l"•fHE AUTOCAR a 3ournal publisbeb tn tbe interests of tbe mecbanicallr propelleb roa~ carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

'No. 557. VoL. XVI.]

SATURDAY, JUNE 23RD, r906.

[PRICE 3D.

THE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom!

Entered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post lOffice.

EDITORIAL OFFICE :

COVENTRY.

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20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., ENGLAND.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

NOTES: THE SCOTTISH REL1ABILlTY TRIALS-HtLL-CLDIBING

FORM UL,£ • • • • • • . • • • • • • • · • 795-796 USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS: ON CHANGE-SPEED GEARS-CLEARING

ACETYLENE LAMP BuRNERs-To PREVENT CRACKED LAMP GLASSES-AN IGNITION EXPERIENCE-A CHEAP PETROL GAUGE • • THE SCOTTISH r £LIABILITY TRIALS (illustrated) MOTOR DRIVER IN CONVICT GARB

797 . . 798-812

812

I AERONAUTICAL NOTES SHELSLEY WALSH H1LL CLIMB. A STEAM W1N (illustrated) , IR1SH A.C. RELIABILITY TRIALS (illustrated) ..

CORRESPONDENCE : OUTRAGEOUS POLICE METHODS-THE CONSTI-

TUTION OF THE A.C.G.B.l.-PROCEEDINGS AGAINST THE POLICE-DANGEROUS DRIVING-WOMEN DRIVERS-ON THE ROAD: THE ROAD CLUB-1\'IOTORISTS AND CYCLISTS ON THE ROAD-ACCESSIBILITY-TAXES ON !\'lOTOR CARS-NEWMARKET A...'JD MOTORISTS-FOUR V. SIX• CYLINDERS-THE l\'l0NTE CARLO TO LONDON RECORD-ROYSTON \I. POWELLHILL-CLIMBING FORMUL.£-THE NEW 45 H.P. DAIMLERTUBULAR FRAMES-SUMMARY OF 0rHER CORRESPONDENCE • • 817-820 As OTHERS SEE Us 821 A GOSSIP ABOUT THE HERKOMER TROPHY • • • • 822-827 MR. JULIAN ORDE AND MR. l\'lANVILLE ON THE HEKROMER COM-

PETITION AND ITS MANAGEMENT • . • • • • • • • .

827

FLASHES

.. 828-830

CLUB DOINGS : CLUB FtXTURES-]NTER·CLUB MEET AT BRECON

-INTER-CLUB HILL-CLIMB-MANCHESTER A.C.-LEICESTERSHIRE A.C.-SOUTH HERTS A.C.-HERTFON.DSHJRE COUNTY A.C.-YORKSHlRE A.C.-LtNCS A.C.-MOSELEY HALL GYMKHANA-SOUTH HARTING HILL-CLIMB-ESSEX CoUNTY A.C. -KENT A .C.-BLACKHEATH A.C.-NORTH-EASTERN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION-MOTOR YACHT CLUB-IPSWICH AND EAST SUFFOLK A.C. . . . • 831-832

" THE AUTO CAR " SUBSCRIPTION RA TES : British Isles, I6s. Abroad (thin paper edition), 22s. 8d. per annum.

✓ Notes. The Scottish Reliability Trials. The fact that eighty-four cars were entered for these trials by fifty-nine con tructing or representative firms is surely more than sufficient proof that the industry recognises the present \·alue of uch tests. Such a volume of support is distinct \·idence that the policy of laisser aller adopted by the Automobile Club in the matter of trial of this description has been a mistaken one, and will now be ven· difficult to recast. The trials which closed so successfully at Glasgow last Saturday will place the fixture promoted by the energetic executive of the Western Section of the ·. Scottish Automobile Club in the very forefront of such competitions-a trial to which the purchasing public will look forward from year to ye~r w!th increased interest. .After the closest assoc1ation with and scrutiny of the preliminary organisation, and sub equent conduct of these trials, even considering them in all their details, by the light of an associated experience with the best that has taken place in this countr) and abroad, we are barren of all suggestions for their improvement, save two. The first is the addition of a short speed test over a kilometre, or preferably a mile, of good level road. This feature only did the Scottish reliability trials of 1906 lack to, their absolute completeness, and this lacking, we are given to understand, may be made good in next year's programme. Some equivalent of the Duke of Portland can surely be found amongst the landed gentry of Scotland, whose broad demesnes boast a speed stretch equal, if not superior, to that at Clipstone.

The benefit of these trials to the districts through which the trial itinerary is planned, and the added value that a speed test of the kind above suggested would give to the conclusions, should surely influence some patriotic Scotch laird to offer the necessary facilities. In the interests of his countrymen, the monetary consideration should weigh, for by the 11arr01rest estimate this fixture causes £1,500 at least to be spent in districts where visitors are few and far between until the end of next month at the earliest. l'he amount just given does not, of course, nearly approach the total amount of money spent in Scotland in connection \\·ith these trials, for it only accounts an expenditure of £1 per day per head of travellers on the competing cars, and takes no account of expenditure for petrol, oil, and oddments on behalf of the cars and of visitors. Also there are the little armies nf folks put upon the road by the tyre companies, the disbursements by those who have taken their cars to Scotland for test runs over the course some time before, the accompanying visitors, the travelling staff of officials (quite a little host in themselves), and the provoked public attendance. There are districts in England \rhich must think hardly of the English club for it closing-d01rn action in these matters. Hereford, for instance. 1rnuld gladly welcome more trials of the kind held there in 1904, and sufficiently difficult country could be found in Wales to test anything in the shape of a car.

Our second suggestion is in the matter of steam cars. In the first place, there are not enough separate makes of these to warrant a special class for them, and, in the second place, as they are made to do at least as much as a petrol car, there is no reason why they should be separated from their rivals. In other words, they are not like electric cars or machines made for restricted use, and their performances, when they have a chance of competing on level terms with petrol cars, at least show that they can hold their own with them. ·o reasonable maker of steam cars can object to marks being deducted if it takes him longer to start in the morning than the petrol car, but what the steam advocates do object to- and, we think, with