RURAL HABITS.
Animals on French Roads.
From time to time cases have been reported to the motor- ing nsascintions where British motorists touring in France have been involved in #171 accident resulting in injury to a domestic animal which was straying on the road. Not Infrequently claims have been made against motorists by the owners of such animals, in some cases for substantial sums.
For the guidance of British motorists the R.A.C. has obtained from the International Associa- tion the following exposition of the French law regarding such matters.
"Rural populations have habits which are a nuisance; they freely consider the road a pasturage or a fowl run. The law has fixed that no indemnity is payable to the i owner of an animal which, wandering at liberty on the road, is killed or wounded by a vehicle. The Code of the Road and the Penal Code maintain definitely this principle of forbidding the wandering of animals on public highways.
PHYSICAL TESTS.
Drivers Who Have No Experience.
REDUCING RISKS. Physical and mental tests of ap plicants for automobile drivers' licenses was urged recently by Commissioner Barbur in Portland when he learned that, although Oregon is reducing the number of deaths from automobile accidents. the number of accidents is mount- ing rapidly.
Inquiry at the office of Secretary of State Hoss revealed that only 70 persons were killed in automobile accidents in the sinte the first six months of the year as compared with 73 in the same period in 1929 and last year the number was less than the year before. Oregon was one of the few states to reduce the death list last year, said H.G. Maison of the traffic division.
Figures submitted to Commis sioner Barbur showed that while there were 13,053 accidents the first six months of 1929, there 13,984 the first six months this year and that while 1849 were hurt in the six months of 1929 2,146 have been hurt this year so far. The total accidents for 1929 amounted to 30,181 and the total death 189.
• "How many of these injured have been permanently injured?" inquir- ed Commissioner Barbus. "People drive cars
when they have had
were
no experience with them and don't know what to do in an emer- gency. In Detroit recently they took the first 100 drivers they met and put them through texts and found only 1 who were entitled to a license. About halt of the 300 were under the influence of liquor.. some were maimed, some were one- "eyed or one-armed.”
AVERAGE AUTO TAX.
C. M. Babcock, stàte commission- er of Minnesola's highways, has figured out that the average auto- mobile tax paid by motorists in all states in 1929 was $39.37. Nortli Dakota had the lowest average lig- ure, with $20,16; Nevada had the highest, with $.02.
THE
NEW
UNA PPROACHABLE
NORTON
Model 20 Two-Port
THE MOST UP-TO-DATE MACHINE AND THE CHOICE OF THE CONNOISSEUR.
Inspection Invited
SINCERES
BOLE AGENTS
THE HONGKONG. TELEGRAPH. MOTORING SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1930.
Musings Awheel
1
Idle Thoughts upon Motoring Matters of the Moment.
Progress.
Looking back a number of years --a favourite pastime of mine, admit it is curious-how our ideas of what is needed get modified greatly modified-as time goes on. Examining some of the latest gear- changing devices recently, I was led to wonder how far there could possibly be any demand in this year 1930 for complicated devices whereby one avoids "crashing" a gear, and no muscular effort, other than digital, is required.
[By "Milleator."]
day an artist in misappropriating motorcars was sentenced in a northern city. The fact that, for a period at any rate, he, will take no active interest in niatters of transport is a small consolation. but in the instances cited above. one has not even the remedy pro- vided for the common malefactor
noon of a day comprised in a popu-1 everyday life, and only the other lar holiday week-end. Each of these journeys has contributed one or more thrills, inasmuch as my young, and let us hope blame less, life has been threatened with summary foreshortening at the hands of those who, for reasons best known to themselves, consider they have an unimpeachable right to start late and arrive early.
iЯ
It necessarily follows, at such times as these, thut as one ap proaches the Metropolis one Of course, we all remember the opposing the main bulk of traffic: remark of the inventor of the Nevertheless, until such time as year-box-"It's brutal, but it all highways are declared to be, works" were, I believe, his exact and allocatel for, one-way routes, words. What he said was
I have always felt absolutely secure doubt quite true at the time over about my right to be the arbiter thirty years ago. But having had of my direction; albeit, the sense mayears of epicyclica, infinite of security stopped at that.
no
Of
y (7) variable belt drives, fric-course, when main roads are busy tion drives and other horrors, we one naturally expects to meet other still have the gearbox with
to
and, short of the removal of the
one can do.
licensing disc, I don't see what
Innocent Criminals.
i would be sorry, to make life more difficult for our modern humorists, who I believe to be a hard-working and thoroughly deserving class, but at the risk of so doing I give it as my considered opinion that the habitual road-hog is very nearly as extinct as the dodo, my earlier remarks notwith- standing.
are not
vehicles at the awkward moments
There are, I admit, plenty of when they are being overtaken, by greatly improved, it is true, and faster ones, at fairly frequent in Door drivers on the road, but they unaltered in principle.
necessarily road-hogs. Nowadays, it still works and is to be on hand just when some en-understand it,
tervals; but my fate, it seems, is Road-hegging, like murder, as I far less brutal-it is not brutal terprising juggins has decided to malice aforethought, and I am depends upon at all, in fact, if used with a pat it across the overtaker and convinced that the great majority little ordinary intelligence. There- overtaken at one mouthful, so of offences committed to-day are Tore I can only think that the speak. remedy for him who cannot use One of the instances which I can ence, lack of judgment and, in
merely the result of lack of experi the geare of his car with reason- recall happened some little distance some cases, lack of that mental able skill and safety after a hun-ahead of me. At the time I was balance which dred miles or so on the road is following a solo motorcyclist, and make-up of every decent driver.
is part of the #bathchair rather than some just as the latter was met by two The man or woman who cuts in wonderful but minute lever, the cars abreast, a third car, a large commits one of the most serious mechanism attached to which re-saloon, carrying none but its driver, motoring crimes, but for every one presents a small fortune. I must crashed through the space between who does it from sheer reckless- add that I have never yet heard him and the car.
ness, ninety and nine only realise. of such a thing as failure to get
to their horror, when too late, that the rear-changing knuck on a
they have miscalculated Morris, at any rate, within reason-
speeds of the various Cara able time, an the question does not
involved and made what turns out really arise.
to be a wrong decision."
The l'uncture Bogy.
As for me, I stood on everything, to let this important person get away with I. One of gentlemen, I think not.
Check!
Nature's
the
Much the same explanation can often be applied to the driver who takes a corner on the wrong side- of the road and even the criminai who passes on a curve may well have done so owing to the same faulty judgment, the curve being reached sooner than was expected. That the commission of these crimes should be guarded against goes without saying, but to con- demn every offender as a road-hog is intolerant and unfair,
Not long ago I garaged my car It is the same with tyres. For in a neighbouring town where I years and years there were dark had certain business to transact. whispers about the fortune await-On returning an hour or so sooner ting the man who could do away than I was expected. I met a mechanic Althy with punctures. Well, punctures particularly have been practically "done away driving my car back from an with," although not in the drastic errand for which he had calmly manner spoken of by the scribes borrowed it. I made few appro- and know-alls of those days.priate remarks.
The other day a friend of mine Nothing in any sense drastic-had an exactly similar experience. unless it was the replacement of Quite recently I was the means canvas by cord construction-ever of detecting an employee of a did happen. And all those won-well-known firm of concessionaires derful metal-lined
A fully-grown pheasant flying covers, tubes half full of horrible sticky stuff customer's car which was in for and being picked up dead recalls taking a week-end joy-ride on a against a windscreen, breaking it and similar atrocities, vanished repair.
the queer accident that happened
years ago.
Strange Mishaps.
To cap all, I was told the other to a Dorset motorist who overtook I am led to talk about tyres in day of a motorist who left his cara scurrying rabbit on a road at this connexion by a curious thing in a small London garage for night. The wheels caught the that happened to me not so long several days while he was on a rabbit in the spokes and jammed maya, I was approached by an Continental trip. During his it against one of the arms of the individual who showed me some absence his car was hired out. steering rods. This forced the. covers having as a foundation a These revelations, coming so wheels to remain in a straight kind of sted mall armour. Inclose on top of one another, have line, and the driver, fortunately fairness, I hiust say that these made me a bit uneasy. My car at a very moderate speed, to his things appeared, in section, to be represents quite a material pro-huge astonishment calmly drove beautifully made and practically portion of any worldly wealth. Istraight into a hedge when he
ndestructible-all the same I de- shall have, no doubt, a perfectly tried to take the next corner. elined quite politely the invitation good legal remedy in case of somewhat similar accident over- to take up the shares in the actual damage, but I don't like took a motorcyclist in one of the
legal remedies and. further. I London-Exeter trials. proposed syndicate.
A bird ubject to other people making un-flying low was caught in, the authorised use of my car.
spokes, whirled round and jammed Unauthorised borrowing is, of against the brake. The
slowly getting to be cyclist was thrown over the bare found myself obliged to undertake regarded by those in high places and received cuts. So did the
Holiday Drivers.
On several occasions 1.
have course,
a journey to London in the fore-as a very real evil in modern bird.
LARGER MOTORS.
Sixteen Cylinders!
By N.H.G.]
Eight cylinders, 12 cylinders, 16- cylindere it would seem that the tendency in the United States is to the big. 31ost of the automobilu models now on the market are eights, there's a 16, there will soon be a 12, and there are signs of another 12 and another 16, at least, by the time the next automobile show comes around.
But, strange as this fact may make it, the great majority of us are still running around in fours and sixes, and most of the cars be- ing sold to-day are still in the four and six classes.
All of which goes to prove that we are still buying automobiles for their transportation value and their urgent necessity to this modern life. We might as well include practically all the eights in this category, also, for the eights stand now where the sixes stood two years ago, when it comes to cost and upkeep.
The twelves and the sixteens carry with them more luxurious considerations-greater riding ease, more comfort, higher speed, and
80
FLEET OF FORDER SEDANS.
A
motor-
The Motoring Sensations
of the year!
FIAT 514
THE NEW FOUR-CYLINDER MODELS
and
the-
FIAT $248
SIX CYLINDER MODELS.
Arrange for an early Demonstration.
A. GOEKE & COMPANY,
China Building, 4th Floor. Tel. 22221.
FIAT GARAGE,
Das Vœux Road Central. Tel. 24821.
LANCIA GARAGE,
151, Prava East. Tel. 23557.
TRUST A THORNYCROFT With Your TRANSPORT
DEAL DIRECT.
THORNYCROFT
SIX-CYLINDERED
COACHES & OMNIBUSES
MOTOR
VEHICLES
Pioneer Manufacturers of Commercial Motor Vehicles
70
4 or 6 Wheels
4
The talkies are being moved to out-of-the-way inhabitants
of America by truck, so they may "enjoy the benefits of mo dern civilization. All of which, includes advertising of the beneficiaries who sponsor the showing of the talkies by this method. It's a Los Angeles product, of course.
on. The transportation is motor car displays by comparison's sense of the word, what of the 12 there, of course, but as a necessity the necessity involved in the purind 167.;
the larger automobile doesn't pre-chase of the smaller models. The feeling of luxury in the tend to boast itself. It is a car of eights included. If ever any of "smaller care is actually one of luxury.
us thought owning a new six or an satisfaction and pleasure we get
As the car of luxury, the larger eight was a luxury, in the strict from driving them.
or 6 Cylinders
30 Cwt. to 10 Ton Loads
20 to 70 Passengers
JOHN I. THORNYCROFT & CO., LIMITED
UNION BUILDING.
HONGKONG
FIFTH FLOOR.
Write us and our representative will call.
Telephone 24881.
TRUST A THORNYCROFT WITH YOUR Transport
Page 15Page 16