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4
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AN UNUSUAL COUPE
There are many unusual tea- tures in the drop-heud coupe body designed by Mr. N. Skeffing- ton Smyth. Nawal and Military Club, Piccadilly, W.1. for his own use. The body has been built by Gill All-Weather Bodlea, Ltd... and is mounted on a Railton- Terraplane chassis."
The screen is given a consider. able rake, and is set well back close to the wheel, while a long bonnet extends close up to the screen, and, therefore, covers not only the engine but the dash, as well. There is accordingly' con- siderable space between the en- gine and the back of the instru
•ment board. which is utilised to carry the spare wheel ina hori- zontal position. The wheel can be withdrawn by opening оде side of the bonnet and undoing two thumb screws.
At the rear, of the car the large tall has its top panel hing- ed so that it can be moved up- wards to form a windscreen for the occupants of the dickey,seat, the panel having two
celluloid
inserts. The rear panel, which forms the squab of the seat. folds down horizontally to give access to the seat cushions, and when the passengers are in place they pull up the squab to support their backs. Alternatively, the cushion can be removed and the rear compartment, can be used for luggage. when the hinged rear panel "can remain down in
a horizontal position if desired.
The main seats provide very comfortable accommodation" as
there are a folding centre arm. rest and elbow rests on the doors, but if the centre arm rest is fol- ded up three persons can be Accommodated in front. A four- th passenger can also be accom- modated under the hood if ne- cessary, sitting sideways with his feet in a deep well, while a second well is also provided, so that if need be the occupants of the dickey sent can also join the fourth passenger, the three sit- ting side by side in the orthodox manner beneath the hood. The саг сап. therefore. be used to accommodate two, three, tour or even eight passengers.
coupe.
HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 1934.
QUOTAS NOT WANTED
Singapore Merchants Up In Arms
Bingapore. June 2. Singapore traders, as represent- ed by members of the Chamber of Commerce, yesterday emphasis- ed their desire that Singapore should adhere to its traditional policy of free trade
to
"
port trade; only a small "propor- tion was for Internal consump- tion.
Inflation of Prices-
The imposition of quotas would result in an infietion of prices in the local market, said Mr. Robert- Jon, and so, there would be no incentive to merchants to re-ex-
trade
THE AUTOCAR ROAD TESTS
Singer Eleven Saloon
In view of the new mechanical combinations employed in 'the design of the Binger Eleven, a road test la undertaken with a sharpened interest, for it is natu- rally to be expected that the performance will show some fresh aspects of motoring.
Anticipation is in no way diş- appointed. for this new car does definitely possess special char- acteristics, and its features of independent front wheel suspen-
engine unit, and new transmis- sion, including A hydraulic coupling. twin-plate clutch, four-- speed helical-toothed
gear box. and controlled free wheel, prove themselves to be well worth while.
A meeting called to consider the quastion of the introduction of The head is so arranged that import quotas in regard to foreign port. Consequently, a large pro-alon, specially rigid frame, lively
cotton and rayon piece goods "enportion of this re-export it can be used open, closed, or
tering the Colony passed a re- half open, and it can also be
would be lost to the Colony. solution urging concealed
Government, not This when folded,
Opposition to the seslution was design has been registered, and impose any auch quotas, as
Messrs Henry forthcoming from known as
they would constitute a the Grand Tour
serious threat to the entrepot trade of Waugh and Co. Mr.L, A. Davies, their representative: declaring the Colony, on "which its' pros-
that the piece. goods trade, bufît perity has been built up.
up by the merchants of Singapore During the meeting it.was reafter years of hard work was be- vealed by the chairman that Gov-ing taken away from them by an ernment has already drafted an
allen race who employ a depre- ordinance with a view to instituciated currency and what amounts ting quotas. This draft ordinance to sweated labour." was discussed by representatives | of the Chamber and Government officials at a meeting on Thurs-
Where
Light Sentences
Nottingham solicitor: did he strike you?-Just between the gateposts.
Woman" at Tottenham: I plead guilty and not guilty. If you know precisely what I mean, s.r.
N. London clerk: I understana your husband is a seafaring man Wife: Oh, no.. he is not. He is a sailor...
to wife:
Hightgate magistrate You are a little peppery, but that is due to the wonderful coppery hair that has been given you.
ו.
day.
resolution Mr. In moving the Robertson, the chairman, produ- ced figures showing the imports of pièce goods into Singapore .during recent years. and revealed that Japan now holds by far the lar- gest proportion of this trade. Most of it. however, was a reex-
יו
Britishr traders had the first right to the trade of this British Colony, declared Mr. Davies, and he urged that something should be done to protect the importer fram the menace of Japanese competi- tion...
The resolution was passed by the meeting by 23 votes to nine. the and is to be forwarded to Colonial Secretary.
IN THIS NEW ERA DE SOTO LEADS
In this new era De Soto leade in that permits bursting speed with the field of motor cars with a new placid smoothness, that is eco- Airflow design expressly engineered nomical and practical-that offers and built to provide the kind of everything desirable in individ- performance that literally bores analized land transportation. Here hole through the air, that provides is the end of the old conventions; utter relaxation for passengers, here is the beginning of real motoring.
DE
NOW on Display in our Show Rooms,
ott
Agents —The NATIONAL MOTOR CAR COMPANY-71 to 70, Hennessey Road.-Phone No. 27814
Perhaps the best way to des- cribe the individuality of the car is to state that it has a way of
surprising its driver, by covering. a familjar journey in much less time than is expected. The car has an outstanding way of put ting up high average speeds. To traverse forty-five miles in the hour is relatively easy. That is to say, the driver travelling at what seems his normal speed discovers unexpectedly that he has covered a known distance in much shorter time than usual.
This is a very definite feature of this car and quite an unmis- takable one. It speaks volumes for the effectiveness of the de- sign, for it means that the riding of the car is so even the road- holding, and the steadiness, round corners and over pot-holes are 30 good, the steering is so un- conselous-the hall-mark of good steering-and the engine 30 serene, that the experienced driver travels at a higher speed than he believes to be the case.
Independant Springing Thus, it is proved that the in- dependent front wheel springing is worth while, for it has added something to roadworthiness. It has removed all trace of kick- back from the steering, rendered it as certain and definite at high speed, as at low, and made the car independent of Indifferent road surfaces.
1
As regards the springing com- fort, the riding is about the same as is good riding or an ortho- dox front-axis car when travel-' ling over normal main-road sur- faces, but there,, is less pitching and a greater feeling of security. One does not hesitate to drive the car up to its maximum with- in a few minutes of getting into it. On bad surfaces the comfort
is distinctly improved............
These features can be stressed, because they are definite; that is to say, a seasoned motorist driv ing the car for the first time, and in ignorance of the speciall- ties of the design, would be bound to notice the points of improvement. The steering is Individual; it is light and fally "fast," but peculiarly steady and direct. The car just goes where it is placed, and this feature is "the same at all speeds, AI- though large low-pressure tyres are fitted, the steering does not feel heavy or sluggish at very low speeds, which is unexpected. The caster action is not great. but is distinctly present, and ex- actly suits the needs of the car.
Good Performance
I
The engine is flexibly mounted. and is not so free as to thump at very slow getting-away speeds. but it is just nicely insulated over its range, and as a result the smoothness and quietness of running are all that can be de- sired. It is thoroughly well up to its work, as. the good perfor- mance Agures show, but it is necessary to add that everything the engine does is done easily. with complete regularity of be- haviour, and untiringly. "The performance figures peated themselves with ness and thus the various gear [ratios appear to be well chosen. The..speedometer registered 70 when the car was being timed to do 65 m.ph. An
re-
exact-
Gear changing 13 merely a matter of releasing the pressure on the accelerator and then just moving the gear lever into the desired slot. which is accomp- lish with complete ease and quietness. The total result of the "fui-drive" coupling, as it is termed, is to eliminate the need for gear changing, except actual- ly to climb a steep hill. If the car arrives on a hill which is too steep for the engine to tackle on the gear engaged at the time. it simply comes to rest with the engine plugging away slowly; the engine does not stop.
Changing - Gene
Thus, driver who dislikes changing gear can minimise do- ing so. On the other hand, this transmission does not prevent the opposite type of driver from using his gear box to the utmost. advantage; indeed. It encourages him because the change, up or" down, is so very easy. The con trolled free wheel on the car is a particularly good one, and takes up the drive instantly and without shock. The indirect gears are quite, and the remote gear lever is placed well back in the car and close to the hand.
A car with as good a perfor- mance 35 this one possesses needs to have good brakes. The. Lockheed hydraulically operated brakes proye to be powerful. light to operate, and able to pull the car up smartly without swer- ving. The hand-brake control operates Independently on the rear shoes through cables. and these are able to hold the car down a 1 in 4 gradient.
Both front and rear seats, are comfortable, and give plently of leg and head "room, and the pneumatic cushions are restful. No heat or fumes are noticeable in the quiet body, and the special flaps of the front and rear quar- ter lights give a good control of ventilation without draught.
This new Singer is a car which undoubtedly will become popular, for it has so many points to re- commend it. The car is fully described on pages 772-774 in this issue.
Dutch East Indies
Economies
How heavily the Dutch East Indles have suffered from the world slump is shown very clear- ly by a brief but comprehensive survey of the financial position of these Dutch Colonies appearing in the latest review of the Amster- damsche Bank. The writer. Ch. J. 1. M. Welter, a former Dutch Colonial Minister, brings out the point that the effect of the slump on the
THE
COOLEST SUMMER DRINK ROSE'S
LIME JUICE
Mixes with all others
Sola Agenis:
CALDBECK, MACGRECON * 60, LTD., Hong Kong
SHIRTS
ARROW
$4.75 to $5.25
AERTEX
|$4.50
to $6.50 WING ON CO. $2.25 to $6.75
ROCOLA
DRESS
SHIRTS
economy of the country $4.75 to $6.50
was greatly increased by the large lcan expenditure on public works and services in the previous period of prosperity. In the changed dir- cumstances~~revenue fell from-524,- 000,000 in 1929 to 289,000,000. in 1934, in spite of increased taxa- tlon-the extensive machinery of Government proved to have far outgrown the capacity of the com- munity to maintain it, and when.. the larger export industries.ceas- ed making their contribution to the Treasury, the revenue still remaining proved quite inadequate to cover, the cast. Like the Mother Country. the Dutch Colonies adopted a realist attitude towards their difficulties. A drastic policy of retrenchment was initiated in 1931 and expenditure was brought down from 524,000,000 in 1930 to 377,000,00011 1934. The objective .of the Govemment, the writer states, is to balance the Budget on a basis of about 300,000,0001. The important economies effected have involved great reductions in wages, and production costs have been reduced to a low level, 8Q that, in the view of the writer a number of the large undertak- Ings will again And themselves on a profit-earning basis as soon as a moderate improvement occurs in the price situation.
Next comes the unique form of transmission. This combination works extremely well. The f clutch is employed only to dis- connect the engine whilst enga- -ging first or reverse gear with the engine idling, and the clutch pedal is then immediately releas- ed. The car does not start to move until the engine is speeded up by means of the accelerator pedal, when it moves off smooth 1y. It can be started actually, on any of the four gears including:
1stop.
COPING FRAGMENTS HIT STREET
Pedestrians Endangered By Shower Of Bricks
Shanghai, June 65% High winds had their day in Shanghai yesterday, blowing down many signs, endangering shipping and traffic generally, & and filin the eyes of countiem - podest with
ALSO
UNDERWEAR,
and
PYJAMAS SPORTS WEAR.
THE
!
WING ON CO.,
LTD:
Hongkong's Largest Department Store
One serious incident was re- ported downtown, where a portion of a coping fell three stories to the street but, strangely missed striking passersby. This accident occurred at the northeast corner shortly before noon, caused a of Bzechuen and Foochow Roads,
shower of bricks to pelt the, pave ment where many personis pass daily at that hour. No one was injured, but the police immediate ly roped off the Corner. While Bremen from Central Division mounted and removed the re- maining – dangerous part of the coping.
The dar ged building is an old