,ARY 2ND, 1909.
fHE AUTOCAR • Journal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcall~ propelleb roab carriage . EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.
~o. 689. VoL. XXII.] SATURDAY, J ANUARY 2ND, 1909.
[PRICE 3D.
►
The Autocar.
(Published Weekly.)
iegistered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom. ~ntered as second-class matter in the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.
I
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CONTENTS.
PAGE
IOTES ..
..
.. .. .. .. ..
!.EVOCATION OF PATENTS-TRAMCARS AND THE RULE OF THE ROADA NUMERICAL BOMBSHELL .• 1SEFUL HIN rs AND TIPS (ILLUSTRATED).. . • 0
HE So H.P. RovER. Bv KuKLos (ILLUST~ATED) QOS-A RETROSPECT \.ERON.~UTICS. • . , lHE AERONAUTICAL SALON (ILLUSTRATION) )N THE ROAD. Bv OWEN JoHN . . . . . . icREw TnRFADS. Bv C. R. GARRARD (lLLUSTRA1 ED)
3 4-5
5 6-lI . . I2-IJ
14 15-16
16
\fOTOR UNION NOTES
• . . • • . . . . •
raE EFFECT OP GLYCERINE: ON TH E COOLJNG WATER OF AN ENGINE. 17
BY HENRY O'CoNNOR, Assoc. M.INsT.C.E., F.R.S.Eo. (ILLUS) 18.19 THE PARIS SALON IN 1909 . • . • 19-20 1NCOME TAX DlFFICVLTIF.S 20 C.0RRESPONDENCE • . . . 25-29 SMALL CAR TALK. Bv RUNABOUT • • 30 BROOKLANOS New MANAGER (ILLUSTRATED).. 31 THE CoRRECTt:ON OF MISLEADING STATEMENTS ABOUT MOTORISTS
A. ·D :MOTORING FLASHES (ILLUSTRATED) . • • • • . A REVERSING AND Two·wAV Sw1TcH . .
32 · · 33·34
CLUB DOINGS ' •
• . . • . •
ANALYSIS OF THE PARIS Snow. Bv H. HEWITT GRIFFIN .• MOTORS, ROADS, AND -TAXES . . , . , • . . . . MOTORJSTS AND THE PARKS REGULATIONS AcT-ExrERIMENTS
35 35 36 37-38
WITH NAPHTHALINE AS A FUEL ..
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j Notes. Non-skid Regulations. Fr0m the pages of our offspring, 1llotor Traction, we learn that from what it calls "quite a reasonably reliable " source the next batch of Local Government regulations dealing ,rith motor traffic ,rill prohibit the ' use of permanently attached non-skids on dry roads. We can only hope that so umrnrkable a regulation will never be imposed. lt is almost worse than prohibiting steel-studded tyres altogether, or, for the matter of that, the u e of any metal non-skid. Lip to the present time, the Local Government Board as 11011· constituted has sh01rn itself essentially practical in its regulations, and it is because of this we cannot bring ourselves to believe it will promulgate so absurd a regu1ation. It might just as reasonably- - in fact, in some respects more reasonably-insist upon the metal shoes of horses being taken off and replaced by leather or rubber shoes, at all such times as metal shoes could be di pensed with, as it is at least as ' reasonable to assume that the metal-shod horse does more damage than one shod with something softer. If this be not the case, it is equally certain that meta:1-studded tyres da:mage the road no more than plain ones. .
Luckily, there are one or two devices already in existence which offer the motorist a loophole of escape. For instance, the Parsons, Eyre, and the Gamage nonskids are all of a nature which permits them to be put to a temporary use. Then there are leather-metal non-skid tyre jackets, which can be put on and taken off more or less quickly; but it stands to sense that if such a regulation were to be put into force, something would have to be devised which could be brought instantly into use and out of use without stopping the car. So far as the mechanical side of the question is concerned, there is no insuperable difficulty, though the imposition of such a regulation would be to all intents and purposes another tax upon the motorist. He is already compelled to carry a wholly needless back and side light, as he must necessarily have< good driving headlights. However, a far greater difficulty is in the definition of a dry or wet. road. That is to say, who shall decide when it·is necessary for nonskids to be used and when it is unnecessary? It cannot be done by the almanac, because dangerous grease may be encountered on any one day of the 365 in our uncertain climate. Therefore it would appear that the matter must be left to the judgment of the policemen. Even expert motorists differ at times, the cautious one preferring to use non-skids on a day upon which a less cautious driver ,rnuld say they were unnecessary; but if the matter is to be settled by non-motoring policemen it ca11 only result in \\'Orry and annoyance to motorists, because it does not matter how well intentioned the police officer may be, he simply has not the knowledge to decide whether the motorist should use or not use his non-skids. Under the circum-
tances, we can only say we disbelieve the report, as the regulation could only be worked with difficulty and friction. It certainly would not benefit the roads, though it might in certain prejudiced districts hasten on the promotion of a few over-zealous police officers.
It is rather interesting to note how these ideas repeat. Although the Local Government Board had nothing to do with it, the idea of a non-skid which could be instantly thrown into or out of action was very i)revalent some fe11· years ago, and the patents records of the time coµld show quite a number of devicei;, ranging from those which ,rere ingenious and practical to those ,1·hich were quite impracticable and altogether ridiculous. Almost all these devices have been passed over in favour of the metal-studded tyre or something very nearly equivalent to it, but the rumour about the ne\\' regulation may turn attention back to the type of non-skid which can be instantly put into or out of u e as the judgment of the dril'er may dictate.
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