The New Motor Law in England. THE most important event of the past month was the going into effect in England, on Nov. 14, of the new Act of Parliament legalizing the use of motor vehicles on the common roads of that country. The special regulations under which the new vehicle is to be introduced were referred by Parliament to the Local Government Board, a body which has superior facilities for examining into the details of a public question of this kind. The result of the Board's deliberations, made known immediately upon the act going into effect, is reprinted on another page of this issue.

The sum and substance of these provisions may be reduced roughly to the general axiom that the vehicle must be at all times under the control of its operator, and that the speed at which it may be allowed to travel depends upon its weight and the conditions of the road. As this general axiom is now thoroughly understood by drivers of horses, little educational work will be necessary in making the change from horse vehicles to motor vehicles. The minor specifications of the rules, such as the number and efficiency of brakes, lamps, consideration for others using the highway, etc., etc., are only such as common sense would dictate and custom fortunately has long since made second nature to us. The key to the temper of the Board's work can be taken from the following clause: "He shall not drive the light locomotive at any speed greater than is reasonable." Thus is the entire matter referred to the good sense of the promotors of the new industry, to whose interest it manifestly is, though habit were forgot, to avoid antagonizing the conservative forces that oppose the innovation.

But London Engineering does not take this view of the situation. Its peace is disturbed by visions

of slaughtered pedestrians and shattered vehicles, because of the latitude the Board has given as regards the speed at which a motor vehicle may be driven. In its imagination the new vehicle grows into a veritable juggernaut, sweeping through the streets at top speed, regardless of the conditions of the highway and the rights of other users thereof. A heavy vehicle weighing several tons, says Engineering, would not be likely to do any harm at 7 miles an hour, but at 14 miles an hour it would become a fearful menace to life and limb. This is undoubtedly true, but it is pertinent to ask the question, who, with the exception of the editor of Engineering, imagines that anybody will be guilty of such madness as to run a heavy vehicle at such speed? Is it reasonable to assume that citizens, sober and sensible to-day, will become idiots or maniacs to-morrow merely because they manage motors instead of horses?

Continuing the editor says: "The first machines will not be bought by persons of mechanical training, but rather by amateurs and enthusiasts who have not learned by experience that it is foolish to try experiments at one's own expense."

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The inference from this language is that only persons of "mechanical training" know the laws. of the road, and only they are to be entrusted with the guidance of a motor vehicle. But how is it with horse vehicles? Are all careful drivers persons of mechanical training"? In fact, is it not true that few careful drivers are persons of "mechanical training"? And if thousands of persons who are now most careful and considerate users of the common roads have no "mechanical training," how is it necessary that they should have "mechanical training" to drive a motor vehicle as carefully? A man must become familiar with the management

of any machine in order to handle it successfully on the road, but this applies as well to a horse as to a motor. The editor of Engineering would not send a small boy out to drive a team through London or New York streets, nor would he entrust a motor vehicle in such inexperienced hands, even though the motor were as common as the horse is now. Why then does he fill his mind with cruel fancies ? Experience on the road is necessary in either case, and the liberties taken must depend largely upon the skill of the driver in any event, but it is no more necessary for a man to be a mechanic in order to guide a motor vehicle carefully than it is for him to be a horse doctor in order to drive a horse carefully.

It was the well-nigh unanimous opinion of students and promotors of the motor vehicle that existing regulations in regard to reckless driving were ample to cover any violations of the common rights of the road that motor users might commit, and that any attempt on the part of the authorities to fix a low limit of speed would hamper the growth of the industry. The Local Government Board has wisely concurred in this opinion by fixing the maximum speed at 12 miles an hour, which is ample for the present, and has left the motor vehicle practically unfettered in its development.

THE annual Horse Show at Madison Square Garden, New York, was highly successful from the society point of view. The Four Hundred and their satellites were all there in their finest toggery. From the commercial standpoint, however, it was not re-assuring to the horse trade. The prices obtained for good carriage horses at the sale which followed the show were ridiculously low.

JAMES MEANS, editor of the Aeronautical Annual, has just published a pamphlet entitled "Twentieth Century Energy," in which he calls attention to the wonderful development now going on in gas engines, and in the utilization of gas for power purposes. He predicts that gas will be to the twentieth century what steam has been to the nineteenth.

THIS from an English contemporary:

"They must build motor cars badly in the States; and in a race between horseless carriages recently organized in New York, and run off on the country roads in the district, out of 28 machines which had been entered, only six started, and these could not mount the hills."

The Development of the 'Motor.

BY JAMES MEANS.

It seems to me that the improvement of the motor vehicle, rapid as it is, would be hastened if, in prize contests, the motor, apart from the vehicle, received more attention than it does.

The various road trials show that while some inventors excel in their motors, others excel in their vehicles. In the word "vehicle" I mean to include all through this article not only the carriage or wagon, but also all the mechanical arrangements excepting the motor. In alluding to the whole affair the compound word "motor-vehicle" will be used.

Other things being equal the best motor-vehicle is that which has the best motor; but then, other things seldom, if ever, are equal, and road contests give only a partial test of motors.

For example, supposing that two motor-vehicles race three times from Paris to Marseilles, supposing the two competing vehicles are alike as to weight of motor, weight of vehicle, number and weight of passengers, and that the operators are both skilful and equally so; supposing also that the races are all very close when the finish line is reached and that there have been no detentions; what has been demonstrated in regard to the relative merits of the motor-vehicles? That, on the whole, they are very nearly equal to each other in excellence? One is inclined to say yes, yet it is quite conceivable that one of the motor-vehicles may have been designed by a watchful in the avoidance of possibilities of derangement and breakage, while the other may have had weak parts and easily deranged mechanisms which remained concealed even through the three races.

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In the races what has been demonstrated concerning the relative merits of the motors? Before answering this question the excellencies we should like to find in motors must be enumerated. In naming these I shall not try to do so exactly in the order of their importance, because that would open up too large a subject for the limits of this article. The ideal motor will excel in safety, efficiency, manageability, simplicity, steadiness under varying loads, durability, economy of fuel, economy of manufacture, and it will be just as light in weight per horse-power as is compatible with durability and economy of manufacture. We cannot expect to acquire an ideal motor, but it may help us if we constantly keep in mind just what kind of a motor it is that we want. From these races we learn in regard to the motors that probably they are both safe in skilled hands; as to relative man. ageability we learn nothing positive, for, under the assumed conditions, one of the skilled operators may have held his own by the exercise of all of his skill, while the other operator may have had but slight calls upon his; as to simplicity the races showed nothing, for, under the assumed conditions, one motor may have been extremely complex, and the other simple; as to durability it was shown in both motors to be sufficient for the three runs; as to relative steadiness under varying loads, nothing was indicated, for one operator by the exercise of all of his skill may have by that held his own against a motor with a greatly superior governing apparatus; as to economy of manufacture the races could not be expected to show anything; as to relative economy of fuel and power of motors, nothing definite was settled by the races because the relative amount of work done by each motor is unknown; that is,

under the conditions there was nothing to show in either case, how much power was lost between the motor shaft and the ground or in the friction of the vehicle wheels. Some of the variable speed devices cause a greater loss of power than others. Now in the races we haye been considering the assumed conditions were nearer to the ideal than any actual conditions which we have so far found in road contests, therefore the value of the tests already made on the road is less than that just given to the supposed tests.

From the foregoing the reader may be led to think that I have intended to disparage road tests, yet such is not the case. I am writing for the purpose of showing that if we would see the rapid development of the motor-vehicle, we must have the prize contests of motor-vehicles on the road supplemented by prize contests of motors in the laboratory. It seems to me that the more road contests we have, the better; that in the long run the fittest motor-vehicle will survive but the results of road contests ought not to be taken for any more or less than they are worth. I am not criticising the decisions of any of the judges of recent road contests but rather am writing words of encouragement to the contestants who have been beaten,

So much for prize contests of motor-vehicles on the road; let us now consider the subject of prize contests of motors in the laboratory.

I advocate these because I am confident that the results will be valuable.

In the first place, we know that, as a rule, inventors are men of limited means, and find it difficult to get money to build their machines. I will venture to say that there are scores of inventors who will be able to spend money enough to build and send for exhibition single motors who are quite unable financially to build vehicles and bear the large expenses of road contests; moreover, after an inventor has made a good showing with a motor, his chances of getting financial aid to build and exhibit his motor vehicle will be decidedly improved. If an inventor cannot show a motor which will give good results under exacting and thorough tests, it is a great pity for him to waste his money in building a vehicle.

I think it is now evident that the plan which I propose will bring more inventors to the front, and that surely is what we want to do.

Considering separately the motor, and the vehicle with its various mechanical arrangements, we cannot doubt that the former presents more difficulties than the latter. If we had had the suitable motor this problem of the practical horseless vehicle would have been solved long ago. In saying this I think I do not undervalue the ingenuity which is required and which has been shown in devising the vehicle and its mancuvring apparatus. But the the fact is that the most serious difficulties demand the most serious attention, and that is briefly why I think the motor itself ought to receive more attention than it does in prize contests.

I do not think that there will be great difficulty in raising a good sum of money for a prize to the exhibitor of the best small motor; the word best, of course, to be defined by a committee of experts.

The laboratory tests of each competing motor would show the power developed, and the quantity and cost of fuel per horse-power hour. The tests would also show the action of the motors under suddenly varying loads. Experts could form good judgment as to manageability, safety, simplicity, durability and cost of manufacture. If the experts were well chosen the best machine would win, and the interests of man