MOTOR AND CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1920, Page 9 (Supplement)

MOTOR AND CYCLE.

NEWS AND NOTES. 20th Nov. 1920. A very interesting booklet has come to hand dealing with the "Alt of Driving a Motor-cycle." It is one of the series published by the Temple Press Ltd., London, and is a manual that deals with the actual driving of the machine on the road. It is one thing to own a motor-cycle, but it is quite a different 'thing to handle it properly, safely, and efficiently. Several handbooks are published for the use of the motor-cyclist telling him how the machine is operated, but the publication under notice is the only one which deals exclusively with the art of driving. The whole subject is dealt with exhaustively in the simplest language, assisted by clear illustrations and diagrams. The veriest novice, after a study of this handbook, will be able to operate his machine intelligently, requiring then only the necessary road experience in order to make him an expert driver. The expert rider can also obtain much valuable information from it. The booklet should be in the hands of every motorcyclist, actual and prospective. Touching on the importance of road transport, the opinion expressed by Sir Raymond Dennis (managing director of a large firm of motor lorry builders in England, now on a visit to Australia, are interesting. As a transportation expert, Sir Raymond is impressed with the great, importance of good roads and mechanical transport in the development of a country. "If I were to give you a motto," he said to a reporter, "it would be roads and transport. Your great spaces cannot, be filled up and turned to ' the best account until linked together, and finally made eat>ily| find rapidly accessible to the centres 'of distribution. With better roads motor service might be established where railway communication is lacking. There is no need to let a place languish beyond the terminus of the railway; link it up with a good road and motor service." His firm (Messrs Dennis Bros. Ltd., of Guildford, England), supplied to the military authorities 7,000 motor lorries of the War Office subsidy model, and the vast experience gained proved helpful in designing the %-ton and 2-ton models now being marketed. Tn almost all of the Australian Stales the authorities are inclined to make much of the traffic problem, and frame and put into operation all sorts of restrictive regulations without co-ordina-ting their efforts. If some people had their way they would limit the pace of the motor vehicle to that of the horfie; indeed far too many of the regulations drafted are based on conditions suitable for horse drawn vehicles; they cannot realise that the superior speed of the automobile is its chief attribute, and if it were restricted to the rate of travel of the animal, it would not be worth having, nor would we be progressing. We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that were it not for the motor the city streets' would by now be in a sad state of congestion', for if every motor were suddenly replaced by horsed vehicles giving the' saim' capacity and efficiency, there would be at least twice as many vehicles in the thoroughfares as now. If. traffic is a problem in our large cities, how should wc shape were we to. attempt to regulate that in London, New York, Chicago and other busy centres?

In several American pities they are planning to cope with the still increasing volume of vehicular traffic. The Scientific American believes that of all the suggested plans for relief, none would be so immediately effective as the i double-decking of the few of the moat congested arteries of travel. Chicago is satisfied that double-decking is practical, and it is going to carry out a wort of this character, for in addition to separating fast and slow traffic and increasing traffic capacity, there are other advantages secured in the way of providing packing accommodation'for automobiles, and facilitating the delivery of freight and goods to adjacent buildings on two levels.- All heavy motor waggons, trams and horse drawn vehicles will be confined to the lower level, the upper deck being reserved for light motor vans and automobiles, the centre, an arrangement that would greatly increase the number of people who' iwe their cars to reach business. The double decking of a street would immediately perhaps more than double, its earryin"' capacity, since it would not only double the number of foot passengers and vehicles that could comfortably make use of it,/but because of the greater fluidity of this traffic there" would be a resulting increase in the number of people and vehicles that could pass a given point in any period of time on each level.

If. we may judge from the expressed opinio.;, of Mr. Sydney Stott, president of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, on his return from an extended trip to America, the automobile clubs and Associations in the States are far more active than are theJcindred bodies m the Commonwealth. Due, possibly to the wide use of the automobile in almost all parts of America, the clubs' activities there are centred upon motoring Bafer, more interesting, and as economical as possible, which, no doubt is contributory in itself to the greater 'expansion of the use of the automobile. Mr. Stott, as president of the R.ACV was enabled to obtain first hand in' formation respecting the, working of the clubs in America, and while ou his travels made it his business to see how matters were conducted. The result is that he has formulated a list containing a number of suggestions, first to be considered by the committee, and those approved of to be submitted to the. members, who will be asked to express their opinion as a guide to the committee. Although directly addressed to the members of the Victorian club, They nevertheless arc worth submitting to those of all automobile clubs in the Commonwealth, so far as they apply. Without enumerating the whole of' the sug-gestions-there are 21 in all—a few of I the more important will enable those who read to forth an idea of the chancre, or developments sought. Mr. Stott believes that good would result were members called together more frequently; that there is need for a stove-house or garage for cars of members and those of visiting tourists, for which a charge being made, should pay for itself; that there should be proxy or postal votfnso that members unable to attend meet' ings could have some little say in the [affairs of the club; that, as the' financial ■returns from a well organised tourin" department are very arcat, but which branch is comparatively neglected, members be given an opportunity to say If they are in favor of an extension of' tin. •louring branch, so that members could get the fullest apd latest information respecting roads,' hotels, gara»es etc Dealing further with the Tburiiig'question, one of the items reads:—"ft is estimated that the club" loses hundreds and the State thousands, of pounds an-

nually, which would be spent by visiting motorists, if attracted here (to say nothing of the large sum of money which would be\ retained here were" our own j touring localities made better known and more easily accessible.) Therefore, are you in favor of the club doing all it can to obtain a subsidy to the touring department of the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria from the. Government so that tourists be attracted from other States and countries J" It also is suggested that the National Roads Association of Australia be more strongly supported than at present in its educational campaign of giving lectures and showing road-building films throughout the country; and tlvt the Government be approached to give an annual subsidy for the maintenance of main roa;:s and interstate highways, as is done in Canada, which gives 40 per cent., and in thei United States, which gives 00 per cent, to the cost of these important avenues.

As an instance of the fact that traffic follows a good roa3 'is the result of a count of vehicles which passed through Werribee a town 20 miles along the Geelong road from Melbourne, when 83 ordinary vehicles and 193 motors were checked in five days during the currency of the Melbourne Cup meeting. Only 10 of the motors were locally owned, while 61 of the ordinarv vehicles were used by residents; that'is to sav, IS3 motors and 22 horse drawn vehicles were attracted-drawn from other parts of the country—from which Werribee and district would be sure to benefit, either directly or indirectly. It mav be mentioned that t not more than 'five years ago the Geelong road was shunned bv motorists, who used it only compelled by circumstances to do so." If we may judge from the results of several important motor competitions recently held in Europe, the two-stroke type of engine is gradually demonstrating its efficiency and reliability. In addition to winning the teams' prbe in the English 'Six Day? Trials, a mamachin.fi with this type of engine won the Grand Prix cycle-car race over the Urthe (France) circuit. At the same time it is admitted that the two-stroke requires more careful sndv and design than does the average four-stroke engine, especially since there is a regrettable lack of data with regard to many vital points. Its faults are outweighed by its advantages, chief amongst which may be placed its high power output at a low rate of revolution, its even torque, and the fact that it is an easy manufacturing proposition when once the design has finally been decided upon. Its ciiief disadvantage—high fuel consumption—will be overcome,' or at ■ east mitigated, by further research and experiment. Other defects are comparative noisiness and occasional irregular nrmg.

The steam driven car is not yet defunct, although for years very- little has been heard of it. This year it will he introduced and placed on the- British market, the type of ear bein<* the well known Stanley. For 22 years this "steamer" has e.vistcd, and been sold m the face of great opposition, the sales always being greater in the United States than in Europe. To the old tm.e engineer the history of the steampropelled ear i„ the world of automonilism lias been one little short of a tragedy. Beginning well, so well that vehicles such as the Serpollet proved marvellously efficient, the steam car gradually fell out of the competition not because its general principle was faulty, but because the cars placed on the market were constructed without regard for the lessons already mastered by locomotive builders. Steam has certain great advantages, chief of which is that the horsepower of the engine does not depend on piston speed, a fact better realised when a test of a steam-car showed that the engine may be geared up, yet he able to start the car on any gradient upon which the wheels will hold. '