1935-06-25 — Page 2

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ROMANCE OF CHINA'S ROADS

From Canton To Peiping

Nanking, June 12. Bach, morning in Nanking one can watch the departure of four big buses, each for a destination outside the province. The foreign- er new to China will see little re- markable in this simple statement. for, to him, roads are a matter of course: but to the "Old China Hand," whose experience of China is confined largely to one of the Trenty Ports, and whose settled conviction is that China is a land of Unrest, Communism, and Mud- dle, where nothing is ever accom plished, the statements may well zeem incredible.

The amazing ricrease in the kilometrage of roads in China has been one of the most portentious but unrecognized exents in modern history, and the result of such an overwhelming change in China's agricultural communications certain to be most far-reaching..

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CANTON TO PELPING It is not generally realized that within a very short time, it will be possible, by using roads of verying quality, and making some detours, to motor from Canton to Pelping; nor does the Shanghai resident know that so far from Hangchow and Cheklang being his crily ob- jectives by car, he can motor, on metalled roads, to Nanchang and Changsha, and, it he is prepared to tace earth roads and deviations, can reach not ority Hankow, but Kaifeng, Tsinan, and Tsingtao, while within one year, he 'will' be able to go all over the country:

ROAD HISTORY

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As early as 1813 the road problem was tackled by the Government of the young Republic, and in that year 58 kilos, of road were, con- structed

Eunan. Internal trouble prevented much further progress being made until 1918 when-the-Ministry of-the-Interior- offcialty commenced a programme of roads. It was not until two years later, however, that a deter, mined start culd be made and since that time the Kuometrage of earth roads nas steadily increased.

The roads were later, by decree.

placed under the Ministry of Rail way and from 1929 to 1931 the cul- struction programme, which had lagged since 1927, was accelerated.

BUREAU OF ROADS 1932, however, marked a new era in road construction, for in that year the National Economic Couu-· cfl decided to organize a Bureau of Roads, and to make a grant of $1,000,000 for the purpose of join-

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FI

EXPERIMENTS.

To ascertain the most suitable.. road-surface for different condi- tions, both in first-cost and main- tenance, some two miles of main ruud outside Nanking have been trested in a large number of differ. ent ways These includes several varieties each of stone pavé" and concrete, all concrete, macadam, and tarmac. Observation and test will decide the order of merit of each type of surface, and the data sa obtained will be of great value when considering the sub-soll and local material in each part of the country.

ROAD USE

Amid the business of road- building it might be excusable if söme neglect of the science of road-use were exhibited, "but this is not so, and it is the endeavour " of the Bureau of Roads so to con- struct new roads that either the old roadway, or side-lanes of the new roadway, will be designated slow traffic, thus for heavy and leaving the crown of the "new roads for fast motor trame. This, of course, will not be an easy problem insofar as the peasants are concerned; and for this reason, as well as for that of "Safety. First," a Highway Safety Commis sion was organized last year to in- struct the peasant and coolie in road-sense. Notices are being put up and hoardings erected which show the dire results of looking the wrong way, or failing to look at all, when crossing the roads. The task of the commission is a herealean one, and it will be a long time before the motorist can feel reasonably assured that rickshaws and pedestrians will not suddenly dart across the road within a foot of his, wheels.

THE SILK ROAD

Those with yearnings for ro- mance will readily be thrilled by the road now under construction

between, Sianfu, the rallhead, and Lanchow in Kansu, a distance of 600 kilometres, for this road follows- a part of the route of the ancient. "Silk Road" by-which Chinese alik

travelled to Greece and Imperial Rome,

This road was cut, nearly two thousand years ago, by the diver- sion of the rivers feeding Lok Nor in Sinklang, but these streains ré- sumed their original course a few years ago, and the great road--the world's longest-may one day he restorea,

The Sian-Lanchow road is us

problem, for it passes through foess country and its successful completion will be an event in road history. Many setbacks have been encountered but the problems are being tackled energetically and

ing up the provlaces o: Kiang many know, a great engineeri:g Cheklang. and Anhwel

was also in November, 1832 that the "Interprovincial Highway Trait » Commission " of the above-lucu- tiched provinces and the muni- cipalities of Nanking and Greater Shanghat came into being, thereby, surmounted one by one and there bringing under a co-ordinated con- trol the road traffic and motor transport ct those provinces

The Bureau of Roads has done splendid service in transport work ana also in construction not only of earth roads but especially of surfaced roads for motor trafíte,

As this work is comparatively so new to China, several expert ad- visers from the League of Nations have been employed. as well as others engaged directly by the National Economic Counou.

KILOMETRAGE AND QUALITY At the beginning of this year, 84.809 kilometres (52.700 miles) of roads had been constructed in China, the largest provincial kile- metrage being Kwangtung with 11,244-kilos-The-work-is-being- rapidly pushed on, and these totals have, by now, been considerably increased

It should not, of courage, be im agined that more than a small pro. portion of these tatais is surfaced, as this can only be accomplished by slow degrees. Nor should it be forgotten that the quality of even the best roads cannot, and should not, even approximate to the best European and American ronds, The new road from Liverpool to Manchester, for example, cost over X16,000 per mile ($120,000 per kilo) and were new construction of this quality attempted in China, the new kilometrage built per year would be infinitesimal.

is every hope that succesz wil anally crown the efforts of the en- gineers. Already büs lines are operating over the route in fine weather and the journey of six weeks is even now reduced to three days. On the completion of the permanent rond this latter figure will, of course be still. further re- duced.

It will be generally conceded that these Chinese efforts with Chinese funds made in a time of unique. political, financial, and economic stress, deserve the very highest praise, for they do good to all and.. harm to nome-a rare via in these

times.

LARGER SIGNS

The objections expressed to the discrepancy in size between the 30 mph. sign and the de-restrictión sign have at last had the desired result. Nothing has annoyed the motorist more in connection with the limit than this seeming at- tezipt to mislead him, although in some quarters where such a view might not be expected there was a feeling that this sign should not be made too prominent in case drivers regarded it as an invitation to put their foot down hard regardless of conditions.

That was an unsatisfactory argument,, and it is, good to see The policy is, therefore, to build that Sir William Brass, doughty the simplest and cheapest road upholder of motoring interests, bas which will withstand the trame extracted a statement that both without unreasonably heavy repair signs will be 18 inches instead of bills--such a road averaging about the de-restriction sign being limit- $3,000 per kilo-and to increase ed to 8 inches. A further welcome, the kilometrage as rapidly as pos- concession is an instruction to the sible in order to open up the coun- London and Home County authorl- try to settlement, agriculture, and hes that signs shall be erected on commerce and thus check the both sides of the rom entering and sporadie banditry which is the re- leaving a restricted area, Bimilar kult more of natural than of econo- Instructions are to be issued to all me or political conditions. **yri incal authorities, and motorists will

快

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1935.

MOTOR JOTTINGS

MOTOR NOTES SPEEDOMETER EVIDENCE

From Here And There

The firs sections of the new German moter roads will shortly- be opened between Frankfort and Darmstadt and between Munich and Holzkirchen.

Work has been renewed on the world's deepest well at Belridge. ir Kern County, U.S.A., which 11,377 fee: deep.

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Denmark considers that cycling tracks have preserved the cycling habit there rather than handi- capped it, as has been suggested here.

When Russian scientists first sent their report of the oll in the Caucasus to the Tsar, they said that it was a liquid which had no use whatsoever.

For slogan purposes the Adt!- Noise League might well consider Emerson's words, "A gentleman makes no noise." J

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A sound film of the Mercedes. Benz motor racing activities dur-." ing last year has been produced in conjunction with the German: U.F.A. Alm company.

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Increased safety will be afford- ed visitors to, the Ovel thst cric- ket season as a result of road im- provements near Hobbs Gates.

The cost of speed limit de-res- triction signs for by-passes in the London area is £1.700, there being 4.000 such signs. .........

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A Kent motorist who could neither read nor write has been Aned for driving on the wrong side of a "Keep Left" sign.

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The old frish jaunting chr ce- cently had a revival in Dublin as a result of a strike among tram and bus drivers.

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A development of a pre-war invention is a tyre which has a' tread made up of alternate rid- ges of hard and soft rubber.

A company has been formed in Buenos Aires to develop a scheme for the insurance of motor tyres.

AD

average hourly flow.. of 1.245. vehicles passes Clock Corner on the Great North Road at Don- caster between 9 am, and 9 p.m.

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Liquid oxygen is to be used by Soviet scientists as the motive power to drive rockets 200 miles into the stratosphere.

Interesting Memorandum By The R.A.C.

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Having read of motorists being fined for exceeding the 30 m.p.h. speed limit by as little as two ar three mph. to the Royal Auto- mobile Club at the end of March suggesting that the club's techni- cal department should make series of tests to determine the extent of possible error when the, speedometer of one car was used to judge the speed of another car, writes a correspondent. I men- tioned a number of openings for possible discrepanies, and said I believed these could give rise to

difference of five mp.b. be "tween the actual and the record- ed speeds at or about 30 mph. this would imply that if a moto- rist's speedometer and his read- ings of were low and those of the police were high there might be a difference of 18 mph. be- tween them,

A

I beard nothing from the R.AC. (except a formal acknowledgment

of

my, letter) until last week, when I received a letter and a lengthy memorandum from the secretary on this subject. This memorandum. shows that the scope for possible discrepancy's approximately 17 per cent in either direction, high or low, or 34 per cent. as between two speedometers, one high and the other low. In other words, just about what I believed, though not altogether for the reasons I had in mind.

"HONEST MISTAKE

A motorist, then, may honestly belleve be was doing only 25 Ip.h. when the police assert thas his sped was 35 mph.. and yet he may have been travelling at precisely 30 m.ph.

Admittedly, it is hardly con- celvable that two speedometers *hrought together in such cir- cumstances would both have all possible discrepancies in mechan- is checking. and reading, and to the fullest possible extent. But it is bot impossible; that being so, it is obviously unjust that a driver should be convicted of exceeding the speed limit by a few miles per hour when the possible scope for error is 5 m.p.h. in either direction.

PARALLAX ERRORS ·

A point mentioned in the RAC. memorandum referted to above is one to which my attention was drawn by a prominent personality in the motor world shortly be- fore I wrote to the RA.C., 07 this matter It is the scope for error in reading a speedo- meter due to "parallax." This Is the error caused by not looking at a speedomeer for watch or clock) with the figures and hand of the instrument and the eye of the observer all in one straight me. None of us motor

fall to recall that when two people look

clock from & opposite angles while the time t say, half-past two, one may say the time is 2.29 and the other 2.31.

am-

Caecho-Slovakia has an bitious road construction plan, and special attention is being 'given to the five main

roads for international traffic. v

Hereford County Council are to purchase three "tall "bridges, it suitable grants from the Ministry of Transport are forthcoming.

French manufacturers are in- terested in very inexpensive cars. A new economy car with a two- stroke engine is soon to be mar- keted.

The historic Lime House of Limehouse is to be pulled down to allow for street improvements.

A theory for a murder case in. America that the victim was forced to inhale carbon monoxide zas from the exhaust of a car.

Part of Brixton Road is to be "widened" at a cost of £13.200. This is on the London-Brighton read. Crawley, also on this road, is to be by-passed at a cost of over £90,000.

be

Box Hill, Surrey, isto adorned by: Brother' two: thou sand.six hundred trees,

The walls of a new aeroplane's cabin are padded with a seaweed substance to deaden noise.

appreciate this practical response of the Minister of Transport to their reasonable objection.

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If the hands of the clock are close to the figures the difference, in reading the time will be lit le: but if the hands stand well "away. or if the two "people are looking at the clock at an acute angle, the difference will be consider.. able-one may say the time is 2.27 and the other.2.33.

And so it is with a speedome- ter. The policeman who is driv- ing a car may think he is doing 30 m.ph..when, a motorist passes ¦ him, whereas he is running at 27 m.p.h. only. Similarly when the police are checking their speedometer, there is scope for error for the same reason...

ERRORS IN CHECKING On the subject of errors that. may arise when the police and motorists too, for that matter -make periodical tests of their speedometers, the RAC points. out that this checking is usually carried out by running the cRI at a predetermined speedometer speed kept as constant es pOSS- ible over a measured distance, the time taken by a stop-watch.

The distance la frequently A short as one furlong, and while the observer may have obtained the necessary skill (not easily (acquired) to operate the watch

of

correctly, the Dossible error operation of the watch at 130 m.p.h., over a furlong, is certain- 19 1,25 per cent. The magnitude of the error due to timing is exactly

proportional to the length over which the test Is carried out; e.g. If the test ts carried out over a mile the tim-. lpg error will be only one-eighth of that introduced if the best is over à furlong.

into

As the speedometer has to be. read

constantly by both driver and observer, the error due to parallax (3 per cent) also comes this checking. as do the errors arising from inability to drive at a constant speed (1.5 per cent) and the lag error (1.5 per cent.), making a total of 7.25 per cent.

It has further to be remember- ed that only most expesive stop-watches are completely free from serious error due to the second-hand flying forward .or back a fraction of a second when the watch is stopped and started. It is impossible to indicate the likely error due to this cause. It may be nil, but it may be very considerable. It will therefore be seen that owing to the method of carrying out the perio dical check a total error of 7,25 per cent. is always possibly pre- sent and must be added to the

when total efror arising

the speed of a suspect car comes to be checked by observation from another car.

When, as is frequently the case, the police check the speed of another ear by following it at the same speed, keeping as near- ly as possible a uniform distance behind it, the total error from all causes may be 18.75 per cent... made up as follows:-medirect wheel diameter, 2 per cent.;

ON THE ROAD

The Gloria Six

Engine-Six cylinders, overhead Inlet valves, side exhaust valves, four-bearing crank-shaft, alley pistons, floating gudgeon - pins, cooling by pump, assisted by fan, thermostat, control, cou ignition with automatic and hand control. Solex carburetter, “hot-spot" in- duction, Electric pump, 12-gallon "rear tank, power unit resillently mounted at five points. R.A.C. rat- ing 15.72 h.p; tax £12, bore 65mm stroke 100mm., capacity 1991 c.C.

Transmission--Single dry-plate clutch, unit four-speed gear-box central remove control, constant mesh gears, close ratio third, gear ratios 4.76, 7.23, 11.3, and 18,5 to 1. free-wheel, open propeller shaft, needle-bearing universals, final drive by spiral' bevel. Bakes-Lockheed

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with side exhausts and inverted inlet valves operated by push-rods and having enclosed rocker gear. With a 6 to 1. cömpression this unit has an output of "some, 55 „b.h.p, without loss of flexibility or smoothness, while care has been etken to secure quiet running by Leans of a qual type sencer, The

unit power

is resiliently mounted, but five points of at- tachment are used to prevent ex- cessive movement,

A free-wheel remains a feature of the transmission, and an inter- esting feature is the provision of a steering wheel adjustable for height by means of a telescopic column with a simple coin lock- ing clamp. The column can also. be adjusted for angle. The cru- ciform frame is underslung for stability, a permanent jacking system is provided, and grouped fübrication points make for con

•venience,

hydraulle four-wheel brakes acting in 1äin. drums, hand brake acting on rear wheels only by cable.

General-Low-set frame, derslung at rear, cruciform brac... →→ ing. flat floor at rear, hydraulic springs front and rear, hydraulic, shock absorbérs, Bruman-Dou- glas screw and nut steering, Star- tik automatic starting, compen-screen wipers provided with a wa-

sated voltage control, stablishing bumper, centre-lock wire wheels with Dunlop 5.25 by 17in, tyres.

Dimensions Wheelbase 9it, 8 1-16, track 4ft. in.. overall length 15ft, width 5ft 2in.. height. 5ft. lin., clearance 6iin., turning circle 39ft. unladen weight 231- cwt.

Models and Prices-Four-light saloon £350, fixed-head coupe £340, tourer £350,

Makers Triumph Ltd, Coventry.

Company.

Local Agents C. Crowther, Ltd, 310 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow..

SPECIAL FEATURES The Gloria series of Triumph cars have enjoyed a wide popu- larity from the time of their in- troductiuni by reason of their most attractive appearance and gener- al efficiency. The Gloria Six. which is the subject of these notes, has a somewhat larger en- gine this year and has been im- proved in detall.

The two-litre engine is of the construction favoured by this arm,

A master battery switch is fits ted, the sliding roof has a single- action lock, träffle indicators are standard,

wire and knock-on wheels are used. Finally, a typical- little refinement are the twin

ter spray to ensure a clean screen. In addition to this Gloria chas- sis there is Vitesse type with higher compression engine, large walves, quick lift cams, two car- burettors, etc., for those who want more speed and a sports perform-

ance..

CAR OF INDIVIDUALITY This

Gloria Six at once

with Impresses the driver sense of individuality. It has efficiency, but also refinement, and its suspension and steering are equally effective at normal speeds and under fast. touring conditions. The whole car sug- gests technical progress and road experience. Seating and controls are just right, although it might be mentioned as a minor criticism that there is no convenient place for the left foot except on the

· clutch pedal, which we have been brought up to consider bad prac-. tice.

(Continued on Page 3)

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