AUGUST 24TH, 1907,

THE AUTOCAR B 3ournal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcalll? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

""'No. 618. VoL. XIX . SATURDAY, AUGUST 24TH, 1907.

[PRICE 3D.

THE A UTOCAR.

iPublis:1ed Wee!dy.)

~egistered ~s a new.i;p1per for transmission 1n the United 1-: :~o;riom..

Entered as second-class m a tter in the New York (N.Y.) Pos t Owca..

EDITORIAL OFFICE:

COVENTRY.

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

CONTENTS.

NOTES . . 'fHE 2 10 0 0 MILES RELIABILITY TRIALS-1908 USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS . . THE 20 H .P . CAD ILLAC C AR ( ILLUST RATED ) • . THE ARGYLL TROPHY COMPETITIO N .. A WET WE£K•ENO .. THE WIND RESISTANCE TESTS (ILLUSTRATE D) LtNCS A.C. HILL-CLIMB ( [LLUSTRATED}

PAGX • . 301-302

302 303 · · 304-306

306 307 308-310 . . 3 10 -3 n

0LICE-TUdED ROADS (ILLUSTRAT E D) . .

A DIARY OF MOTORING IN S OUTH A FRI CA (ILLUSTRATE D)

A SERIOUS A CCIDENT-SOUTHERN I NDIA N TRIALS . .

. . 3 1 2 - 3 15

.. 3I6-318

318

ON THE ROAD. Bv OwEN J OHN

319

TKE Ruu: OF THE ROAD

320

HINTS FOR THE EFFICIENT MAINTE SANCE O F AN ARIEL-SIMPLEX ) 20 CORRESPONDENCE . . • • 321-326 NON- NIPPI NG AtR TUBES.. 327 A MONTH'S IMPRISO N MENT-THE E NGLISH MOTOR MARKET 327 THE j. B . PARAFFIN CAR BURETTER (ILLU STRATED) 328 BROOKLANDS A.R.C.-STUDDE D TYRES 329 A CoMBINE D MOTOR CAR A N O B OAT (ILLUSTRATE D) 330 DEFECTIVE TYRE REPAIRS 330 THE PARAGON GEAR. (ILLUST RAT E D )-SOME E xPERI E :sCES 331 DUST PRE VENTION- LONG DISTANCE TYRE TRIALS 33 1 A SERVICEABLE TYRE REMOVE R (ILLUSTRATE D ) • • 332 FLASHES · · 333-334 THE ROLLS-ROYCE 15 ,000 MIL ES T RIAL (ILLUSTRATE D ) . • 335 THE STOR AGE OF P ETROL 335 THE FINISH OF THE HOTCHKISS T RIAL 335 CLUB DOI NGS-REVIEWS .. 336 C RANKSHAFT AND CONNECTI NG Roo BE AR I NGS (ILLUSTRATE D ) • • 3 37-338 P OW E R L E AKAGES, • 338

The A.A. and the M. U. Last week we published a letter from Colonel Bo worth , the chairman of the Automobile Association . This week we publish a reply from the Motor Union. As the result of our inte rviews with Mr. Jeffreys a nct Col. Bosworth last week we stated th a t in our opinion there appeared to be no reason why the Union road agents should be regarded as rivals of the A.A. scouts . At th e moment we do not propose to discuss th e rights and wrongs of the negotiations between th e two bodies. It may be urged that the A.A. was unwise not to accept the Union offers of co-operation , but without knowing the terms upon which such co-operation was suggested it is premature to express an opinion. At the same time we fear it is idl e to imagine that there will long be room fo r both organisations now that the union has taken up th e road agency work. It does not matter wh at arguments may be introduced J endeavour to prove th at there is room for both ; it #ill be found in the long run that there is only room for one, more p articularly if every activity of the A .A. is more or less adopted by th e Union. It is true th at between the Union road agent and the A.A. scout there is a distin cti on, and a very great one. As we pointed out las t week, the Union man is "3ually placed at the entrance to a town or in a town, and the cycle mounted A.A. scout patrols the open road ; but, while admitting this difference, we begin to fear that the di stinc tion which we were led to believe would exist is a distinction mainl y in name. The first time we came across a Union agent he waved a red flag, and when we stopped he warned us of a police trap. I t happened the warning was unnecessary, because we knew all about the trap, but we do not see how the Union men can fail to give warning of police traps. They may not be on the open road, but if a passing motorist stops to tell them th ere is a trap a certa in distance out, the agent is sure to warn the next automobilist who comes along in the opposite direction, and therefore to all intents and p urposes the average motorist will say that the Union is doing the same work as the A.A. It is a great pity that things should have arrived at this pass, because there is no getting away from the fact that, stripped of superfluity, it is a question of th e surviva l of the fitt er. If the Union can show that it is doing practically the same ·work as the A.A . and more also it will exterminate the A.A . If th e A .A. is abl e- to demonstrate that it is more useful and an altogether better concern than the Union, the Union must go under. There is room for them both at th e moment, but in the long run only one will survive unless some modus vivendi is arrived at , and that qui c kly. They must either fight to the death or make a truce, each working for the good of automo~i ism, but in entirely different ways, with a cl ear u er tan ding th~at neither sha ll enc roach on the progra me of the other

The Influence of rack Racing. There is an opinion which some people appear to be .rying to foste r th at racing on an enclosed track such as Brookl ands is no use. They say that the track may o r may not provide good sport, but however this may lie it will do no good to the motor ca r and in no way assist its development or in crease its reliabilitv. We have not regarded th ese statements seriously h-itherto, beca use th ey have, as a rul e, been made by amateurs who d id not realise wh at was to be lea rn ed from racing on th e track, o r by competitors who had fail ed lamPnta bly in th e races, or e lse by firm s who knew th:it ·their cars were so in effi cient th at it was useless for them to run them on the track. Now , however, we regard the matter more seriously, as only in its last issue T he Engin eer stated in a leading article , " From t rack racing with motor cars there is practically nothing to be lea rned." With this view of our contemporary we