1931-01-17 — Page 14

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH, MOTORING SUPPLEMENT. SATURDAY, JANUARY 17." 1931.

Musings Awheel

Idle Thoughts upon Motoring Matters of the Moment.

Danger Signs. Decomber is here! Before begin my monthly miscellany let no once again perform my plu sant annual duty of wishing alt readers of these pages seasonable greetings for this coming Christ- mas and the New Year.

I was, as a matter of fact, con-

[By "Milenter."] "Dangerous Corner," while the ideas of the authorities as to what titutes a dangerous hill vary to such an extent ns to become ludicrous,

The most annoying of all are the unauthorised signs erected by private individuals, should

and

same, but were probably afraid of Impairing their dignity.

FUEL SAVING DEVICE.

It

the

but n

Steering a car in reverse quires a certain amount of prac tice, and few people take the trouble to become proficient.

place is not always easy to nearsido wheel of a salcom exactly where you want it, owing

it, to impossibility of seeing little methodical practice in a quiet place will work wonders. An open car is a different thing. And there was no excuse whatever for the disgraceful exhibitions of two- drivora of open certain seaters, who often did not even know in which direction to turn- the wheel. If motorists would Londen, December 22.

pay more attention to this little fower warn other people of their erratic mattor there would be

outside natico, damaged winga to be seen. intentions, the

A Useful Habit. might read: "Look out! Tom Fool Apart from the lives here."

Not Impertinent

being these

professional annoyance notices cause, they are an actual paychologist, I cannot say whether source of danger,

it is a complex, an inhibition, or One

the just plain foolishness, but when

tyre I find myself ignore ever I blow up Gradually one

counting becomes automatically sceptical toward signs in general strokes. The habit, or and either fail to notice or pays it is, has its uses, because after a too little attention to a sign of time I get to know within fairly real importaner, which may lead narrow limita when to detach the the pressure to disaster. It is the offensive pump and apply the egutiam of the persons who cause guage. From dead flat, my pro- these impertinent notices to be sent pump requires approximately erected that rankles, and whilst to three hundred strokes to bring the abserve such a warning may give tyre up to twenty-eight pounds PRuse to some rondfarers, with pressure, but, If I did not count, others the Tect may be quite would guess that this pressure opposite. It is a modern example had been reached long befure, of the old story of the man who which just shows how unreliable urled "Wolf!" and the practien

and resents them, thesontural tendency is to

It would

be abolished forthwith. aldering happily what a benign Of these, the "Concealed Drive" augury it is that the new Act, notices are the worst,

be far more to the point if the about which we have heard so much lately, will put an end to owners of these drives would put some of those annuying danger up large nolices inside their gates signs. In some parts of the roun-bearing the inscription: "Caution; marked Main Road," while, if they must

try Bide

roads

TAL

RIDE CONTENTEDLY ON MICHELINS

Distributors:

A. GOEKE & CO. 4th Floor, China Building.

Depot

FIAT GARAGE

Tel. 22221. Tel. 24821.

MICHELEN

$3,300

A

the

the or whatever

Dr. Miller Rees Hutchison operating teat set-up of his

fuel saving device.

New York, Dec. 20.-An Ins -

should not only be discouraged work is in this. particularment which, it la anid, will result

but suppressed,

re-

My pump. I admit, is not a in about one-third fuel saving in and airplanes, particularly powerful one, but it automobiles Do You Reverse:

is, I think, well up to the average, eliminate the flanger of poisonous exhaust gases, promote safety in Set the amount of pumping Having some time to wait in a

life of lubricating oils, has been pubile garage recently. anused quired to make good the loss of a airplane flights and increase the Time was when I was content to tested here by its inventer. Dr. myself by observing the skill, and few pounds always surprises me, lack of it, of the motorists who judge my preasures by the ancient rame in, and I came to the con-

tyre, or method of kleking the clusion that got one delver in ten noticing the amount of deletion, to aspire to. So my advice is, cars as possible, would creditably manage his car at the point of contact with the drive, as many

In the gurage in question, inzul, but sundry unfortunate ex-especially cars of the same make periences, plus tabloid lecture as your own, and cultivate the coming motorists drive on to

It is not fair to the ear to con- turntable and, having been awung on the occasion of a very interest-critical faculty to its full.

visit to Fort Dunlop, have round, reverse into their stations, shown me that the regular use of tinue to drive it when This is a more or less straight the gauge is well worth the small obviously off-colour, though there forward manoeuvre, but few amount of trouble involved. Still, is, I know, a great temptation to drivers seemed capable of execut I am convinced that my subcon- put off an overhaul so long as ing it. The difficulty, apparently.cious habit 01 Counting iles in steering to fine limits in a strokes of the pump saves me a reliability. Directly the, perform-

in revenge,

રા

amount certain

the it

It is

continues to run with its usual

of time and ance begins to fall off, the reason should be sought and the fault remedied, and this falling off in performance can best be appre ciated by comparison with that of another similar car.

Still Unspoilt.

a reverse direction, and some of the attempts made were lamen-trouble, and shall not try to break table.

myself of it. Speaking generally. the only drivers to put up good show

paid

chaufteurs, whlle women, for the most part. left their ears on the turntable for the garage attendants to deal with, Many of the male drivers would

were

Just driving a car along a voad made for the parpone and being one in an undistinguishable and undistinguished thousand is un- doubtedly a rather boring amuse-Oregon,

BILLIONS IN TAX. Since it was Inaugurated in in February 1919. car

have been well advised to do the; one's very individuality guta owners in that state have paida

HONGKONG CURRENCY

!!

FIAT 520

SIX-CYLINDERS!

TRUMP THAT!

Arrange for an early demonstration.

Service Station FIAT GARAGE and

LANCIA GARAGE Hennessy Road.

* Tel. 24841.

Tel. 23537.

A. GOEKE & Co.

Tel. 22221.

FIAT

AGENTS.

Spare Parts Dept.

CHINA BUIDING

Fourth Floor.

Tel. 22221.

submerged, there is absolutely total of 31,470,463,630 in gas tax. nothing original that one can do,

or, rather, If one does de some thing out of the ordinary one is very certain to get into trouble for doing it.

nl the

Our new roads may be wide and aplendid, but bottle-necks make all ears and men equal and confusion worse confounded. In addition. best authorities-whoar business is to tell motorists how to motor--seem to insist on telling only of the main roads, with the idea, I suppose that everybody on holiday wants to arrive some- where and is not content merely to travel.

England is full of wonders that very few people may ever hope to see, except by mistake: Ifer main roads are her ugliest roads and the least worth running over save when one is in a hurry, and yet for some odd reason ninety per cent, of her total trahe is for ever to be found on them, a fact which both explains why the peace and quiet that used to be the perpetual perquisite of the

And

real count is coming back to | it and to the few happy motorists who have discovered where such joya are still to be found. Else- where' "joy-riding"

balf Is strangled at week-ends by her own children-that is, for those who do not abide in the depths of the country, a pinca where we can still have all the world to our- selves and no one to grudge it us. I may not be believed, but I know a village not fifty miles from London Town where the children still cheer the passing car-and on a short cut to Cowley (Oxford) tool

The Value of Comparison

There is, I suppose, a certain amount of risk attached to the practice of driving other people's cars, and I know motorists who refuse to do it on principle.

*. however, am not one of them.

Bate the responsibility, but]

it worth while because I am convinced that one

can only. retain que's critical faculties by constant comparison.

It is really surprising how a deterioration of performance can

pasa

unnoticed if one drives the same car day after day has no opportunity of

of comparing it with that of similar car

in better condition. One forgets what the de, and becomes also with or at any rate

ought to do, resigned to, an inferior perform- ance which could be vastly im- proved if the engine were given the attention it is calling for.

Cara are becoming more efficient every year, and it would be absurd to oxpect a two-year-old to give an identical performance with one of the latest models, but the Iatter will give you. a sort of idea!

Miller Reese Hutchison.

Hutchison, former chief ong- neer and personal representative of Thomas A. Edison, says the device netually gives a quantative analysis of the exhause fuel gases attached. By noting the amount from the engine to which it is of unburned fuel passing out of

the axhaust, the driver or pilot. may adjust the carburetor for bet tor was consumption.

The invention can be attached to the dash of any car or plane without any extra equipment ex- cept an auxillary air valve on the Intake manifold of the engine. This is necessary so that the driver can inject more. air into the car. buretor as the Indicator of the device shows carbon monoxide in the exhaust gas

By thus eliminating waste fuel and dangeroua carbon monoxide, Dr. Hutchison bolloves Bafety tho

greater

be brought about in

of motor vehicles.

the increase in miles per gallon brought about by better adjustment of carburetors, the inventor thinks flying wi become safer.

It will also increase the pay load of huge freight carrying planes, With Dr. Hutchison points out, one-third of the ordinary fuel con- sumption saved and its weight loft on the ground, the increase in pay load will ran from 150 to 200 pounds.

Dr. Hutchison also believes the life of lubricants used in auto and plane motors will be prolonged to nearly twice their present dura- tion. Under ordinary conditions, he explains, with so much waste fuel being forced into cylindere, much of it gets past them and inte the oil, diluting it. By cutting down this waste through perfect carburetion, this would not hap-

роп.

ALL ABOARDI

Nearly 2,000,000,000 passengers are carried annually by buses f the United States, the Americas Automobile Association reports.

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Full Particulars on Application to

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CHINA Phone: 28121.

Hongkong Bank Building.

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THE

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