OCTOBER 14TH, 1905.
THE AUTOCAR a Journal publisbet, in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall~ propellet, roat, carriage.
EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
No. 52r. VoL. XV.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH, 1905. [PRICE 3D.
THE AUTOCAR.
(Published Weekly.)
Registered as a newspaper for transmiss:on in the United Kingdom.
Entered as second.class matter at the New York (N .Y.) Post Office.
EDITORIAL OFFICE .
COVENTRY.
PUBLISHING OFFICES :
20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
NOTES: THE AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION-T HE WEIGHT LIMIT... H3-444 MAGNETO I GNITION (illustrated) ... 445-449 ·occASIONAL GossrP, By "The Autocrat" ... 450-451 CASUAL COMMENTS, By A. J. Wilson .. . 452 {'- New HtGH-TES~ION MAGNETO SvsTEM (illustrated) 453 AN ACETYLENE HEAD LAMP (illustrated) ... 453 THE DE CADIGNAN RESILIENT W HEEL (illustrated)... 454 THE EDGE HILL AFFAIR .. . 454 C ONTINENTAL NOTES AND Naws: THE DOURDAN MEETING-THE
CoMPIEGNE CuP-TAMPIER RESIGNS-THE COMING PROGRAMME 4~5-456 A REGRETTABLE AFFAIR (illustrated) .. . 457 AN EXTRA A1R INLET D&vrcE \illustrated) 457 USEFUL H tNTS AND T1P~. By Lieut. Windham, R.N. 458 CORRESPONDENCE: THE l~DICTMENT OP MOTORISTS-INSERTING
INN"'R Tua•s-1906 TOURIST TROPHY Ruus-THE DusT TRrALSMoToR TRADE M&THODS-lNCOSSIDERAT E DRIVING I N ScoTLANDPirnsECUTION OF MOTORISTS-ENGLISH ANO FRENCH METHODS COMPARED-USING THE ENGINE AS A BRAKE-NON-SKIDS AND TYRE PROTECTION-SOLIDS V. PMEUMATICS-FAIR PLAY FOR THE STEAM CAR-US& OF FORCE BY POLICEMEN- THE LODGE IGNITION COIL (illustrated)-THE T ouRIST TROPHY RAcE-TH!i: AUTOMOBILE CONSU >IER OF THE WORLD ... 459-463 THE MITCHELL EP1cvcL1c GEAR !illustrated) A SUGGEnED DESIGN FOR A BODY (illustrated) FLASHES tillustrated) T H E OLYMPIA SHOW THE BURTON RADIATOR
464-465 ... 465 466-468
469 469
SOME QUERIES AND REPLIES
CLUB DOINGS: SHEFFIELD AND DISTRICT A .C-MIDLAND A.C.-
470
C LUB F1xruRES ... THE VANDERBILT CUP RACE-LOCOMOTIVES ON HIGHWAYS THE MOTOR CAR IN SOUTH AFRICA
471 471 472
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I Notes. The Automobile Association.
The projected work of this association is too little kpown amongst automobilists, although many haYe profited by its efforts and organisation. The main purpose is to protect motorists against mean and contemptible police traps, set on lonely, unfrequented, opef\ stretche of road, where an excess of the speed limjt even up to fifty per cent. would neither harm nor annoy anyone. Commonsense precautions taken with regard to villages, and at dangerous points, do not concern the A.A., for therein it is considered lies the duty of the policeman; automobilists offending there excite no sympathy. But with the magisterial, prejudicesuggested, police promotion-earning trap the association does propose most properly to deal. At these points the members of the Automobile Association take upon themselves what should properly be the first duty of the police, namely, to warn automobilists against infringements of the law. On tho-se routes which have hitherto receiYed the attention of the association, traps haYe been di . continued, and that such attention has not been more ,ridely extended is due only to the fact that the purse of the Automobile Association is not so full as it should be.
The attention of automobilists i therefore drawn to the existence of the Automobile Association, and we would suggest that motorists should accord it all the suppo-rt in their power by promptly becoming members. The subscription is but two guineas per annum, a sum which the methods of the organisation may sa,·e a member over and oYer aga in in the course of a year. Amongst well known motoring men concerned with. and holding office in, the association are Earl Russell, Sir Archibald J. Macdonald, Bart., Colonel Bosworth Lieut.-Col. Mark Mayhew, Mr. S. F. Edge, Mr. Charles Jarratt, Mr. Schlentheim, Mr. H. Smith, and many others, while the secretary is Mr. Stenson Cook, 18, Fleet Street, E.C.
It is notori ously a matter of con1mon knowledge that upon more than one occa ion the police \\'Or king a trap in expectation of prey, and being deprived thereof by the action of private individuals, ll'ho may have taken upon themseh·es the duty of warning ~1oto1:ists not to break the law where the police, by their action, clearly consider it hould not be broken, ha,·e intimidated such indiYiduals by threatening them with prosecution 0 11 a charge of interfering with the police in the di -charge of their duties. The na.tural inference therefore is that to preYent or advise people not to break the law is to obstruct constabulary duty, of which there seems not to be sufficient to go round except by resorting to uch de picable means as police traps. ow the police will be afforded an opportunity of testing the legality of this ,rnrning action in connection with the scouts of the Automobile Association, and it will be interesting to note the Yiew that will be taken of the matter by the particular tribunal before which any charge of this kind is preferred. The strange t defence must be made, anp it is to this end that we again urge membership/ of the association upon our reade rs.
The Weig-ht Limit. The majbrity of those who since the race have discuss.ed thd Tourist Trophy regulations are inclined to the opinion that the maximum weight limit of 1,600 lbs. for the chassis should either be abolished altogether or the limit considerably increased. There are many arguments in favour of its entire aboli tion, the chief one undoubtedly being that it would not only obviate the stripping of the hea,·ier cars to bring them down to the prescribed limit, but that it \\'Ould also enable standard cars to be more freely used. It should perhaps be pointed out that the weight limit was imposed for thoroughly sound reasons, and if o many of the competitors had not found it difficult to bring their cars within it no objections would have been raised against it. In the first place, the imposition of the limit made
