Passing Comments
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How a U.S.A. Judge papRITISH judges occupy a was Furnished with J-0 very„ high position in the Transport . . . . social scale • and when they
are in circuit they are received with all the honours -and panoply due to their dignity. jn the U.S.A. the position is not qhite the same; although judges are respected they are not treated almost as supermen, and they behave accordingly. Recently, according to "Transport Topics," an American judge was due to appear to impanel a grand jury; as the weather was bad and he had a game leg there were doubts as to his arrival. Suddenly a furniture pantechnicon arrived; it was backed to the footpath and a ramp dropped. then Own this rolled the judge in an invalid chair.
Attention to Tyre TO help out the meagre fuel Pressures Can Help ration of to-day many ideas Out the Petrol Ration —some sensible and others quite stupid—are being explored by operators. Fundamentally, however, the most satisfactory results are achieved by common-sense driving and attention to general mechanical efficiency, particularly in the matter of carburation. Tyres, too, well repay careful consideration, and operators should 'Jett
remember that pressures can make an appreciable difference to m.p g. returns. For instance, when a tyre is under-inflated, it presents a flabby flattened surface to the road and, if it be run in that state, it will not only weaken the walls but cause the tyre to drag; thereby setting up a 'resistance to traction and adversely affecting fuel consumption. Gauged on a policy of tyre replacement or of petrol coupons, it is uneconomic procedure. Therefore, bring the pressure gauge, of such a reliable type as the Schrader, into regular use.
Segregation of ElectriA N interesting method of cal Equipment Avoids J-kavoiding the risk of fire
Fire Danger. from sparking by electrical
equipment in factories where the air may contain inflammable vapours or dust, is mentioned in a Canadian journal, "Electrical News and Engineering." It refers to certain paint and dope shops in an aircraft factory, but might well be applicable to other works. Here, all the electric light: lug, motors, wiring, etc., are mounted above a second ceiling. Safety push buttons in the shops control the main switches, etc., contained in another building. We presume that the extra ceiling has glass panels to permit the emission of light. New Transmission k WELL-KNOWN designer,
i Unit for petrol. Mr. C. K. Edwards, has Unit for petrol. Mr. C. K. Edwards, has electric Vehicles . written to us in connection with a transmission unit for petrolelectric vehicles included in our résumé of patents , published on August 15. He points out that, in his view, it is an addition to the many hundreds of electrical and mechanical devices which cannot transmit any multiplication of input torque, for it consists of only two concentric revolving parts, viz., the input and output members, and the fundamentally essential
third torque-reaction member is missing. Such a device as this is what might be termed an electric edition of an " hydraulic flywheel," or a clutch with controlled variable slippage, but the maximum output torque would be something less than the input, and would depend upon the efficiency of the device. It would be interesting to know if the inventors have actually builtand tried the device, and what resulti• they have obtained from it. A GROWMORE leaflet is
Efficiently . .
-r-k obtainable from the Ministry of Agriculture, Hotel Lindum, St. Armes-on-Sea, Lancs. This contains numerous tips on the working of agricultural tractors. One point is that a tractor costs as much in labour, and nearly as much in fuel, when it is doing half a job as when it is pulling a fall load. To test its capacity, two sticks should be inserted in the ground, five or six chains apart, and the time taken to go from one to the other noted. On the next round, the plough can be set a little deeper to increase the load, and if the time taken he no longer, the machine was not originally developing its full ,1:aorver. It may be that an extra ploughshare can be iised, work conducted with a wider implement, or, for some jobs, a higher gear employed. Relief drivers can be put on straightforward jobs at mealtimes. This may easily add another four acres. a week to the work performed.