GUN CARRIAGES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 31 March 1941, Page 6

GUN CARRIAGES

Q, USE OF PNEUMATIC TYRES. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENTERPRISE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. In addition to other activities the Public Works Department .has undertaken the work of converting certain types of artillery to pneumatic tyres. That work has now been completed with eminently successful results, the speed of guns, for transport to places where they might be required, having been pushed from about five miles to forty miles or more an hour. The tyres used are of the ordinary commercial sizes, eight to a gun. so that five tyres would have to be punctured before a gun would be crippled for transport purposes. The wheels are so designed that they can be pivoted to enable the carriage to become a turntable for the gun, which can be revolved on its pneumatic tyres,-to fire in any direction. Reports are that the conversion has proved highly satisfactory. enabling guns to be rushed to certain points in a very short space of time. As with tanks, gun experiments wore conducted at Temuka under the supervision of the District Public Works engineer. Mr Beckl Other guns are now being converted at Wellington. Discussing the work on the guns. Mr Semple said this morning that the conversion of sixty-pounders had arisen from a Visit he had paid to Hamilton. where he saw guns being man-' oeuvred on old-fashioned wheels. He and Mr Beck consulted and came to the conclusion that the guns could be converted to pneumatic.