THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11Tя 1928
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Puost: C. 1921,
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The Asintie Petroleum Co. 18.D.) 196
Lincorporated in Enghod)
(Shel
SOCONY
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AND
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[A.P.B.]
Motoring Notes:
A Weekly
Review dealing with matters of interest to all local motorists.-Concerning Chauffeurs-A New Battery.
[BY AN OWNER-DRIVER-]
The wages paid to local chauffeurs is often a subject of comment, especially amongst the
owners who employ them.
CAT
Fifty dollars a month seems to be the
minimum wage.
It is said that some Indian chauffeurs receive as much as 8100 a month, but the maximum salary' that can be vouched for by the writer is 60 a month. In that case there warn three big ears to look after. It is, however, a big wage for semi-skilled labour in Hong- kong, and if we compare the wages paid to a chauffeur with those paid to other grades of labour in Hongkong we shall surely come to the conclusion either that chauffeurs are paid too much or others are not paid enough.
SKILLED MECHANICS,
It is realised that wages have increased during the last ten years... The first guild to demand an increase was that of the
mechanics.
The wages now paid to a skilled mechanic-not a foreman, but one of the rank and fle-is about, $40 a month. That man has passed through a period of apprenticeship of five years. He has had a long and arduous training. If he carna 840 a month be is an efficient worker, an engine fitter or an electrician. He commences. work at, a.m.some times earlier and goes on continuously until 5 p.m. If he works in a Chinese firm he probably goes on from sunrise until sunset.
Often his conditions of work are far from pleasant. It is much nicer to be in the open air driving a car than to be in a ship fitting a pump near a boiler. Yet the chauffeur receives a higher wage than the skilled mechanic.
The starter operated through the usual bendix drive on the flywheel. The first test was to start the engine, which was done at the first kick. Then the battery was used to drive the vehicle in top gear
for over 100 yards, mainly on the level, bus partly up a slight gradient.
After this gruelling effort the gear lever was put into the neutral position and the battery continued to rotate the engino vigorously for some time.
Next, the engine was driven for a mile so as to produce a charging current of from about 8 to 10 ampheres. The bat. tery was then made to drive the car for about thirty or forty yards. The makers claim that a high rate of charging does not damage the cells.
It is not easy to comment on these atatoments-except to remark that it is to be hoped that time will confirm them. We are so often led to expect great things by inventors, and are sometimes disappointed, that we grow cautions.
On the other hand the prize "offered to anyone who can greatly improve the present system of storing electricity is immense. Welsbach is said to have made more than a million pounds sterling out of his patents concerning gas mantles. There would be a bigger prize awaiting the inventor of an almost perfect storage battery.
BALLOON TYRES.
Mr. Frank Gray (well-known as the late M. P. for. Oxford) had a most adventurous journey by car from Lagos (Nigeria) to Kartoum (Sudan).
Surely it is rather wonderful, even in these days of sensations, that Central Africa should be traversed by car.
"
The cable subsequently sent by Mr. Gray to the tyre makers speaks for itself.
An intelligent house-boy, after a train-Both cars crossed mountains and reach- ing of about three months, would make ed Red Sea; am selling surplus tyres a very good chauffeur but he could not, carried from Lagoa," with that period of training, become a skilled mechanic.
The dificulty seems to be that there is not a local system of training chauffeurs. An effort was either made or talked about by the local Y.M.C.A. some years ago,
The expedition put its faith in Dun- Top Balloons and the tyres did not fail. It was a great record.
LOCAL ACCIDENTS.
The Great. Storm was indirectly respon-
but it does not seem to have been success-sible for many local accidents. Many a
ful.
driver had a slight skid owing-to-the
This is a matter that might be investi gated by the Hongkong Automobile Asso-slippery road surfaces; others" were more
ciation.
A fair wage for a chauffeur is 830 a month and would be interesting to know what is paid in Shanghai and Singa- pore and how the wages in those places compare with the wages of skilled mechanics. If a house-boy averages about 820 a chauffeur is well paid at $20
a month.
It seems rather absurd that we pay less to the man who repairs the engine- job beyond the skill of the average chauf feur-thin we do to the man who steers tue car.
unfortunate.
The car that is most frequently used by H.E. the Governor had a nasty amash in Wanchai last week Apparently the cause was an exposed man-hole in the centre of the road;
h
It is rumoured that the car contained
the chauffeur only and it was proceeding at an average speed along the centre of the road Incidentally it may be men- tioned that the road at this particular place is less than thirty feet wide,
It is impossible. to drive close to the side of the road because the Chinese The obvious solution is some system of pedestrians will monopolies a width of training for chauffeurs in Hongkong. It about six feet of road from each pave- is a class of work that might well be car- ment. Everyone drives in the middle of ried out under the auspices of the local the road through Wanchai...
technical institute. At the present time On this particular evening there was it is diffeult for anyone in the Colony to a man-hole without a cover and presum learn how to drive I car. In Britain ably no red lights to warn the driver. It there are many schools of instruction. is not the only occasion when there has Surely something might be done here in this direction-something that would en- courage amateur as well as professional drivers to learn how to handle a car.
A NEW BATTERY. There are many local motorista who are bothered by battery troubles and it is small consolation to them to explain that the trouble would have been avoided if they had paid more attention to the bat- tery,
مرم
The common practice is to just hope for the best.
We are now informed that a new bat- tery, named the Tungstone battery, has been subjected to a very rigid test,
We have not seen one of these batteries in Hongkong, nor are we aware that there are any local agents. The results of the tests made and published in later Transport are, however, well worth not- ing. They will arouse a hope in the mind of many a cat.
owner.
been a road opening with no warning lights. Nobody, expects that the over worked executive edgincers of the Public Works Department should inspect' every. road opening, each night. It is probably due to the thoughtlessness of some Chi- nese foreman that these dangers arise. All that the general public ask is that when such carelessness is discovered an example should be made.
"A TWISTED FRAME. It will be remembered that the Gover- nor uses an English car. One of the wheels dropped into the exposed man- hole and there must have been a terrific" ahock. It is only possible to guess at the frame and the front axle a sudden twist. result but a jar like that might give the
In the construction of modern frames nickel steel is used. These modern steel amazingly strong. They are all subjected alloys are, when supplied by the makers,
to beat treatment and the strength of the material il greatly affected by such treat-
ment.
It is therefore almost impossible to do A 17-volt 75 ampere-hour battery was much with a badly twisted frame in Hong- demonstrated on a vehicle weighing about kong. The safest plan is to have an en- 2 tous. The plates of the 75 ampere tirely new frame. Of course, there may hour battery measure 6 inches by 4 inches be local expert capable of giving the and are built up into the battery, in a required. beat treatment, but it is n rigid manner.
likely.
The real danger is that the Chinese workman is always so ready to go at a repair job like a bull at a gate. He will cheerfully tackle almost any job and pursue the same methods with mild steel or steel alloys, irrespective of modern science and the complications of beat treatment. It is wise to be wary about such repairs.
....
: AT STUBBS ROAD.
corner near the Hotel Garage at Stubbs An accident happened at that dreadful Read.r
A lady driver bad the green light in her favour and a car with a Chinese had the red light in front of him as a chauffeur coming in the opposite direction warning. But he came straight on and there was the inevitable collision.
The Chinese chauffeur was faed-was it $13-but the lady driver might well have claimed damages to compensate for the shock to her nerves.
Incidentally, it may be remarked that the road between the Naval Hospital and Stubbs Road is to be widened
Moro-quick, more better as we say in this part of, the world.
THE GLENEALY CORNER. There was a nasty accident at the Glenealy corner about ten days or a fort- night ago.
Frotests have often been made about that corner which, at the best of times, is a nasty one. During the recent storm there was a bad landslide which blocked hall of the road, "Oneway.trafic.' only was possible.
It is hardly fair to criticise, in any way, the Public Works Department because of the splendid work which they accom plished after the storm. It did seem, however, that the debris of that land- slide at Glenealy blocked the road for a long time. There might have been a man
to regulate traffic at the head.
The really absurd part of that corner, however, is the stone parapet which en- tirely obscures the view. Surely be iron railings might be substituted so that the driver would have some chance of seeing vehicles approaching.
A Government lorry and a privately- owned touring car met, and, as usually happens, the big chap (ie the lorry). damaged. got off easily, while the little fellow was
Accidents will happen from time to time and it is a matter for which we cannot be too thankful that there are seldom in- Hongkong. When we read of the acci juries as a result of street collisions in dents in Great Britain and when we take into consideration the narrowness of the local roads we may congratulate the
Trafic Ocers who regulate everything so well and niso the armors who insist upon safety first."
Motorists, however, grow impatient when there is delay over making very much needed road improvements It does seem unfortunate that certain trees that obstruct the traffic and the sight of What is required is that the camber on other drivers should not be removed at the road at the corner should be removed. I once. Plant trees in other places when Is it not possible to lower the read just they will not cause accidents, They grow before the approach so as to make it on quickly enough in this part of the world. the leveli
. (Continued on page 9.)
F
"BUSINESS and PLEASURE.'
AUSTIN SEVEN,
When the day is finished in the City, the car will be ready for that delightful run in the Cool of the evening,
Easy to garage-it's requirements for space are as modest as it's price.
י.
ALEX. ROSS & Co (CHINA), Ltd.
BANK OF CHINA BUILDING. 4, QUEEN'S ROAD CENTRAL (TEL. 0, 27. MACHINERY OFFICE: TEL C. 2487.)
CARS
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4a, Des Voeux Road,
ANNOUNCING.
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ALEX ROSS & Co. (CHINA), Ltd