1928-01-21 — Page 9

MOTORING

SUPPLEMENT

OF

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

SATURDAY, 21st JANUARY, 1928.

Being The Official Organ of ...

THE HONGKONG AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION.

Compulsory Insurance.

CURRENT

COMMENT

the China Bus Company, Orders: It seems as though the majority have been placed by the Kai Tak for six 20-seater Denny's busųs of owners and drivers of public Company. The Arst three are motor cars that ply for hire in this expected to arrive next month and Colony are nol insured-neither tlie remaining three in March. It are their vehicles. It is trug that is probable that later in the year the cars belonging LO reputable an additional three with a larger garages are insured but many of These will be fitted with a special seating capacity will be ordered. those that ply for hiru round town low fonding chassis, the height

are not... Some of these vehicles from the road surface when fully are owned by piufessional drivers,

loaded being 1 ft. 9 ins, thus

and sometimes one car is the pro-making for ease in mounting and perty of two or three men, though disronunting.

it is licensed in one name. In the "Life Guards" on Buses.

event of a collision between anch

vehicles and a private car, or if a A fatality recently occurred in person were injured, it would, in Kowloon through

many cases, be futile to claim dim-who

a

Chinese.

Fell from IL motor

ages because the owner or owners bus, being

are not in a position Le, pay. Even rear

the

by the

vehicle,

the

TANK IN BRITISH WAR FILM.

A realistic scene in the new British war im "Victory" showing a tank attack on a "German" battery. The development of machanised warfare has brought the motor into even larger play than hitherto.

NOVEL SCHEME.

SINGAPORE'S

run over wheels of the it, in the last resort, the Court or fand this circumstance raises dered an offending car to be sold, question of

nature and the price would not, in all probab-efficacy of the "life guards" which ility, be stiticient to pay for the cost are fitted to the sides of the of damages. This unsatisfactory majority of the vehicles. The state of affairs cume to our notice idea of these "life guards" is to at a recent inquest, where the owner prevent anyone who might be .of a public motor car, by which a knocked down from getting under- child had been knocked down and neath the rear wheels, and it is to killel, was asked whether he could be noted that in the case mention- give any financial assistance to the ed above the man first fell and parents towards the cost of the then rolled under the life guard, funeral expenses. His reply was the rear wheel of the bus passing that he was too poor to render any jovễr his head and causing death. belp. This is a meal unsatisfactory The obvious comment to be made state of adfairs and it has been sug-[is. that life guards, are of little gested that car insurance (includ-use if they are do high of the We are able to-day, to publish the ing third party risks) should be ground as to permit accidents general details of an interesting difficulty of solving the problem of made compulsory. Every owner or like that recorded above. Prom scheme, whereby Hongkong resid-how to treat Singapore traffic in prospective owner should be in posenquiries made it would appearents proceeding Home on leave, may order to make the roads moderately session of an insurance policy be that the life guards on some of hire a Morris car either by the day, sale, a little consideration of the conclusion of the trip. fore the vehicle he is to drive, is the Kowloon buses are fitted high,

Hiring Cars for Leave.

.

TRAFFIC PROBLEM.

Many Similarities to Hongkong.

In view of the ever increasing

portant a vehicle, as an automobile, but after all, the person inside it is alive, and is like everybody-elae, entitled to remain in that pleasant condition as long as he can So if I had my way, I would advocate the appointment of an offleial whose sole daty it would be to go, for a ride with dach puller as he applied for a licence, the applicant's perform- ance to be judged by the state of the official's nervous system at the

may. bc. of some Now we come to the much-malign= licensed. The present position because of the damage they woul week or month. The scheme has question

use writes 蹑 correspondented but tremendously useful the been devised because it is realised to the Singapore Free Press. "Mosquito" bus. This cheap and that many overseas visitors to the am IL fairly expert motor speedy means of transport is a British Isles, do not care for the driver and motor cyclist; I often great boon in Singapore, in spite of responsibility of having a car on travel in rickshas, and I sometimes all its critics Admittedly, there their hands at the expiration of walk; I am fairly observant, and if are some black sheep, but taking I put down here what I have observ-thom all round, the majority of ed, who knows but some tamby in these buses are safely driven. The

11

use, Pedder Street "Lighthouse."

A comment in a contemporary recently regarding the cost of supplying gas to the flashing red

their leave

of investigation by the officialstyres are replifeed free of charge. light at the, General Post Öffee, concerned.

leads us to explain how the flashes "One Way" System Wanted. are causedl. A belief held by

The rate for one day is £1. 10. 6, for seven days £7. 0. 0., and for one month, £25. 0. 0, prices becoming

WORK THIS OUT.

meana that the public are otherwise sustain when not fully protected against mishapa vehicles negotiate the big bumps caused by public hire vehicles, and at the entrances to the garages at it is argued that such vehicles which they are parked. These bumps should only be permitted to ply for are doubtless caused by the coming hire after every precaution has and going of many heavy vehicles, been taken against mishap or mis-but it is the bumps that ought to

be removed. To raise the guards The terms of hire are quite the Municipal Offices or somewhere trolley bus, about which no one is tackling the problem at the liberal, incinding full insurance to may see it and wake up the high speaks a word, is the bugbear of all These jugger- wrong end and only results in the the vehicle, and third party risk, official concerned in the matter and other roud users.

When he hasnnuts refuse to stop anywhere ex- guards being of greatly lessened but the owner has to bear the first tell him about it. value. The matter is one worthy 350. 0. of any claim paid. Burst

cept on a street corner or at a crossroads, and the more congested the trailic, the longer they stop. Their delight is to cuddle up as close as possible to the traffic police- man, leaving not even enough room Their for a motor-cycle to pass. shape prevents the driver from sce- ing if any other traffic is coming up beside him, and even if he could gee, I don't suppose he'd care. Motor bases are forbidden to stop at street corners: why on earth does not the same apply to trolley buses, whose stopping at such spots causes a hundred times more incon- venience to other rond users. There je no reason whatever why a trolley bus should be treated, like it is, as a.privileged vehicle

many is that the light is caused Our attention has been called proportionately cheaper

15

the

by electricity, but the fact is that to the fact that many drivers, period of hiru increases, the price the flashes are made by acetylene when rounding the Queen's for eight weeks being as low as

In addition to this scheme, there is

gas, which is ignited by a small Statue, in Statue Square, do so by £40, 0, 0. pilot flame jet. A container into the right instead of by the left. which sufficient acetylene gas is There have been many instances pumped at a pressure to last for of cars, travelling down Ward- an arrangement which provides for three months, is fitted into the ley Street and wishing to turn the repurchase of a car at the end interior at the base of the pillar. castwards into Chuter Road in the of leave, it resting with the motorist From this container it pipe runs direction of the Hongkong Club, whether he sells back to the vendor, up the pillar into the red globe going on the right-hand side of or to another buyer should a more At this end of the pipe there is a the Statue instead of on the left- favourable offer become available. valve which, by an automatic

hand side. It would be far safer arrangement, releases small quan-if all motorists adopted a "one way" tities of gas at regular intervals. system here, though it would This gas is ignited by the smallpear that the only way of getting jet, which is connected to the

drivers to follow this would be same container. As the gas is by painting white lines or arrows burnt the exhaust finds its way on the roadway. Perhaps it will into the atmosphere through take a serious accident first, to small holes. Thus it will be seen awaken those concerned to the that the cost of keeping the need of something being done beacon flashing is not great, a there.

fresh supply of acetylene being

required once every three months. Dangerous Corner.

Kowloon's New Buses.

There is at least one very

The scheme of replacing the dangerous spot in the Colony

Ford motor buses operating on where something ought to be done

It is believed that many residents will take advantage of one or other of these systems, and all such may obtain full particulars from the Garage Department of the Hong- Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Ltd.

ROAD SIGNS AND SAFETY..

Tricky Tyre Problem.

A reader has sent this interesting tyre-economising' problém. Try and solve it. The answer will be published next Friday."

"A motorist has three new tyres which he wished to use alternately so that each will do. 6,000 miles on rear wheels.

At what mileages must he change them so that each will never have more than 500. miles of use more than the others, and at

a certain mileage each will have done exactly 6,000 miles. At what total mileage will this occur?

He is not to change them un- necessarily."

average

HARLEY-DAVIDSON-1928-FEATURES

Fore wheel Brakes, Throttle-Controlled,. Mechanical ciler and carburetor air cleaner, are prominent FEATURES, Third Shipment due about 15th February.

BOOK YOUR MOUNT NOW-ALL WILL SOON BE SOLD.

For Full Particulars, ring up K. 1242.

THE GASCON MOTOR CO.,

REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN ON ALL. HAKES OF MACHINES,

Tol. K. 1242

2, Kwong Wah Road, Kowloon.

Opposite The Steam Laundry)'

A GOOD ASSORTMENT OF SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES IN STOCK.

Day by Day Destruction Hides

Inside Your Motor Engine.

Your motorcar may run with apparent smoothness and efficiency yet, hidden away in the engine crankcase, old, worn-out oil may be slowly wearing and wrecking many costly engine parta..

As you drive along, mile after mile, day after day, drops of un burned benzine and little particles of dirt, carbon and steel arð constantly entering and mixing with your crankcase all Oil used fok 1,000 miles is invariably thinned out, weak and full of destructivă Foreign matter. "

Thinned-out oil does not protect-it permits friction, causes. burned-out bearings, scored cylinders, seized pistons, engine labour and loss of power. At least half of all automobile engines devolop the noises of wear long before they should. The cause is not wreck. less driving, but wreckless lubrication with used, impure oils.

With regard to motor cars, the driver in Singapore is good, and when one considers what he has to contend with, he is very good. He has to undergo search- ing test at the hands of the efficient officers of the Police Branch, who make no mistakes, and there are few inefficient licensed drivers on our roads. The only improvement that might be made here is for the Play fair with your engine. Even with Mobiloil protection; con- institution of ensual examination of taminating influences are at work. Keep your Mobiloil full-bodied Automatic Devices.

seen it, it is possible that this high fences, for there is no doubt that and fresh. Regularly drain off the old ell, and replace with new, official may even write to somebody Inventora are very busy at pre-about it, and if that should be thy there are a number of people drive every 1,000 miles, and you'll give your car more miles of quiet trouble.

ing without licences. There is no the Feninsula with large up-to-to impress on drivers more in-sent in devising automatic road case, my efforts will not have been check on them whatever and their free power. date buses of reliable and com-sistently than now the need for signals for "guarding" cross-roade entirely useless.

existence is unfair to lawful drivers. fortable British makes is pro-special care. We refer to the and other dangerous points. Pro-

The first thing that strikes the If these people were liable to be forting, and when the past year junction of Lower Albert Rond gress made since the installation of traveller on the streets, whether he stopped at any moment and asked is reviewed it will be found that and Garden Road, outside the flashing beacons several years ago goes by car, rick, or cycle, is the produce their licences, a great much has been done in this re- Volunteer Headquarters. Many has been rapid, and every en absolutely brainless idiocy of some many of them would prefer not to

Leyland cars coming along Lower Albert agement, says The Light Car and ricksha pullers. I don't know whe-take the risk. apect. Recently' two

these pullera have to buture with the exception of quickly, notwithstanding the fact who are endeavouring to solve the undergo any test when they go to motor bicycles. They forbid pillion

and one of Morris manu-Road turn into Garden Road far too Cyclecar should be given to those ther

the Registrar's Office. If they do riding, and although an experienced the latter's body), were tested by that there is a 15-mile per hour cross-road problem. the police and passed for service speed limit in force there and Developments are pending in an not, it is time they did; if they do, rider may think it irksome at times with the Kowloon Motor Bus Com-that a traffic duty policeman other direction, namely, the per-the man who passes some of them when he sees a fair maiden looking pany. This company has al signals them on. Fifteen miles fection of the automatic policeman should be ashamed of himself. Some longingly at the sent on his carrier, ready three 30-seater Leyland per hour, is often much too fast athe Robot which takes all the ricksha pullars are very careful it is, after all, better that they Lions and one White of similar speed at which to turn that corner, responsibilities of traffic control at but there are others who think that shou, for the experienced rider The now where very many pedestriana pass each end of a road-up section. It their only aim in life should be to who really can safely take a pillion seating capacity in use. Morris, with accommodation for at all hours of the day, but more as would be undesirable for the human get under the wheels of as many rider, is in the great minority. Of 18 persons, will be used during pecially at those moments when a element to be entirely absent, but cars and trolley buses as possible, course, officials, and others of the the slack periods when it is more Peak tramcar has just arrived. the possibility of one policeman and to induce, by their behaviour, same calibre who have never been smaller We suggest that this corner is one controlling a stretch where three in their fares a state of acute heart on a motor bike, assert positively economical to use a vahlele. Two new: Morris buses at which

may be required under normal con-palpitation in the shortest possible that pillion riding is dangerous at prominent "Dead

ditions is one worthy of close con-space of time. I know a rickshall times, but they know nothing.

Is not looked upon ag nearly so im-whatever about it. sideration.

超

of similar type will be tested Slow" sign might be displayed during the next few weeks for with great advantage and benefit.

There is little to be sold about

Mobiloil

Make the chart your guide

VACUUM

OIL CO.