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A. C. Hills.
The Wolf and the Fax. Curing a Leaky Radiator.
By "The Extractor."
A Send-off for Mr. A. C. Hills.
A hearty send-off dinner by a, few personal friends, including the humble individual who pens these lines, was given last week at the Motor Club, London, to Mr. A. C. Hills, who is proceeding on a round-theworld business trip, laying plans for after the war. He is just back from a preliminary cantor over to the States, was amongst the torpedoing, having quite an adventurous time, but looks none the worse. Hills is an old pressman, so it was not surprising that some of the hosts belonged to the Motor Fourth Estate, nor was it strange that others were business competitors. Hills is universally liked, and the informal speeches breathed a wealth of goodwill, good luck and wishes for a safe return.
Mr. Wolf, now of Sheffield.
Mr. Wolf was formerly with Mr. Fox (this sounds like the beginning of a fable, but it is not) at the Acetylene illuminating Co., Ltd. His knowledge of _welding gained him a place with Messrs. Vickers, Ltd., and a week or two ago I found him spending some days down at Sheffield, hurrying up materials. Whenever I go to Birmingham or Sheffield I find some erstwhile commercial representative on the same mission. All the persuasive qualities necessary before the war for the securing of orders for motors seem to be brought into play for getting preferential treatment in the snapping up of supplies. I see :whilorn motor travellers at Birmingham leave the hotel in the morning with the light of battle in their eyes, and later -sit down to their evening meal with the satisfied look of men who have contracts in their pockets. When you talk it over with them a fearfully strenuous day has been spent in mingled cajolery and threats. They have actually seen their stuff despatched maybe, or have sent off parcels of supplies by passenger train to the works, so that deliveries of ambulances or aeroplane engines, or whatever it is, can be proceeded with. It is harder work, they tell one, than securing orders was in the old days.
Mr. Jac Pedersen.
Impressions gathered on a recent visit to the Scandinavian countries by Mr. sTac Pedersen, the special represeotative of Firestone tires, have been communicated to "The Yorkshire Post."
Mr. Pedersen was born in Scotland of Danish parents and is, therefore, a British subject.
He gives many interesting details of the effects of food blockade for which I am sorry I cannot find space, but I reproduce, with pleasure, his comments on the tire business.
"All the imports of rubber entering Denmark pass through the hands of a committee of seven, two of whom are representatives of British tire companies, one of a French firm, while the remaining members are well-known Danish traders. Our Government agreed to allow Denmark to have the pre-war supply of tires which constituted about 30,000 covers and tubes. 'Only those traders who did business in Denmark before the war are allowed supplies, of which 15 per cent go to the firms, including American, who
started business just before the war. Every firm, whether English or American, must be represented by a sole agent. There is no leakage here, at any rate. All the .Danish agents are well known to the committee, and are under a bond which in the event of breach renders them liable to a term of imprisonment and a heavy fine. If a private owner buys a tire he has to sign a bond, and the number of the cover is taken. When the car is sold the seller must notify to whom the car went, and also the tires. No tire can be fitted to a German wheel. There were a lot of German taxicabs and cars in Copenhagen, but they could not get tires when theirs were worn. To meet this the German Government gave permission for tirea to be exported from Germany, but that did not go on for long, and during my stay in Copenhagen I could not hear of a single German tire being used, and hundreds of German cars are useless.
"From Denmark Mr. Pedersen went to Christiania, where he found the feeling 'out-and-out pro-Ally.' The persistent torpedoing of Norwegian ships had, he observed, caused much bitterness. The British blockade is equally effective as in Denmark, although a few German ships manage to reach Christiania by creeping along within territorial waters. Mr. Pedersen did not stay long in Sweden, which, for business purposes is a 'dead country ' just now."
A Leaking Radiator Cured.
The radiator of my Bedford-Buick car has for some time past developed a leak. I have mentioned this casually to friends of mine who are specialists hoping for some helpful suggestion, but I have noticed a great shyness This doubtless a nasty long job involving a lot of time, and an exasperating one. I was usually recommended to keep on filling it up with water unless I wanted to lay it up some time and spend £5 on it. Anyhow, a friend advised me to try the " Orno " radiator stop-leak compound sold by G. T. Riches and Co. Ltd., 19, Store Street, London W. C. I gladly tested this about a month ago, and at the first time of asking the dripping has ceased. and I feel like the dog at the show, although not "highly commeaded," I am highly delighted.
Olin Podrida.
Clayton and Shuttleworth, Ltd., of Lincoln, could turn out more steam wagons if they were not to much engaged on vehicles of the "Caterpillar" variety_
The Russell paraffin vaporizer made by Russell and Co., Ltd., at the Peel Foundry, Derby, has caught on so rapidly. that they cannot tackle the selling side. They tell me they have disposed of the sole selling rights to Morris Russell and Co. Ltd.., 75, Curtain Road, London, E.C.
In a way I believe I am responsible for Mr. H. ,T. Fitton, a personality on the Council of the S.M.M. and T., getting his commission in the Royal 'Engineers. Lieut. de Norma,nville, formerly of the Motor staff, told me that they had roam for a good man or two. The same day I ran amis H.J.F., one of our former confreres, and to my mind just the man. and sent him off to the Royal Engineers Headquarters, and my next vision was these two officers clanking akin the street together in uniform.