10
MOTORING NOTES
EFFICIENCY OF SMALL
CARS.
THE 10-H.P. SWIFT.
COMFORT, SPEED, AND ECONOMY,
مرم
If engine efficiency increases at the present rate our 11 and 12-hp ears will have to go up into the
-(CONTD.)
THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 18th, 1928.
TOO MUCH WORK IN SINGERS WORKS AT
1928 CARS.
The maximum speed reached on the run was about 53 miles an hour. A WORD FOR " VENERABLE The car will probably if pushed do
a little more, but I never believe' in running these little engines too- hard.
If drivers of small cars with fast running engines always drove with a reserve of speed in hand they would obtain far longer and better
RELIOS."
[BY JOHN PRIOLEAU.].
A short time ago I had an op- portunity of seeing how our highly specialised motoring etrikes the out service.
sider. I came across an old moter The Swift's most comfortable companion of many years' stand- touring speed was in the neighbouring with whom, before the war, I thousands of wonderful hood of from 40 to 45 m.p.h. The drove little engine I found rather noisy. miles at home and abroad in every
BIRMINGHAM.
TRIUMPH OF BRITISH
ORGANISATION.
SCRAPPING OLD CARS,
220 MOTOR OFFENCES A DAY.
ÄGE LIMIT OF USEFUL SER- VICE DIFFICULT TO DEFINE.
Discussing editorially a sugges tion that care of a certain age or of a degree of mechanical in efficiency should no longer be allowed on the road," The Motor remarks:-
"The supposition is, presumably, that all care reach a period when
A vast their mechanical efficiency is sup.
LONDON'S RECORD.
SIR W. HORWOOD AND NIGHT CLUBS.
MORE RUBBER TO PAVE
ROADS.
PART OF THE FIXED PRICE PLAN.
THE HAGUE
A copy of the scheme mentioned "The number of police required in the valorisation of rubber for traffic regulation tends to in- has come into my hands, says the states the report of the Daily Mail metering correspondent Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis (Sir W. Horwood) for
and I am able to give .some particulars of, the plan', 1597.****
ercase,
In the absence of a compensat-
One feature of interest in the
medium powered class, writes the especially during the process of sort of car from the quite decent to be removed and the lay-out of posed to have become impaired to ing augmentation of the Force it scheme is that it attempts to solve
Daily Mail motoring correspon dent. We now have 7-b.p. engines
that makes them a
One often hears tales of American business methods and hustle," but the new Singer works at Birming- ham provide an example of British energy and business acumen which would be hard to beat."
It was only on 11th June last year that these huge factories were a quired by the company. amount of old machinery, etc, had the works had, of course, to be an extent altered entirely. Yet it is confident menace to their owners and to all ly expected that an output of 110 other users of the road. A more The Birmingham works are in absurd contention could not pos
six-storey cibly be advanced. The condition' building which measures 220 by 200 of a car, sa5, five, or six or even two parts; there is ft., and a single-floor assembly shop 700 ft, in length and 200. ft. in eight years old depends largely Home on leave after all these width, which is supposed to be the upon the way in which it has been Steering was light. A curious feature of the springing was years, he found all the ancient en-longest covered building in Eng driven and the attention that has
Over bad pot holes the thusiasms awaking in him once land. In all; the floor space been given to
square feet-napproximately equal Referring to British cars in parti-
that will prope & car with four "ither up or down I found extremely from a railway station for the past cars a day will be reached shortly.
people at speed of 50 miles an hour or more. I have just tried a 10-h.p. British saloon which carried four people in comfort at 35 m.p.h. I imagine that next year the 9 or 10-b.p. car will become the economy family car and that makers of 11's and 19's will be putting on larger and more commodious bodies. In
Fis
acceleration. There were no gear to what can only be described as
however. Gear noises.
change the contraption. He has been in Africa sore six hundred miles simple.
The saloon is roomy and the in-nine years and such ronds as he terior well equipped. A certain und indestructible Linie are roads uses with his apparently immortal amount of body rattle was obser- that he had made himself. ved.
noticed.
car rode quite smoothly, but on wavy roads there was a good deal ably be damped out by adjustment
more, and he threw himself with
measures nearly
half-a-million
ite maintenance.
has become increasingly difficult to cover fully the duties provided for by the Beats Committee. port adde:-
The re-
The second problem is that of pay two problems by the same means. ing streets with a material that shall be durable and as nearly free from vibration and noise AA possible.
Rubber has often been suggested for this purpose and occasionally
A noticeable addition to the amount of clerical work falling on officers in charge of police sta tions has occurred, owing mainly to the increase in the number of used, but its cost and instability motor processes and of statements extensive development of this use. of price have nilitated against any required in the case of street In principle the scheme is based accidents. In one case additional on the idea that surplus stock sold nasistance. has had to be given,
to local authorities for road-mak- Motoring offences for which sum-ing at a cost not seriously higher tion of the police have increased pose of such stocks without loss to as follows: ~~
the producers and at the same time leave the prducers to meet ordinary commercial demands on profitable terms.
A few years' time the 13-h.p. wil af see-saw motion; This could prob. Playing with motorcars Soon be to that of the seven Singer factories cular, there are many of reputed moans were issued on the applica-i than that of production would dia-
be considered quite a big vehicle.
The car. I took over the Daily Mail test course was a 10hp. Swift saldon. This firm has been making small motor-cars since 1900 and their reputation has been based largely on the very sound material pat into their machines and their Însting qualition.
of the shock absorbers which are Etted as standard.
ardour into the great game of
remarked: These machines are supposed to be better than the old ruins we drove, aren't they 1 mean, they are better designed better made more seasible"
general said I thought that was the
I liked the single pune! "wind- screen, which gives excellent vision for the driver. The brakes were ex-impression. sellent. They are of the four-wheel type and set on 10in. drums, which
at Coventry and there are 17 acres makes which, in the hands of care-
A test track, of freehold land. half-a-mile in length and including ful owners, capable of maintaining several sharp bends and gradients them in good order, or periodic- surrounds the buildings.
The multi-storey factory is de-ally submitting them to an expert voted to the manufacture of front mechanic for overhaul, will give and back axles, for all models, and almost indefinite service; indeed, of Junior and Senior bodies, whilst the age limit of useful service of in the huge single-floor shop Junior such cars would be difficult to and Senior cars are assembled. As might be expected with the Singer concern, only the latest machinery is used and the lay-out of the works is such that wastage of time and labour is reduced to a minimum.
defire.
"Even assuming that old cars
The Days Of Long Ago. - He anid: Well, how was it give a generous braking surface for that old Crash and gentle 50 small a car. The front scat is Boanerges, and even little Ug, 15 Miles An Hour.
easily adjustable for driving posi-would go for quite long stretches The 1998 product looks a sound. tion.
with none of the titivating and job. I also found it very lively. Petrol consumption was about 40 nose powdering beforehand that
have in some casce been indiffer ently treated in service and infre- Except for a fint spot. due no doubt miles to the gallon, which is seems necessary with these marvel
quently reconditioned, the number to bad carburetter adjustment, ac- much 118 the most economical lous improvements on them?" He
of such instances of neglect is not celeration was excellent. The fat motorist could wish. The car cover was speaking of some of the vener
The Paint Shop.
eufficient to justify a suggestion spot was noticeable when accelerated the test coarse in excellent style. able relics in which we enjoyed
The plant of the paint shop is that might accessitate the setting ing from dead slow. Once this was giving a road performance above ourselves so enormously long years overcome the engine quickly picked the average for a vehicle of this ago, and, as the days went by, entirely new, and the cost of install-up of an elaborate system of in- up its revolutions.
rating.
made more and more odious coming it was, incidentally, no less spection and the appointment of a parisons between them and the new than £23,000, but that it is paying horde of new officials to examine 1928 car which he was then engaged for itself is shown by the fact that, and report upon them and gener- in ruaning in ("Run in! Why on although the process lasts 30 hours, aily to harase their owners., earth should I be expected to do a Singer body is finished on the that in 1028 when nobody even average every five minutes of the mentioned the word in 1908 7" he working day. anorted loudly).
SAFETY FIRST-
EVERYWHERE.
Every House, Garage or Car.
Why again, should it be as- sumed that there is a sufficiently large number of motorists who are The bodies come up in lifts from foolish enough to risk their own I made all possible allowances the third floor and at once receive and their passengers' lives on in- for his what shall we aya deoxidine on methylated spirit efficient old rare to justify any sug- imperial outlook, and then, because clean, acetrding to whether they are gestion eo drastic as the compul he has a persuasive and convincing panelled in steel or aluminium. Bory scrapping of "perfectly sound tongue, I began to see a little of They are then washed with boiling vehicles when they have reached a his point of view. Naturally, Iwater and pass through a short dry-certain age?" did not agree with more thaning oven to the primary spray about half of what he said, because booth. Here they receive the first he WLB, on his side, allowing base coat before travelling for five nothing for the enormously increas hours through an oven containing ed efficiency of the new cars. What three separate tracks. The applica- he was really thinking about was tion of the base, filler and ground labour-saving..
coats entails nearly 20 operations.
The other day, under the mock- ing eye and blistering tongue of my friend from overseas, I timed myself resentfully to do certain jobs on his 1928 car. These jobs in
Next, three double coats" of cellulose are applied. The finished surface is then lined and sprayed with solvent which has the effect of softening the cellulose and giving
Every School, Office, Godown, Hotel,luded attention to the clutch shaft perfectly shooth finish. In all
or other Public Building, should Avoid the Danger of Fire by installing
IMPERATOR
FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
The Imperator is the most powerful powder Fire extinguisher in existence and is guaranteed to be proof against explosion.
It hurls a jet of powder 12 to 18 yards which is far more efficacious than water, but it is so easy to handle that anyone with out previous experience, even a child, can work it.
tearing, which required special lubrication, and "the emptying, cleansing and refilling of the gear Lox. These two operations, simple in themselves, called for the re moval of, the floor boards, which appeared to have been laid down on the chassis before the body was built. This was not really so or that clutch bearing and that gear box would still be in their original state, but the removal of those" Boor boards, especially the forward one over the clutch casing, will be a poignant memory for me for some time.
there are 42 distinct operations, and when these are completed the bodies are transferred to the fourth floor for trimming and for the fitment of windscreens, windows, and interior decorations; they then receive a final polish by hand before being sent to the ground floor for mount. ing.
The General Assembly - Shop. The general assembly shop is yet another example of scientific works lay-out. The cars are erected on two tracks, one for the Junior and one for the Senior, and stores of Work With The 'Grease Gun,
material are placed in the neigh When this battle was over I per-bourhood of these tracks just where formed that feat which is so slightly they are wanted. The cars travel described in catalogues as going slowly down the 700-ft. shop until round with the grease gun. There at the far end they are ready for were more than thirty greasers to test and anal delivery. A special deal with, and most of them had line from the Great Western Rail- very properly neat little caps way runs into this shop and surewed on to the top of them facilitates the despatch of cars for That job was not done, I think, the export market quite so quickly as the makers of
It took me an hour and half
one connected with the company.
That this vast organization, but the car would have you believe. a few details of which have been mentioned, should have been got to take up those floor boards, oil into full swing in. so short a time that clutch bearing, empty and re All that gear box, put back those is indeed a tribute to the brains abominable Boor boards, screwing and energy of the Managing Direc- The Imperator powder them down into place with no tox, Mr. W. E. Bullock, and every keeps good indefinitely, fewer than eight screws, all in most A spirit of enthusiastic work has
inaccessible positions, and screw is non-corrosive, odour- the grease gun on to those thirty been responsible for it, and it is odd greasers and take it off again. this spirit which has placed the less, causes no damage It takes somebody else two hours at Singer Company in its present en- to furniture, draperies, Indeed, if he manages to do the possible the production of high-class viable position and has rendered least to wash and polish this eart etc, and gives off no work properly in two hours he cars at relatively low prices, fumes.
For a small first cost Imperators are a perpetual safe-guard and insurance against damage to life and
property by Fire,
It is better to be sure than sorry!
To-day is the time to get full particulars of the Imperator from
ORIENTAL COMMERCIAL CO.
Bank of Canton Buildings.
Tel. C. 4403. [A.PR]]
́S.O.S.” FROM A CAR
WIFE IN FEAR OF HER
HUSBAND'S DRIVING.
comes in for a word of praise.
One of our most crying needs. now is a really labour-saving form of metal finish. Oxidised finish is expensive, not particularly dur able, and does not appeal to every- one in its appearance. Nickel finish for things like screens, with their score of dirt-collecting crevices
"The woman in the car asked and corners, rims of instruments, luggage grids, radiator casings, ing said a policeman at Bourne me to stop her husband from driv and everything which, when we are feeling cheerful, we like to see when John Low, of independent mouth Police Court on June 28th, abining brilliantly, means time- waste. Moreover, unless it is the Court, Breaksome Park, Bourne means, of The Cottage, Clifton best class of nickel it eventually mouth, was accused of being drunk rewards your patient hours of while in charge of a motor-car. polishing by disappearing in spots Dr. Harold Simmons, police and leaving offensive brass showing surgeon, said that Low was suffer through.
ing from a minor degree of al-
of
In a number of ways I certainly coolic intoxication," and was not do agree with my imperial friend in a fit state to drive. that we have to work far too hard There is no definition to keep our cars going. None of drunkenness so far as I know," these things-bright, metal that aid Dr. Simmons, in reply to needs to be polished, grease points question, but, in the sense that that mean an hour's work, floor drunkenness in such a charge as boards stupidly laid-is of serious this constitutes alteration of be importance, unless you consider haviour, conduct, and self-control, time to be important. Peronally, 1 due to alcohol, thus rendering the do consider it to be very important individual unfit to drive a motor- when I have to waste hours, of it, car, I think that he was în that which might so much more pleasant; } sense drunk.”
ly and profitably be spent on thẻ The Bench fined Low £10, with open road
31a 64. conts.,
1924
,1923
1926 1027
12,729
66,947
68,129 79,834
The indictable offences recorded were 13,328, a decrease of 770. com- paced with 1026. There were 27 cases of murder of persons over one yearà di age, all of which were solved. Cases of attempted suicide increased from 526 in 1926 to 630 in 1927.
./
£1,000,000 Capital
Mr. P. J. F. Kloppenburg, the Hague banker, who is responsib'a for the proposal, has worked the scheme out in considerable detail in order to prosent it to the inter- national committee of inquiry.
He proposes the formation of a "Bank of Rubber Valorisation " Property stolen was valued at with a capital of £1,000,000, to be £364,260 and property "recovered at subscribed by producers in propor- £130,020,
tion to the acreage of their planta- Night Club Trouble.
tions Part of this capital would The report notes that the numbe paid in cash and part might be written off against rubber supplied ber of registered clubs has increas ed from 1,750 to 1,792, and states by the subscribers. that breaches of the law relating to liquor in clubs continued to be a source of much trouble to the police, The Commissioner adds:
Each subscriber, it is proposed, should place at the disposal of the bank at cost price a certain per centage of his production, and the I remain of the opinion that bank would supply this to authori- fines, however heavy, will never ties at no more than a working serve as a deterrent in his class of proft. Any greater demand for case. A feature of the night road-making can, it is suggested, club" business is the frequency be met by reclaimed with which the proprietors or “regenerated" rubber, the trade managers are aliens.
in which may thus be increased.
NO TYRE ever designe!
for passenger car service has achieved such mileage
and endurance records as the Goodyear Heavy Duty Cord Tyre.
#
„LL WEATHER
GOODYEAR
GOODYEAR
DISTRIBUTORS
ALEX. ROSS & Co. (China), Ltd.
PRINCE'S BUILDING, HONG KONG.