Page
1
THE AFTERMATH
Olympia Results Satisfactory
Never before in all the long history of British motor exhibi- tlons has there been such મ general feeling of satisfaction as is now being expressed after the Olympia Show. That the total attendance was slightly down- 231,812 as compared with 234.255 In 1933-is a matter of no impor- tance. What counts is not the " size of the crowd but its com- position, and this year's visitors were (ar more enthusiastic
and
are
"motor-minded" than. has been the case for many years past. Sales actually made in an exhibition building are compara- tively few: the majority of orders:
booked by manufacturers Irom their agents. before a show opens. But the Intelligent in- terest evinced at an exhibitioo is all-important. for it is the mea- sure of the case with which the agents will in due course be able to dispose
purchases. of their
hus This year's Olympia Show been the best possible "augury in that respect.
It would appear that the adh- ing reduction in the horse-power tax has had one marked advant- age: It has made many motorists decide to run a second carus11- aily a small machine for use as a tender to a large vehicle, The impending change has also caus-
ed quite a number of people to ofder cars considerably large
than those to which they have been accustomed in the past. Any development on these lines is to be welcomed, since the more comparatively large cars sold in Great Britain the lower the price at which similar models can be offered abroad, with a correspon- dlng stimulus to our exports.
car
in
Great Technieni Knowledge Enquiries from the heads of important
manufacturing 'concerns elicit the fact that the
knowledge technical
of many visitors to the Show seemed this year to be considerably greater than ft. has been on not a few This is not previous occasions. altogether surprising. for new design.... breed developments in intelligent interest, and at Olym- pia last week there were many developmen.s. some
their which early stages and others may soon rank as standard prac- tice. It is only when perlod of apparent stagnation in design sets in that the motoring public is apt also to stagnate. Give it something new and interesting. and it will very quickly "sit up and take notice." An excellent" example of this tendency is found in the violent partisanship displayed to-day for or "against the more alvanced types of streamlining.
1934 Olympia of.
for has provided healthy food thought.
TOURING TOPICS
Up And Down The Land
(By a Special Correspondent)
screen. Two things emerged; one the difficulty of keeping dry with- out causing the inside of the screen to blur; the other the a- ternate non-skid and slippery na- ture of some of our main roads.
For Instance
The last few week-ends since day.ight saving went out and las quarter payments of car leences became duc have found me at such different points as Bristol In the West. Derby in the North Midlands, and Norwich in the East. My observations over those districts do not lead me to think that motorists in the provinces jay_up_their cars for the winter_and_non-skid_road_and, all of 2 to anything like the same extent sudden, go into a gentle curve and as do those living in the Metro-
emerge on to a perfect skating politan district. The country rink, roads at week ends seemed as full as usual, but I was very much struck by the apparent enormous preponderance of small cars,
Driving Skill
Round about London, however, 1: seemed to me that the periods under notice revealed a marked failing off in private car traffe. Of course. It is only an impres- sion, but so it seemed to me. Fur- thermore, Metropolitan motorists. appear to use, As a rule, rather bigger cars than their country cousins. It would be interesting a to know if registration figures confirm or deny this view. And a final impression-again only an impression-Is that in the main provincial drivers are more con- siderate than their brethren "round about London. Perhaps their nerves have not been so frequently irritated by traffic jams and holds-up, dhd therefore, they do not feel in quite such a hurry.
Kindly and Sensible
I would like to salute an un- known, constable in a certain busy Midland town, Airiving there on a recent market day I asked him where the park nearest to the
-centre of the town was situated.
He told me of three each some
One might be bowling along at "forty" on a beautifully gritted
In any wet coditions auch
a manoeuvre calls for skill and is rather an anxious moment; in autumn, with the roadway 'coyer- ed with wet leaves, it is apt to be positively dangerous. When are we going to have continuity of surface on our main roads? And if we are denied this owing to variations. mile by mile, in the responsible road authority, can- hot the proskid authorities own up and erect notices before the slimy portions saying the 'surface is slippery in wet weather, just as is sometimes doné in France?
LO.W. Ferries
It is not only motorists desirous of taking their cars to and from the Isle of Wight who, feel ferry charges are too high; public bod- les consider them so expensive as to be inimical to the island's in- terest. Their efforts to obtain a reduction are, now bearing fruit, for the Southern Railway, in con- junction with the Southampton and I. W. Steampacket Co., an- nounce special winter and sum- mer and week-end return tickets
at a single fare and a half, and spe- cial day return tickets at a single fale and one-third,
HONG KONG DALY PRESS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER · 4, 1934.
MOTOR
46
* RUNNING - IN”
Custom Worthy of Adoption
The Liverpool owner of a small the engine of which sports car, was recently rebared, carried at the back of his vehicle a board bearing the words: "Running-in- Please Pass." This is by no means a new idea, but it is a very com- mendable
it certatrily one. FLS save friction and to teads to obtain consideration for the driver who displays it. Unless one is aware that a car is in the pro- cess of being run-in, one is apt the to become impatient with driver ahead who delays on hills, or fails to make use of traffic openings.
It is * common habit in France, when a car is new, to carry a long, shallow notice in the rear window reading: "En Rod- age."
"Running-in." meaning This is placed in the car by the. manufacturers or agents, just as "adrices to new owners are pasted on the windscreens of many English cars, stating the speeds on the gears not to be exceeded An during the car's early life. exterision of this latter practice, comprising the exhibition of 2 notice at the rear of the car reading Running-in," would, be valuable. The notice could be pasted on the rear window, pro- vided it did not obstruct the view in the interior, driving mirror. It will be interesting to see which of our manufacturers will be the first to adopt. the idea.
In this connection, it must be remembered that the running-in process calls for consideration by. as well as for, the driver of a new car. He must not forget that when he is travelling at 25 m.ph. most other drivers will He to
overtake him. should, therefore, by keeping as close as possible to the left-hand kerb or verge, efface himself to. the utmost, and give the maxi- mum amount of unobstructed road.
want
JOTTINGS
WARNINGS FROM MOVE A BEACON.
LAMPS
Proper Adjustment Essential
Attention may well be directed to a recommendation recently
made by the Automobile Associa- tion. The Secretary points out. that with the abolition of the audible warning hitherto given by the horn it is more than ever essential that car owners shall see. that their lamps are properly focused. The coming winter months will be a drastic testing time for the new silence zones. and it is generally admitted that light signals will have to take the place of audible warnings during the silence, that between 11.30 p.m. and 7 a.m.
4.
an
In the past a good many motorists have been rather care- less as to the state of their head lamps, and it has been no uncom- mon experience to find that cars have broken bulbs in their main lighting equipment. It
ad- equate light signal is to be given it must certainly come from the side lamps. Comparatively few car owners seem to think it worth while to carry spare lamp bulbs as part of the ordinary equip- ment, yet riability promptly to replace a burnt out or damaged bulb is always annoying, and in the new conditions it may well prove deânitely dangerous.
talk
We strongly advise all motorists to provide themselves with a set of replacement bulbs. including spares for head, side, and lamps. Convenient and inexpen- sive containers for bulbs are.
and the small readily available sum of money expended on them will certainly not be regretted.
width to others. He would also be well advised to do as much as possible of the running-in on roads that do not carry dense streams of traffe.
KAY DON'S SENTENCE
A Review Of The Case
That
Purposely no comment has been .made hitherto on the matter of the case arising out of this year's Isle of Man Races which resulted in Kaye Don being convicted of manslaughter. For one, thing, it was as well to let the dust of con troversy settle; for another, only in perspective, and when as much has been heard from all sides as possible, can one decide whether an opinion formed at the moment of the trouble is right or wrong.
According to strict law, the death of the mechanic was a matter, of manslaughter. once established, the driver has to suffer the penalty, and the pun- ishment Is undoubtedly "hard. That it was a case of manslaugh- ter rested upon the opinion of a jury of Isle of Man people after they had heard the case as put forward by men appointed for the purpose, but the general consen- sers of opinion is that in no other country in the world would this accident have been the cause of à subsequent charge of manslaugh- ter. Case after case can be cited almost parallel with that of Kaye Don-to give but one, there was the accident which resulted when Best Eyston was proceeding, to
or practice an accident may pos- sibly result.
Further, that any mechanic would consent for one moment to a charge support in any way against his driver.
Had the accident resulted in damage or injury to any person not connected with the racing equipe, it might easily cause a. charge of manslaughter with rea son, but in Don's case no person other than the mechanic was
If the damaged.
unfortunate death of one's mechanic, a man one would protect with all one's akill. is to result in a charge of manslaughter, then that charge would arise even if the car were being tested on a stretch of road which was not only straight, but was being guarded" by the team's" mechanics for the test a thing which is common practice.
Awkward Case, the Previous Year
The previous year an even more, awkward case arose out of the Isle of Man Races, and "Taso" Mathie- son was the victim of legal pro- ceedings arising out of the race. itself, when a spectator was injur- ed on an escape, road-the escape road being provided to give the
the course in Phoenix Park, Dub-driver of a car the brakes of which
in. for practice in the morning -yet in these cases the driver was
distance. "What do you want to USEFUL FOR THE GARAGE ́ not charged with the "crime in
do?" he asked. "Have lunch at-," naming a restaurant in the main street, "and then do some shop- ping." He leaned confidentially towards me. "Shove it alongside the kerb" he said. "We never want to worry those who have business-with us." What sense! I wish it were more widespread.
Rala
'Not long ago it fell to my lot to make a hurried run to a place about 150 miles from London. It poured, and poured, and poured every blessed yard of the way. The sort of rain that really tests a sliding roof and which will find. its way past even the bolts holding the wiper to the frame above the
11
Before leaving the subject of the Show, mention inust be made. of a useful electrical pre-heater shown by Rotax Ltd, of the Lucas-C.A.V.-Rotax organisation, for easy starting in cold weather, reducing engine wear and pro- longing battery life. By means of this garage appliance, which- takes its current direct from the supply mains and is most econo- mical, a warm engine start: can be assured even in the coldest weather, The heat is concentrat- ed upon the under side of the engine and gearbox and prevents the dissipation of heat by cold air rising from the ground. “
question.
Wing Sharing of the Dangers
Now, the law may be the law, but mahslaughter is an entirely incorrect description of an accid- ent to a racing mechanic caused, by any error of judgment of the driver at any time. No driver. and no mechanic could possibly consider the thing to be man- slaughter, for the mechanic who rides with one during practice or testing, the mechanic who is to be one's greatest companion in the race itself, shares, and shares willingly, any dangers arising out of racing, knowing from the start exactly what those risks will be, ́and knowing also that in any test
hind falled some chance of saving himself and that escape. road was barred to the public.
In other words, each time we have raced in the Isle of Man there has been unusual unplea- santness. As a result one cannot help feeling very doubtful as to the wisdom of racing in the Isle of Man at all, since there is no guarantee that some other charge will not be preferred against the driver, even though the authorit-“ les have done their best to pre- vent troubles that have arisen occurring again. One cannot help thinking that there is a definite prejudice in the Isle of Man against anybody connected with racing, and if that is so it is dif- ficult to see how one can race there without quite serious mis- givírigs,
ROBOTS VERSUS
ROBERTS
Traffic signals, of, both the time and vehicle-actuated automatie
WHEN HE LIKES! variety, have now been la opera-
And Keep It
Meet Mr. P. S. Huggett, the
who can
move a Belisha beacon just wherever he wants to.
Here's why:-
Mr. Huggett is a furrier. and "outside his shop in Blackstock- road, Finsbury Park, the local council has recently placed beacon.
"
1
Now, if there's one drawback to being a furrier it's the effect the sun has on furs. Causes singeing and fading-through a plateglass window, at any rate. And so Mr. Buggett has to be pretty snappy with his suh-blind.
When the November sun wink- ed feebly down on Blackstock- road. Mr. Huggett' sent his assist- ant out, armed with a pole, to
pull down the blind. She got it half-way down and then...
The Council had so placed the beacon that if the blind was let full down it would land neatly on the top of the glass globe! Those shop.. blinds are heavy things. too!
i
tion long enough for the first enthusiasm for Jan undoubted advance to have given, place to a more critical attitude. That these Hghts are a boon cannot be gainsaid. Compared with human methods of control, the automatic lights
cheaper. more easily visible, and as cool and efficient during rush hours at eighty degrees in the shade as they are under less strenuous conditions. Nevertheless, they have their, faults. While traffic whole may advance more rapidly. there are undoubtedly points at which the old methods resulted. In a quicker passage. This is espcelaily the case where two signals follow rapidly on one another.
as a
on
Under the manual methods the control was synch- ronired. Now it frequently is not so. Traffic passes the drst point only to be held up a few yards farther
A queue forms, blocking the Arst crossing. sa that both main-and cross-road traffic are dislocated A setond to the of signal, is the delay caused to main-road motorists 'during slack hours by stops to allow purely hypothetical cross-road traffic to pas.
point, which not apply vehicle-actuated' type
To be held up gratuitously at regular intervals is exactly what tempts the impetuous and stupid car owner to "shoot the lights," Well, there was Mr. Huggett's
though it is obvious that the problem: Either he burst the
moment signals are disregarded, beacon or the sun did in his furs. even to a minor extent, they be-
com-
Mr. Huggett found a promise. He rang up the Council and got permission to remove the„ beacon, provided he put it back safely...
1
So, when the sun peeps out Mr. "Huggett has to remove the Be- lisha beacon, carry it reverently into his shop, and then replace it when the sun goes in.
And he doesn't like it. He's plaining his faith on the agile brains of the local Counen to find
a better solution, and meanwhile he's praying for rain or cloud- ar fog!
come a menace safety measure.
rather than
B
Varying Traffic Importance If vehicle-actuated signals are not yet a universal possibility, at "least the authorities should re- gularly revise and check the time periods of each signal of the other type. The traffic impor- tance" of roads is by no means constant. and fome cases the green light allows an insufficient number of cars on the minor road to get under way
before flashing back to red again. The inatter is made worse when, as
tram sometimes happens.
and
bus stops which,, let it be said. should not be allowed to exist in such places-are located close to the lights. In this case, when the, the light turns to green" for the few seconds allowed him, the sedondary road motorist has either to push his way through the nlighting crowd or to forgo his chance and wait for a further period. It is probable that the new master control to be expertraented with in London. will have an important effect on this point of the time periods of certain signal systems.
GAIETIES IN FRANCE
Burgundy Revels
!
It is looking a bit far ahead, but if any readers who have a taste for the very best things of life have some leisure time at the beginning of December, they should make a note of a few dates there-about. On December 3rd there is to be held at Dijon, in connection with an agricultural exhibition.
a gastronomic fair, when special opportunities will occur to eat the dishes and drink the Burgundy vintages which make Dijon a paradise for the gourmet. Perhaps Perigord rivals Burgundy in culinary matters, but en wines Burgundy is one up
on its amiable rival.
A Great Function On December 10th and fith the Automobile Club of Burgundy is organising a rally in conjunction .. with the above-mentioned pleas- »ant junketings, and it is expected that some hundreds of cars will Journey many miles to bring their occupants to the festive board. Finally, on December 18th, there is to be held at night the sale by auction of the famous winen grown and made by the Hospices de Beaune. This takes place at Beaune, and 13 EL remarkable function. It is worth going across Europe to see the sale.
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