MAY 8TH, 1909 .
THE AUTOCAR B 3ournal publisbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicall~ propelleb roab carriage.
EDITED BY H . WALTER STANER.
No. 707. VoL. XXII .]
SATURDAY, MAY 8TH, r909.
[PRICE 3D.
The Autocar.
(Published W eekly. )
Registered as a Newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom. Entered 2s second-class matter in the New York (N.Y .) Post Office.
Three Editions every Friday.
The THREEPENNY EDITION, prin ted on Art Paper. The PENNY EDITION, printed upon th inner paper. "The FOREIGN EDITION, price 3d., printed on specially thin paper for trans
mission abroad.
Editorial Office :
COVENTRY.
Publiahing Offices :
20, TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E .C., England.
CONTENTS. ~OTES USEFUL HINTc; ANO TIPS (ILLUSTRATED) THE TORPEDO 80Dv (ILLUSTRATED) .. THE 14-16 H.P. BELSIZE (ILLUSTRATED) ON THE ROAD AERONAUTICS (ILLUSTRATED) . . COUNTY VERSUS BOROUGH ON THE TRACK .. !LLUMINA/f'ED DANGER StGNS (ILLUSTRATED) MOTOR UNION NOTES ..
PAGE. 637 -638
639 640-641 . . 642-643 . . 644 -645
646-647
648 649 650 651
How A GtLLETT-LEHMANN CARBURETTER ts TESTED ( ILLUS·
TRATED) • •
6'2-653
THE CAL THORPE GRAND PRIX ENGINE
INCREASED TAXATION
-CORRESPONDENCE . .
THE PECULIAR REQUIREMENTS OF PECULIAR COUNTrtES .. A NEW SELF•STARTER ( ILL USTRATED) . . • . . . FLASHES (ILLUSTRATED) .. ·CLUB DOINGS THE COUNTY COUNCILS' ASSOCIATION ROAD CONFERE:-.'CE So~tE QUERIES AND R EPLIES ..
654
655-656
66 1-665 666-667
667 . . 668-669 . . 670-67 1 . . 672 -673
674
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/ Notes. Motor Taxation. Before commenting upon the proposals of the Budget ·o far as th e \' concern th e owners and users of motor ca rs, ire sho~ ld like to say that we approach the subject in an entirely non-parti an spirit , and 11·hatever we may say would not be altered if id entical proposals emanated from the Opposition. Fir t and foremost, we repeat what we haYe maintained from th e firstthat increase of taxation upon n:otor ca rs is absolutely unjustifiable. Everyone knows that one of th e great needs uf our country to-cl ay i new industries , and in t he motor inclustrv we ha ,·e a ne11· one which has ,carcely yPt es tab.li heel itself. It has just passed t hrough a 1·e ry bad tim e from whi ch ome firms ha,·e ·· 1ot yet emerged. and hefore it has had time to strengthen itse lf the Chancellor of th e Exchequer, who l'rofe ses to be anxious to help the growth and prosperity of th e motor industry, propo es a crushing load oi taxation . \Ve can only say that if this be his idea of help in;; the gr01rth and prospe rity of an industry, we hope tl1at he and all who think 1rith him will be 01·ern·helmed with simila r help.
lt would be idle to deny that th e proposed hea vy in crease in th e annual licensing fees as we t I as the tax on petrol a re popular, because the great bulk of the population are not motorists or skilled mechanics, and they do not know the true facts of the case, nor do th ey trouble to find out the bearing that such a tax 11·ill ha1 ·e upon th e industry. They o nly regard matters superficially, which is, perhap ·, an -xcusable attitude; but those who lead th em a re sure ly und r no delusions, and should know better than to pander to this popular ignorance. \Ve ha , ·e no intention of exaggerating th e seriousness of the in crease in taxation on motorists; our intention is rathe r to show its a bsolute unfairness and short-sightedness. The Government attitude towards motorists is to penalise tho e who are finding highly remunerative 1rork for th eir fellow countrymen.
\ Vhen a man buys a motor car he buys an a rticl e the , ·a lue of which consi ts almost entire ly of work that has bee n done upon raw mate ria l by skill ed labour. The ra 1r n13terial itself is worth comparatively little . The high class stee ls , th e aluminium, the indi arubber, a nd th e other mate ri a ls of 1Yhich the ca r is constructed are all the product of the working man ; and then th e machining, fitting togethe r, testing, and the hundred and one othe r operat ions and processes which are nece3sa ry to th e finished product are all the work of British workmen. Tl1e same remarks app ly to the maintenance and upkeep of th e cars, so that eve ry motorist who buys a British made car- and the majority of ca rs bought to-day in this country a re of home make-is buying an a rti cle 1rhich has been the mea ns of live lihood to a number of his fellow country men. For this the GOl·e rnment propo3e to tax him hea,·ily in order to pay th e 1rnges of road builder and road mende rs . who are paid in any e ,·e nt in the interests of the genera l community. It has been proved that if th e old system be replaced by waterproofed construction, roads can be built which a re nearly dustless in summer and free from mud in winte r without any extra cost. :.fotor traffi c does not harm properly built roads, and roads cost no more to build properly than on the old mud and stone system.
Some motorists con. ole th ems, h·es with the idea that the mone1· extracted from th em wi 11 be spent upon road impr01·ement and road maintenan ce rather than upon the re1·enue of th e countrY. Whil e this may form a ,·e n- rea l con olation to th e wealthy or landed cl asses, 11·hose prop rty will be impro1·ed· thereby, it will in no ,my as ist the great hulk of the motoring community, many of whom a re onl~- just able to a fford to keep a c-ar as it is, and who are quite satisfied with the roads as they are. Like most other forms of unjust taxation, it 11·ill hea r most hardly upon the middle classes, who,,,
