SEP EMBER 5TH, 19081

THE AUTOCAR B Journal publisheb in tbe interests of tbe mecbantcall\? propelleb roab carriage.

EDITED BY H. WALTER STANER.

~o. 672. VoL. XXI.J SATURDAY, SEPTEl\IBER 5n1, 1908. [PRICE 3D.

The Autocar.

(Published W eekly. )

Registered as a newspaper for transmission in the- United Kingdom.

Entered as second-class matt'!r in the New York (N.Y.) Post Office.

Editorial Office :

COVENTRY.

Publishing Offices :

2 0 , TUDOR STREET, LONDON, E.C., England.

CONTENTS.

° X OTES

l ~SEFUL Ht:-.Ts .\:-.D Ttrs .. Tm.:: Sn• .L.t-nxc (;~AR ClLLL'STRATr: o )

HIXTS TO :\[A:-. Ul·ACTURFRS

,. THI~ AUTOCAR" :\loTOR C.\R L E('TURES

0:-. THE R OAD- I x Sot:TJI \\"ALES

PAGE

, , 355-356

357 . . 358-362

36: 363 . . 364-365

~ l OTOll CAR LAW IN JFRSEY

A Succr ,;;;:--i•UL FLEET OF CARS ({LLU TRATF.D)

ROAD \\°A IO.'IXGS (WITH '.\[AP) , ,

365 • . 366-367 .. 368-37 1

Tm: )[oTOR \'ACHT Ctce . .\'.\" D OLY'.\11•1c RAct:: \!LLL'STRATED)

A SrnrtE A:,,;ro NovEL TrsT oF S\100·111 RuNNI:-.'G

CONTIX!.XTAL ~ OTl~S A:S-0 X EWS

372-373 ·, 373 ·, 374-375

T11 E SttAw-Kmsor Rii\l ( lLLl"..Tl~ATFDl

.-\rRo:-.AL'TICs-T11 r: )I OTOR C:-.IO:-. PRO\"l'.S"CIAL :\lEETIXG.,

Tm: D vsT PRoeL1 "

T '!'RES A'-D TYRE R LPAJRs-'· Tm::. PRICE OF 1:-.DEPE:-.oE:-.ci: ·· • .

3i5 3i6 377

3iS

( ORRESPO'.'\OE:S-Cr • .

. . 379-383

UP ALO:-. G • •

SMALL CAR TALK

FLASHES

CLue Do1sr.s

3 4 385 386-389

390

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British Isles, 16s. Abroad (th in paper edition), 22s. tid per annum.

{ Notes. A Princely Appeal. ln another place. ll\ request of H .S.H. Prince Francis of Teck. tlw Chairman of the Ro\'al Automobile Club. ire gi1·e the full te:--t of an ui·gent and immediate appeal 1rhich His Serene Highness, in his capacity as chairman of the leading automobile body in this countn·. i, making not onh- to the members of the Club 01·er 1rhich he pn°sicJes in so alJk a mannC'r. but to automohilists. all and suncJn·. up and dmrn the countr\'. The Prince asks motorists to rea lise. and so far as ·in them lies to renwc h-. the nuisance an{l inconn :niencc cau:cd to other use.rs of the roacl ])I' the dust. for 11·hich the:, are not responsible. but 11·hirl1 the,· raise in a greater or less degree when passing 01·er it. H e agrees that the solution of the du. t problem must be attacked from the point of ,·ie11· of road construction. but until this fact is more 11·ideh · reali,erl. and the mntter taken more completely in hand. the Prince urges motor car rlri,·er~ and motor car 011 1w rs to consider the roads as the1· find them. and clril'E' a 'rnrdingly. WC' stronp;h· urge the ea ref u I perusa 1 of tlw 1' ri nce·s recommenrb tions ancl his further suggestions 1rith rega rd to the high[~- irritating use of sirens. e,haust whistle .. _ anrl < • xhaust cut-outs. The communication under re1·ie11· further conta ins 1rhat. to our 1·il'11·. is a most ll'<'lcom<: >. though. a ll things ronsirl t·re tl. some11·hat tarch- declaration of polic-1·. Prince Francis makes it knmrn that upon the reassembling of the Club Commitl('e lw intends to urp;e upon it that the Club shall de1·ott• its almo. t e , clusi ,·e attention during the autumn and 11·inte r months to the careful st u<h· of. and the reml'clies for. the complaints made against motorists p;eneral h·. ,1·ith the ohjrct of gi1·ing effect to the results of its < lei iherations and im·e. tigation. . -:,:;o one can lit > more gratifit >d than our,l'h·es ;i t such an announcement. for it is action of this kind that ll'l' ha1·e again and :igain urgl'd upon tlw R .. .\.C. That it must act. and act quickh-. is ce rta in if it 11·mdrl not see tlw sc't])l ·e fall from its hands. and tlw place it should oc,'. p_,. i1~ the puhl ic eye usurper! h1· other automohi le or• a111snt1ons.

teering Gears. On page 358 is publi shed a n articl ' upon steering gear. its clcfects. and tlw mamwr in 1rhi ch they may he remerl ie cl. ft is not SUf!l!:estecl that no car has realh satisfactcn steerin'.!. hut ' it is undnuhterlh true that a 1·en largl' numhn of cars upon tht' roacf to- day are most unsatisfactory in th is 1·ital partind.1r. Sonw m:1kL• rs argue. and not 1rithout reason, that most of the steering trnnhles ,H l' due to shet·r neglect upon tlw pa rt of the Ol\'lll'rs of the ea rs. hut tlwy forp;et to nwntion that in nin t' cases out of ten the 11·hol e of tht' 11·t·nring parts of the steering :i re unacljustable. ancl the c:nh attention 11·hi r h can he affnrdecl is to re fit tlwm. 1rhich in many insta nces mt•a ns rene11·ing quite a numlin of the 11·ork ing parts. Then, again, tho. e in ll'hich adjustmrnts o r partial adjustments are pro1·id t > il art' usually hopelessly inaccessi\1\e. There is no doul 1r that in the main our contributor is right. :111cl that the simplest remech· is the one which 11·ould hL' most s1tisfacton ·, and that is to make a ll the 11·orking parts much br.ger. and in th e majority of cases to makt• them much more carefulh- than the,· are at prl'Sl'llt rnnstruderl. \\'bat 111:'1 kes the m,1tter morf' se ri ous is th a t our contributor cloes not profess to dea l ll'ith all the defects of stee rina:. and 11·e for the mo:11 e:1 t propDse to ignore am· hut the most serious faults. Tt is not proposed to critici. e the absence of arljustment of the 1rnrking parts. or e1·en the rattle and noi. e 1rhich sn mam steerin f'( con necti ons make

,·e n earh· in their a, ti1·e· ca r,ee r. hut onh· to re fe r to tho.se th{ng- 1rhich are of paramount i111portance to the safetl· of the user.

One of the 1rnrst a ncl most common defects is the ,ilisnlute unreliabi lity of steering. On one occasion a p;i1·en mm·ement of the hand wheel 11·ill produce