WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.
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"rho wheel's of wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads oser which it runs."—John Beattie Crosier.
Benzole Consumption.
In the House of Commons last week the President of the Board of Trade said that the precise figures for the production of benzole in this country in 1W27 are not available, but it has been estimated by the National Benzole Association that the output of refined benzole for the year 1927 was 26,000,000 gallons. The retained imports of benzoic in the year amounted to 13,000,000 gallons, and there were exported 2,000,000 gallone of the home product, so that the consumption, apart from any changes in stock, might be estimated at about 37,000,000 gallons.
The Reconstituted BAT. Board.
The board of directors of the British Automobile Traction Co., Ltd., has now been -reccauttituted and consists of the , following :—Mr. Sydney E. Garcke (chairman), Messrs. It. J. Howley, Lea'M. Myers and W. S. WreathaIl (representing the British Electric Traction Co., Ltd.), and Messrs. Walter Wolsey, Thomas Wolsey, X. F. Heaton, and R.M. Tilling (representing Thomas Tilling, Ltd.). As was mentioned in a recent issue of this journal, the title of the company is shortly "to he changed to Tilling and British Automobile Traction, Ltd.
Lighting-up Time.
The attention of the Minister of Transport has been drawn to the fact that the Lighting Regulations of 1.914 are still in force, not having been repealed by the Transport Lighting Act which has just come into force.
Under the old regulations, the rear identification plates must be illuminated half an hour after sunset, which, in the summer, is half an hour earlier than general lighting-up time. The Minister has promised, when the next opportunity presents itself, to introduce an amendment to secure uniformity.
Shifting the Road Burden.
The finance committee of the Middlesex County Council reports that the practice of maintaining Class A and B roads has involved the council in a very considerable increase in expenditure. What the actual cost is it is not • easy to estimate, but in adopting the highways committee report in October last, 82.228 miles of roads were taken over by the county council, and the cost to the local authorities for these roads was shown as being £74,747. These expenses will now be shouldered by the county council, as well as a further road mileage in other districts. The cost of these additional roads is included in the estimates and the total might, therefore, be taken as at least £100,000, which is equal to a county rate of 2.5d. in the The amount to be borne by the local authorities concerned will be much less than hitherto. But for this fact, it might well be that the estimates would have been reduced, but the progress of spreading the burden over the whole county prevents that being done. The benefits accruing to the districts in which these roads are situated can be c20 illustrated by showing that in one of the rural districts the amount of upkeep transferred to the county was £10,603, which is equal to the rate of is. Md.
in the upon the particular district. This practice of relieving the local rates at the expense of the county rate willin. all probability, continue.
Rejoined the Motor Trade.
Mr. G. N. Higgs has recently disposed of the Midland Hotel. Hemel Hempstead, and has rejoined the motor trade, having taken over the sales department of Henry Watson and Sons, Ltd., of Newcastle-ou-Tyne. Many of those in the trade will remember that Mr. Higgs has had associations with Dennis Bros., Ltd., Auto-Carriers, Ltd., and with Specialleid, Ltd.. as well as running his own business in Vauxhall Bridge Road, London.
The Glasgow-Edinburgh Road.
It is officially stated that about 1,000 men are now, employed on the construction of the Glasgow-Edinburgh road. Every possible step is being taken by the Ministry of Transport to expedite its completion.
Haulage Firm's Absorption.
The name of:the company which Was concerned in the taking over of Messrs. E. Box and Co., of Bootle, was Marstons Road Services, Ltd., of Liverpool, and not as stated An' a paragraph which appeared on page 384 of our issue for last week.
More Six-wheelers for London.
The London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., which has had four six-wheelers in use for some time past, has just put into service a fifth vehicle of this type. It is operating on route No. 33. We are told that -the company is taking steps to run experimentally 12 buses of this type, and that modifications are being introduced into the six-wheeled bus with a view to testing it out under different circumstances of use.
A single-deck six-wheeled bus, for instance, is under construction in which specially light materials are being employed, the object being to ascertain whether larger yehicles can be operated over some of the London bridges upon which a weight limit has been set.
• The Quarrying Exhibition.
• The third exhibition of quarrying plant, machinery, building materials and transport appliances, which is being organized in conjunction with the annual, conference of the Institute of Quarrying, will be held at Blackpool from June 2nd to June gth, Sir Henry Maybury performing the opening ceremony. We understand that the concerns showing commercial motors are :— Fotlens Ltd. John Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd., Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd., the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co., and Muir Hill Engineers, Ltd. Altogether 70 exhibitors have taken space on the show ground.
The New Tasker Tractor-trailer.
With reference to the article which appeared in the columns of The. Cola?Herein/ Motor for May 1st, describing the tractor-trailer outfit which is being made by Taskers, of Andover, Ltd., John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., asks us to note that there is no arrangement in existence between it and Taskers, of Andover, Ltd., for the production of this tractor-trailer, and that the A2 chassis is not supplied with the special short wheelbase referred to_
Our article did not imply that Thornycroft's were co-operating with Taskers in the production. We understand that the latter has chosen the Thornycroft A2 chassis as being the most suitable for the purpose, and is itself making the necessary alterations in it after delivery.
Pump Accuracy: of Trade
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Pump Accuracy: of Trade
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The Board of Trade is seeking the views cif local authorities as to the proposed code of regulations to be issued under the provisions of the Weights and Measures Act in regard to the verification of liquid-fuel and lubricatingoil measuring instruments.
Newport Bug Extensions. .
The Newport (Mon.) Town Council is to make extensions of its bus services operating beyond the borough boundaries. Applications to the local authorities concerned for the necessary licences to ply for hire are now being made, The Bedwas and Machen Urban District Council. has decided to allow the Newport buses to run to Machen. Dunlop's Tyre-test Lorries.
In 1927 an average of 33,591 miles was covered by each of the drivers of the Dunlop test lorries which are run over all kinds of road surface to observe the behaviour of tyres and tubes under different conditions of use. There are three lorries and they covered a total distance of 100,773 miles. The test fleet also includes 16 cars, 5 motorcycles and 2 cycles, the total mileage of the whole fleet being 835,048. .
• The longest continuous run by lorry was from Birmingham to Weymouth and back-323 miles.
Allen-Liversidge Dividend.
Allen-Liversidge, Ltd., has declared a dividend at the rate of 64 per cent. per annum •(less tax) on the preference shares of the company for the six months ended April 30th last.
A Well-used Bridge.
Since the new toll-free Queensferry Bridge, which spans the River Dee, has been opened, there has been a large increase in the volume of traffic from Lancashire and the Wirral Peninsula to North Wales. It does not seem long ago, when the old toll , bridge was in use, that the narrow highway was so congested with traffic as to make it preferable for drivers to take the longer route via Chester to reach the North Wales coast road.
Chester, although a good attraction for motor coach parties and tourists, is one of the most difficult places in the north-west country to negotiate, owing to its narrow and congested thoroughfares. The Queensferry Bridge has to a large extent resulted in the diversion of traffic from Chester, and the costliness of the bridge structure seems to have been well warranted by the growth of traffic on this increasingly important highway.
Bradford's Bus Revenue.
Figures which have recently been issued by the tramways department of the Bradford Corporation show that the revenue from the municipal passengertransport services has increased by over £67,000 during the year ended Marcia 31st, as compared with the previous 12
months. Motorbuses were responsible for the largest increase, i.e., £37,000, although the revenue from trolley-buses increased by £17,000, whilst receipts from the operation of the tramcars are up by over £10,000.
Appointing Agents in Australia.
Mr. C. E. Mayer, who has been appointed Australasian representative for Latfly (England) Co., Ltd., recently arrived in Melbourne for the purpose of appointing agents for Lally commercial vehicles. Mr. Mayer has been, in turn, sales manager for Seammell Lorries, Ltd., the McCurd Lorry Manufacturing Co., Ltd., and hely (England) Co., Ltd. London's Ambulance Services.
The Landon County Council reports that during the year ended March 31st, 1028, the 13 stations of the London ambulance service received 41,189 calls as against 39,575 in the preceding year. The average time taken throughout the year to reach cases was 6.9 minutes, compared with 6.8 minutes in the year_ 1026-27.
Taking the year as a whole, -the largest number of calls (viz., 2,734) was received between the hours of
10 p.m. and 11 p.m., and the next largest (2,638) between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday was the busiest day of the week for the service, 7,285 calls having been dealt with on the Saturdays throughout the year.
The Bloomsbury ambulance station received the highest number of calls and the Elephant and Castle the next highest, the figures being 5,081 -and 4,860 respectively.
Result of Guy's Poster Ballot.
For several years past Guy Motors, Ltd., Fallings Park, Wolverhampton, has run a poster ballot, one of the conditions of which is that the motor dealer taking part must display a poster in a prominent position on his premises during the full period of the competition, which is about 12 months. This year's draw has recently taken place, the winner proving to he the Eastbourne Garage, of 16, Eastbourne Road, Birkenhead. The prize, which takes the form of a Guy 25-cwt. chassis, was presented yesterday at the works of the company.
Jacks with Good Features.
The Consolidated Pneumatic Tool Co., Ltd., Egyptian House, 170, Piccadilly, London, W.1, is responsible for marketing in this country the Duff lifting jacks for commercial vehicles. A good range of jacks is available for dealing with different capacities of vehicle, and one model in particular is highly suitable for use with motor vehicles running on low-pressure tyres and having bodies with a low overhang. This particular jack is of the telescopic-screw type, and the ratchet is arranged to work horizontally so as to facilitate the operations of raising and lowering. Inspecting Bradford's Hackney Carriages.
The annual inspection of vehicles licensed to ply for hire in Bradford was carried out a few days ago, the inspection taking place near the central fire station in Nelson Street. In all, 270 buses were brought forward for inspection, in addition to 39 motor coaches and 72 taxicabs, but not a single horse drawn vehicle was to be seen. It would appear that a general improvement in mechanical condition was to be noted, and, without doubt, a better type of bus is being introduced for public-.service work. • A 700-mlie Highway.
According to a recent advice from Habafia, orders have been placed by the :Department of Public Works for over 600 road-rollers; tractors, lorries and other. appliances. . The department is giving employment to 8,000 workmen The great central highway now under construction; will be about 700• miles long and will pass through
six of the principal provinces of Cuba. Starting from Pifitt del Rio, 173 kilometrea frora Habafia, the road will run to Santiago de Cuba, A notable feature of the new highway is the replacement of level-crossings by no fewer than 74 overhead or underground crossings.
To Make Hoge Joints Secure.
We have had occasions in the past for referring to the merits of the Jubilee hose clip and it is interesting to note that this useful device is making good headway in the commercial motor industry. So much is this the case that numbers of manufacturers of commercial motors are using this fittitv, and amongst these may be named Cmmer Cars, Ltd., and Guy Motors, Ltd.
It will be remembered that the device in question, which is marketed by L. Robinson and Co., London Chambers, Gillingham. Kent, is unique in its par 009
ticular class, inasmuch as it consists of a clip of strong, flexible metal, at one end of which is attached a housing containing a form of screw with a wormtype thread and a slotted cheese head. The metal strap, or clip, is passed round the hose to be compressed and its free end is pushed into a slot in the housing which holds the screw or worm. Notches are provided at equal distances on the surface of the strap and these engage
the worm thread of the screw. By means of a screwdriver of medium size it is possible to draw the clip through the housing as the screw is turned, and a surprisingly strong and even pull can be obtained on the band.
A Cottehbuilder's New Works.
Messrs. A. Dixon, the coachbuiblers of High Street, West Bromwich, advise us that they will shortly be removing their premises to Roebuck Lane, West Bromwich, where they are erecting extensive works to deal with the increasing demand for their bus and other types of body: The business was established in 1835, and the present proprietor took it over in 1909.
Parking Charges at TorquaY
Torquay. Watch Committee has fixed a charge of 2s. 6d. for each motor coach, having a greater capacity than 16 passengers, which uses the Upton Valley motor park, and a fee of is. 6d. for smaller vehicles. Belfast Corporation to Try Again.
The Belfast Corporation is to make another effort to secure permission to run buses outside the city boundary. It will be remembered that, some months ago, the corporation proposed to promote a Bill in the Northern Parliament to secure such powers, but when a plebiscite of the electorate was taken permission for such an undertaking was refused by an overwhelming majority.
The tramways committee of the cornoration is now to approach the Ministry of Home Affairs and to endeavour to obtain leave to run bus services on roads outside the city on which its trams also run. This action is due to the operations of a privately owned bus company which has been running in opposition to the corporation trams in the Cregagli district, a thickly populated suburb which is outside the city.
Colchester's Bus Plans,
Colchester Corporat; at has decided that, in due course, the present tramway system be discontinued and that hoses be purchased to replace the service; that the Lexden route, i.e., from North Railway Station to Lexden terminus, be dealt with first, and that additional buses be obtained so soon as possible for use on this route, and that consideration of the remaining routes be deferred to a later date.
The Latest " General" Record.
On May 5th the buses of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., set up a new record by carrying 0,135,000 passengers. This exceeds the number carried on the previous Saturday, when a record figure of 6,000,000 was reached, the highest number of passengers ever carried by the company's fleet on any one day.
A Scottish Co-operative Society's Transport.
The St. Cuthbert's Co-operative Association, of Edinburgh, has a transport department which, during the last half-year, did work for other
departments of the society to the value of £34,590. The society had expended 142,449 on motor vehicles before adding lorries and vans to the value of £3,543 in the half-year just closed. These have already been depreciated by £40,087, and this is being continued at the rate of 20 per cent. per annum; they now stand in the society's books at £5,022. The garage has cost 8,812. • A Sanding and Polishing Appliance. • A useful• appliance, which should make a special appeal to the bodybuilder, has lately been introduced to the commercial market by B.E.N. Pateats, Ltd., 02, Tottenham. Court Road, London, WI, The apparatus in question is known as the Haskins combination sander and polisher, and its equipment includes attachments suitable for carrying out a number of different operations in regard to the finishing of paint surfaces, etc.
A sturdy electric motor is used to supply the appliance with power and a long, flexible, enclosed cable is provided to take the drive to the sPbadle on which can be fixed the various buffs, brushes and other attachments.
The motor is mounted on a strong column, rising out of a broad base, in
the shape of a circular plate, which can be used to carry the various fittings of the machine when they are not in use, The short legs from the plate are equipped with castors, and the machine can thus be quickly moved about the workshop when this is necessary.
A Long Wait.
Blackburn Watch Committee has decided to adjourn an application received from the Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., for permission to run express bus services from Blackburn to Blackpool, Morecambe and Southport, until February next. This is in accordance With a resolution of the committee that all applications for bus liceuces 'be submitted in February of each year.
Carlisle Grants Licences.
Carlisle Watch Committee has granted the following licence
Clan Motorways, Ltd., 134, St. Vin. cent Street: Glasgow (two buses), Neweastle-upon-Tyne to Glasgow; via Carlisle. Mr. Phillip De Mello, 2, Cecil .Street, Carlisle (one), . Cecil Street. to Penrith, via Hesket,• Mr. Herbert G. sEvered, 36, Kingmoor Road, Carlisle (one), Town Hall to St. Ann's. mm-penal Motorways, Ltd., 249-251, Crosby Road, Seaforth,•Lancs (one), Liverpool to Glasgow. Mr. William Minima, East Tower Street, Carlisle (one), Town Hall to Loagburgh and Little Bampton.
An Unusually Capacious Oilcan.
. The garage engineer should find a useful acquisition in the latest size of the Kaye oilcan, which can hold l4 pints of lubricant. A sample of this particular type of can has been forwarded for our inspection by the maker, Joseph Kaye and Sons, Ltd., Lock Works,
Leeds, and it certainly seems to be a strongly constructed accessory and one which should prove of great assistanee to commercial users, particularly fleet owners. The large capacity of the can should enable lubricant to be applied to a considerable number of machines without the need for refilling the container.
farce-feed device is fitted to the can, and its long spout, which should allow even the most inaccessible points in the chassis to be oiled. in a satisfactory manner, is of the double-wrapped type, this making for extra strength and se
curity in the seams. •
• Bus-operating Results at Oldham.
Figures prepared by the tramways committee of the Oldham Town Council show that the gross profit on the operation of the council's motorbuses and tramcars during ttae past year amounted to £886. The revenue from the buses was 154,152, equivalent to 12.8d. per bus-mile. In the previouls year the revenue was 14.8d. per busmile, but the lower figure during the past year was brought about by an
adjustment of fares. So far as outgoings are concerned, traffic expenses absorbed £25,230, general expenses 13,448, cost of repairs and maintenance 111,800, and the cost of fuel 18,241. The gross profit on the buses was £5,569, which is transferred to the net revenue account, but interest on loans accounts for 12,595 and contribution to the sinking fund £6,530, and a net loss of £3,130 has to be recorded on the bus undertaking.
A London Bus Guide.
A new edition of the pocket bus route map and guide, with which Londoners are familiar, has just been issued by the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd. The new map is a little larger than previous editions and enables many of the outlying terminals of the routes to be shown. As is usual, it contains a complete list of the routes with particulars of the roads covered, intervals, etc. Five million maps of this kind are distributed every year,
An Important Long-distance Bus Centre.
.Three interesting additions have just been made to Newcastle's chain of road connections with large centres of population. One is to Hull, via York, . single-journey. distance of about 11C. miles. This is being worked by Messrs. Taylor and Bunting, who are employing Associated Daimler saloon buses. The return fares from Newcastle to York and Hull are 13s. 6d. and 19s. .6d. re.
spectively. • • In addition, the Primrose Motor-,Services have just starteda daily run between Newcastle and Blackpool, at 12s. single and 235. return, and the K. and M. Motors have opened up a new direct service between Tyneside and Edinburgh.The Iatter is by way of Carter Bar and Jedburgh and, therefore,.provides an alternative route to the service already worked between the two centres and running via Morpeth, Alnwick and Berwick.
It is interesting to note that at present there are no fewer than 10 routes being worked from Newcastle over mileages ranging from 100 to 280, and that about 14 undertakings are interested in the operation of these services. Each week well over 100 long-distance bus journeys are made to and from Newcastle.
Showing at a Blackpool Exhibition, On the occasion of the Exhibition of Quarrying Plant and Machinery, which takes place at Blackpool from June 2nd0th, John Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd., will be showing, amongst other appliances, a 6-7-ton steam wagon with a three-way tipping body and a 40 h.p. motor locomotive for shunting purposes.
Eastbourne's Bus Profits.
Recently issued returns dealing with the operation, of motorbuses by the Eastbourne Corporation show that a net profit of £7,613 was made in the year ended March 31st last. There are several striking differences in the revenue from the buses operating on various routes, eight of which reveal losses, some quite small. Glasgow's New Refuse Destructor Works.
The new destructor works of the cleansing department of the Glasgow Corporation at Govan were recently officially opened by H.R.H. Prince George. One of the main contractors in connection with this scheme is Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd., Leiston Works, Leiston, the part which this company is playing taking the form of supplying a fleet of 36 Garrett electric vehicles specially designed and built to suit the corporation's requirements. The work which the vehicles have to perform is that of collecting 650 tons of refuse daily in the various districts, transporting the loads to the destructor plant at Govan.
We have already published brief details a the outstanding features of the machines, but we may remind our readers that they are of particularly low-loading type, in which the height
from ground level to the top of " the sides is only 4 ft. 6 ins. Each body has a capacity of 14 cub. yds., and will carry between 4 and 5 tops of refuse. It is provided with sectional roller blinds which prevent the contents of the body from being blown into the air.
The motors of the vehicles, which are manufactured by Bull Motors, Ltd., of Ipswich—an associated concern of Richard Garrett and Sons, Ltd.— develop approximately 11 h.p., the necessary power being provided by 44cell Tudor lead batteries of about 500 amp.-hours capacity. With the exception of the batteries and the motors the whole of the vehicles have been manufactured in the Garrett works. This type of vehicle travels about 40 miles per battery charge at a speed of 12 m.p.h. Some of the vehicles, and an incident during the opening ceremony are shown in accompanying illustrations.
A Useful Ignition Tool.
Herbert Terry and Sons, Ltd., Redditch, has just introduced an interesting little device which should prove of value to many commercial-vehicle users and drivers. It is an ignition tool which contains four spanners with jaws . machined to suit different types of magneto, four feeler gauges for setting plug and contact points, a screwdriver, a, reamer, a file and a 2-in. rule. The sides of the tool are nickel-plated and the device is put up in a neat leather case. Its price is 6s.
An Irish Bus Amalgamation.
The Louth and.Meath Bus Co., which has extensive services in the midlands of Ireland, has been absorbed by the Irish Omnibus Co.
'Distributing De Dions.
Johnson Neal, Ltd., 40, Conduit Street,, London, W.1, informs us that it has been appointed sole distributor in Great Britain for De Dion Boiaton vehicles by the Anglo-Foreign Motors, Ltd., 10, Great Marlborough Street, London, W.1, the official British and Colonial concessionaire for the products of the Etablissements de Dion Ilouton, of Pntetinx. Johnson Neal, Ltd., is in a position to supply new parts required for De Dion commercial vehicles, a representative stock having been recently imported direct from the works in France. The company also , holds stocks of the well-known brand of De Dion oil, and has established new works in Holford Square, King's Cross, London, W.C.1.
A Users' Association in Austria.
Following the example of Great Britain, France, Germany and other countries, an Austrian Commercial Motor Users' Association has recently been formed in Vienna.
Bodies for Birmingham's Buses.
Short Brothers (Rochester and Bedford), Ltd., has just received an important order from the tramways department of the Birmingham Corporation for the supply of 40 50-seater all-metal, covered-in, double-deck bus bodies. The bodies will be constructed in accordance with the company's 'patented system ; the net weight of a body of this type does not exceed 37 cwt.
Free State Coachbuilders and the Bus Tax.
In the course of the debate on the Budget in the Free State Parliament, the Minister of Finance mentioned that he intended to amend his original taxation proposals to allow that three months' credit for the duty would be given when a commercial motor chassis was imported without a body, but when a complete bus was imported the duty would have to be paid immediately. His object was, he said, to help the Irish coachbuilders.
It is understood that the Minister's statement is a sequel to representations made by a deputation from the Irish coaehbuilders, the Irish Omnibus Co., and the Body Slanders' Union. This Aiutation recently waited upon the seeretary to the Minister and the revenue commissioners and asked that commercial vehicles ordered before the Budgiit was introduced should be exempt from the new tax on imported commercial vehicles.
Irish coachbuilders have orders for over 50 commercial bodies to be delivered
in the next few months, but unless they can pass on to their customers the tax on chassis and wheels it is said that they will have to abandon the contracts.
Inverness to Seek Traffic-restriction Order, At a recent meeting of the Inverness County Council it was resolved to make application to the Minister of Transport for an order to prohibit or, restrict the use of locomotives, heavy motor cars and motorcars with a seating capacity exceeding 14 persons on cer tain roads in Inverness-shire. It is considered essential that some restrictions should be placed on the use of dangerous roads by heavy motor coaches.
The French Foreign Trade.
A short report dealing with French foreign trade in motor vehicles has been prepared by the Department of Overseas Trade, and United Kingdom manufacturers who may be desirous of receiving a copy should communicate with the Department, at 35, Old Queen Street, London, S.W.1.