AuGUsr'+TH, r9D6i

THtr AUTOCAR B 3ournat PubliebeD in tbe intereets of tbe meclrantcatlu propelleD roaD carrfage'

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER'

No. 563. Vor. XVII'l

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4ru, r906. [Prucr 3o

THE AUTOCAR.

(Published WeeklY')

Ri.istcrcd as a oewsPaper lor trusission io th' Unitcd l(ingdom' "'"';;r:;"i;.;;ona'-cit'" t"*"i io tttt Nes York (N'Y') Post office'

EDITORIAL OFFICE:

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES:

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

CONTENTS. PAGE

Notss: THe REPoRT or rHE RoYAL Couutsslou-HrrL-cLIMBING

FoRxuLA

u"'"""i,"--Crnrt-'^No TIrs: so{E NorES oN vALvE settlnc luo "i&;;,;'i;;';;lcontinued) " " r4e tjJ^nrJ^"1.""t"'.,o' on Moron crns

VrEws or REPRESENTATIVE MoroRtsrs ox rxs Reeont r54'r6r c"*trtittrii Ntrtt ^"o News: Tse BELoIUM lxtenxltroxll 't""'t"".t""* riii"rtt"t"at-t"t FronIo Cue-TuE ARDENNES crR-

;;;fil; ri'**o""* b'"

s"""".r n*"1. ** Hooo' "-

i"l-l"ottr"t RELIABILITY Tetrrs Reponr oFTHETRI^LscoM- ';-t;;;;; rses'A'c' t65't7o cJ*ri**r""", : H ILL-CLIMBING Foruurr-" Surrrrrro DrIrv ""fi;;;;;;;" AND Y'RKSHIRE AuaoMoBILE crus-srrep cuaNo-

r47't48

r5c-r6r

" 16z'164

" " 164

,rio-ii, ita^ot coNsuMPrIoN ol PrNsenos-EurRlES FoR H rrl- i'ri"ii." ci"r"rrtlons-Moronrsrs' coNvrcrloNs-ureccourr- :;;*?;;;-;-THE AsroN Hrrr-crrun-srerD oN rHE RoAD l:;i;;;;;";tNrs-T*ta"s oN wELsH RoaDs-Truts rx-Hrrr- ;;;""-;;;r-;;s rup Sttenrrc GEARs-srar,Ep Honse- ilJti--i""^o.-Dsucursrp TvnB rxo RIM-A TouR oF rEE :;;"";*-;- ir;ruRErrE-TERowING BRrcrs er Moronrsrs-Tue ;;;";' i;r;rs-A Gooo RuN oN CoNTINENTAL Ro^DS- i;;;;"; ;;"rr coenasPoNoENcE " r?r-176 er'**iu"i"^t NorEs' BY E' Cxsra Hrwrtus " :lI A Rux ox r zl u.e. Araror " t lo rru ,i"r."t"ri.t MovuupNr Ili scorLAND " I78 FLASEES .. " 179-t81 a;;';;;.;.. iliustrated) 18:-184 f;;;r;;;; Sr^*r,t. Hrvpur. rrtr 'rvrn Puup (illustrated) " r84 itrir^^"i* n*reurrrrY cor ttsrs ' ' r85 i;;;;;;'L;;DrsrANcE'rtr*s'' '' r8s ioi" cro*" To MoroRlsrs " r8-5

tratcd)..

i;;;;;; wurcu Porrce AclrvrrY uev gu Exructup (illrrs-

" 186

..THE AUTOCAR'' SUBSCRIPTION RATES : British lsles, I6s. Abroad (thin paper edition), 22s Etl per annum

Ngtes. The Report of the\oYal Commission. Elsewbere we deal at some length with the report rvhich has been issuetl by the I{o1al Commission on Motor Cars. We should iike to say at once, on behalf of autornobilists generallr'. it is fulll recogrrise<l that the members of the Commissit,rn (who. to sav the least of it, are known to lte against rather thatl .in favour of automobilism) have carried out their rluties in the most honottral >le and painstaking wav. We specially mention this, beca,use rve rvistr it to lre ttnclerstnotl that ant criticisrns uhich mal appear itt our llagcs are based entirelv upon the belief that the froints in the report with 'rvhich the rvriters ma) < lisagre'e are regarded merell as errors of jtrrlgment. anrl tlot itt anr' *ir ". evidettces of the smallest prejurlicc. ln fact.

the rel >ort as a u llole is a lerv lille example ot ,hr,ri"t,*. of jtrstice nhich rve look lpon as an

".t.",rti^iir: English characteristic' as it shows that the i,i,^'r'itt'it;. ,"?',i.,.ii-r,ed when a bodl' of educated tsrrii;t "-...[;;;; corncerned' It is -true British ;l'i,;;i,,i,"'jfi-- ii,sti.," ha. been tainted too often ,;tl;';;;; ih;,, ; itrspicio'r that bias and. not justice n^t'

",i,i i"iilererl. [rut. in the majoritl . of cases' this f.rr'f*",i'.ir. io tt" fact that the ;dministration of the i^n l^i fr""" in the hands of prejudiced or half- ..iu*,.a-r"tt"n.. Holvever. it is weli to bear in mind iil;;h;'t;;";i ,,i tt. Ii'oval Commissior.r has ret to be ,iii"'.,.i.a 6v Parlianterrt, atrd it is too earlJ' to assume' ;; t; ;rrt: rlo. that it rvill be accep-ted practicall) as il- .t^n,l..' After all. the real injustice of.the presert i"i'trnt- f,"",r in its aclministration' antl although..the ,il"Uii.,, .,i the sptr:tl limit. if it comes about' will be ;;;';,it';i,t,\-.,. lt iultt bc no great..aclvantage till the recklcss miitorist arrrl tht prtjrrdiced maglstrate are i"',, iilif smallu minioritv thau- thev are to-da), and we shall not irc' verv muih better off if the police.are ,',i...,,

^,rv u()\\tr to ilefine what is negligent or reckless i.iti,ru n, r.lriuinu t() the common clanger' The average ,],,,,,,,i Doli,'t'rnatt is rr. jtrrlge' and even his lowtt ,),),/:)i;r'*uy r," often deceive"l' Speed limits in towns can be no more satisfacton than in the country' ii.""ru" twelve miles an h()trr mat' be much too fast at one point and needlessll slow at another' "

W; ,;; ferfectly willing to admit that' orving t..its srleerl. the motor carueq,ii.e. special regulations' but ;:;;"',;;i follow the suggestion that all self-propelletl ;;lil;t shoultl be put iiirder c'ne Act' On the face ;i ii, tt is rtnreasonaile to tleal Nith motor cycles.an(l tro.'tl,rt ettgitles as lreing in anr-wal kindred machines' their one 'point of similarity being that they are.not ..,,rr"11",1 bv animal Irower. It appears to us that' iriri,ig " spt"ial Act i'or motor-clcles' they shoul'I be in"luii",l with motor cars, and a maximum of, say' rr crvts. imnrrserl ns the limit for a motor carriage' lirrtfrins ut:ighing nrore thatr this to be dealt with .,,rr^r"t.'lv. th,,trgh here. again' there are diflrculties' as a in,-,t,,r i'ehicl't-'ut'iuhing less than five torrs (that is' a

Irr.alr mrtlor car) is ll()t at l)resent subject to the sanre rcgulatiolts as a htrge tractlon engine of more than ,kl,l,l" thc wt'ight. with a train of heavr trucks behind it. aurl it will-'be verv ditlicult to frame a single Act u'hich can < teal fairlv u'ith such witlelv divergent classes as the motor bicvcli antl the traction engine' Further than that. thcre is a l'erv great objection to classing lrot()r ('ars lvith traction erlgines. which are at least as much the enemies of the motorist as thel are of the horse rlriver, as thev clamage and obstruct the roatls equalll for both. 'Another point is the proposed increase ir-r taxation' 'fhis appeans to us to llear verl hardll upon the ou'rrer of a inoderatelr--powert:r'l car. ancl. if anr thing. - too lightlv upon the owner of a reallv high-powered machine jh" t,i," of t'ar u'hich does anl da,rnage that mav be done to thd roads bv motor cars. Small cars and cars of mo<lerate l)ower and weight do not damage the roarls. but tht; big machines weighing from 35 crvts.