1934-12-25 — Page 2

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RIBBON DEVELOPMENT

Emergency Measures Requested Of The

Prime Minister

"That ribbon development as a whole is a social problem second to no other in importance" is a statement appearing in a letter that has been sent to the Prime Minister, by a number of eminent people. A request is made for emergency legislation that will provide an interlude in which comprehensive measures can be adopted. The dangers to life in traffic accidents, and other evils accruing from ribbon building. have been officially recognised by the Ministers of Health and Tran- sport in a point announcement. The result of this announcement, it is urged, has been "to prompt those who are looking to profit from ribbon development to ac- celerate their programme and anticipate a change in the law."

The case for immediate action Is incontrovertible. Road casual- tles are three times as heavy in built-up areas as elsewhere; rib- bon development is ugly destrus- tive of the charm of the country- side; it is uneconomic in that it impedes the progress of traffic. Three counties alone, Surrey, Mid- dlesex and Essex have powers to control the buildings along their roads.

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Last week, speaking at the Mayor's banquet at Guildford, Lord Onslow referred to the efforts of the Surrey County. Council to deal with the problem. In 1931 powers were taken by the Council to prohibit access to cer-** tain roads, subject to compensa... tion-being paid to the landowners in respect of any injurious effect on their property. In collabora- tion with certain landowners, a scheme has beer! prepared under which the landowners would con- vey to the Council without any payment land on each side of the roads suficient to make a width between fences of 180 feet, The Counchi would then let the land to the landowner at a peppercom..

rent until he wished to develop it.' At this stage the Council would construct, with the assistance of a fixed contribution for the land- owner, subsidiary carriageways, parallel to the main one, together with footpaths. Finally, there would thus be three roads, provi- sion being made for through traf- Ac to be kept to the centre track. the subsidiary roads being for house-to-house vehicles. Bulid-

ing estate toads would connect with the subsidiary ones."

This scheme is a most interest- ing one with many advantages; among them is the avoiding of congestion caused by stationary vehicles on main roads. The plan would of course, be subject to mo- difications as special circumstan- ees arose, While it would replace ordinary roads by a much safer and more sightly system, it would not necessarily ensure land being laid out with buildings properly grouped, to mention, but one ob- jection. Nevertheless, the scheme affords a fruitful field of specula- tion on what might be achieved if the powers enjoyed by Surrey, Essex and Middlesex were con- ferred upon all county councils.. It is submitted that these would be insufficient to deal fully with. the matter. The solution is, therefore, for an emergency Bill pending such wider action as in- vestigation shows to be necessary.

FLYERS' £15,000

Johannesburg.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1934.

MOTOR JOTTINGS

BETTER ROADS

Need To Visualise Conditions

schemes

At the meeting of the British Road Tar Association referred to, Sir David Mine-Watson compar- ed highway development in this country with that in foreign countries. In the USA. France, Italy and Germany,

road vast have been put

few in hand during the past years, but in Great Britain there has been a drastic, curtallment of road-making, and a big reduction In expenditure on maintenance in the same period. Sir David' was not exaggerating when he sald that the rapid increase in the number of vehicles using British roads not only made it absurd to cut down road work, but rendered essential the taking of a very long view 'which would envisage conditions as they will be five or ten years from now.

Work Should Recommence

It is satisfactory that many of the highway schemes which were postponed or suspended during the worst period of the economție crisis are now to be revived with alatance from the Road Fund. Let us hope that the delay in carrying them through will not prove to have been time altogether wasted. If it has been utilised for closely studying the problems involved in the light of modern experience, and if the result is the.. aveldance of mistakes-especially in layout and surfacing materials -which have been far too preva- lent in the past, the hold-up in British road development may turn out to have been a blessing in disguise. It is time, however. for extensive work to recom- mence.

Scott and Black. the winners of the England to Melbourne atr race, will make £15,000 from ad- vertising fees and film rights, said Mr. A. O. Edwards, who financed the winning 'plane, on his arrival The film rights of the Bight alone here from Australia,

have been sold by the pilots to an The 'plane cost Mr. Edwards American firm for £3,000.

£5.000 at the factory. Flying and other expenses came to £8,500.

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DAZZLING HEAD LIGHTS

Bad Practice That Should be Suppressed

Draft regulations under the Road Transport Lighting Act, 1927, are about to be circulated by the Minister of Transport These regulations will be framed to reduce the trouble often ex- perienced through vehicle drivers. being dazzled by the bright It lamps on approaching cars.

is well known that the difficulty of legislation in this connection is considerable, and that most of the palliatives which have been tried are open to grave criticism: There is, however, one source of dazzle that could be suppressed Very simply. We refer to the head-lamp layout which provides for the mere extinguishing of the on-side" light while leaving the near-side lamp still showing powerful beam" straight down the road ahead.

Provocative Behaviour

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To be faced by a car of which the driver "suddenly brings into use this kind of so-called anti- dazzle system is a problem that

must have many motorists countered within the past few months. Everyone knows that where the extinguishing of the of-side lamp is accompanied by the dipping and switching of the near-side beam no dazzle occurs, "> and in the same way there is very little Cause for complaint when twin-Alament head-lamp bulbs are used. one "flament giving a long-distance concen- trated beam and the other diffused light which, merely flu- minates the ground Immediately. in front of the vehicle. The driver who simply puts out his off-side head lamp, and does not in any way vary the direction or · Intensity of the near-side beam is guilty of inconsiderate and pro- vocative behaviour," for an ap proaching driver, seeing one the oncoming lamps go out, feels that he would like to respond by using his dip, and switch other genuine anti-dazzle device. If he does so, however, he may find that the single head light coming towards him' dazzles him. completely; in self-defence he is bound again to switch on all his head-lamp power. Thereupon the offender switches on his off-side lamp and both drivers are in- convenfenced.

of

Whatever form the new regula- tions take, it is to be hoped that the type of spurious anti-dazzle method to which we have referr ed will be prohibited:

TAR AND FISH

Innocuous Drainage

Into Streams

At the annual general meeting of the British Road Tar Associn- tion, held recently, Sir David Milne-Watson was able to make an interesting announcement. It was that lengthy research, had" just resulted in the production of special road tar which would receive the approval of the Munis- try of Agriculture and Fisheries for use on roads draining into fish- ing streams. This la important, for the value of car, which is an all-

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British product, for use as a waterproof top-dressing" on roads 'is recognised, and its one disad- vantage hitherto has been the dif- Aculty of ensuring a degree of purity that would make it harmless to fish life when used on roads bordering or draining into rivers or lakes. Many years ago a well- known trout breeder expressed the view that purified tar was not a source of danger to his chargea, but that the difficulty, was to per- snade road authorities to expend suficient money to secure it. Bir David Milne-Watson's statement suggests that it will be passible to offer the new tar at a price that will not put it beyond the reach of those responsible for the construc- tion and maintenance of the high- Ways adjacent to rivers and streams.

}

LONG DISTANCE AUTOGIRO

Attempted Flight To Capetown.

1Special Air Mall - Hervice)....

London, Nov. 30. The attempt of a woman pilot to fly to Capetown in an autogiro will be followed with interest by all who believe in the future of this type of flying-machine. The long-distance light has long bee:1 an accepted method of popularis- ing dew aircraft, and many people have wondered why Senor de lo Clerva and users of his invention did not attempt to do more 1 that direction. Certainly if they did not it was not from any doubts of the autogiro's ability to endure the strains of extended flight; the reliability of the craft is now well proved. More prob ably the chief diziculty was that the autogiro's range is still lesa than that of some comparable sorts of fixed-wing craft. This

NEW AERODROMES drawback seems to have been

overcome for the purposes of Mrs. Victor Bruce's attempt by the atting of extra petrol tanks. The

Eleven To Be Built characteristic qualities or the

In Great Britain

(Special Air Mail Service).

London, Nov. 27. -- Eleven new aerodromes are to be constructed: In Great Britain for the Royal Air Force.

machine should considerably assist any phot's peace of mind during a long fight over difficult country. The risks of a forced landing among the forests or rough ground of Africa by an ordinary aeroplane which requires a landing run of several hundred. feet are acute. But a forced landing can seldom present any terrors to an autogiro, for which a cleared space of only a few square feet is sufficient, There. 18 no present reason, of course, to think that the autogiro could supersede the fixed-wing -aero- plane on long-distance commer

This was announced in the House of Lords by Viscount Hall- aham, Minister for War; replying to a question by Lord Mottistone (formerly Major-General Seely) as to whether the Government could now give a dežnition of our needs for National and Imperial: cial services. For that we must "defence, with a view to securing and adequate number of recruits He added that the Government's Service,

await further developments in the autogiro's size, and speed. But for the moment a successful long- distance fight or two would do The Air Ministry had definitely more to popularise the craft than decided on eleven, sites for new... any number of “stunt." landings aerodromes, Lord, Hailsham said in city street.

Of these, six had been actually acquired, or were well advanced towards acquisition

Increasing. Strength He added that the Government's programme of Increasing the strength of the Royal Air Force was being steadily pursued.

force by this country alone is going to reduce the possibility of attack. No Unilateral Disarmament "I do not take the view that, by phere of tranquility in which disarmament becomes possibility gain the view of the Government,', and to produce a sitiation whereby be said, "these proposals are con- increasing our vulnerability we sidered to be essential if our forces - diminish the risk of our being at, are to remain adequate for their ⠀ tacked.” duties in the light of present circumstances.

"While we will continue to

every nerve to produce an

To diminish the possibility of at- by international –– agr

tack was, in the Government

armament” may be acti

avad.

opinion, the best defence, and all - unless and

their polley was directed towards

that end,

"I do not mean.

.

11

ECONOMY IN DIESEL

Where The Big Goods- Carrier Scores

Recently an eight-wheeled com- mercial vehicle weighing, with its load, 21 tons 191 cwt. and run- ning, under, the, omdial observa- tion of the R.A.C., covered" 6807- miles at an average speed of 16.7 m.p.h, and with a fuel consump- tion of 9.84 mpg. The owner of a private car weighing, say, one ton would not be at all pleased If his mileage per gallon of petroi

were no more than : as a mat

ter of fact, it is probably about 30. In other words, he moves one ton for 30 miles at an expenditure of one, gallon of fuel: disregard- ing any weight of pásengers, als "ton mileage is 30. If we assume that he has three passengers with him in the car, that its weight. se Inden is 25 cwt, and that he can still get 30 m.p.g., we and that he can carry 25 cwt. for 30 miles on the gallon of fuel, and that his ton mileage per gallon is 374.

Compare this last-mentioned figure with the ton mileage of the commercial vehicle referred to. It is no less than 211.8. The per- formance is equivalent to that of - a private car welthing, with pas- sengers, one ton, and travelling more than 211 mp.g.! This is not, of course, quite a fair com- parison, for the amazing ton mileage Azure is greatly gon-

tributed to by the heavyweight

of the load, which was, in fact, 14 tons #cwt..

Best Read

For Private Cars

The achievement of the 22-ton- ner is, however, well worthy of mention, because it "was made possible by the use of a diesel- type engine running on a fuel which could not be employed. satisfactorily in a normal Inter- nal-combustion engine. There are many difficulties in the way t of adapting the diesel, or com- pression-ignition," engine:for use in a private car, but the advan- "tage of such adaptatión is man!- fest. Reference was made a short time ago to a new diesel engine -the pattern used during the RAC. test which appears to possess particular interest for private car manufacturers; it is to be hoped that a full investiga=" tion of its possibilities in this direction will be undertaken..

Hitherto, the comparatively poor" flexibility of the diesel en« gine and the dificulty of design- ing fuel injection pumps capable of supplying correctly the minute amounts of fuel required for each explosion stroke in a small power imit have been serious problems, In addition, the weight of "the 'diesel and its cost have been -awkwaza factora. However, in due. course, solutions will, doubtless, be found and the compresilor- Ignition engine for private care will come.

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