1935-07-09 — Page 2

Page

Minu

NOTES FROM GREAT BRITAIN

The Motorist & The Pedestrian

h

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JULY 9, 1935.

JOTTINGS

MOTOR

ON THE ROAD

The Rover Speed Twelve

RANDOM NOTES

HYPOID TYPE

From Here And

There

CROSS AMERICA IN

RESTFUL. COMFORT.

In the course of a survey made by the Automoblie Association to discover to what extent pedes- trains' needs are catered for on British roads, the striking fact is disclosed that more than 7,000 roads miles of important main patrolled by the Association <have no footpaths at all. In taking" the census footpaths were classi- fed as adequate or inadequate. according to whether or not the footway had a firm all-weather surface, not inferior to that cf the adjoining toadway.

for service Overseas. shipment The demonstration was intended to show this 4,200-gallon vehicle's capabilities over rough ground and on soft surfaces, and the re- sults were very impressive.

а

In addition to ability to nego-

difficult tiate

country and operate at altitudes of 8-10,000 It above sea level, this 10- wheeler is required to show road speed of 35 m.ph. under good conditions. To produce the ne- Parsons power ✡ cessary ccnditions. To produce the ne- various gine is employed, with

while Scammell modifications. the basis of the chassis layout is known Pioneer type. which has proved so successful In many Overseas districts..

The reason for this classifica- tion is that it has been found that where the footpath surface does sot reach this standard.the we'l pedestrians are inclined to walk in the road-obviously "a most

and undesirable practice fraught with considerable risks. WHAT THE YEARS HAVE DONE

one

The Royal Jubilee celebrations have been utilised by many in- dustrial concerns as a link with their

own achievements during the past 25 years, and the motor' Industry, which has made such vast progress during that period,

well represented has been such announcements.

Vauxhall cars, for instance, which are so well known Over- seos and are proving increasing ly popular with visitors to Lon- den, who adopt Shaw & Kil- 'burn's "leave car scheme, were already famous in 1910. In that year a 20 h.p. model exceeded 100 m.p.h. and broke 5 world's re- cords in one day at Brook'ands track. At that time the factory at Luton covered 3 acres and employed 400 people; to-day there is a 31 acre factory-with a pay roll of 7.000 employees,

It was in 1911 that the great Delhi Durbar, was on the now- sion of Their Majesties' visit to India and on that histone ne- casion Standard cars were used by the Royal guests. Since then. this make has become even mote closely identified with the The Royal Family as H.R.H. Duke of Gloucester is an owner. This Coventry concern, by the way. reports a 20 per cent in- crease in s'es for the first 8 menths of its trading year, and still further extensions are in hand at the works.

"INEXACTITUDES! :~-

All sorts of rumours have busy with the name of Rolls-Royce lately. but it has officially dented

that the concern proposes to en- ter the aircraft, manufacturing Industry. On the aviation side t will continue to work in the closest co-operation with all air- craft manufacturers as "aers en- gine specialista

.

Another "canard" was to the effect that the Derby firm was so busy with aero engine, orders that it was unable to accept orders for car chassis for, de- livery within a reasonable period.. In actual fact, more chassis are are now being mánufactured than for many years, arid orders for all model's can be accepted.

Some idea of the interest dis- played in these works can be gathered from the fact that when they were open to

the public on Empire Day, over 9,000 people were admitted,

LUBRICATION PROGRESS

are becoming of Oll users minded, according to Germ Lub- ricants. Although first cost 18. still a big consideration, there has been a marked awing away from the cheap óll era:

Much quiet, but valuable re- search is going or behind the scenes, and engineers, physicists and chemists are now devoting more attention to what were so gibly called "the problems" of lubrication. A number of tech- nical papers of high quality have been presented to scientific societies in the last two or three years, and innumerable patents some of value and some useless -have been ned. The tendency with big o consumers and en gine builders is to be even more exacting in their of specifics,

tions.

A VERSATILE PERFORMER- Aff enormous tanker, built to the order of the Anglo

Oll Cd by Scammell Lorries, was sted before

FOR OVERSEAS

Overseas requirements bulk large in the Theraycroft order bock recently and Include vehicles of "various types. for Slam Latvia, Poland, India, Aus- tralia and Brazil.

In Braz the San Paulo Rafl- way operates a mixed fleet of over 50 vehicles of this make. both tor freight and passenger service, the bodywork being con- structed locally. Further, exten-, sions to the feet will include "Stag" 12-tonners, incorporating the firm's oil engine, while other vehicles on order are of the "Taurus" 6/7-ton class, also ft- ted with oll engines.

A PAYING PROPOSITION. Not long ago it was reported that Birkenhead Corporation. which operates

Сует 100 buses,

the majority of which are Lay- lands, was able to allocate £22,- 000 to the relief" of rates from Its bus profit...

The Rawtenstall Corporation now announces that the pront on its fleet of 39 Leyland buses is £13.433. a handsome result for which local ratepayers should be. duly grateful

GRUELLING

The Rover Twelve s a well- known and popular model, while the open four-seater sports model is also familiar. This latter mo- del, however, is obtainable with a specially tuned engine having a high compression and two down- draught S.U. carburettors. the extra charge for this engine being. -£30.

The model tested was of this ype with other extras embodied. such as centre-fixing wheels, and R spring steering-wheel, which brought the total price of the car to £330.

On thi smodel it is interesting: to note that a lower back axie ratio is used than on the standard saloon models in order to obtain good acceleration with an engine capable of correspondingly higher revolutions.

Ine usual Rover features are to be found, such as the fully flexible unit mounting and independent mounting of gear and clutch con- trols etc. Then the excellent Luvax-Bijur system of vacuum chassis lubrication is employed from an oil reservoir beneath the bonnet from under which access to the rear of the instrument panel is also provided.

FAST AND SMOOTH

This is a model which deserves to be better known, for it offers most comfortable and roomV. coachwork, with a performance which is really efficient, and yet notably quiet and smooth.

The normal Rover models are surpris.ngly efficient, and this is even more so, the result being a sports car which can hold its own in very good company indeed. Performance has not been gained by any appreciable sacrifice of flexibly or smoothness, for the engine will pull at quite low speeds, and has an excellent top- gear range.

The gears invite use, being quiet and of well-selected ratios, while changing is simple and quick with free wheel locked, and, of course,

The theory that certain people are more "accident-prone" than' athers has a supporter in Fro- fessor Greenwood. Speaking be- fore the

of National Institute Industrial Psychology he said that tests exist, but that they should be restricted to exclude only those who do very badly. The Minister or Transport is en- quiring into the question.

Of Rear Axle Gears

"Low ceritre of gravity and long, low sleekness of appearance, po- pular demands in automobile de- sign, have had a big influence on motor cars in the last few years. They have made plenty of work for the automoblie engineer.

must not be sacrificed and that clearance must adequate road

Elimination of deep rutted dirt roads of former days permitted a lessening of road clearance, with smaller wheels that dropped the overall height of cars several in- ches. Underslung springs let the bodies down further. Practical considerations, however, stipulat- Olever Drivers-A "speed limited that head room" inside of cars case in which the defendant all- eged that the police car incited him to pass was dismissed at Bromley, Kent, During the case It was also stated that the pollee car exceeded 30 mph. It is difficult enough for the ordinary motorist to keep below 30 m.p.h. but it must be twice as difficult for police cars to keep to an ex- act 30 mp.h

Brighter Tax's-London tax- cabs are not to have car radio. All cabs have to be approved by the Public Carriage Department, and the atting of a wireless does not yet. meet with approval. New York and Paris have taxis fitted with radio, why riot Lon- don? It should not be difficult to limit sound volume

■

For Pedestrians.-Up to May 21st the Minister of Transport had approved 245 schemes for the 20 mph. speed regulations crossing place in England and Wales, outside the London Traffic Area, and 18 in Scotland..

20 m.p.h. No Change.—The First Commissioner of Works does not contemplate change in the 20 m.ph speed regulations In the Royal Parks, where, he says. very special conditions arise.

Studs and Skids When ques- tioned about complaints from cyclists against the steel studs.

TEST still more simple with the free used to mark pedestrian cross-

Of Willys 77

Three Califorians, driving 3,000 miles through most every kind of weather possible-desert heat. snow, sand storms, below sea level and over routes a mile above sea. level-visited at the Willys-Over- land factory. In Toledo recently, relating their unusual experiences to highly interested Willys execu- Lives.

The travellers were Mr. Rus- sell Bally, executive manager of the San Diego Automobile Asso- ciation; Mr. D. W. Campbell, re- presen ing the San Diego Cham- ber of Commerce and the Call- fornia Pacific International" Ex-. position, and Mr. Fred Simson, President of the Bah Diego Auto- motive Association,

With Cleveland as their eastern terminus," the San Diegoans, driv- ing a Willys 77 sedan, encounter- ed all the terrors of the prevailing western sandstorms, speeded along a highway 230 feet below sea level and after a day of jer- ric heat encountered bad rin storms, with snow greeting them in Cleveland.

With sleet storms in the Rock- les replaced by blinding sand storms in western Texas and Oklahoma, air-planes were. grounded and most traffic was at a standstill.

The Callforn'ans, however, pushed through without moter trouble, they declared. Their con- tinuous high speed through desert heat and mountainous country » enabled them to average, 27 miler per gallon, despite their night- mare experience with dust.

· The "Welcome "'. "You have a pretty pace here remarked a guest who had been invited to see his friend's new country house. but it looke bare yet.

"Oh, that's because the trees are so young," answered the host, peasantly. "I hope they have grown to a good size before you come azaire

wheel in use, when the change is of the clufftchless variety.

It may be thought that a free-. wheel is not of much advantage on a sports model, but unless for really fast work or on a difficult road, the freewheel is no handi- cap for speed touring. It is mali- ly a matter of experience, and the Judgment of distances at which 'to ease the accelerator is soon acquired when no excessive use of the brake is called for, and very little time is actually lost, espe cially as the change down may be made before the approach to a corner, ready for the engine to takne the car out of the bend at the right moment.

PERFORMANCE FIGURES

For testing acceleration the freewheel was locked, when the performance from a standing start was found to be extremely good. Thus 20 m.p.h. was reach- ed in 3.0 sec., 30 m.p.h. in 4.5seči, 40 m.p.h, in 7.8sec., 50 m.p.h, in 12.8sec, 60 m.p.h."in 20.5sec., 70 m.ph, in 29.9sec., and 80 m.p.h. in 55sec.

From a steady 10 m.ph. the acceleration figures were as fol- low:- Speed;

Gears, m.p.h.. Top Third Second. 10-20 5.6xec. 3.2xec. 2.1sec. 10-30... 10.0sec. 6.4sec, 4.4sec.. -10-40.18.4sec. 9.5sec. 10-50.22.88ec. 13.9sec.

The acceleration on the first and second speed is really very impressive, and with the top gear #gures indicate how flexibilitỷ:/ has been maintained in order to provide and easily handled car.

On third and second 50 and 30 m.p.h. are marked on the speedo- meter as maximum speeds, but these can be exceeded without dimenity. Actually the speedo-- meter is marked to 80 m.ph.. but under favourable conditions the needle can be taken considerably beyond that Checking the speedometer showed an error of about 10 per cent on the high alde but allowing for this the car ap- pears capable of a genuine 180 mph, while a feature is the ease with which it reaches 70 mph.

inga, the Minister of Transport sald very few cases had come to his notice in which it had been alleged that cyclists had skidded .on steel studs." He had No evidence that steel studs were in themselves a source of danger.

Indignant?-Among the mass of 30 mp.h Umit cases there are many of particular interest each week. Thus at Uxbridge Bir Johm Ramsden pleaded that he was trying to get away from a car with a frightful rattle which turned out to be the police ear! Presumably indiquant, the police denied the rattle, and a fine of 208. was imposed.

+

а

Legal Speeding. The case of the woman motorist, summonsed" for speeding when taking patient to hospital in appeal against her convletion, does not constitute a test casé which will allow doctors to break the speed limit. For the justices it was said, it was not for the police to decide whether the -urgency of an errand justified a

prosecution.

Mistake Recently the police had to pay costs to a motorist when they Incorrectly stated that he had been previously nned for dangerous driving. The police do not often make mis- takes of this kind, but mistakes. are occurring as the result of the number of 30 m.p.h. limit cases. are they 60 busy that they scribble their notes?.

BUS SERVICE OPENED

Toochow July :3: Omnibus service on the Putien (Higghwa) Chuanchow section of the Foochow Chanchow Highway in southeastern Fukien, was off- cially inaugurated yesterday

In order to encourage, private in vestments in the reconstruction the province, the Lungyen Highway has trusted to a private operation

ī

still be maintained. Clearance be- tween the body flooring and ele- ments of the chassis, such as the rear axle and the drive shaft, also had to be suffelent to permit full flexing of the springs without any chance of the body striking drive shaft or axle.

HUMP IN FLOOR

In a great many car reduction of overhall height has been ob- tained by recessing into the body for the rear axle and drive shaft. This puts a hump in the-floor `af. the rear passenger compartment and in some cases a box structure several inches high runs length- wise of the floor.

Use of what the company calls an "Angleset" rear axle has brought the height of Packard' cars down and still given an un- for the rear .broken even floor compartment. Titing the top of the axle forward gives added clearance between the body and axle.

<

The hypoid type of rear axle gears used in all current Packard cars including the new One- Twenty. makes this. tilting pos- sible. At the same time the hypoid gears permit dropping the shaft considerably below the cen- tre point of the rear axle giving. adequate clearance.

on the swift, all-luxury train-the famous Olympian-over the scenic short route of the Milwaukee Road-electrified for 656 smooth miles.

You'll enjoy its sootless, cinderless climb over four mountain ranges-its modern'air condition- ingits soft beds and luxurious accommoda- dions its friendly service delightful food.

ONE WAY FARES FROM"

SEATTLE TO Chicago, lik.**

New York, N.Y. Washington, D. C Montreal, Quebec Also low round trip farms

- Deluxe

Coach * Tourist ✈ 1st Class $3450 $4290 $6434 70.70 73.60) 95.04 67.78 63.83

70.68

92.1 68.17 88.68.

* Sleeper fores extra-

For further information inquire of your nearest

steamship efice, any Travel BureRN, OP

TRIC MARSHAïla Arms, 992 Guvernment, Si Victoria, Di Ca 7. CALKINS, Cameralarent, 793 Grariile X., Vancouver. 1, C. ERANDALL, Dierkt Path Aguas, 661 Market St., San Frenclaw, Ca F.BAHL A. Com, Pain Azeue, Segnie. Wabingto GEO, I HAYNZB, Kain Traße Men, Chicago, Ill.

CHICAGO MILWAUKEE

ST. PAUL

PACIFIC

MILWAUKEE ROAD.

Operating 41% of the electrical main line mileage in the United States

Cerebos Salt

The dainty salt for the dainty table

ER

FOR JOB PRINTING

CONSULT

The Hong Kong Daily Press

Ledgers,

Account Books,

Leaflets, Magazines, Circulars, Prospectuses, Company Reports, etc. Every description of

Commercial

printing necessities.

Neatly executed

Prompt ▾ deliveries

Telephone 30251