates as a result of the thefts.