News of the Week
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PROVISION OF NIGHT MEALS FOR WORKERS
UNDER a recent Order, restaurants, canteens, cafés, etc., as from June 15, may not serve meals between 11 p.m. (12 midnight in the Metropolitan Police District) and 5 a.m., unless the proprietors have been granted night meals licences by the respective local Food Executive Officers. Such meals can be provided for night workers, e.g., civil-defence personnel, fire watchers, road-transport and railway workers, travellers and other persons for whom these meals are essential, if the necessary licence be obtained.
Application for these licences should have been made to the local Food Offices by June 1, but they will still be considered if submitted immediately.
RATIONALIZING RETAIL DELIVERIES IN the House of Commons last week, Mr. Henderson Stewart asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether, in order to equalize conditions and to avoid complaints of undue stringency in one town as compared with others, he would prepare a general scheme for the rationalization of retail deliveries, to be made applicable, with minor local variations, to all towns.
Mr. Noel-Baker replied that, when the present plans for rationalizing retail deliveries were launched, the methods of detailed execution were left for local decision in the light of local conditions. It was plain that no uniform scheme would be equally appropriate for large towns, small towns,. 'suburbs, villages and rural areas.
The schemes, he continued, were brought into .operation as soon as they were ready, but they could be adjusted and improved later, as experience might dictate. In this way the desired economies were secured at the earliest practicable date. About 2,000 schemes were already working.
CONCESSION CONCERNING TRACTOR TYRES
AN amendment concerning the width of tyres on land tractors is contained in the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 2) Provisional Regulations, 1942.
This refers to paragraph ii of the proviso to Regulation 31 of the Principal Regulations, and will have effect as though the words:—" the tyre of every driving wheel is not less than 6 ins, in width, and is either" were deleted, and the following words substituted:—" the tyreof every driving wheel, in the case of vehicles exceeding 2 tons in weight unladen is not less than 6 ins, in width, and in the case of vehicles not exceeding 2 tons in weight unladen is not less than 4 ins, in width, and is either . . ."
Interpreted, this merely indicates that the lighter tractors are permitted tyres 4 ins, in width, and in the case of both light and heavy machines they can be smooth soled, shod with
diagonal cross-bars not less than 3 ins. wide or more than 1.1 in. thick, extending the full breadth and with a space not more than 3 ins, between, or shod with diagonal cross-bars of soft or elastic material not less than 21 ins. wide, extending the full breadth and spaced not more than 3 ins, apart.
The Regulation is to save rubber and other material, and does not apply where the tractors have pneumatic or solid-rubber tyres.
PERSONAL PARS MR. D. lercrsaansoN, a vicepresident of A.R.O., has been appointed chairman of the Southeastern Area of the Association, whilst MR. W. G. P. ARNOLD becomes vicechairman.
MR. R. J. Moaeuts, who was recently appointed to the Board of Edison Swau Cables Ltd., has been, elected chairman of the Cable Manufacturers' Association, in succession to Mr, Patrick Kelly, late managing director of, the Edison Swan Electric Co. Ltd.
Me. A. L. HUDSON, of Leeds, who in April completed 21 years as secretary of the Yorkshire Division of the Motor Agents' Association, was honoured at a presentation in Leeds, last week, when Mr. E. J. Crabtree, of Sheffield, chairman of the Division, handed to him a cheque for £200, representing subscriptions from M.A.A. members.
Ma. C. D. R. TUCKEY, assistant works manager of the 'Aston works of British Timken, Ltd., has been appointed works manager of another Timken wbrks, whilst MR. H. K. B. GLASSEY has been appointed to the position the former has vacated. MR. J. T. EMMERTON, of the bearing design department, takes Mr. Glassey's former place in charge of planning MR. S. E. EVANS, who has been divisional staff officer of the Road Haulage Branch, North-western Division of the Ministry of War Transport since, and before, the opening of the Liverpool establishment, is being transferred, in a similar capacity, to the staff of the Regional Transport Commissioner for the Southern Division, Reading. His successor at Liverpool will be MR. T. J. MORTON, of the Ministry's headquarters staff.
MR. ALFRED BAYNTON, who for a number of years has been secretary and joint general manager of the East Kent Road Car Co., Ltd., becomes general manager of the company as from July 1. On the same date, MR. B. D. STANLEY, for some years assistant secretary, becomes secretary. MR. S. H. LOXTON has been appointed engineer of the company; he was formerly chief assistant engineer with the Birmingham .and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd. MR. F. W. SELLWOOD takes over the duties of traffic officer, as from July 1.
KEEPING MOTOR FUEL RECORDS
OPERATORS should remember that certain requirements as to the keeping of fuel records come into force on July 1. By these, every person using coupons marked " AGR:F," " IND:W," or " MISC:Z " must keep such a record daily of the quantity of fuel required against the surrender of these coupons and of the amount consumed for each purpose for which they were issued. The record must show the date on which the fuel was acquired, the quantities obtained, and the name and address of the supplier. Each sheet must bear at 'the top the full name and address of the person liable for keeping the record, and the divisional reference number. It must be signed immediately after each entry by the person to whom the coupons were issued, or his agent.
CRO,SSLEY MOTORS TO PAY 15 PER CENT. DIVIDEND ICOR the year ended March 31, 1942, Crossley Motors Ltd., is to pay a dividend of 15 per cent. The net profit for the year, after providing for all taxation, amounted to E75,351, as against last year's figure of £79,780. There was a considerable increase in turnover, but owing to the incidence of taxation, A.R.P. expenditure, and war damage premiums, which have all been charged to revenue, there was a small decrease in the netprofit as compared with last year.
MORE RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF RUBBER
THE Control of Rubber Orders I Nos. 13 and 14 provide that a licence is necessary for the acquisition or use of reclaimed or synthetic rubber, Balata used in the manufacture of conveyor and elevator belting is brought under, the same control as already exists for rubber.
Numerous additions are made to the list of articles for which the use of rubber is prohibited, these including bumpers, pedal covers, and certain rubber-proofed materials, such as black-out fabric. Rubber for producipg certain other articles is brought under licence, These include rubbercovered ropes and ladders, and rubber sheeting, except unvulcanized sheeting required by the producer for his own use or for material to repair tyres or tubes.
INTER-TOWN BUS EXPERIMENT IN NORTH-EAST
THE shoitening of inter-town bus journeys, by linking the services with the outer termini, of trolleybus and tram services, in the towns which they serve is to be introduced experimentally, on Sundays only, in the North-eastern Region. The scheme will come into operation on the first Sunday in July.
The Regional Transport Commissioner, Major F. S. Eastwood, recently addressed operators on the idea, and details of its application a re being worked out between the undertakings concerned.
GRAVESEND FERRY TOLLS: CONCESSION TO HAULIERS D ESULTING from representations by the S.J.C., sponsored by Mr. D. Richardson, chairman of the Southeastern Area of A.R.O. the Ministry of War Transport recently held an inquiry, under the ,chairmanship of Lieut.-Col. Gordon Tucker, Southeastern Regional Transport Commissioner, with a view to encouraging operators to make greater`use of the Gravesend-Tilbury Ferry, thereby obviating detours via Woolwich Ferry or .Blackwall Tunnel.
The South-eastern Area of A.R.O. has now been informed that, as from June 1, the Gravesend-Tilbury. Ferry tolls have been reduced by 50 per cent. This means that the Government will be losing a big part of its revenue from this source, and, accordingly, operators are asked to make greater use of the Ferry in the national interest, although the reduction in the tolls may not be as attractive as would have been their total abolition.
The Government is to watch the position very closely, and there will be some disappointment if, through lack of co-operation on the part of operators, the Ferry traffic is not appreciably increased, thus resulting in a saving in fuel and in wear and tear of vehicles.
GLASGOW FURNISHERS TO FORM TRANSPORT POOL
T11E lead recently given by departmental stores in Glasgow' in inaugurating a pool delivery scheme, will probably be followed soon by the furni
ture stores in the city. Already a number of furnishing concerns in Glasgow is busy on plans for saving fuel, but although they have been combining to a certain extent, the new idea aims at large-scale rationalization.
A separate plan is being devised for hire-purchase concerns. If these schemes do not save petrol, man-power and a number of vehicles wanted by the Glasgow section of the Ministry of War Transport, then further modification will have to take place.
The scheme which is being operated by the departmental stores in the city has proved most successful. There are now 17 concerns in Glasgow within the scheme, and the 48 vehicles required prior to its inception have been cut down to 14.
ALBION " ORDINARY" DIVIDEND
IN respect of 1941, Albion Motors, Ltd., is paying a dividend of 12f per cent. (less tax) on the ordinary shares of the company.
3 MINUTES TO GO: LIGHTING-UP TIME CONFUSION WHEN George Samuel Chase, of v Brunswick Road, Southend, was summoned at Southend Police Court, last week, for driving a corporation bus at more than 20 m.p.h. during the
hours of darkness along the London Road, his solicitor, Mr. Nelson Mitchell, contended that there was no case to answer, because during the period of Double Summer Time the hours of darkness, as defined by the Road Traffic Act, were from one hour after sunset until one hour before sunrise.
On the day when the alleged offence occurred, sunset, according to the almanack, was at 9.38 p.m., and lighting-up time at 10.38 p.m. Defendant was stopped at 10.35 p.m., which made it seem that the police had confused black-out and lighting-up times.
The chief constable said that he wished for time to consider the point, and the case was adjourned for a week.
HAULIERS GET THE EXTRA 3d.
R"EC TING the Llanfairfechan Council's offer of 4s. 9d. per hour for the hire of lorries for local haulage work, Mr. Llewellyn Roberts and Mr. W. Stocks, hauliers, wrote to the council asking for a minimum of 5s. per hour. The council acquiesced.
FINED FOR DRIVING TOO SLOWLY!,
FOR causing a queue of slow-moving vehicles in the fast lane of the Mersey Tunnel, Mr. William Maloney, of Accrington, was fined £2 at Birkenhead Police Court on Friday of last week.
The summons alleged that he travelled at below the minimum speed for the.fast lane. To the patrol officer —he said he was running in third gear and could not go any faster. His heavily laden lorry was travelling at 14 m.p.h. when its.minimum speed should have been 21 m.p.h.
SHARES ISSUE BY TRANSPORT SERVICES, LTD.
Wtare advised that Transport rvices, Ltd., recently obtained Treasury sanction to the issue of 50,000 6 per cent. redeemable cumulative preference shares of £1 each, and 200,000 ordinary shares of 5s, each. The 50,000 preference shares have been placed privately. The 200,000 ordinary shares were offered to the ordinary shareholders, at par, in the proportion of one share for each seven ordinary shares at present held, with a right to apply for surplus shares, This ordinaryshare issue was, we lea-n, heavily oveisubscribed.
The company's London offices are now at 116, Old Broad Street, E.C.2.
DRIVER'S ONUS FOR IDENTIFICATION MARKING
AN interesting. point was recen Ely raised in Glasgow Sheriff Court, when a member of the Scottish Conimercial Motor Users Association was charged with permitting his driver to use a vehicle without having an identification mark exhibited at the rear, the plate having fallen off in the course of a journey. The Association's solicitor contended that the charge against the member was irrelevant, because it is clearly laid down in the Roads Act of 1920, Section 6 (2), that the party upon whom the penalty can be imposed is the driver. The Sheriff upheld this contention and dismissed the charge. As a result, other charges of a similar character were not proceeded with.
LIVESTOCK CARRIERS FORCE BETTER CLEANSING FACILITIES
DUSINESS at Cupar livestock centre during the past week was considerably hampered by lack of transport for the conveyance of stock from farms in East Fife to the market. Concerns engaged in the transport of livestock had given notice that they were withdrawing their services until adequate facilities were provided for the cleansing of vehicles at the centre. Farmers were forced to revert to the method of driving cattle into Cupar by road.
As is well known, a regulation is in force that insists upon vehicles being thoroughly cleansed between journeys to and from different farms.
Later, the emergency committee of Fife local authority met and recommended that immediate steps be taken to provide adequate washing facilities for vehicles. The carriers' vehicles were off the road for a day.
NOTES ON THE GOVERNMENT ROAD HAULAGE SCHEME
Supplied by the Ministry of War Transport and the Hauliers' National Traffic Pool, but not Necessarily to be Regarded as Official Pronouncements
CARGOES MOVED.—The general cargo and meat moved in the week ended May 22 totalled 130,000 tons (livestock excluded).
CHARTERED FLEET OFFERS.—The number of vehicles offered for charter increased in the past week to 3,179. Of this total 360 have been called up and a further 1,622 are classed as " possibl es."
DEFENCE LINES—In the week endedMay 23 slightly more than 600 vehicles were enrolled for the Defence Lines, bringing the total to 34,130.
COUNTY SCF.AP AGENTS.—Appended is a further list of agents for the supply and control of vehicles for the removal of scrap.
Newcastle-upon .Tyne Area
Northallerton (North Riding) .— Stutter Bros., Boroughbridge Road.
Curnberland.—Hughes and Beattie, Ltd., Wigton Road, Carlisle.
North Westmorland.—D. Macrae, Appleby. MOBILE OIL DERRICK REPLACES FIXED PLANT
IN California the Shell Oil Co. is eliminating stationary derricks in its oilfields. The purpose is two-fold. Removal of the derricks helps to camouflage the field better and thousands of pounds of steel will be made available for scrap which is so much needed for increased steel production for war purposes. Substituted for the permanent derricks is a mobile outfit mounted on a F.W.D. six-wheeldrive lorry chassis.
The vehicle has been designed and equipped for the specific purpose of acting as a mobile oil derrick when the wells need servicing.
Upon arrival at the well to be serviced, the derrick on the vehicle is raised into position within five minutes ready for the job of pulling up drilling equipment. Two large drums powered by a 200 hp. motor raise the derrick and pull the double lengths of tubing from the well. SEEKING OPERATORS' VIEWS ON RATES
TO assist in the formulation of suggestions for a national road-transport rates schedule and system of goods classification, members of the Federation of Yorkshire Road Transport Employers have been invited to answer an eight-points questionnaire from the Federation's rates sub-committee. The invitation suggests that when answering the questions members should divorce themselves entirely from consideration of any existing system of railway rates and the railway classification of .goods. The questionnaire asks for " Yes " or " No " on the following eight points:—
Ill Are you agreed that road-transport rates should be based en costs (including profit) of operating a vehicle on a per mile fully Loaded basis Z.
121 Are you agreed that every mile covered in connection with the load shouddi be paid for in some way Or other? (31 Are you agreed that " What the traffic will bear" is not an accepted principle for road _rates? (4) Are you agreed that loss, damage, etc., should be taken care of by insurance, instead of by adding a percentage to the road rate? (5) Are you agreedthat if you do not get a full-weight load on your veliie.e, owing to the nature of the traffic, you, should be paid for a full load; and. likewise, that you shou'd still be paid for the lull load if a full-weight load does not take up all the vehicle space?
(6) Are you agreed that above normal time taken in loading or unloading ahou'd be paid for?
(I') Are you agreed that petrol-vehic:e operating costs should be the basis of rates calculation? (8) Are you agreed that there should be enforcement of any nationally agreed schedule • -of rates?
RETURN OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONTAINERS
rERTAM transport operators will
be affected by the new Fresh Fruit and Vegetables (Use of Containers) Order, 1942, which controls the employment of returnable contakners for fresh fruit and vegetables.
This provides that, without the permission of the owner, no one may use a returnable container except for the transport, storage or display of this produce and flowers. The containers may not be kept for an unreasonable time, or markings on them defaced. Proper care must also be taken of them. It will be an offence not to return them when requested. A refundable • deposit charge, as prescribed, 'must be paid to the supplier by the receiver of a returnable container, except where it has been issued to a grower for return to the person who supplied it.
Sacks, bags, containers wholly, or mainly made of cardboard, and chip baskets holding not more than 11 lb. of any soft fruit are excluded. WALLASEY EXPERIMENTS WITH NAPHTHA AS FUEL EXPERIMENTAL work in the use LA of crude naphtha for the propulsion of buses is now being undertaken by the gas engineer of Wallasey Corporation.
Questions about this. development were asked last week at the town council meeting on a report by the motorbus committee recommending that a further bus be reserved for experiments.
Councillor R. Y. Knagg, chairman of the gas committee, said that the gas engineer had been making experiments .over a period of two years. The suggested vehicle would be the first in the country to be run on crude naphtha, which could be used after a start had been made with petrol or gas as the motive power.
SAVING TRANSPORT IN WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION
THE sector scheme for wholesale distribution of groceries and provisions . will come into operation on August 24 instead of the original date, June 29.
The object is to secure transport economies in wholesale distribution, and further economies are being investigated. These include the zoning of the distribution of manufactured goods and a reduction of cross hauls within sectors.
GERMANS SEARCHING HOUSES FOR PAPER
THE Germans, having experienced difficulty in obtaining suitable quantities of waste paper and other materials, have introduced a monthly inspection of all 'houses. We as a democracy do not want to proceed to such limits, but if the enemy has to go to such extremes it is an indication of the value to the war effort of paper and other " waste " materials. It, therefore, behoves every householder and business man to give up every scrap of paper that it is possible to release.
HELP ROADS TO CARRY WAR.TIME TRAFFIC, URGES R.I.A.
I N the annual report of the Roads Improvement Association, it is .pointed out that the Association's wide knowledge and lengthy experience have enabled it to render much useful service in the solution of many war-time road and traffic problems. On the question of the proper maintenance of aids to safe movement, mention is made of the experiments which are being conducted with a new plastic material to provide permanent white lines, and if it be satisfactory it will, it is said, be adopted extensively.
Great, potentialities are, it is stated, opened up for the systematic modernization of our road system by the desire to create a central planning authority to control reconstruction and development after the war. The point is stressed that it is because road layouts and building-frontage lines were not, in the past, prescribed when development works were commenced, • that we are to-day suffering costly traffic congestion and accidents. The report draws attention to the fact that the chief trunk routes continue to carry heavy military and industrial traffic reasonably well, but many thousands of miles of other roads are suffering from insufficient maintenance. Local authorities, it is said. are empluing to good advantage the meagre rffources available to them, but the fight against disintegration and destruction would, it is urged, be helped if surfaces were more frequently sprayed with tar or bituminous compounds, and afterwards covered with suitable chippings—a job that could be done mechanically with relatively little labour.
SCOTTISH C.M.U.A. MAKES STEADY PROGRESS
PROGRESS continues to be made by the Scottish Commercial Motor Users Association, and 68 new members have been enrolled since the beginning of April. This is considered satisfactory,, but in order still further to inciea.se the enrolments, members are being invited to co-operate with the National Council by drawing the attention of non-member operators to the activities of the Association. It is particularly pointed out that membership is not confined to A. and B-licence holders, as there is a large section of C oPerators with complete autonomy.
The Association is supporting representations made to the Inland Revenue authorities by the British Road Federation for the extension to C-licence holders of the wear and tear allowance of 30 per cent, already permitted to A-licence operators.
DISPERSAL OF PARTS FROM IMMOBILIZED VEHICLES
AA LL the fuss and pother regarding the storage by the police of vital parts from immobilized vehicles and the suggested possibility that these parts might be concentrated in buildings which are liable to bombing, have been knocked on the head by Mr. Morrison, who stated recently that, of course, it was intehded to disperse them. He could not understand why it should be assumed that the Ministry of Home Security is inhabitell by nitwits.
BETTER TO IMPORT SYNTHETIC RUBBER
THE Minister of Supply was asked in Parliament last week by Mr. Ivor Thomas whether he would reconsider the decision not to set up in this country a plant for the synthetic production of rubber. Sir A. Duncan replied that large quantities of synthetic rubber were being made in the United States, where the necessary raw materials were readily available, and that importation of the raw materials for large-scale production in this country would impose a heavy additional burden on our shipping resources.
He had, however, appointed a Synthetic Rubber Committee, which was keeping the whole situation under review, and steps had been taken for the production, in this count-ry, of substantial quantities of rubber-substitute material.
PRODUCER-GAS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE
HOW many producer-gas vehicles were on the road asked Mr. Thorne, in the House, last week and could a statement be made as to the success or failure of producer-gas for wad vehicles?
Mr. Noe1-13aker, in answer, referred to a reply he had given on May 19. and said it would be unfair to judge the success or failure of producer-gas by the results so far achieved. They had been sufficiently encouraging, however, to enable the Government / to decide that it was the best alternative to petrol for ordinary commercial transport, and that in view of, the need for stringent economy in imported fuel, its use should be considerably • extended.
In the reply referred to, he said that it would not be in the public interest to disclose the number, but it was considerably over 100.
I.A.E. PAPER ON ELECTRIC WELDING
1-IN July 7, at the Royal Society of VArts, Adelphi, London, W.C.2, at 6 p.m., Mr. W. Simmie will read a paper before the Institution of Automobile Engineers, entitled " Electric Welding Processes in Relation to Automobile Construction."