c\1,R CH 21sT, 1908.

TH-E AUTOCAR a 3ournal publtSbeb in tbe interests of tbe mecbanicalll? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

Vo1. XX.

SATURDAY, MARCH zrsr, 1908. LPRICE 3D.

The Autocar.

(Published Weekly.)

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the United Kingdom~

Entered as second.class matter in the New York {N.Y.) Post Office

Editorial Office :

COVENTRY.

Publishing Offices :

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

CONTENTS. ~ OTES • • Ix THE HousE OF Co:,.rn:o.ss .. USEFUL HINTS A!'-10 TIPS TIIE 45 H.P. SHEFFIELD-5DIPLEX CHASSIS {11.LUSTRATED) RECORD ATTEMPT AT BROOKLANDS . • )fOTOR l\lILITARY RACES AND COMPETITIONS

PAGE 397-398 , • 398 · · 399 400-403 · · 403 404-406 . , 407 · • 407 408-409 · , 409 .po·4I3 . . 4r3 4q-.p7

\\ 0

INDHAM1S SLIDING DETACHABLE [3ooIES (ILLUSTRATED) THE TOURIST TROPHY FOUR-INCH RACE .• THE IMPROVED D OOLITTLE DETACHABLE Rut (ILLUSTRATED) .. THE INCORPORATED INSTITUTION OF AUTO!\lOBILE ENGINEERS ?\EW ROADS THROUGH OLD LANDS ( ILLUSTRATED) THE _..\~tATEURS' CoMPETITION : THE lRlSH A.C. T RIALS

THE 40 H .P. BROOKE CAR (ILLUSTRATED) • . OFFICIAL OPEN ING OF THE NEW H UMBER \ VORKS ON THE ROAD. BY OWEN ]OI-IN THE R OYAL A.C. ANNUAL M EETING AND A NNUAL

4'7 . . 418

DINNER ( ILLUS·

TRATED) THE E. R. DETACHABLE RIM-BALL BEARING STEERING THE MERCEDES GRAND PRIX RACERS FOR I908 ( [LLUS f RATED) CORRESPONDENCE . . THE X EW STHENOS ( ARBURETTER (ILLl1STRATE D) CONTINENTAL NOTES AND i\ EWS .. THE CADILLAC l N1 ERCHANGEABILITY T EST (11.LUSTRATED) THE ::\lJLO<;CQPE-TllE 2 1000 MILES TRIAL THE \\'OLSELEY·SIDDELEY BOAT TRIALS (ILLUSTRATED) FLASHES . • THE 8R0~1KLA:O.DS RACING C LUB .• THE DESIGN OF THE .:-\ UT0~I0RILE (CONTINUED) . REVIEWS

.. p 9·.,PI .. . pl

422 423-428

429 430 43 t 431 ·, 432 433-434 · · 435 436-438 . . 438

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Notes. Taxation. On \\'ednesdav next the :'.\Iotor Union conference to discuss the political situation generally and the taxation question in particular will be held. It rea lly appears futile to bold such a meeting, for, as ,re pointed out last week, while the Union is in doubt as to the present attitude of its members on this subject, it is leaving no stone unturned to induce the local authorities throughout the country to take an interest in the spoliation of the motorist. As might be expected, these local authorities are adopting \\·ith absrity the Motor Union's suggestion that motor car and carriage taxes generally should be devoted to road maintenance. They are only too pleased to adopt any suggestion which may bring money to their coffe rs and relieve their local rates. It is most rP~rettahle that this question of taxation should hare been mixed up in this way and at this time with the maintenance of roads, but now the harm has been done, \rhatever the Union meeting may decide will not real! r matter.

It · may amuse those present to consider the question and to talk about it, but the utmost they can do is to censure their committee for rushing in where wiser men feared to tread. The conference ,rnuld have been ,·ery useful and very desirable had it been held before the Motor Union sent the deputation to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and before it circularised local authorities throughout the country, members of Parliament, and other on the question of road maintenance by motorists. However, if the Union has done much harm in this matter, motorists \rill still forgive it if they see it displ aying as much energy in repairing the injury a it has expended in inflicting it, though an organi. ation \\·ith ten times its resources and enet·g · could n~t;n the time arailable repair a ll the misc! 1ef which l✓~s been done.

The amber of Roads. Recently ,\·e ,rere discussing the question of road maintenance and repair \\·ith the sun·eyor of a district in which motors abound. This gentleman is an active motorist himself, and is a keen obsen·er of the e ffects upon the roads of all forms of tra ffi c. He, like many other road engineers, has arri\·ed at the conclusion that, speaking generally, the roads are unduly cambered or arched, and that it is because of this a ll drivers, whether of motor or horse, keep to the middle of the road instinctively , and so tend to wear it unduly in that place. Indeed, it \rill be noticed that, so far as heavily laden horses are concerned, they a lmo t im·ariably pull on to the c rO\rn of the road and keep fairly close to it if they a re left to themselves, because 1.b \. lind it the easiest tra ck. The motorist go2s there pa1tly for this reason, but mainly because the steering is easier and in wet weather the tendency to side-slip is greatly reduced.

HO\rever, the point \\·hich the sun-eyor particularly mentioned \\·as that he had ven· much reduced the camber on certain stretches of road under his control. and. not only so. he had imprO\·ed the side of the road. making th em thoroughly sound and good, so that there was no objection to dri\·ing \\·ell over to the left at all times, e,·en in greasy \reatber. :\"otwith. tanding this . he found that motor and a 11 other traffic kept, as of yore, to the centre, and \\·ith this concentration of wear the tendency ,ras for the road to b come concave, o\\'ing to it ha,·ing been made so much le.. com·ex than usual. All his work with the idea of enticing traffic to its proper side had been thrown mray. This is certainly disappointing, but we are afraid that no redu tion will take place in the practice of centre driving till road authoritie3 generally reduc the arching of their roads.

Evervone notice, an exce,si,·::-h· camherc-d road; in fact, it. forces itself upon one's attention. particularly in the limestone districts, but hitherto few, if am·. road use rs have made a study of camber. So lo,~g