MOTORING NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 14, 18 June 1920, Page 14

MOTORING NOTES.

NEW MOTOR-CYCLE HORN. With the idea of operating a horn w| ou\ having to remove the hands from jjj handle-bar, an English firm has patentej a device that is intended to embo ty two bulbs in kiie&pads, from which rubhet - pipes are carried to a Y connection, thence by a single pipe to the reed. Tha advantages of such a horn, if properly controllable, would be approximate to those of an electric horn, and it should' meet with a ready demand. TEACHING DRIYING. None of us lika to, risk losing a fevj teeth off the gear-wh.eel when teaching; othej-s tc> drive, and a very easy way of overcoming this is to seat the pupil in 'j the car, jack up one of the ba'ck vkels, secureiy scotch the other, and theu, hw- J ing discoursed learnedly on the rudimnV i ary idea of gear changing, start the engine ] and allow him or her to practise changing ■ up and down until conversant with the j position of the lever for the various ratios j and also with the general feel of the con- j fcrols. It is usually found that the steering oi a car comes naturally to e very one, and it is only the gear changing that presenie j any difficulties. With the wheel jaclrflf 1 up and the hand brake half on, road* 1 ditions are practically reproduced andfc j inertia of the single wheel is not sufficieit : to cause any damage to the gears when » ^ dud change is made. NEW SOURCE OF ALCOHOL. J Much attention has been given in rec«M years to the question of manufacte®/ J alcohol within the Empire for nse ® m mctor spirit. In the current mimbei # | tlu "Bulletin" of the Imperial Insfita j the possibility of utilising the mowradoj ers of India for the purpose is disc ■j These flowers possess thick, juicy f j riiTi in sugax. They are used by _ j natives as a foodstuff and especially ^1 tht. prepiaration by fermentation 0 j alcoholic liquor called daau or ®n ■ spirit. A single tree will yie^ as "J as 200-3001b of flowers in a year. V the war the flowers were used in In ^ j tlia production of acetone, an quantities of the flowers would « ^ J abl > for the manufacture of ako 1 would appear to be exceptiona j |S source of this material as the y®^ 1 high compared with that i1'01" ^ and other materials eommonly ^ 90 gallons or . 95 per cent. obtainable from one ton of ['e Qjtfk t has been estimated that in t ® Jt bad S'tate alone there are ] cient mowra trees for the pr0 jn-j 7,000,000 gallons of Proof spl" {or num, in addition to that necess J-oeal liquor requirements.