CYCLING AND MOTORING.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1917, Page 7

CYCLING AND MOTORING.

NEWS AND NOTES. The French automobile trade, it appears, is divided as to its policy after the war. One of the suggestions is the formation of a big syndicate to construct & eheap car in large numbers, so &s fc# compete with the American productions, en which a heavy import duty will have to be paid. The car would be designed to appeal to French taste. Another section of the trade, however, disapprove of any imitation of American methods, and consider that the j quantity car should be left to the American while France concentrates on quality. The same question has bean discussed in Great Britain; but meanwhile the AmericaV cheap cars are improving in quality, and unless something is done to compete with them the demand will be greatly increased after the war, to the detriment of the British automobile trade throughout the Empire. One of the features of the recently held New York motor show was the grtater approximation to British lines observable in many of the cars exhibited. The bodies are now lower, are of streamline formation, and are fitted with tapered bonnets and dash. The radiators are also narrower and higher, and there is a definite improvement in the body work. Some excellent value is being offered in comparatively light cars, most of which, we may add, are fitted with quite substantial engines. The Saxon, for example, is being sold in America for £lO-1, and the engine measures 70 x 102 mm.; the Monroe is £ll9, with an engine measuring 76 x 114, the ScrippsBooth, at £173, with an engine measuring 76 x 108. The Maxwell is £125, and measures 92 x 114, and the Briscoe £145, measuring 79 x 130. All these are four-cylinder cars, awl, of course, are listed considerably higher in this country. It is reported that the Ford Motor Co. has purchased from the United States Steel Corporation sufficient material for the construction of 1,000,000 cars during the 1917 fiscal year of the Ford Com° pany. This is almost double the production for 1916, when 533,921 cars were turned out, and is more than twice as much as the Ford company has turned out in 12 years up to !!)15, In the 13 years of its existence it has turned out 1,406,997 cars.

The greatest production Was reached in 1910, the number of cars produced this year being 225,708 more than for 1015, which in turn exceeded the 1914 output by 69,906 cars. The daily average output in 1918, based oa 300 working days, was 1816 cars.

There is a very general opinion that at some remote date (lying will be as simple as motoring, and no more expensive; possibly even cheaper. This is not- an unnatural belief, and it is quite possible, nay probable, that one day it will be realised, but there is a great deal.to be done before flying can become reasonably inexpensive. Omitting sucli factors as landing ground, housing, an;l service charges, because these undouolcdly would be eventually quite reasonable, it is more to the point to turn to the basic factor of power. What is not lealised is* that the speed of an aeroplane, which is its essential and necessary virtue is obtained by an altogether extravagant output of power, and consequently of fuel. Tlie flying machine starts with a handicap on the score of efficiency, equivalent to an adverse gradient of approximately seven to eight per. cent. Hence the speed of aerial flight is promoted by no economic considerations but rather l?y questions of expediency. In other words, it has to be lealised that flight cannot compare with the older methods of locomotion on the score of economy, and it therefore hft3 to justify itself on other grounds, such as speed or ability to traverse roadless areas. It will be understood that no reference is intended to aeroplanes for war purposes; in uat domain their indispensahility is proved beyond question of doubt. The thing that we are trying to bring home to our readers, even if they live in the open country, is that, so far as can be seen at present, they will have to wait a verv long time before they can jump into their aeroplane and be off and away at a moment's notice, just as they would with their motor car, and still longer will they have to wait till they can do this if tliey live in urban areas.