Page 99 - Bulletin 9 2005

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relating to the speeds soon to be attainable with motorized locomotion lagged behind the
rate of motoring innovation. For instance Regulation No. 212 of 8th February 1901 stated:

“Every driver of any vehicles, machine, or engine, and riders of animals or machines, shall
not travel at a greater rate speed than three miles an hour when turning the corner of any
public or private street within the City of Capetown.”

With the Anglo-Boer War drawing to a close Garlick’s began importing a few of the

earliest carriages both from Britain and America, and both petrol and steam-driven. There
was the problem of obtaining petrol and the first motorists were obliged to import their

own. Then the merchants importing lamp oil (paraffin) included small supplies of the
unfamiliar fuel. It came from America and was shipped in 4-gallon tins, 2 tins to a wooden

crate, as deck cargo. The petrol tins were afterwards much in demand for water carrying or,

when flattened out, made excellent roofing material. Petrol was sold in this packaging well
into the 1930s in the country districts, but pump supply was by then well-established. The

first petrol pumps were hand-operated since electricity was not available and involved
much hard work operating a lever or a crank.

A motoring movement is established

At the suggestion of Alfred Hennessy the first handful of daring Capetonians who had got
hold of cars banded together to form the Automobile Club of South Africa on 23 October,

1901. The Club’s purpose was “advancing and protecting the interests of automobilism in
South Africa”. Local press comment evaluated the possible significance of the new

organization and the new machines.