. THE INTELLIGENCER, MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1971 J Snowmobilers' Light Is Developed Here Public opinion has focused much attention on the snow mobile in general with specif ic concern directed to enact ing laws to prohibit, restrain and regulate operation of the machines. At Hastings County council on January 19, Thurlow Depu ty Reeve Borden Forsythe sta ted that many accidents res ulted becouse there are IK lights when the vehicles are not moving. Unlike the automobile, most snowmobile light systems operate only when the motor is running. Therefore, when the lights ;|:-e cut off due to machine fail tire, a regular stop or an ac cident, the vehicle is not visi hie to other snowmobilers. A Belleville inventor, Hugh Heslip, may just have the ans'ver to this problem. Centenary Safety Lights, the first Canadian-manufactured night light for snowmobiles, offers to its owner the distinc tion of long life. Mr. Heslip's sales partner. 3. G. MacKenzie, explained i-iiat the Canadian attachment does not contain wires which can be frayed. The inventor demonstrated this device to The Intelligen cer. Mounted to a pre-cast form is a heavy spring into which is inserted a telescoping rod similar to a car aerial. A rubber plug at the top surrounds the encased light. Contact is made without use of wires, a major selling at traction to this unit. From the alumioum-cast plug, wires lead to a toggle switch and the battery systems. Pull-start machines supply 12-volt electrical power through magnetos. When the machine is off, there is no power to operate the connect ed safety light. A 6-volt dry cell battery is jointly connected to the system, thereby supplying enough power for the light to be seen for one mile. Battery-operated self-start snowmobiles operate in a similar manner, but with the advantage of use of both systems when the machine is not running. Mr. Heslip explained that the American counterpart containis wires which, when tested, proved to be easily % ;ken. "We think our double contact brushing the edges (of the aerial) will prove a definite attraction to our unit . . . olus the independent lighting system/' said Mr. MacKenzie, i former sales manager with Oeloro-Stellite To date, the new firm, Centenary Manufacturing aod Marketing Company, has sold ill assembled lights at the price of $25 each. Interest is such that the Ontario Safety League and the Ontario Federation of Snow mobile Clubs are presently -esting the devices. The firm hopes to make these units available to the public on a greater scale by next year.