Aucusr IITH, r906

THtr ALJTOCAR B journal publigbeD in tbe tntereetg of tbe ntecbantcallp propelleD ronD cnrrln0e.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

No.564. Vor. XVII.I SATURDAY, AUGUST rrrrr, 19o6. [Pnlcr 3n

THE AUTOCAR.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper lor tranmisston in th3 Un.ied Kingdom. - Entcred as second-class mattcr in the New Yorl< i ltr Y.) Post Of6ce.

EDITORIAL OFFIPE:

COVENTRY.

PUBLISHING OFFICES:

zo, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, 8.C., ENGLAND.

CONTENTS, P^GE

Notns: Tsr PRrcE or Prrnor-BlNr Horrptv Txerrlc .. r87-r88 (Jserur HrNts AND TIps: Sour Norss oN VALVI: SETTING AND

IcnrrroN Truruc (concluded)

Tre Moron YlcHr Clus's TRTALS (illustrated) ..

.. .. r89

r9o'r94

TouRrNG rx Arcrnre (illustrated) .. ,.

A Srx.cvrrNpnn Leucaesrrn t95-r96

.. .. 196

SoME NorEs oN Fonce AND PowER

I97-r98

CoNTTNENaAL NorE; AND Nsws: "Lt MATIN"CuP(illustrated)-

Tsr Lroenrll: Cup AND PEUGEoT PRrzn

,. r99-2oo

Dr:recgegre Rtns rNp Tvnrs

^lHE 24 H.P. Ar u ror Cen

.. . ' 2or

. . 2ot

THE RoyAL CouursstoN REpoRT. SoME Funruet OPINIoNS oF

AuroMoBtltsrs

A Nover Geenep Correcr Merrn (illustrated)..

.. 202'206

.. 2o6

ConrrspoNooNce: Urrern Porrcr Tnre-ITcoNSIDERATE DRIvING

-Excrssrvr Rolo WlrenINc-MoroRING u. BoArrNc AccIDENTS: A Coupenrsox-'f yRE PRorEcroRS-CuusHInr Portcr:-T np rtrn oF Evrorrcr crvEv AGAINsT trloroRlsrs-A Nr:w Reormon (illustrated)-HrLL-cLrnBING FoR!tuLE-SPEED oN tsr Rolo AN D ADvERTlsEuEryts-ElrctnIc IcNtrroN--GEAR CHANGTNG AND Pnrnor CoxsuuprloN oN PANHARDS-THr Dr DIoN GEAR-Posr- poNEMENT or rse Crncurr EutoereN--LrcurlNG oF VEHIoLES- HoRSE-powER or Crns-Suuuenv or ConnrspoNorrct: .. 2o7'2rr Prrnor u,. Sreru. Errecrs oF LocALITY or Clns. As orsnns Seu

Us. A Tsontvcnorr BoAT

FrrsuBs.. .,

Crua DorNos (illustrated) ,. .,

. - -. 212

.. 2t3'2rb

2t7-2tq

ErrurrerrNo Tnrrls FoR THE INTERNATIoNAL MoroR IIoAT RACE . ' 219 THE DuKE or Courrucur's Accrpeur .- ztt) SoME QuERrEs AND R!:PLrEs,. .. . 22o

..THE AUTOCAR " SUBSCRIPTION RATES : British Isles, I6s. Abrcad (thin paPer edition), 22s. Ed. pcr annurD.

Notes. The Price of trol.

Just prior to the Bank Holidal' the pri<:e of- petrol rvus surldenly increased, antl troiv tlvo gallons of petrol cost a.s much us three gallons cost t\\'o vears ago. 't'he price has I-reen steaclily creepirlg upward, atttl, speaking from memorr', the largest itlcrease is the la;t. We do not want to olerrate the imlnrtance of this matter, as so many are P'rone to do, because, as wr: har''e said before, the exp,endittrre upon petrol is onli' one of the items in conne<'tit.rtr rvith the running of the car. At the same time, it is necessary to reme'mber that it is the largest o'f the rttr.ttring expenses. With a car of medium porver antl rveight petrol costs nlore than tyres in the year's ntnning, and very con.siderably more ahan ordinarv repairs and replacemeuts. As this is so it is impossible to regard its steady increase in lirice u'ith indifferertce, pa,rticularly as lve have no iort of guararltee that it tvill not become dearer. We are not advised of any particular reason for its present high co,st, but it is significant to ncrte that all the relailers ha.ve told us rvhen we have lroughl petrol at increased l)rlces thiLt they rvere advised bt' the lvesterll combination of the increase one da1, and the next a similar advice came from those controlling the eastern supplies. It is therefore eviclont that the one .great safeguartl against tha.t increase in price-that is, rivalrl lrctli'een thE East anrl West-has lreeu tenll;orarilr removed.

'fhe matter is attother proof tlrat' to a large extent the Ar.rto,molrile Clulr antl the Societv of Motor \{anLrIactttrers are asleep. It is trtre we have the l'ourist 'l'rophl l{at:e promott:cl lrv the < 'ltrlr arlcl activel\ supporierl Irv a numlrer ()f the meml)ers of the. societ]'' and- this evi:nt ttnqtrestionalrlv tt'ntl's torlards irnlrrole ments rvhich should rerlttce the co'ltsitmption of 1)etro'1, Irut neither the clulr no'r the soc;et) is tloing anlthing to, encourage or to forwarrl the national fuel rpestio'n' ln fact, speaking Irroarllr', th'ev are taking alrsoltrteli no interesi u'haiever in ihe nlalter. It is trtrt: that the societv took a hand for a short time, Irut this \\'as entir('l\ dtte to the initiativt: of its secretary, as the memlre,iship as a u,hole have no't itlteresterl themselves. 'l'l-re clulr hls tlone evell less, aurl everl mrltot i'ar in the ('{rtrntrv is still rlependent ul)on foreigrr ftrel. and the otrlr saiegrtarrl agalnst further in<'reest's irr price o[ thii fuel is that motorists themselves othet ihan the more rvealthv rvill trv rll so'rts of tlo'rlges for reducing petrol consttmlltion,- ancl tt'e can only hope that in ihit "ot" rre,:essiiv, as it Iras sn often happ'enetl lrefore, rlill restrlt in iilventiorrs anrl implovements rvhich rviil enalrle thc consttmptiotr tri be still further rerlucerl, lrut ar.rlthing of this s'ort is onl1 1 pelliative' What is tvattted is a riational ftrel , not a fuel olrtainable onlr, from the ends of the earth, the supply of u'hich is in the t:ontrol of tu'o or three trantls of mortopolists'

Ir-r the nteatttime, till ue have rt national flrel, the rrossilrilities of paraffin lncl petrol mixed rvith paraffin shou)y' I,e furth'tr inve.stigated. Some cheap sttbstance

^^vr(t" foLrrrd rlhich,,a,,'ire aclderl to the ;retrol-paraffirl mi#ure so that it mav lrecome an entirely satisfactorv ",-,i, .,,-r*lr.red rvith neat petrol . a cl'reap fuel. .t'Bank Holiday Traffic.

At the August Banli Ho'liday,period it may safely be sairl thlt alilost every form of traffit' in this cotrntry reaches its n.'.ximurn.- 'l'his certairllv app'lies to motor, tiir*" t"tri,'1", antl cycle trrrffir'; so much so, indeecl' that ueoplc ,rlho ur"-free to' motor when they like are n",i ,'n*i'*. if they alrstain from thcir frrlourite-pastime o,n and arounrl tfie feast of St. Avebur,v' However' manv motorists cannot do' this witho'ut missing three or f,rr,.'clarr' clriving, ancl that rvould never do wirh the r.r.tv leisure "t"il.bl". In other uords, the majcrity of- pioi.t.ional ancl business men tlottld very rrisely rath'er prrt up lvith the ro'ad,s being overcrou'tlerl than altoseth.r loie three or fottr days' motoring' Among .r.d tu. mtrsL incltrde ottrselves'; and in the cortrse ll'