THIS WEEK'S PROBLEM
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" I have been asked to quote for the cartage of material in bags from the Liverpool docks to neighbouring townships. A flat rate per ton is not acceptable to the =tomer, who wants a price to each delivery point. The difficulty I have in quoting is that some of the deliveries have to be made about 12 miles away from the collecting point, whilst others are quite near—no more than a mile away. Notwithstanding those conditions, it will rarely be possible to make three deliveries per day. As a guide to costs, I may say that, at present, using 5.-ton lorries, I had 6s, per ton to be a profitable flat rate, for operation within a radius of 12 This is !ike the problem that I discussed at length in a short series of articles, which was published a few weeks ago, when I showed that the practical way of dealing with it was to estimate an average weekly mileage, assess the cost per mile on that, and charge accordingly. Within a 12-mile radius the average is probably 200 per week, at which 6s. per ton, 55 tons per week, brings in a revenue of £16 10s.— 1 s, ticl, per mile. The extra eight-mile radius will not greatly increase the weekly distance, and Is. 6d. per mile should prove satisfactory.