The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-13

AUTOMOBILES l WORTH KNOWING The House of Lords, sitting as a tribunal, has decided that taxicab drivers in Great Britain are not to be considered Workmen within the Workmen's Compensation Act, and, therefore, their employers are not re- sponsible for any injuries that might occur to them while operating the cabs
 A motor-driven patrol truck will soon be doing service in Chicago. The truck will ply between the various police stations and the county jail in Chicago The body of the vehicle is designed to seat fifty prisoners besides
 the necessary guard of officers. The seats are so arranged that they may
 be folded up when not in use, and the truck used for regular truck purposes, such as the transportation of furnf- ture, etc. Although the truck is of five tons capacity, it has a speed of better than 15 miles an hour.
 One of the Canadian Provinces Quebec-has. adopted reciprocity plan considerably in advance of the ratifying of the measure of vastly greater importance which is pending between the United States and Can ada. The law-makng body of the Province recently passed bill ex- tending to motorists in the United States the same privileges that Ca nadians receive from the various 1@I cOnVenence to tourists who wish to cross into Quebec during the coming season.
 One of the objections that the re- gently organized Motor Racing Driv- CTS Association has to the Contest Rules of the A. A. A., it is said, is relating to the clause in the 24-hour race section, which provides for the length of time a driver may pilot car without relief. The rules provide that three consecutive hours be the maximum length of time that any one driver be at the wheel, and that at least an hour intervene before he can again drive his car. The drivers claim that three hours is not long enough for man to be at the wheel, and that this is what causes them to get so little sleep during a 24-hour contest, When a man is in good phy- sical condition, they claim, a five or six-hour service at the wheel is not too much and 1t gives his alternate an opportunity to recuperate.
 Automobilists in Italy will be gov erned by a new set of regulations in the near future. Two-whee1ed me- chanica1ly propelled vehicles are de- fined as motorcycles, and those hav- ing four wheels as motor cars. All vehicles must be furnished with pat ents of circulation, so drawn up as to
 17,,sxy must have a certificate of driving competency. The communes have au- thority to prepare special circulating regulations subject to government ap- provaI The owner and the driver of the vehicle are obliged to make good damages caused to persons and things; the owners liability is limited if the his knowledge, and results from de- fects of construction are not regarded as damages by force majeure. If the injury is due to the party suffering from it, or to a third person, the ob- ligation to make it good either ceases or is reduced.
 George Robertson, the retired rac- ing driver. will act as assistant to Starter Fred Wagner at the Indian apolis Speedway on May 30. The method of starting the long race has been much discussed by, racing ex- perts, and it is altogether probable that all of the cars will be started at one signal from Wagner's gun; They will probably be placed in rows about 75 to 100 feet apart. the differ ent drivers drawing for their positions in the start.
 During the year 1910 there was an increase of approximately 1000 com mercial motor vehicles in use in Ger many, according to statistics issued by the German government. These fig ures show that there are now 4.327 commercial motor vehicles, as against 2,35 Ga year ago. This number in- cludes 121 package delivery motorcy- cles. Of the commercial motor trucks there are 270 in the service of the government, most of which are the big road trains of the army. while 3,S49 are used by manufacturers and merchants in their delivery business. The heaviest motor trucks are of 12- ton capacity, and are in the services of one of the Berlin breweries.
 The Business Mems Association of Fond du Lac, Wis, has turned over thirteen split-log drags to the road superintendents of the various town ships in Fond du Lac county. The association means to have every road leading into the city improved In conjunction with business men at Oshkosh, Wis, the association is inn proving the main travelled road be- tween the two cities around the west shore of Lake Winnebago.
 In England they now have motor vehicles arranged for the transporta- ton of meats from the yards to the butchers places. The trucks are made SO that tracks on which the carcasseA are hooked are slid into the