WHEELS of INDUSTRY "The wheels of wealth will be slowed
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by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it rans."—John Beattie Crozier.
New Constitution of the London Traffic Advisory Committee.
Under the provisions of the London Traffic Act, 1924, the term of office of the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee, as last constituted, came to an end on December 1st, 1931. The committee has been reconstituted as follows. In each case the appointing authority is given first : Secretary of State, Messrs. A. L. Dixon, C.B., C.B.E. (Home Office), and H. A. Tripp (Metropolitan Police Office) ; London County Council, Messrs. F. Bertram Geier, M.A., F.I.A., LP., Angus N. Scott, F.C.A., J.P.; City Corporation, Sir John Pakeman, C.B.E., and Lt.-Col. Sir Hugh S. Turnbull K.B.E., J.P. (Commissioner of City Police) ; Metropolitan Boroughs, Sir Henry Jackson, M.A., M.B., M.P., J.P., and Mr. B. J. Samels, J.P.; County Councils north of the Thames (4) Lt.-Col. Sir Charles Pinkham, D.L., J.P.; County Councils south of tha Thames (2), Sir Edward J. Holland, D.L., J.P.; County Boroughs, Alderman George Croot, J.P.; Minister of Transport, Sir Henry P. Maybury, G.B.E., K.C.M.G., C.B., M.Inst.C.E., J.P., Sir Herbert Walker, K.C.B. (general manager, Southern Railway), Messrs. Frank Pick (managing director Underground Railways, London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., etc.), j. H. Turner (Metropolitan and Home Counties Road Transport Association and London Cartage and Haulage Contractors' Association), A. G. Partridge (The Association of London Omnibus Proprietors, Ltd.) ; Minister of Labour, Messrs. John Cliff (Transport and General Workers' Union), F. G. Witcher (Transport and General Workers' Union), A. E. Goss (National Union of Railwaymen).
The new committee held its first meeting last Wednesday, when Sir Henry P. Maybury was elected chairman, and Mr. E. B. Hart, Ministry of Transport, was re-appointed secretary to the committee.
The Future of Easyloader Chassis.
The business and goodwill of the Easyloader concern have been taken over by an entirely new company formed by Messrs. White, chairman of Duple Bodies and Tapper, late concessionaire for BrOckway vehicles, under the title of New Easyloader Motors, Ltd., and manufacture is now proceeding at convenient premises situated at North Road, Islington, London, N.T.
The general layout of the Easyloader chassis has been retained, but a considerable number of improvements has been incorporated, amongst these being a more powerful engine, four speeds in lieu of three, a 12-volt lighting and starting set and five lamps, Simms magneto, Spicer all-metal universal joints and drop forgings in place of many chassis parts which were hitherto malleable castings.
In addition, a new long-wheelbase model with 15-ft. body space behind the gab will shortly be placed on the B20 market, and the tyres will be either pneumatic or solid, as desired. There will be a deep, pressed-steel frame, onepiece drop-forged axles of heavier section, stouter _springs, and a two-piece propeller shaft with centre support bearings, Lockheed hydraulic brakes, etc. The loading height will remain at 2 ft. The price of the 3-ton standard model has been reduced to £395.
The policy is that, wherever possible the company will deal entirely with accredited agents. Numerous valuable areas are still unallotted.
Interesting features of the Easyloader are that it carries three times its own weight, has 80 per cent, of overall length available as body space, and turns in a circle of under 30 ft. diameter.
New Garner Models.
Garner Motors, Ltd., Tyseley, Birmingham, has investigated the question of affixing its standard chassis as tractors for use with semi-trailers, thus forming articulated six-wheelers. As a result it offers several of its standard short-wheelbase chassis for this class of work. For example, the ABM, AB6, AJ and AJ6, each in the 10-ft. type, are eminently suitable and fixed or quickly detachable turntables can be provided, with semi-trailers of a variety of types. In our next issue we shall give full details and illustrations of these developments.
The Responsibilities of London's Bus Drivers and Conductors.
In a New Year message to drivers and conductors, Mr. A. C. Richardson, the operating manager of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., dealt with certain aspects of the company's activities during 1931. He said that, despite the general economic position, the concern has been able substantially to maintain those services which provide for public use and which give employment to 32,000 employees, of whom approximately 21,000 are drivers and conductors.
The margin between profit and loss in an organization like the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., is so small that when operating costs increase, as they did during 1931, it is by only the most careful organization and rigid economy that this small margin can be kept on the right side. Revenue can be maintained only by diligence and strict attention to duty on the part of the drivers and conductors, who have an equal responsibility in maintaining headways and obtaining fares. Mr. Richardson stresses the fact that the loss of one Passenger per day on the part of a driver and one uncollected fare on the part of a conductor amount, in the aggregate, to 13,200,000 fares in the course of a year, and, taking the fare at only id. per passenger, this amounts to a loss of £55,000.
In dealing with the question of the prevention of accidents, Mr. Richardson said that the general road-traffic conditions, especially in the metropolitan area, call for even greater care and vigilance on the part of both drivers and conductors. especially as the daily average of accidents during the last three months of 1931 revealed a tendency to increase.
A Prize for the Oldest Leyland.
An interesting announcement is made in our advertising pages by Leyland Motors, Ltd., which company has undertaken to hand a -cheque for 100 guineas to the present owner of the petrol-driven Leyland goods vehicle which proves to be the oldest still in regular service in 1932.
Lost Spare Wheel and Tyre.
A spare Simplex wheel with a 40-in. by 8-in. Pirelli 'tyre was lost from a Saurer wagon travelling between London and, Towcester on the night,, of December 31st_ The owners are Messrs. J. R. Etheridge and Sons, haulage -contractors, Croft Lane, Radcliffe, Manchester.
Electrical Installation and Lighting Work on Deferred Payment.
An interesting scheme for the carrying out of electrical installation and lighting work on the deferred-payment system has been instituted by Mortimer, Gall and Co., Ltd., 26, Cheapside, London, E.C.2. This company thus offers a means whereby a factory or other premises, can be equipped with scientific lighting without involving an immediate heavy capital expenditure.
Patent Progress in 1931.
The number of patent applications filed in 1931 was 36,127, and it is eatimated that approximately 2,500 related to motor vehicles and engines for them. Messrs. Hughes and Young, the patent agents, of 9, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London, W.C.1, report that a fair number of inventions relating to clutches was the subject of patent amilications in the past year, the actual figure being in the region of 120. A large proportion of these was concerned with the recent development in fluid devices.
Many inventions continue to be made in change-speed gears, and it is estimated that over 450 patent applications on this subject were filed. Combined with these were between 50 and 60 inventions relating to governors for effecting automatic gear-changes. About 800 applications were made in respect of internal-combustion engines, whilst the number relating to the construction of vehicles, wheels and tyres was approxi
ately 700.
New A.E.C. Prices.
The Associated Equipment Co., Ltd., announces changes in prices and equipment of certain of its models. The Mercury and Monarch 4-tonners and the Matador 5-tonner will, in future, be equipped with front-wheel brakes without any altttation in the present prices, which are £770, 1800 and £925 respectively. Where front-wheel brakes are not required, the price in each case will be 120 less.
Reductions in prices are scheduled for the Majestic 6-tonner and Mammoth heavy-duty model, both of which are now listed at £1,000. No alterations are made in the specifications, which include 40-in. by 8-in, pneumatic tyres.
A Singer Campaign in Australia: Garratts, Ltd., of Sydney, Australia, the newly appointed distributing concern for Singer and Co., Ltd., Coventry, has recently cabled appreciable orders for Singer chassis, some of which are already en route to the Commonwealth. The company is instituting a sales campaign throughout New South ,Wales and Queensland. Garratts, Ltd., which is one of the leading organizations in the motor industry in Australia, has extensive connections throughout this territory.
Minerva Secures Important Concessions.
It is announced that the concessions for the manufacture and sale in Belgium of Citroen-Kegresse chain-track lorries and tractors, as well as of the Micheline railcars' have been acquired by Minerva Motors, Ltd., of Antwerp.
"Broadcasting" Apparatus for Coaches.
A miniature public-address system specially devised for use in motor coaches will shortly be marketed by Win. Bayliss, Ltd., of Sheepcote Street, Birmingham, a concern with extensive experience of the manufacture of wireless-receiving and " talkie " apparatus. A microphone is provided for the driver's cab and its leads are connected to an amplifier with a pentode output valve,' which feeds a moving-coil loud speaker. Current isdrawn from the ordinary 12-volt lighting system of the coach, whilst there is also a dry battery.
Although the price is not yet fixed, the set is expectedto sell for £15 or £16, exclusive of fitting. The experimental
model, which was demonstrated to our representative, gives good reproduction of speech, and it is 'stated that DO interference is caused by the engine. The apparatus should serve a useful purpose, particularly in connection with pleasure trips nod tours.
Northern Ireland Imports.
During the quarter ended September 30th last, 209 commercial vehicles were imported into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. including those of foreig,& and colonial manufacture, transhipped at cross-Channel ports.
A Vehicle with 2,688 Lamps.
Something new in the way of advertising is offered by the Mectric mobile sign, which has recently been put on the road by Touring Electric Signs, 3, Wine Office Court, Fleet Street. London, E.CA. On each side of a 2i-ton sixwheeled van is a changeable sign, 14 ft. 6 ins, long and 4 ft. 6 ins. high containing 2,688 electric lamps arranged in groups of 28. The lamps are protected by glazed panels and shine brilliantly, even in the daytime.
Advertisements remain displayed on both signs for a period of six seconds, following which new announcements appear after an interval of three seconds. The van houses a Canning dynamo driven by a Petter engine, Exide batteries also being used.
One of the first organizations to make use of this novel form of advertising is the Be-lash Electrical Development
Association. The vehicle is now on a tour of the London suburbs, and the trip will last until the middle of May. A fixed electric sign, "Buy British," on the front of the van indicates that the present tour is devoted exclusively to advertising British goods.
Motors to Save £1,000 on Refuse Collection.
It is estimated that is. per ton, or 11.000 per annum, will be saved on the cost of refuse collection if electric vehicles be used to replace the horsed carts at present attached to Birmingham Corporation's Rotton Park depot.
t is proposed to effect this changeover in the near future.
Technical Meetings in Scotland.
A handy little syllabus has been issued by the Association of Secretaries of Engineering Societies in Glasgow giving in a compact form details of the technical meetings to be held in Glasgow and Edinburgh by a number of important engineering and metallurgical societies, the booklet dealing with the Period up to April 13th. The syllabus B22 has been prepared in co-operation with the committees of the various societies concerned, and a copy can be obtained from 39, Elmbank Crescent, Glasgow.
A Useful Penetrating Oil.
We have recently carried out some tests with Eezit penetrating -oil, this being marketed by 3. Bennett Heyde and Co., 18, New Cannon Street, Manchester. The oil contains grit-free graphite and it is useful for easing tight and rusting bolts, keys, ball races and other parts that are jammed.
Austin Factory Extensions.
When the extensions now being made to the huge Longhridge factory of the Austin Motor Co., Ltd., are complete, the buildings will be used to accommodate the company's service organisation. The main-road frontage of the 220-acre factorywill then be 4,750 ft. long. Un obstructed floor space and excellent lighting are outstanding features of the new extension.
Gisborne Rights Acquired by New Company. I The manufacturing and selling rights, together with the goodwill of Gisborne, Ltd., have been acquired by a new concern formed with the title of Ernest G. Beken and Co., and located at 69, Newtown Row, Birmingham. Mr. E. G. Beken, the proprietor, claims to be the originator -of the ball-joint commercialvehicle mirror, and of several types of direction indicator. It is stated to be the company's intention to market various other accessories of special design, besides those which are already on the market.
Fewer Motors in Hungary..
At the end of September, 1931, there were 30,318 motor vehicles in use in Hungary, 4,505 of that number comprising goods-carrying vehicles, 1,932 cabs, and 672 motorbuses. The total is 500 lower than the -figure for a month earlier. Istanbul's Fire-fighting Needs.
The Commercial Secretary to His Majesty's Embassy at Istanbul reports that the Municipality of Istanbul is calling for tenders for the supply of certain fire-fighting equipment, including seven water carriers with pumps and accessories, three motorcars with pumps and equipment, two motor pumps, four motor lorries with equipment, etc. Further particulars can be obtained from the Department of Overseas -Trade, 35, Old Queen Street, London, S.W.1, reference GX.11014 being quoted. Tenders have to be delivered to Istanbul by January 21st.
Electrics Making Headway In France.
According to the Revue Ggn4rale de l'Elecerici,M, of Paris, steady progress has been made during the past year in connection with the adoption of electric
vehicles in France. The progress is mainly in the direction of municipal vehicles, electric dust-collecting machines now being used in about 15 French towns, notably Marseilles, Strasburg, Tours, Colmar and Havre. ,
According to our contemporary, 49 per cent, of the vehicles supplied during the past year were intended for the extension of existing fleets and 51 per cent, were substitutes for horse-drawn or petrol-driven vehicles. Put in another way, 30 per cent, of the vehicles produced in 1931 wire sold to new users of this type of machine, whilst 40 per cent, were intended for dustcollection purposes, for which electrics are particularly suitable.
A Tyre Gauge for Service Stations and Garages.
The Dunlop service-type tyre gauge, marketed by the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., Fort Dunlop, Birmingham, is primarily intended for use in service stations and garages, although it will be found of much use in the hands of users of goods and passenger vehicles. It is fitted with an adjustable .` footing," which enables it to be used at any angle on valves on single or twin wheels. It is calibrated in 2 lb. units and reads from 8 lb. per sq. in. up to 170 lb. per sq. in. It is composed of three parts—the cylinder, the plunger and the spring. The gauge retails at 22s, 6d.
Personal Pars.
Leeds Corporation recommends the appointment of Mr. W. Vane Morland, general manager and engineer of Walsall Corporation's tramways and motor department, as tramways and transport manager.
Mr. C. G. Tegetraeier, who founded the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., has resigned the position of chairman of directors of the company and its
associate concerns. He will be succeeded by Mr. Sydney Garcke, and Mr. W. P. Gauvain has been appointed vicechairman of the companies. The South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., operates some 200 vehicles.
We reproduce on this page a portrait of Mr. E. E. Soubry, who has recently been appointed general ssdes manager of the Anglo-American Oil Co., Ltd. Mr. Soubry, who was born in London, is probably the youngest man to hold such a high executive position in the British oil-marketing field, although his experience dates back some 20 years.
He started his business career as a junior in the company's offices at Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, London, S.W., and throughout the war served in the Royal Fusiliers. He returned to occupy a minor position in the company's service, but his salesmanship and administrative qualities brought him rapid promotion, first to a managership iu the West of England, then to a post of sales manager at headquarters and, subsequently, to his new and important position with the company, which has some 8,000 British employees.
Mr. P. R. Blake, general manager of the Scottish General 'Transport Co., Ltd., for the past 74: years has resigned his position to accept the appointment of general manager to a group of transport undertakings in South Wales, including the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., the Swansea Improvements and Tramways Co., and the Mumbles Railway and Pier Co.
Mr. Blake, who is an associate-member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers and a member of the Institute of Transport, has been a member of the staff of the British Electrical Federation, Ltd., or its federated companies, for 27 years. He will continue this association in his new appointment.
Mr. R. W. Cramp is resigning from the post of manager of the Tynemouth and District Electric Traction Co., Ltd. He has been invited by the directors of the company to take a seat on the board. He has also been asked to become a director of Wakefields Motors, Ltd., and the General County Omnibus Co. All three undertakings are connected with the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd.
We learn from Mr. W. T. Richards, of Stockport, hitherto assistant traffic superintendent of the' North Western Road Car Co., Ltd., that he has been appointed traffic superintendent to the tramways and motorbus department of Huddersfield Corporation. Last week we stated in error that he had been appointed to the North Western concern. Profit of United Service Transport Co.
The net profit of the United Service Transport Co., Ltd., for the year ended September 30th, 1931, amounted to £7,861, as compared with £7,885 a year earlier. A dividend of 8 per cent. Is again recommended for payment on the ordinary shares and, after this has been met, as well as the preference dividend, £179 remains to be carried forward, as against £181 brought into the year's accounts.
A Carden-Loyd Tractor for India.
As a result of a visit to the showrooms of Vickers-Armstrongs, Ltd., at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, London, S.W.1, His Highness the Nawab of Bahawalpur has placed an order for one of the company's CardenLoyd tractor trucks. This type of vehicle, being equipped with tracks, is particularly suitable for use in the territory coming under His Highness's jurisdiction, where rough ground has to be traversed.
Restricted Coaching to Torquay.
Before the traffic committee of Torquay Corporation, letters have been read from operators of long-distance motor coaches stating that their applications for licences have been refused 13, the Traffic Commissioners for the Western Area, and asking for the corporation's sn,port in their appeals to the Minister of Transport.
In this connection a circular letter received from Ilfracombe Council was read, stating that it views with considerable alarm the effect which the decision of the Traffic Commissioners is likely to have next season upon the prosperity of the town, and that it has decided to make representations to the Minister to reverse, or at least to modify, the decisions. The Committee has decided that no action shall be taken in the matter at the present time.
Institute of Metals Journal.
Volume 46 of the journal of the Institute of Metals has just been issued at the price of 31s. 6d. It contains a record of scientific papers presented at the Zurich meeting of the Institute in September, 1931. These number 25, and the papers deal with a wide raoge of practical and theoretical aspects of modern metallurgy.
The volume is edited by Mr. G. Shaw Scott, M.Sc., F.C.I.S., and can be obtained from the Institute at 36, Victoria Street, London, S.W.1.
A Distinctive Brush Brochure.
An attractive and well-produced brochure has recently been published by the Brush Electrical Engineering Co., Ltd., of Loughborough, the body products of which have achieved a sound reputation amongst private and municipal operators of motorbuses and coaches. The booklet is really a treatise on recent developments in passenger-vehicle design, and although it ostensibly deals with some outstanding Brush designs which indicate the trend in progress, the original method of presentation of the reading matter and the illustrations is interesting.
Some of the salient features of double-deck buses built for urban service are dealt with, as well as those of coaches supplied for long-distance service, and not only are specific types referred to, but general tendencies are indicated. As the comoany has had over 40 years' experience in the construction of rolling stock, it is particularly well qualified to discuss the subject which is covered by the brochure.
A Combined Hinge and Fastener.
It is by no means uncommon to find trouble arising from the defective fastening of a lorry side or tailboard. The conventional system embodying pins is not always satisfactory. An interesting improvement has been patented by one of our readers, Mr. S. Trenchard, of Ilifeulme, Devon ; he is anxious to dispose of the patent.
From the diagram which we reproduce on this page, it will be noted that the stationary part of the device serves also as a portion of the hinge ; the hinge rod passes through the integral eye at its lowest point. At the upper end it is shaped in the form of a hook. This receives the larger end of the pivot member. By reason of the eccentric B24 mounting of the pivoted member upon its arm, the slack is taken up and the side or tailboard pulled firmly home, thus preventing rattle. It cannot work loose or be undone accidentally. Linking Provinces in Canada.
An important thoroughfare is to be constructed through the Rocky Mountains in Canada. It will link up existing east-and-west highways to form a motor road from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific, a distance of 3,500 miles.
In this connection it is interesting to mention that the Dominion has one licensed motor vehicle to every eight of its population of 10,000,000 people.
In Eastern Canada the road will largely follow existing provincial roads, and the principal new construction will be in Northern Ontario and the western provinces. From Winnipeg westward the route goes by Regina and Calgary, entering the Rockies at Banff, and proceeding by way of Revelstoke and Kamloops to Vancouver.