Our Free "Answers to Queries."
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We are now in the 10th year of our service to readers of THE COMMERCIAL Moron under the original head.mg of "Answers to Queries." Upwards of 2300 replies have been published in our columns to date, and we endeavour, despite other pressing calls upon our space, to maintain this feature with a close approach to invariable inclusion. There is, of course, a fair proportion of eases in which the replies must he of a private and confidential character, and in those instances they are not effected through our " inswers to Queries" pages, but direct to the parties who put the questions to us. We are well aware that this service of free "Answers to Queries" to our readers is of value to them, because we find that our advice aml recommendations are very generally observed. It is not, however, the general rule that we receive courteous acknowledgment. We do not expect it in every case, and we are, in. fact, grateful that our daily correspondence is not unnecessarily swelled by superfluous communications. It is, none the less, gratifying to us to receive, from tima to time, expressions of thanks which show that the old feeling of personal touch between the Editor and his readers is well maintained. A recent example of such appreciation, from a Birkenhead reader, who writes to us under date the 7th inste.contains the following paragraph : "Permit. me to express to you my very hearty appreciation and thanks for the very considerable trouble you have taken with me. I feel as though I were writing to an old friend." This is from the purchaser of a fiveton steamer ; he was in doubt as to a number of points, and we settled them for him.
The Editorial staff of TEE COMMERCIAL MOTOR, the members of which jointly possess exceptional experience in the construction and use of commercial motors of all classes, will continue to furnish free "Answers to Queries" on all matters connected with .commereial motoring, and we desire to take this opportunity of speeifically directing the attention of new readers to that free service in their interests. Users and intending-users are undoubtedly confronted by diverse problems. We are in a position to help them to avoid difficulties and to get the best results in all circumstances.
Proposed New L.C.C. By-law to Provide Reserved Tramway Tracks.
The attention of all traffic interests in the Metropolis, and by reason of the risk of establishing a precedent that of corresponding interests in all other parts of the country, has now to be drawn to yet another attempt on the part of the L.C.C. to secure preferential treatment for its tramcar undertaking. We refer to the proposed new by-law, which was considered by the Lac. at its meetingeof Tuesday last, on the recommendation of the Council's Local Government Committee, and which suggested by-law reads in the terms of our next paragraph.
" Every person driving or being in charge of any vehicle which is moving at a slow pace in any street shall, as far as practicable, keep the vehicle on the left or near side of the street and close to the kerb of the footway, or, where tramway lines are laid upon the left or near side of the street, as close to such lines as possible, but so as not to obstruct any tramway carriage using such lines."
Following adoption by the Council, this by-law will have to be submitted to the Home Secretary, and it will apply, after an interval of 40 days, throughout London generally, subject to the consideration by the Home Secretary of any objections that may be received by him during the interval named. The matter of this by-law was raised by the writer, at the dinner in London on Tuesday night last of the United ?ors, Owners and Allied Trades Protection Association, in the course of his speech in which the to.astsaif "The Association " was submitted. It goes without saying that the views of horse-owners hereanent are closely in sympathy with those of owners of motorbuses and motorvans in the Metropolis, and we shall include a report of the germane references at this function in our issue of next week.
The subtlety of the wording of the above-quoted proposed by-law is obvious to all who are acquainted with the aspirations of the L.C.C. tramway officials, and we desire that those intentions shall be made clear to others, in order that the attempt to secure exclusive use of considerable portions of busy traffic thououghfares, for the undue benefit of the tramcars, may not escape the public notice which it demands. We have little or no objection ta the first portion of the by-law, in so far as it refers to ordinary street conditions as they exist. It is, however, impossible to expect any impartial body to accept the suggested provisions of the remainder. The L.C.0 is working for the exclusive use of considerable portions of the street-width along which sections of its existing tramway track are laid, and is in. effect making progress towards contemplated extensions of the rails alongside the kerb, deliberately to the disadvantage of all owners of ordinary forms of wheeled traffic, either horse-drawn or motor-propelled. On Blackfriars Bridge, Westminster Bridge, and the Thames Embankment, for example, no ordinary wheeled traffic might conceivably, under the terms of the proposed by-law, be allowed to use the tracks at any time Efforts to that end have already become apparent, without any such by-law, and some police constables act under a misapprehension in this matter. The tramcar has no exclusive right to the use of any portion of the highway, and no such right must be secured to it, directly or indirectly. we object to the by-law very strongly, and we shall hope to see it opposed by numerous representative Associations in London. One modification is certainly necessary, and that is the insertion of the words "negligently or wilfully" after the word "obstruct." Possible constructions of the words call for thought.
The Motorbus and the Rasher of Bacon.
A writer in "The Daily Mail" recently contributed au interesting article to that newspaper, in which he gave it as ins opinion that the coming of the motor vehicle was likely in time to cheapen certain articles of food—a very welcome prognostication in these days, when the price of everything consumable is rising. This writer, who is a provision merchant of considerable distinction in his induetty, draws attention to the fact that the enormous displacement of horses in the bigger towns of this country by motorcab, motorbus, delivery van, electric tramcar and other automobile means has eased the demand for horse food to a very great extent indeed. He claims that, as a result, maize and similar pig foods are becoming cheaper in certain Overseas countries, with the result that the price of bacon should shortly come down to a considerable extent.
The reduction of the price of this breakfast-table commodity is only of academic interest to MI as a journal. We, however, are interested to place on record this " Daily Mail " contributor'a ingenious deduction as further evidence of the truly-astonishing extent of the ultimate effects of such a social upheaval as that which is involved in the rapid supersession of the horse by the motor.
We endeavoured to place before our readere, several years ago, an object-lesson which is comparable to that of our friend's motors and bacon. We wrote under the title of "The Motor and the Mushroom," and we pointed out that, owing to the relatively-large disappearance of stable-refuse supplies from London, many mushroom growers around the Metropolis had ceased to produce. This far-reaching consequence, although not relatively important, was cited to show the extraordinary ramifications of a change such as that with which we are so closely associated. Few of those workers who appreciate their long yet speedy motorbus ride, for a copper or two, to business are able to realize that they are doing their share towards the reduction in the price of their breakfast. And yet such a happening is, we submit, worth far more than a passing moment's thought in respect of its relationship to the rapidly-changing social conditions under which we live.
The Care of the Chassis.
Elsewhere in this issue we publish the first of a series of articles which we trust will be of exceptional utility to users of the various examples of commercial vehicles with which we shall deal from time to time. We may suitably introduce this, the first of the new series, with a brief explanation of our object and (sun aims. Both are likely to he commended.
We have secured, and we trust that we shall retain, a valued reputation for the manner in which we keep our readers very promptly informed with respect to all new constructional developmente, and to the appearance and introduction to the market of new models. Our illustrated descriptions of newlydesigned chassis are always found by readers to be the earliest that can be obtained. We desire to supplement the information which we in this way have continuously presented in these columns.
We always endeavour to afford the would-be user or purchaser just that amount of information in respect of construction which will enable him or his professional adviser to make the best selection he can, with due consideration for the special features of his work and to the money he may desire to spend. Over and beyond these facilities, it has often been borne in upon us that, once the machine is purchased, in spite of the very best wishes of the manufacturer and the best intentions of the agent, if one be concerned, the user is, to a very considerable extent, left to make the best of the expensive machinery which he has acquired. Nif-e have consistently aided him. it is true that some of the leading manufacturers issue carefully-compiled handbooks, some of them in Be
catalogue form, on the way in which machines should be treated in order to give the best service—admirable propaganda, and full of good intentions.. It is our desire to supplement these efforts of our friends-in the trade, and to do our best to show, by illustration and carefully-chosen letterpress, how, once a machine is purchased, it should be cared for in respect of adjustments, inspection and lubrication. We ourselves have practical experience of the designer's difficulties. A chassis, all suitable as it may appear when it finally emerges from the factory gates in finished condition, has only been produced in it; complete state at the expense of much hard thinking and sometimes acrimonious discussion in the drawing office. We know of instances where a tremendous amount of skill and thought has been expended upon the embodiment of an easily reached and operated adjustment for some chassis detail. We know equally well that, of the hundreds of chassis which have been built embodying some such detail of design, in only the most exceptional cases has anybc.dy ever bothered to make use of the adjustment thus so thoughtfully provided—sometimes from indolence, more often from ignorance. The argument that it is best for the driver to know as little as possible about the adjustment or the "inside " of his machine is, in our opinion, a fallacious one. If there be adjustment provided, and it is almost invariably desirable, it is better that those whose business it is should know how it should be properly used. If a tlynut or a knurled screw be embodied in the design, sooner or later it will be tampered with. Unintelligent adjustment is often worse than no adjustment at all ; we want to help to avoid both. The same remarks apply to lubrication.
In short, the object of our new series is to enable the man who has acquired a. new chassis, or his employee, to know how to deal fairly and squarely with it once it is in his possession. We make no attempt in this series to teach a man how to drive, but we do endeavour to show him how he must behave towards the several hundred pounds worth of machinery which has come into his possession or his care, if it is to give the best results in operation and to yield the best sum when and if the machine be sold as second-hand.
We have adopted the series title "The Care of the. Chassis," and we trust that the time and trouble which we intend to expend on the individual articles of which it will consist will do much to promote the proper usage of industrial motors by these who have them in charge. Not all the abuse to which many maehinen are subject arises from poor driving. The greater part of it, in our opinion, can he traced to neglect of periodic adjustment and of frequent lubrication.
The End of the Journey.
ft is with sincere regret that we announce that M. Pierre Souvestre died at his residence in Paris recently, at the age of 40, from congestion of the lungs provoked by a chill only eight days before. M. Souvestre was the founder and Editor of "Le Poids Lourel," the only purely commercial-vehicle periodical in France. Born in Brittany, M. Souvestre came to Paris at an early age and completed his education in the North of England. For a number of years he was connected with motor journalism principally on the staff of " L'Auto." We have, on frequent occasions in the past, been indebted for his unvarying courtesy and assistance. His most important work was a very complete " Histoire de l'Automobile." Of late years, while still maintaining control of his commercial-motor paper, M. Souvestre had executed a considerable amount of general literary work and written a few plays. The funeral took place in his native town of Keravel, Finistere. The industry in France will miss a strong and capable protagonist. We, on this journal, deplore the untimely loss of a, talented colleague who has done much to forward the industrial-vehicle industry in a country where its progress has been almost as rapid as our own.
Street Accidents Caused by Vehicles.
A return has been issued by the Home Office to ceurply -.vith a motion of Mr. Ellis J'. Griffith, !:howing " The number of accidents resulting in death or personal injury, known to the police to have oeen caused by vehicles in streets, roads or public places during the. year ended the 3Ist December, 1913." A like return was made for 1912.
The return is divided into records -of fatal and nonfatal accidents, with sub-divisions under horse-drawn vehicles and mechanically-propelled vehicles. Each 4-4 the two main types of vehicles is again sub-divided under omnibuses tramcars and other vehicles.
The totals of fatal accidents for the year, in Englaud, were 522 due to horse-drawn vehicles and 1141 due to mechanically-propelled vehicles ; the corresponding totals of non-fatal accidents were 11,620 and 2.5,534, respectively.
The return gives the fatalities due to motorbuses, for the Metropolitan police district and the City of London, as 199, and that for tramcars, for the Metropolitan police district only—there being practically no tramways in the City of London, as 5s. On deducting the London total of 190 from the total for the country of 222, there remain 32 fatal accidents due In motorbuses in other parts of England and Wales, compared with 77 fatalities clue to tramcars. No information is given as to the relative route-mileages. The figures for Ireland and Scotland are of partieular and local interest only, but they contribute to the totals for the United Kingdom.
The last page of the return summar iz es the totals in relation to those for the year 1912. We give the figures for 1912 in parentheses, all the following figures being for the United Kingdom :—Fatal accidents: horse-drawn vehicles, 724 (679); mechanically-pro
pelled vehicles, 1375 (10S5). Non-fatal accidents: berm-drawn vehicles, 13,617 (13,294) ; mechanicallypropelled vehicles, 2B,927 (23,539).
It will be observed that the total fatal accidents aseribed to mechanically-propelled vehicles—and in this connection we would particularly refer back to the special article entitled "Personal Elements in Street Locomotion" in our issue of last week (page 2 eiatc)—for the year 1913, are 90 per cent. in excess of those ascribed to horse-drawn vehicles. The record of non-fatal accidents shows that those ascribed to mechanically-propelled vehicles, also for the year 1913, are some 112 per cent, in excess of those ascribed to horse-drawn vehicles. Sire, however, no data are given to show the relative mileages. it. is impos
sible for any useful inferences to be drawn from the partial facts that have been obtained.
We do not know the use which it is intended ta; make of this eturn, but we fail to, see that it can be employed with real effect to support restrictive legislation or regulations of any kind upon private or einumeacial motors.
Trams that Kept to the -Right.
The remarkable subsidence beneath that important crossing of main London thoroughfares, where Theobald's Road crosses Gray's Inn Road, calls for record, not so much because of the infrequency of such a happening, although that is noteworthy enough, but rather because the subsequent repairing operations of the road-menders resulted in so eora plate and dangerous an upheaval of the ordinary traffic as to present a warning of grave moment.
The daily papers will have made the circumstances familiar to the majority of our readers, or at any rate to those who read the London issues. The sudden and accidental discovery of a cavernous subsidence beneath an important Metropolitan highway is an event of sufficiently sensational character' to make a ready appeal to a large section of the daily Press. The actual situation is well shown in a photograph which we repisoduce on this page. Mr. Spurrell, the Holborn surveyor, tells us that the cavity was 20 ft. long, 1,6 ft. wide, and 8 ft. high.
The reason for the trouble, we think, is likely to be found to have been largely due to the Incessant and weighty hammering of the tramcars throughout the 24 hours over these cast-steel crossings and points. The vibration communicated to the subsoil from this cause must be far more destructive in its effect than anything simiar which can be laid to the charge of the motorbus or even of the steamer.
IVInin the explorations of one of the many permanent-way men led him, in his subterranean wanderings, to discover this great gap in the foundations of a much used highway, it was at once realized that there was great danger to the heavier units of passing traffic. With consummate ease and no delay, the police diverted horse and motor traffic by shunt routes to avoid the danger zone. It was impossible, however, to deal in any such. way with the tramway system, and, after a period of remarkable confusion, the only solution was found in the running of shuttle services up to the cross-over. The exact nature of our complaint is, that the officials took upon themselves to run tramcars continuously for over a
week, from Gray's Inn Road to Southampton Row and hack, on the wrong metals in both directions. We ourselves witnessed some remarkably narrow escapes of head-on collision with the free traffic using the ordinary sides of the road.
What power has the L.C.C., or, indeed, any other tram-owning authority, even when its services are so entangled as the example we have quoted, entirely to disregard the "Keep to the left" rule of the road, and, to the imminent danger of other vehicles and to the utter confusion of pedestrians, to run independently on the wrong lines for any definite period I That no serious accident happened was, we can testify, due to the remarkably efficient and prompt attention of the police oonstabes who were on special point duty while. the road repairs were being effected.
We wonder less than ever that the L.C.C. should hanker to become the traffic authority for London. It would like to legalize that which, with its present tramway undertaking it cannot at times obviate—the right to keep to the right—and otherwise to make the best of the wrong system.