Opinions from Others.
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The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should he on one side of the paper only and typecoritten by preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved and no responsibility for views expressed is accepted. • Women Conductors on L.C.C. Tramcars.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1489] Sir,—Your correspondent "Fair Play," who writes in the issue of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR dated the 17th May, deserves the thanks of the women conductors on the tramc-ars for sticking up for them. But he has not told you all of their troubles. In addition to the weight carried on the body he has forgotten the board of tickets, and the great bar of iron they have to wield when they get clown to change the points for the ear to turn round. He does not tell you also of the persecution by the public and the inspectors who report the women for the most trivial things, getting them suspended and sometimes dismissed. The clothes they are compelled to wear are insufferable during warm weather.
Conditions are not so bad on nnatorbuses, because the motorbus company takes more interest in the girls, and the work is not so hard, be:cause the motorbuses are not so big as tramcars arld; so do not carry so many people. It is only those who have been employed on tramcars who know the way one is thrown about the car in consequence of the bad tracks, resulting in bruised bodies, and can bear witness to the insults that have to be endured from passengers. Tired is not the word when the day's work is ended. The women-conductors are trying hard to do their bit for the men, and surely they deserve more humane treatment. You ought to hear the way they are addressed sometimes when they are doing &heir best for the Council: I, myself, had to give the work up because of illness brought about by the bad weather.--Yours faithfully,
London. CONDUCTRESS..
The Waste of Petrol.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1400] Sir,—It has been very galling to me—and I should think to a good many more like myself—as a victim of the restrictions placed on motor char-h.banes proprietors last August, to see the freedom with which people with cars have been allowed to waste petrol, during the Whitsun holidays. I wonder what view the police take of "like vehicles " ; are they ignorant of the law, or do they close their eyes to certain people ? Sometimes I wonder whether we have a Petrol Control Committee at all, because we see such a great deal of wrong proportioning, competition, waste by overlapping and wrongful use.
It amounts to this, that motor Char-h-bancs people have been knocked out right manfully, while other motor people are' allowedto step in and do what we were polyented from doing, which is most unfair and unjust. I believe ,there is plenty of petrol to be obtained. for business Purposes, which I understand is the only thing that is legal now, but while twisters are allowed their way, conscientious people will be left standing still.
Every person who uses petrol should lae compelled to make a declaration to the chief constable or munitions inspector for the area in which he resides, which procedure would secure better proportioning, etc. But what I cannot understand is that taxis should be allowed for pleasure, small buses the same, doctors permitted to drag a load of stout ladies about with them, overlapping and competition of motorbuses allowed to take place, that a person should be rationed in petrol according to -the cars he possesses, and not the number in use while commercial bnsi
nesses cannot carry on. There is evidently somebody who is neglecting his duty. Empty trains are being dragged about all day, while people are allowed to lap petrol up on pleasure, in the guise of business or some other kind of bluff. Only real and legitimate business must be carried on.—Yours faithfully, Pontefract. DISGUSTED.
Spring Suspensions.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1491] read with interest your article in THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR dated the 31st May, ancLin my
opinion you have never written on a more important subject. It is well known that all-commercial chassis have been enormously improved during the last 12. years in every respeet.except one, namely, their sus-pensions. All the' other parts of the Chassis have been practically revolutionized, but the suspension as it exists to-day is the same inefficient suspension as existed 12 years .a.go, and the chassis is actually more severely injured when running light than when running fully loaded. In other words, when a. commercial chassis is running empty, which it does during about half its natural life, the said chassis is practically uns.prung,. because the springs are too stiff.
Why does the motoring world allow all commercial chassis to remain unsprung when running unloaded? This is the question which I would like answered. Your remark that preconceived notions of suspending a vehicle should for a time at least be boldly scrapped in an endeavour to ascertain a means of efficiently springing the commercial chassis, touches the spot, and you would confer a great benefit on the commercial motoring world if you will open the pages of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR for a thorough discussion of this big suspension problem. • In my opinion the real trouble which ha-s prevented
this big problem fromj being saved is because spring manufacturers and spring exports have considered the probjem unsolveable. Such a contention is, of course; an absurdity, but the only way to overcome the wrong theories of the spring experts is to scrap boldly existing suspensions, as you suggest. I agree with you that road shacks can only be efficiently absorbed by means of metal springs and tires combined, because no tire can ever take the place and do the work of a, metal spring, and no metal spring can ever take: the place and do the work of an air tire. The tire-has to absorb many but small inequalities at, say, the rateof 30,000 a minute on a bad wood road, when the chassis is travelling at a speed of 25 miles per hour, and no spring of any kind could possibly do this work. The spring has to allow a vertical axle rise and fall of 2 to 10 ins, to enable large inegualities. such as potholes, to be absorbed, and. no tire could possibly do this work. It is possible to increase the frequency of repose of laminated springs, so that they absorb more quickly road in
-equalities, but, until the present objectionable periodicity of a long laminated spring is damped out and its frequency of repose is improved,. a laminated spring will never be capable oft absorbing the road shocks at the rate per minute which it should.
Re the question of tires, I notice you refer to cushion tires as offering a way out. I take it for granted you refer to air cushion tires (I mean, tires using confined air as a cushion) and not to rubber cushion tires which do not make use of confined air, because there is a great difference between the one and the other. The frequency af repose of an air•clishion tire like the N.A.P. is 600 a, minute, but if it had no air confined in the tire its speed of recovery would be only 95 per minute, as compared with the speed of recovery of an inflated tube tire of 1000 a minute. In other words, the speed of recovery of the three types of tires referred to above is as undernoted :—
Solid rubber, or rubber cushion tires with air not confined, speed of recovery 95 a minute N.A.P. air cushion tube tire (using sair confined) ... 600 a minute inflated tube tires, like Dunlop or Michelin ' 1000 a minute We will never obtain in a metal spring the shock absorbing qualities of an air tire, but we can increase the frequency of repose of a metal spring, and in ray opinion the sooner your advice is taken and the present springs are boldly scrapped the better. I take it for granted that you agree with me that the attachment between the axle and the chassis must be of metal—Yours faithfully, E. B. KILLEN. London.
At Experimental Test-Room for Motors.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1492] Sir,—Knowing that your readers are always interested in systematic testing of motors, we have Pleasure in giving you the following particulars of the new test-room which the Wisconsin Motor Manufacturing Co., whom we represent in this country, have installed.
This test-room is entirelyelectricallyequipped, and each test-stand has an individual electric motor generator unit. When an engine is completed in the assembly department, it is sent to the test-room and connected up with the motor generator which acts as a motor and drives the engine until it is sufficiently free to allow it to be run under its own power. When the engines are sufficiently free, they, are started and under-run under their own power, driving the electric motor as a generator. The load is then gradually increased until the motor develops the required power and then it is run under full load for several hours.
The engine is then picked up with an electric crane of the mono-rail type, and taken to the final inspecting department, where the motor is completely disassembled and all moving parts are given a thorough inspection and an adjustment, after which the motor is again placed on the test stand.
A new experimental lab-Oratory has jut' been completed. This is equipped with a 300 h.p. Sprague dynamometer, so arranged that a. motor can be mounted on either end and driven in either direction. Complete equipment has been added for making horse-power and -torque curves, fuel-economy curves, oil-consumption curves, friction-horse-power curves, etc.
This laboratory will be used for experimental work in connection with the improvement of the product.— Your s faithfully, BRAMCO, LTD. Coventry.
Why Was the Ford Agrimotor Chosen?
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1493] Sir,—I presume many readers have taken the opportunity to examine the Ford tractor in pieces at the Ministry of Munitions. Can any of them tell me exactly why this machine was chosen and adopted by the Food Production people for construction in large quantities in this country. Why not one of several other good—and I venture to suggest better—types? I was told at the Ministry that Mr. Ford has presented the free use of the patents to the British Government. What few these may be, I cannot conceive any as indispensable. No, there must Ise more in the choice than that. Some sort.of explanation is surely due to
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the British motor industry. 1 have been asked to make some parts with Americas. threads. Again, why? In any case this decision should be altered and quickly.—Yours faithfully,
" AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER."
Lincoln.
Cost and Value of Welding Repairs.'
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1494] Sir,—There appears to be a certain amount of misconception as to the value and possibilities of -the welding process, and in view of certain illinformed and misleading comments that have are peered in the so-called motor columns of the Press on the subject, we think the following observations may be of use and interest.
In most of the repairs that are undertaken by this and similar establishments, the principal factor is generally that of the relative economy of scientific and guaranteed repair by means of welding and the substitution of the broken or fractured part by a new one. Obviously, however, it cannot always be so, and latterly, in an increasing proportion of •eases in our experience, such relative economy is by no means the ehief consideration.
Spares and replacements now are, in a great number of instances, practically impossible to obtain, and in such it-is not merely justifiable, but essential, to resort to repair, even 'though the cost may exceed-the ordinary price of a new part—if it were possible to obtain -the part. Where the only means of getting a vehicle, temporarily rendered idle by mechanical breakdown, quickly back into service, is that of having the breakage welded, even at a cost above that of a spare which can only be obtained by indefinite waiting, there is little doubt; we think, as to which of these courses the ordinary business 'man would adopt—Yours faithfully,
THE NEW WELDING CO.
Damage to Roads by Timber Haulage. • The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1495] Sir,—Judging from the numerous reports and complaints reaching the Roads Improvement Association in regard to the serious amount of damage which has been caused to roads in various parts of the country, especially in rural districts, by the haulage of timber for Government purposes, and the dissatisfaction which undoubtedly existsas to the question of responsibility therefor, the time would seem opportune when sonic concerted action on the part of the authorities directly concerned should be taken with a view to arriving at a mutual understanding with respect to the reinstatement of the roads so affected. So far as I am aware, no definite united action has been taken, although in many instances the authorities concerned have been in communication with the Ministry of Munitions and other Government departments upon the subject. It will be, I think, admitted that the nature of the traffic undoubtedly constitutes What is termed "extraordinary traffic," and, as such, the parties directly or indirectly causing it would be responsible to the authorities for payment of compensation. To saddle authorities, especially those °Wow rateable value, as many rural ones are, witlitille entire cost, of reinstating -the roads in their districts would have the effect of seriously increasing the rates and inflicting hardship 'upon the already overburdened ratePayers.
Therefore, if a joint conference could be arranged with the Government department directly • responsible for the supply of timber where haulage over roads is necessary, the question of responsibility and payment of compensation or a grant inaid Of the reinstatement might probably be mutually and satisfactorily arranged.—Yours faithfully,
JAMES D. HAWORTH, • Acting Secretary, , Roads Improvement Association. . l5 Dartmouth Street, Westminster, S.W. 1.