1934-11-13 — Page 2

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THE INTIONAL MOTOR SHOW

The Largest Exhibition

In The World

(By a London Correspondent)

No less than six miles of stands are, at the time of writing, "at- tracting thousands of visitors to the International Motor Exhibi- tion at Olympia, London, the larg est exhibition in the world de- "

A greater voted to one industry. number of foreign visitors than ever are present this year owing to the improvement in interna- tional trade and the steady deve- lopment in the sales of British vehicles Overseas,

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The total value of British cars exported last year amounted to £6,740,584, but this figure will, it is confidently anticipated, be con- siderably increased this year. The the leading Agures of two of manufacturers up to date aboW that export orders since their 1935- models were announced are, in one case, 35 per cent and, in the other. 34 per cent greater than at the corresponding year.

period last

The General Trend From an examination of the it is clear new season's models that they typify steady improve- ment rather than startling inno- vation. Owing to the future lower taxation charges most of the makers' specialising in models be- tween 12 and 20 h.p. have either produced bigger models or are of fering alternative engine sizes for the same price.

made

con-

Streamlining has siderable strides; Indeed, one of the

body and a remarkable amount of accommodation Despite this, however, its essential livellness and stability remain Then there is the "beed Ten-Twelve," which Is a sports car of 12 h.p.. com- bining a high degree of perfor- mance and comfort. It has a genuine, maximum speed of over 70 mp.h., and from B standing start can reach 50 m.ph. in 16 For those who find radio & secs. pleasant relief from the monotony of long journeys, the standard 12 b.p. saloon de luxe fitted with the latest Philco set will prove attrac- tive.

Detall improvements have been made

the Sunbeam range in which comprises the 12.8 p Dawn," "Twenty," "Twenty-ave" and "Twenty-one" Sports. In the case of the last named, a pre-se- lective gearbox can now be sup- plied with" a normal plate type clutch and patented interlocking mechanism whereby, when the neutral gear is engaged, the clutch is automatically withdrawn and the engine entirely disconnected from the gearbox. This improved application of the pre-selective gearbox is particularly valuable thtrime driving, as the light pressure required to operate the movement of the pedal for clutch withdrawal gives

easy control without coristähtly depressing the pedal for changing.gear.

Nowadays most striking features of saloons, open tourers and sports model alike is their sweeping lines. Another noteworthy point is the revival of the 4-cylinder engine, which up to three years ago had

ground been losing steadily.

"Easy Change" Developments According to the very valuable statisties compiled by "The Auto- car" in its Buyers' Guide, no less than 73.1 per cent of 1935 cars on the market offer some form of "easy change" system. In this connection the combination of a traffic clutch" with a perfected self-change gearbox makes gear changing on the latest Talbots entirely automatic.

This concern has produced a 31-litre Airline model which snould prove extremely popular with the motorist who desires the highest degree of effective power with complete reliability and coth- fort. The Talbot "105" has made history in that severest of a tests, the International Alpine Trial, but it is of less than 3 litres capacity. The new 'model will thus have an Increase of about 17 per cent in power.

For All Purses

Among the hundreds of cars on view there is something to suit all purses from £100 to £3,000 and much to interest the en- thusiast at both ends of the scale." Of the high power ears there is a singularly attractive 40/50 h.p. Rolls Royce with enclosed mou- sine body by Hooper, Painted: dark blue with a white line, it would be difficult to imagine a more comfortable or completely equipped car. For the passenger compartment, for instance, there is a special form of draughtiess ventilation, which takes care of the interior temperature in sum mer, while a hot water heater,.. fitted with a variable control by rheostat, provides warmth in the winter. Traffic signals, permanent- ly fitted jacks, sun visors and, of course. a

Installation are radio among the features of this £2,500 car.

There is a ine example of a town carriage embodying modern streamline Ideas in the 7-seater imousine produced by the Gros. venor Carriage. Co. This is mount." ed on the 27 h,p. Blg Six Vauxhall chassis, and sells at the very moderate figure of £550. Design- ed primary. for chauffeur-driven use there is a winding glass, parti- tion between the front and rear which can be lowered when the owner takes the wheel Recessed in one of the rear seat armi rests is a telephone for cofimunicating with the driver, while a wireless aerial is built into the roof.

A Well Proved Range The Standard range for next yeur, apart from three models consists of the cars that were so successful last season with the addition of detail"improvementa,

Of the new models there is now a "Nine" de luxe with a 4-door

Electrical Developments

the trouble with electrical equipment is so rare that the average motorist might be pardoned for "taking it all for granted" and imagining that there is no scope for further im- This is actually far provement. from being the case.

For instance," the coming of radio on cars, traficators and fog lights meant increased output from dynames, and to meet this demand Joseph Lucas Ltd. intro- duced dynamos with compensated voltage control, so that their charging rate depends upon the state of charge of the battery. For the new season it is understood that this system is being more generally adopted, as it is now available on the smaller size of dynamos used on some of the low- cr powered chassis.

For The Marine Enthusiast Not only does Olympia' cater for the motorist, but also for the marine enthusiast. The distinc- tlon of showing the largest boat in the Exhibition goes to Thorny- crofts with their 42 ft. auxillary cruiser. This vessel, which has an 11 It. beam, is fitted with twin Diesel engines of '18 h.p. each, giv- lug a speed of about 7"knots un- der power. These engines are arranged under the floor of the deck house, thus saving valuable space. The accommodation in- cludes a twin berth sleeping.cabin aft; a fully equipped saloon with settees and folding sleeping berths, galley, crew space for 2, shower bath etc..

Teak built with an fron keel, a valuable feature of this vessel is the very shallow draught, for she can rest on the ground without heeling over more than 15 de- grees.

ROAD NUMBERS

What do readers think about the system of numbering roads now being thrust upon us? asks.. â correspondent. There seems. to be a good deal of opposition to the scheme; some critics appear to take the view that if the Great North Road were known simply as A 1 It would cease to be the road it was. Why, For my own part I consider intelligent numbering of roads to be of the greatest aid to finding one's way.

Simple System

. For instance, can 'anyotie · sug-* gést ány beter system than the French method? All one need: know in advance is the official nurabers of the roads between any two places. As these are given on every kilometre stone one can never be more than a kilometre in doubt.Parisians do not talk of the Chartres road, or the Dieppe road; they, merely think, of them as N 10 and N 15 respec- tively. To be exact N 15 begins at Pontoise, and is N 194 into Paris via St. Germain, but the principle is the samé.

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HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13,

MOTOR

JOTTINGS

SAFETY LANES QUEER AIR TRAVELLERS

IN LONDON

Approaching 10,000-

(Special Air Mail Service)

London, Oct. 28. London, like a school undergo- ing vaccination against a danger- ous epidemic, is on the whole quietly and willingly submitting to the Hore-Belisha treatment of steel studs and yellow beacons, and by the end of the months a very handsome" proportion of the 10,000 pedestrian crossings aimed at by the Minister will be in exis-

terce.

Two only of the 33 municipelit les in the school are proving re- calcitrant-Westminster and Ber- mondsey. The former, having an- nounced its desire for further ex-

periment, is apparently content

for the moment to maintain some of its hundreds of herring-bone markings and let others, fade away.

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The Minister originally announc- ed that councils which wished to receive or recover from him 80 per cent, of the cost of these crossings must have them mark- ed out with studs and beacons) by Oct. 27. Since then, as the re- sult of discussion with their re- presentatives, it has been agreed that the date shall be extended if necessary.

Supplies of studs and beacons are now adequate to all needs, and during the past ten days the paint lines have been remarked in the new style in all parts of Lon- don, from Willesden to Woolwich- Westminster and Bermondsey ex- cepted.

Cyclists Avold Cycle Tracks Another road safety measure, the, special cycling tracks which the Middlesex County. Council are laying down for the Minister alongside Western-avenue, is pro- gressing actively. More than a mile of smooth white concrete path 8ft wide has already been laid on one side of the road.

So far it is proving highly popu- lar with pedestrians, and nurse- maids with perambulators also patronise it eagerly. Cyclists con- spicuously abstain. They still pre- fer to live dangerously and main- tain their "rights" on the main road.

AUSTIN CHAIRMAN'S OPTIMISM

(Special Air Mail Service)

London, Oct. 28.

Sir Herbert Austin was in an optimistic mood

at the meeting

of the Austin Motor Co, Hề be.... lieves that 1934-35 will be an even better year for the company than 1933-34. His optimism restx on a solid basis. Deliveries so far this year are double the corres- THA ponding figure, a year ago. Austin programme was announc- ed on Aug. 14, and already the number of orders in hand for im 'mediate delivery la 72 pc. larger

than at this time last year.

Mr. E. L. Payton. the deputy chairman, reminded the share- holders that the company could not have produced its cars at their present price if it had not pursued a courageous' policy of "expenditure on maintenance and depreciation. He added that, al- though the reserve and carry- forward would stand at £937.933. after the capitalisation of the bonus shares, it was the inten- tion of the board to build that figuze up.

* FIRE!

An afternoon of fires was pro- vided by the National Fire Pro- tection Co., Ltd., Petersham Road, Richmond, who were giving a -number of demonstrations to prove the efficiency of their Essex fire extinguishers.

For one test a stream of petrol was run down a 10ft. long chute from a drum into a bucket. A Lighted match was thrown into the bucket and the whole stream of liquid nared up. The smallest Essex hand extinguisher then put this fire out in about four seconds. The smallest Essex extingüistler is very suitable for carrying on a car, since it is light and compact It is brought into action by strik ing a knob on the ground, but can also be connected by pipes to the most likely source of fire, such as the carburettor, so that the knob can be operated by a handle from the driver's seat. Eider ex- tinguishers, contain methyl bro fhide, and are used by the A.

Growth In The Transport

Of Livestock By Airway

Since the establishment by Im-- perial Airways, not long ago, of the a department dealing with transport of livestock by air, the work of this depertinent has beeni increasing constantly,

from London

Many more pedigree dogs, among other animals, are now be- ing consigned by the air routes to the continent. The other afternoon, for example, a visit to the air-port showed that the officials had in their care, just at that particular moment, arrived seven dogs which had

from various consignors for dis- patch by alr-liner to different points throughout Europe, each animal being housed in a com- fortable travelling box

"A good many of the dogs en- trusted to us," explained one of.. the experts, "are travelling over to be exhibited at shows on the continent. They not only com- plete their Journeys so much sooner if they go by air, but they receive special care and attention. from members of our staff, while they are actually in transit.

Strange Cargoes

"Apart from livestock consigned to and from the Continent,” he added, "there are some strange. cargoes, nowadays, which reach the us "from" destinations along - Empire routes.

"The other morning, when one of the services arrived from Africa, we found we were hand- ling a big crate containing live locusts. These had been sent to England from the beart of Africa in order that scientists over here could try on them the effect of certain chemicals with which it is intended to fight the locust plague.

"On another occasion, recently. an incoming service from Africa had on board a special box which contained a number of Uve mos- quitos. They too, had been con- signed for experimental' purposes to laboratories in this country: and they had been kept alive, during their air voyage to Eng- land, by feeding them with stag- nant swamp water, a supply of which, in glass containers, had been shipped with them.

CONSIGNMENT OF LADYBIRD

"The value of air travel, In transporting livestock rapidly from point to point, was shown in a remarkable way in Tanganyika not long ago. - Orit there the coffee plantations. xre 8pt to suffer from a pèst known as the 'mealy-bug. The destruction of" these insects by apraying is al- most impossible owing to the ex- pense involved, and the difficulty of exterminating them complete- ly. But it appears that they have one natural enemy, the lady-bira. Lady-birds consider the mealy- bug a tasty morsel, and their presence in any locality keeps the Dest in check. Unfortunately. there were no lady-birds in Tan- ganyika, and so the Government turned to the dir service to re- medy this defect. It was impera- tive that the lady-birds should arrive at the earliest possible mo- ment, as the 'mealy-bug best beginning to get a firm hold.

"Therefore an urgent cable was "sent to the Government entomo- South logist of the Union of Africa at Port Elizabeth. He at once sent a number of live lady- birds by air to Tanganyika, where they were released immediately in the plantations with very bene- ficial results. The Government entomologist stated that, prior to the days of high-speed air trans- port, it had been most dificult to Берф beneficial Insects for any considerable distance owing to the great mortality among them. But in this particular case," journey, only one of the lady In spite of the length of the

birds died on the way. They were, incidentally, furnished with a quantity of 'mealy-bug' on which to feed during their Sight.

LIVE CROCODILES

"A feature of animal transport by air is the contrast between some of the consignments we have to handle. Oné moment we may be dealing with a number of raC-. Ing pigeons, going out in their cages" "to" some point on the ton- tinent, to be released for a race back to England. And then we may go across to an incoming macdide did hnd among its cargo

..

a number of live crocodiles, mon- keys, parrots, or tropical fish in tanks

"There are

regular dispatches to London by air, from the Bay of Biscay, of the queer little fish known as sea-horses These are needed to replenish the tanks in "the aquarium at the Zoo. They travel in metal containers full of Biscay water. These" contaluers have an arrangement like a bicy- cle pump attached to them, and every few hours, during the air Journey, ona crew of the air-liner has to make a few strokes with' pump in order to keep the water aerated.

PERFORMING LIONS AND

TIGERS

"Performing animals, travelling to and from menageries and cir- cuses on the Continent, often make their journeys by air. Not long ago a fully-grown llon flew over to London in a cage inside one of the cargo-planes, its tral- ner travelling with it. sitting Just

cage. outside the

It had been feared that the lon might become upset during its fight. But actually the animal seemed soothed, rather than otherwise, by

the being in alr, and by the time it reached Croydon it was so quiet that its tráiner went into the. Cage, put a chain on the lion's collar, and walked out with it, just as though the animal had been a big dog. And the lion, prefectly docile. just stood looking quietly round until it was led into travelling cage to be taken up to town.

"On another occasion a 132- chine from the Continënt brought in several performing tigers for a another circus in London. On day performing horse--also. travelling in a special compartment

A

- CONTRASTS

Beauty and---

Motorists in the Metropolitan district and Home Counties have a great treat in the magnificent trees in the Thames Valley. Run- ning through High Wycombe the. trees all around Dashwood and Aston. Rowant are glorious. At the pretty Lambert Arms turn left and come into Henley through Watlington, one of England's really unspoiled villages. After Henley, the lovely avenue, run ning nearly all the way to Maid- enhead is at its best, and is singularly devoid of traffic. This road somehow conveys the im- pression

running that one s through some noble park, rather than traversing a public highway.

-The Beast

It always seems a pity that the run back from Maidenhead down the Colnbrook By-pass and the

Great West Road should be such" an appalling vista of ugliness; it seems all the worse after the beauty of the previous miles. The only things worth looking at on the Great West Road are the new factories. These are in pleasant

q..

contrast to the hideous buildings

called houses which ne route mile after mile. It is a classic example of ribbon build- ing at its zenith of ugliness,

FORD MOTOR SHOW

The new £10 tax Ford will be the centre of interest at the Ford Motor Exhibition which is being held in the Albert Hall, London, at the same time as the Olympia Motor Show. Besides a complete range of all the latest Ford cars there will be stands showing Fords fitted with special coach- work, and numerous sideshows. including a cinema theatre.

inside one of the hig machines " was landed at Croydon from

. Paris; while just recently a clever chimpanzee, flying to London from the south of France, to take part in films in this country, walked up to the air-liner captain, and shook hands with him solemnly." after its keeper had led. It from the machine").

SOUTH SEAS AIR ROUTES

Japanese Plans

Tokyo, November 4.

In preparation for the proposed regular air service between Japan and the South Seas Islands under the Japanese mandate, a regular air mail service between Saipan, and Parno, a distance of 1,500 kilometres, will shortly be insu- gurated, Rengo learned to-day.

The Communications Ministry is understood to have provided in the budget for the next fiscal year, 1935-36 an appropriation for the establishment of radio stations, airports and meteorological ob- servatories along the projected air

course.

RILEY WORKS RALLY

The Riley Motor Club held & rally at the works at Coventry, " when about 300 persons attended.

There was a choice of works tours according to the amount of time one wished to spend, but interest centred upon two points, the first being the racing stable, where a large number of successful cara was resting. and the secotid a completely sectioned engine unit driven electrically and cus away to allow inspection. There was tea in a large marquee, a film show, photographs, a display of 1935 models, and all kinds of amusements.

TALBOTS ON SHOW

A very fine display of new Tal- bot models with most attractive coachwork was held at the Bariby Road Works" in Londen by Cle- ment Talbot, Ltd. Particular at- tention was focused on the new 34-tre car, which promises to be a worthy stable companion of the Talbots that have already made such a good name for themselves. The cars shown proved that it is possible to combine a good de- of streamlining with com- fort and ample head room.

gree

TRUST A THORNYCROFT Wire You?

DEAL DIRECT

THORNYCROFT

SIX-CYLINDERED

COACHES & OMNIBUSES

Q

MOTOR VEHICLES

DIESEL OR PETROL

"Pioneer Manufacturers of Commersial

Full Range of Spares carried in Hong Kong and Shanghal

4 or 6 Wheels

4 or 6 Cylinders

80 Cwt, to 10 Ton Loads

20 to 70 Passengers

JOHN L THORNYGROFT & CO., LIMITED,

Pioneer Building,

Hood, Kowloon.

TEL. 56754.

TRUST A TH

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