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10
MOTORING NOTES
S
(CONTD.)
REVOLUTION IN FARM MOTORING.
ROAD TRANSPORT.
SPECIAL ROUTES FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.
BILL NEXT SESSION.
Road transport in England be tween busy centres will be revolu tionised when important schemes which are now in preparation are
carried out.
Powers similar to those secured by railways a century ago are to be sought from Parliament in the autumn for the construction of two private through motor-ways, one joining London and Brighton, the other connecting Birmingham and Birkenhead.
EXAMPLES AT THE ROYAL
SHOW.
[BY GORDON FRASER.]
NOTTINGRAM.
Motors and motor-tractors are becoming increasingly prominent features at agricultural shows
The Royal Show, at Nottingham, produced some wonders in farm motoring that "fair opened the eyes" of the thousands of farmers who visited this magnificent ex- hibition.
It is, in fact, well to be the son or daughter of a farmer if you own
"a motor-ear.
THE
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th, 1928.
HOLDER OF FIRST MOTOR
LICENCE.
MAN WHO HAS NEVER DRIVEN A CAR.
Cowes (Isle of Wight).
July 29th."
The man who holds the oldest motor driver's llence in England has never driven a motor-car. "
His name is Dave Bundy, and he admitted the fact to me to-day' DJ I travelled hackwards anÄ forwards with him in the せたい gine-room of the steam ferry or Boating bridge between here and Cowes across the River East Medina, writes a Daily Express correspondent.
+
Motorists will be able to travel from end to end without a stop, passing over or under all interven. ag roads, unhampered by horse drawn vehicles, straying animals, ot traffic blocks na they speed up designed for the roughitest country. Tousey, both Americans, and both
He drove the first read train " The modern farmer does not find himself going long without bring-in England, the first steam lorry, and the first steam wagonette; and in 1588 received from the than ing petrol to his aid. He must have engines for pumping, plough London Central Collection of the ing, threshing and fuel for them.
Laland Revenue (now the London County Council) licence for A light locomotive (to give it its official title), and the number was "3"
The First Two. "Numbers 1 and 2 were taken out by a Mr. House and a Mr.
I had in 1598 cost me £ is. Od. now dead," he said..The licence
tu sixty miles an hour between high
wire fences, •
The chief" paralyser" of the farmer who had never seen one be fove was a hefty motor-tractor that ran round and round in a circle, with no driver aboard. It was and had large pneumatic-tyred wheels, and projecting from the A Bill has already been drafted centres of the wheels a sweep of for the London-Brighton scheme, flanges or grins, so that if the which is the first to be promoted by wheels sank in mud they would Motor Roads Developments Synet a powerful grip and lift the dicate, Ltd., of which Lord, Aakwith tractor clear again. is chairman. Future schemes by this syndicate may include a branch this road to Southampton and Portsmouth from Horsham,
157 Bridges. Negotiations ar DOW taking place to acquire land throughout the proposed route, which does not covex any existing road. The scheme is for a forty-foot concrete road, thirty-five and a half miles long from a point near Tolworth, "on the Kingston by-pass rond, to Albourne, a few miles from Brigh-
ton.
The cost in estimated at £2,160,000, exclusive of the cost of acquiring land. There will be 157 bridges
Tolls will be charged at a rate. which will meng about 21. Bd for private motor car to make the journey. The whole road is expect ed to be open in a little over two years' time, and sections of it much earlier.
London to Brighton by road in an hour will be possible when the new motor-way is completed.
It will cross three railway lines and four rivers by bridges, and 'will either cross or be crossed by fifty minor roads by means of bridges which will cut out all cross ronds. A hundred lighter struc
accommodation tures, known as bridges," will enable farmers and others to have access to land which the new road cuts through.
Six road junctions will be made. on the route to enable traffic from other roads to join in,
Virgin Country,
Viaducts will enable the through traffic to pass straight on at these points while the side streams of trafic, after passing through toll gates, will flow into the main stream.
It will be a route across virgin country. No existing road will be taken in, and every town and village will be skirted. Epsom racecourse will be passed close at hand, and the intention is to pro- vide extensive parking facilities here for use on Derby day." Reigate will be passed on the west and Horsham on the east.
For the purposes of display at the show, a double circular, track about a foot or so deep had been hollowed to take the pairs of wheels.
This track was purposely made uneven in depth. There, were pot in it here and there. holes Obstacles care every few yards, yet this farmer's tank went steadily round and round, the steering. wheel fixed, the grips sticking out from the hubs, and doing their job it necessary.
What Does The Horse Think? Whatever must that noble animal, the horse, think if he has enough "horse sense "left-at those mon- sters lumbering over the rough and uneven fields at the whizz and bang of engines, instead of the neigh of a contented beast and the "Whoa, Dobbin," of a dozen years' agò i
The other noted farmer's motor was "the three-axled six-wheeled lorry or wagon which we saw at Olympin with independent differ entials, so that the machine could use each wheel with almost human ense and intelligence.
"I doubt if I should know how to drive a motor-car. All the old 'buses I used to drive were worked with a tiller. There were no gears -just one speed, and one brake- with reverse.', as an extra brake, like some bicycles.'
POPULAR MOTOR-CYCLES.
RECORD NUMBER IN USE IN BRITAIN.
་་
Motor-cycling has gained in popu. larity during the past year to the extent of 16. per cent...
According to figures issued by the United States Department of Commerce the census shows a total of 1,944,303 machines in operation on January 1st, 1998.
The United Kingdom registered more than one-third of the world's total of machines during fast year, the total number in operation being 693,213, cr an increase of elightly less than 1 per cent, during 1997. This is a record.
Germany, however, showed the greatest gain, her registrations during 1926 and 1997 amounting to 278,000 and 405,000 respectively and An off back wheel thay be craw-representing an increase of almost ing over a three-foot mound while 46 per cent.. the five other wheels were dead level. The exhibit was poised ou lamps and bumps to show this. Daily Express.
FIRST OFFENDER
יו
MOTORISTS.
wwwwww
"SCOTLAND YARD'S
CONCESSION..
WARNING INSTEAD OF PROSECUTION.
The Metropolitan Police are to adopt a new policy with the first offender motorist.
If the motorist's fault is a trivial one, and in the opinion of the Commissioner of Police not serious,
Magistrate."
It is interesting to note the dis- tribution of some of the machines. There are two in Afghanistan, 1 in Alaska, 4 in Albania, 2 in British Honduras, 16 in the Azores, 5 in the Cook Islands, 10 in Gambia, and 59 in Iceland.
It is estimated that one-sixth" of all motor-cycles come from the United States, but in the United Kingdom and in France the Ameri- can-made machines number about 1 per cent of the total in operation, the bulk being British-made.
ETHYL EXONERATED.
BUT SHOULD BE KEPT IN ITS. PLACE."
Ethyl, that much-discussed new-
he will merely receive a warning comer to the petrol family, emerges instead of being brought before 2 without a stain from the British The present intention is to charge This only applies to a first court of inquiry into its character. motor-cars d. a mile, motor-offence, and that of a minor charac-The British experts appointed in bicycles td. a mile, and commercial ter. As pointed out by an authority April to consider the possible dan. vehicles d. per ten mile. Haulage at Scotland Yard, it is not a new gets to health from the use of the contractors are expected to make principle, but the wide extension spirit are content with the findings great use of the road, as the double of a policy adopted two or three of the extremely exhaustive inquiry journey from London to Brighton years ago, It was hoped that it that has already reported in the
United States. and back will be possible in one would ease the work of the Magis day.
trates, save police time, and not Investigation is being made to adversely affect their relations with find the best non-skid surface for the public. the concrete road. This is of Minor offences are described as special importance. because traffic, trival cases of exceeding the speed will travel fast. A maximum speed limit; back lamps not alight;" for- limit of sixty miles an hour is pro- getting to carry driving licences; pesed, to prevent the road being number plates not of correct dimen used as a racing track, and motor ons or inadvertently obscured by patrols will see that this limit is mud; and in some cases obstruc
tign. not exceeded.ara
Principle Banctioned.
One of the promoters said to a Daily Express representative: "The local councils on the route and the Brighton Corporation are all in favour of the scheme. A private Bill will be deposited with Parlia meat in November, and it is be- lieved that 300 M.P.'s will support
Avolding Friction, Major Stenson Cooke, the Secre tary of the Automobile Association, in an interview, said that this was a genuine attempt by the police to keep the law-abiding motorist nat of the police courts There had been a good deal of friction in the paat over the harrying of motorists
Broadly speaking, the conclusion arrived at is that, though the manu facture of jead tetra-ethyl itself is a dangerous trade, the use as a fuel of a motor spirit that contains no more than one part of this very poisonous substance in 1,300 pre- sents en risks to health. The Ameri can investigation, which the British Departmental Committee quotes, appears to be thorough and con-
vincing. It includes reports on workers who have been handling the spirit for periods as long as three and five years, and in whom careful blood and other tests have revealed Do more evidence of lead poisoning than is to be found in those hand- ing other petrol. Those who con- sider that the claims of ethyl to other motor fuels justify its higher. price may therefore use it without fear of lead poisoning. But it is
the principle of the scheme. Par for petty offences, -and-from-time harder and "knock less than. liament, has already sanctioned the to time the AA. had raised the principle of a toll road in the Poole question of the unreasonableness of this. Some years ago the matter and Swanage private Act
not arouse parliamentary opposi- mental Committee which was ap-
that the Committee
noteworthy The question of a toll should find been brought before the Depart stress the importance of a strict tion, since the existing alternative pointed to investigate the laws observance of the contract with the reads will remain. We shall have with relation to road traffic. He vendors by which the spirit is the support of local authorities be thought it was a real move in the coloured red and its containers and cause the new road would greatly right direction, and hoped that pumps labelled with a warning reduce the maintenance costs of the motorists would take the first warn against using it for cleaning, cook- other roads
ing to heart and help the policeing, or any other purpose than as
a motor fuel. in the matter..
"There will be a clause in the Bill enabling the Government to take over the road for ordinary public use after a number of years if they so denire. The most serious apposition is likely to arise from the landowners in the line of route, powers to acquire the necessary
·land.'
Comdr. Armstrong, Secretary of Petrol is never, at the best, a the Royal Automobile Club, re comfortable commodity to work marked that it was a very good with, and ethyl, although now de thing, as it might relieve some of clared fit and proper for its parti the congestion at the palice courts.cular purpose, remains if not the The idea was good, though it was menace it yremed when the House
as we shall ask for compulsory not altogether novel, as similar of Lords debated its use recently,
efforts had been made in various & servant to be very severely kept parte of the country...
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