THE MOTOR EXHIBITION : REAL PROGRESS MADE DURING 1922

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THE MOTOR EXHIBITION :REAL PROGRESS MADE DURING 1922.

AT the annual exhibition organised by the Societyof Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Ltd., whichcloses to-day (Saturday), some 500 firms representingGreat Britain, France, Belgium, America, and Italy areshowing their products. These range from small two-seaters to luxurious limousine and sedan types, andare divided without classification between Olympiaand the White City. On the analogy of vintageyears, 1923 can be described as an exceptionallypromising one for motor-cars. The year 1919 pro- Iduced many freaks, most of which have by nowvanished. In 1920 many cars were on show, but fewready for delivery, while last year strikes interferedwith quality as well as quantity. This year realprogress seems to have been made.Many of the well-known makers cater for at least

three different types of client-those who want alittle runabout for less than 6300, those who are

prepared to spend between 6300 and .8500, and thosewho do not object to a capital outlay of over 6500for a durable car. In the first of these classes is thepopular two-cylinder 8 h.p. Rover, now purchaseablefor 6180, with two-seater body, and 2190 with a bodybuilt to hold two children or one adult at the back.The Standard four-cylinder 8 h.p. can be obtained fortwo persons inside and two in dickey, at .6275 ; the7 h.p. four-cylinder Austin is priced at 2225. TheHumber 8 h.p. four-cylinder model (JB275) also con-tains in the space between the back of the car andthe front seats a small children’s seat, which is detach-able, so that luggage can be carried there if desired.The Talbot-Darracq show a 8-18 h.p. four-cylinderchassis, fitted with two-seater body, with dickey seatfor 2285. The Wolseley 7 h.p. two-seater is pricedat ;B255. The Morris Cowley provide a serviceablelittle two-seater for 6225, one fitted with a self-starter for .6255, and a four-seater for 2275. TheG. W. Hands four-seater at £294, and the Surrey" large " four-seater at 285 guineas, appear to givegood value. The Citroen, the Jowett, the Stoneleighchassis with different bodies, the 10 h.p. Singer, theEric Longden (carrying a three years’ guarantee),the B.S.A. " Popular" at B230, and very many otherexcellent models are shown.

Nearly all these firms show also cars of between10 and 14 h.p., with roomy four-seater bodies, wellfitted with accessories, for prices varying between2300 and 2500. Certain other makers only start theirmodels at this level. The Clement Talbot 10-23 h.p.complete for 2375 is an attractive car. The Waverley,Renault, Fiat, Calcott, andAuto-Carrier companies pro-vide models no less fascinating. The Rover 12 h.p. andthe new Humber model, only slightly above the 6500mark, are well worth consideration from those whodesire to limit themselves approximately to thisfigure. Humber cars are fitted with a neat window-cleaning device with a double action, and the toolsin common use are stored under the bonnet. Of thehigher-priced cars we need say little. De Dion, Vaux-hall, Sunbeam, and Daimler models demand attention,and pictures of the new Rolls-Royce, not yet on show,give promise of a good bargain for those who canafford the initial outlay.

Body Work and Accessories.The coach-work in general appears much more

finished than in recent years. The Connaught Motorand Carriage Co., Hooper and Co., Barker and Co.,Howes and Sons, and Offord and Sons show goodexamples. Messrs. Brown Bros. show Duco leafspring gaiters, Gabriel rebound snubbers, and othershock and rebound absorbers specially designed forFord cars. The Lucas Electrical Co. show lighting andstarting sets. An interesting exhibit is the new magnetoof the British Lighting and Ignition Co., in which themagnets revolve and the armature is stationary. Dunlopsshow the new cord tyres. Harvey Frost exhibit theirvulcanisers, of use in the economical maintenance of

tyres ; the Schrader tyre pressure gauge should also beof help in this connexion. A useful device for drivingin wet weather is the Dekla screen-wiper. Plugs arealways of interest, notably the new detachableK. L. G. shown by the llobinhood Engineering Co.The Triplex Co., to demonstrate the strength of theirglass, show a screen which encountered a bullet inDublin, and is said to have saved the driver.The exhibits noted are only a few of those which

must excite the interest of any keen medical motoristwho visits Olympia and the White City. If any ofthese have not yet visited the show they should maketime to do so to-day (Nov. llth).

MEDICINE IN U.S.A.

(FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.)

! American Child Hygiene Association.THE American Child Hygiene Association held its

annual meeting at Washington from Oct. 12th to 14th.An important decision taken at this meeting was thefinal ratification of an agreement by which thisassociation becomes definitely united with the ChildHealth Organisation of America. As Dr. L. EmmettHolt, the president of the latter body, remarked in thecourse of his review of the situation, this union issymptomatic of the present tendency in the UnitedStates to coordinate the work of the various voluntarysocieties working for public health and welfare. Up tothe present the first of these two societies has beenconcerned especially with infants and the pre-schoolperiod, while the second has taken care of the olderchildren. The division is an arbitrary and largelyartifical one, and a single organisation, by poolingresources, should be able to make better use

of the available funds. Mr. Herbert Hoover,retiring president of the Child Hygiene Association,announced that, aided by the Commonwealth Fund,the Association would undertake in three selectedcities of the United States " a complete demon-stration in every avenue of protection of childhealth." The sums guaranteed amount to$230,000per annum for a term of years. This again is asign of the times. The local demonstration is ofparticular value here because under the Constitutionof the United States the Federal Government hasvery limited powers of interference in the control ofpublic health. Such powers as they have are derivedfrom a provision which gives Congress control overforeign and inter-state commerce and from a certainmuch-debated amendment to the Constitution whichgives to the Federal authorities the power to controlthe consumption of alcohol. The great success ofthe demonstration financed by the Metropolitan LifeInsurance Company at Framingham has proved thatthis method is one of the surest ways of arousing local-i.e., State health authorities to a sense of theiropportunities and duties. There is no doubt thatrapid advances are being made. Since 1918 the Statebureaux of child hygiene have increased from 28 to 46,and in the same period infant mortality has fallen inthe registration area from 106 to 78 per 1000 births.

American Public Health Association.A number of interesting papers were read at the

fifty-first meeting of this Association, which was heldat Cleveland, Ohio, from Oct. 16th-19th. There wasa strong plea for the recognition of the food andvitamin value of milk-a very fashionable cry overhere at the present time. A more original contribu-tion was that of Mr. Willard E. Ward, food inspectorfor the city of Brooklyn, Mass. He would make" food economics " a compulsory subject in all thepublic schools, while municipal food centres should beestablished for the education of the public. All food-handlers he would have placed under adequate medicalsupervision. The Californian law which makes itillegal to retail butter except in package form shouldbe generalised. There is a great deal to be said, inthis country at any rate, in favour of stringent protec-