WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.
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"The wheel oj wealth will be slowed by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runa."—John Beattie Crozier.
The "Travel by Road" Time-table.
We are looking forward with great interest to the first number of the T.B.R. Motor Omnibus Time-table, the publication of which, on Jane let, will be a landmark in the progress of that wonderful system of road travel which has stolen a march on the railways and taken the heart, of the country by storm. For with it commences a new era, and through it the public will learn that, instead of a chaotic medley of buses, running about doing good local service, they have a highly organized system whereby they can travel all over England, from one great centre to another, thence radiating through all the towns and villages within their radius.
The T.B.R. Guide will contain the time-tables of all the principal motorbus companies of England and Wales, and will be furnished with an index containing nearly 5,000 entries, wherein the larger towns are shown as .centres. Under Canterbury, for example, one finds to Margate, to Ramsgate, to Deal, to Ashford, to Faversham, and so on.; and through connections will be seen between such places as Birmingham and Derby, . Nottingham and Sheffield, London and Dunstable, to take a few
instances. At the beginning of the Guide will be a folding map of England and Wales, showing the motorbus routes which now form a network over the larger part of 'the country. Those who go for a motorbus holiday will find it a true friend, and those who have to go about the country on business, more especially to outlying villages and districts, will find it indispensable. People who stay at home will find the Guide full of interest and instruction. The principal char-a-bancs activities of' the country will also' lie given. It will be published monthly, and we should advise our readers to order 'now from their. booksellers, or from the publishers Messrs. Rise, Wiley and Co., Ltd.; 123,, Pall Mall, London, S.W. 1. The price is Is, and we should imagine the demand will be considerable.
International Roadways Congress.
The InternatiorMi Roadways Congress organized by the Automobile Club of Fiance will be held in Paris on October 6th-3th. Foch association, either French or foreign, which is desirous of being represented:will have the right to send two delegates. France, Great Britain, Relgimii, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Italy,. Norway, Poland, Holland, Portugal, Roumania, Switzerland, Sweden, Czeithe-Slavekia, and the Principality of Monaco have accepted the invitation to send delegates, and only the United States, Japan, Cuba, and Uruguay have not yet replied to the invitation to send them.
The main lines of the programme will be as follow :—In the first place, the desirability,, of the drawing up of uniform statistics regarding automobile traffic in every co:entry will be discussed. The „international road permit', the use of which the United States alone have sanctioned, will be dealt with, and the Congress will discuss the 'passage of frontiers ',and the payment of Customs duties, and will ask for the suppression of passports.
The main question, however, will be the drawing up of an international code of rules for road traffic.
The proper marking; of international roadways and the possibility of drawing up international mad maps to uniform scale we other matters which will be brought to the-attention of the Congress. The delegates will, during their stay in Paris, attend a lecture to be given at Sarbonne by a competent military authority on the part played by motor transport in France during the war.
Implement Entries at the Royal Show.
The Allotments Committee of the Royal Agricultural Society of England has already allotted several positions in the showyard at Derby. The amount of shedding for machinery compared with the previous Derby Show is as follows:1921, 5,560 ft.; 1906, 2,520 ft.
The total number of stands—including machinery and live stock—compared works out -at. 505 for 1921 and 424 for 1906.
The entries in the machinery section, both in regard to character and the actual number, are said to beat. all previous records, and the whole affair this year will he on a much bigger scale than anything the Royal Agricultural Society has yet attempted. Something like 2;. miles of fencing has already been erected on the showground.
We regret that an error occurred in the caption to the illustration of the site of the projected 1921 Tractor Trials, which appeared in our last issue. These will be held at Shrawardine (new Shrewsbury), and not as mentioned in the caption.
It is rumoured that the Fond Co. inintend to import a largo number of agri
cultural tractors into Germany. The price of each tractor will, it is said, be about 20,000 marks, which is about the present cost of a good plough-horse.
Manchester .and Traffic Regulation.
The Manchester Corporation have been defeated in their efforts to include in a private act certain powers in relation to traffic regulation in Manchester, a .proposal which was strongly opposed bythe Automobile Association. From the time the Bill was first introduced, the Automobile Association, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and other bodies represented on the Motor Legislation Committee, endeavoured to secure the exclusion of the clause in question. In addition to Parliamentary action, representations were made to the Government department concerned, and at one time it appeared that the opposition of the motoring interests would have been successful without the expense of fighting the matter before the Private Bill Committee. The Parliamentary Committee of the Manchester Corporation, in fact, recommended the withffrawal of the proposals, but the City Council, by a majority of only three, declined to withdraw. The Corporation and opposers were, therefore, put to, the unnecessary expense of a Parliamentary fight, with the result that the Private Bill Committee of the House of Lords have rejected the clause. Among other private Bills which received attention by the Motor Legislation Committee were those promoted by Liverpool, Grimsby, Preston, and Burnley. In some eases action was taken on the floor of the House, whilst in other cases negotiations with the promoters were attended with successful results. In no case have the local authorities succeeded in this session in obtaining these special powers of traffic regulation which are so directly opposed to the interests of local mater traffic and highly undesirable from the point of view of other users visiting the particular town; and who, not being resident in that district, would be' unacquainted with the local regu'ations.
The "Extraordinary -Traffic Case.
Mr. Justice Eve, in the Chancery Division,. on May 10th, resumed the hearing jd the case of the Weston-super. Mare Urban District Council against Henry Butt and Co., Ltd., in relation to the council's claim for damage to roads by the defendants' motor_ vehicles. The proceedings are in connection with the appeal, remitted from the Hoese of -Lords, against the judgment* of Mr. Justice Eve and the Coart• of Appeal in favour of the claim of the Urban District Council. We hope to be ableto deal, in next week's issue, with a summarized report of the proceedingi.
The Associated' Equipment Co.'s ad. vertisement , in two colours upon OUT cover is particularly artistic, the original drawing. having been made by Mr. Sep• timus E. Scott. It is interesting to note the range ef tones in browns, blacks, and greis that have been obtained M two printings only.
Northern Transport Report.
In their annual report the Northern Transport Co., Ltd., who have their headquarters at Chester-le-Street, state that the company possess a fleet of 102 vehicles. The gross traffic receipts, which again show a decided increase, amounted for the bear, after deduction of working expenses, dividends, etc, to £52?355. After providing for administrative expenses, deducting £2,290 for loan and debenture interest, and making a provision of £9,439 for renewals, there remain £36,191, to which must be added a balance of £12,232 brought forward from the previous year's account, making £48,423.
This amount is to be allocated as follows :—By payment Of a dividend at the rate of 6 per cent, for the year on the preference shares tin respect of which 3 per cent. has already been paid), which will absorb £6,523; by the payment of a dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, fox the year on the ordinary aliares, (in respect of which 4 per cent, has already been paid), which will absorb £22,711, and by the transference of £1,336 to the sinking fund for the redemption of debenture stock. After these deductions have been made there remains a balance of £17,853 to be carried forward.
An Improved Compression Tap.
The taper barfel-type of compression tap, with which we are all so familiar and with which many of us are by this time thoroughly disgusted, presents many -disadvantages. It is extremely prone to leakage, unless the taper is very carefully ground into the body, and carbonization causes seizing of the taper, with the result that, more often than not, plugs are seen minus the operating lever. The carbon also collects round the barrel and causes scoring,-even when the tap does not actually lock solid. A leverless compression tap of very simple and strong design, which entirely overcomes all these disadvantages, and
which is designed particularly for the arduous' service required of all parts utilized in a commercial vehicle, has been produced by Messrs. Leo Ripault and
., of L King's Road, St. Pancras, London, N.W.1. It is made in two patterns. The larger of these is provided with a specially large clipped cap for the injection of petrol or paraffin as required. The sectional illustration of the 1-pattern tap which accompanies this description, shows the simple construction of the device.
Facilitating Engine Starting.
The engines of many commercial vehicles are sometimes difficult to start, and they seldom have the advantage of power starters. In order to assist in the starting, a liquid known as " Startol " has been produced by Howard and Sons, Ltd., Ilford, near London. This liquid is of an extremely volatile nature; in fact, it is considerably more volatile than petrol, especially at low temperatures. It is utilized by wrapping a. piece of soft rag round the air inlet of a carburetter and splashing a' few drops of Startol on to it, The air sucked through the rag makes a very rich mixture, and certainly facilitates starting. We have tested the liquid and find that it is quite effective in the case of an engine which is usually a stubborn starter. It is supplied in tins at 5s. per tin retail.
The L.H.B. Wheel Trial.
The L.H.B. shock-absorbing wheel, which consists primarily of a number of tangentially disposed leaf springs arranged around a centrarhub with the outer ends of the springs resting against the inner face of the rim carrying the tyre, was recently subjected to a trial by the Royal Automobile Club.
Four of the wheels were fitted to a ViTolseley lorry weighing (laden) 4 tons. The two wheels were shod with 34 in. by 4 in. solid tyres, and the rear wheels with 34 in. by 3 in. twin solid tyres. Unfortunately, the trial had to be abandoned after 100 miles.
A noise commenced to develop in the offside rear wheel after 67 miles; it increased at 80 miles, and this wheel ceased to drive, the hub rotating idly within the wheel
A Motor Prison Van Attacked by Sinn Feiners.
The two illustrations at the bottom of this page show an AT-type Thornycroft prison van, one of several supplied by T. I. Thornyeroft and Co., Ltd., some years ago, to the Glasgow Corporation Police Department. This vehicle was the one which was attacked several days ago by Sinn Feiners in the Glasgow streets, whilst it was conveying a Sinn Fein prisoner to the Duke Street station. It will be observed, from the three-quarter front view of the machine, that the radiator has three bullet holes in it, whilst two bullets also penetrated the lower front portion of the unclershield. The lower portion of the windscreen was completely smashed by revolver fire, and the inspector in charge, sitting behind it, killed. The driver fortunately escaped injury. The top half of the windscreen was shattered. The rear of the machine was subjected to revolver fire, and, although the picture does not show it clearly, damage was caused to the locks.
Spanish Agriculture.
The commercial secretary at H.M. Embassy at Madrid received an inquiry from a local firm, who are anxious to get into touch with a British manufacturer of small agricultural machines or implements, which they can carry as a side line to their main business of selling tractors. It is stated that the firm have contracted for the disposal of 1,000 small tractors, which are to be sold at prices ranging between 2,000 and 2,5C0 pesetas. They have had printed 60,090 catalogues, and are at present engaged in a very active sales campaign all'. over Spain and esuggest that some British manufacturer may like to take advantage of this opportunity for pushing farm appliances of every -description.
Owing to labour difficulties there is every reason to believe that the demand for agricultural machines in Spain is likely to develop in the near foterre. The name and address of the Spanish firm referred to can be obtained on application to the Department of Overseas Trade, 35, Old Queen Street, London, S.W.1.
Converting Lorries for Railway Use.
According to an advice from Melbourne the motor lorry, which was converted for use as a railway coach on the New South Wales railways, has proved very satisfactory after some months of experimental running. The venture has, indeed, proved so successful that the chief mechanical engineer intends to have further vehicles converted for branch-line service so soon as material is available.
The chief alterations which are necessary are the substitution of a small four-wheel bogey for the steering wheel and the addition of a coach • body, 20 ft. 7 ins, in length and 7 ft. in width. The experimental vehicle has been at work between Grafton and Lismore. and it makes a return trip of 170 miles daily. At the end of last year, when the vehicle had, run 16,346 miles, its gross earnings, including 'those of a light trailer for the-carriage of goods, were £2,378. The runnine' expenses were only £922, or less than 40 per cent, of the earnings.
Newspaper Transport.
The following extract, which we cull from "The Mystery Book of the Drxily Mail," which was published one day last week, reflects to a remarkable degree the dependency of this London daily upon motor .transport. The growth of the motor transport department has been coincident with the expansion of the paper's circulation.
A motorcar department was created in the very early days of the commercial automobile. At the start it was a very small affair with seven small cars--t-wo 10-12 h.p. Renaults, five Unics. To-day it has a special garage and storehouse in South 'London which cost £40,000 to build, and bias a fleet of 62 vehicles, varying from great 3 ton Austin lorries to staff touring cars. There are special high-speed cars to take special editions in minimum time to distant places for special occasions. One car is so fittedeip that a staff photographer can developThis pictures while he is hurrying home.
'The London garage in Friar Street, Blackfriars, is fully installed with labour-saving devices and machinery of the most modern type. Two petrol C10 tanks, with a capacity of 2,000 gallons each, have been sunk, and the petrol is run directly into the tanks of the cars each time they return to the garage before they are stalled, so that there is never any question of whether or not a tank has been filled. Pneumatic pipes, running down the walls, make it easy for the driver to charge his tyres at full pressure without pureeing. The repair shops attached to the garage are a feature in themselves, and anything and everything connected with a car, including the repair and renovation of tyres, is dealt with here.
" The bigger vehicles are principally used for taking she Daily Mail irom Carmelite House to the railway stations, or for other necessary transport during the day. When the great railway strike took place, in September, 1919, they, in conjunction with is considerably augmented fleet of motor vehicles, proved indispensable in getting the Daily Mail to the coast towns and other places.
"There is a night and day staff at Friar Street, and vehicles are always on duty. There is also a day and night staff of fitters and assistants, so that all contingencies are provided for, There are, likewise, touring cars available for editorial use whenever time can be saved by making a journey by road as compared with the railway."
Lorries Beat Railway.
In America the use of the motor lorry in commercial traffic between Philadelphia, Wilmington; Baltimore, and the Delaware-Maryland peninsula has caused the Pennsylvania railroad to curtail its way freight traffic on the peninsula.
Regular services of metor lorries ply between these towns, and the services have developed to such an extent that the railroad cannot profitably compete. By the time a retailer pays his freight and cartage from 'the railroad station he is usually paying more for the goods than they cost delivered at the door by the holesaler's lorry—a condition of affairs which is beginning to hold good in this country.
Straits Settlements Trade.
The total value of the imports of petroleum into the Straits Settlements for the last quarter of 1920 was 1,128,000 dollars which shows a decrease of 440,000 dollars, as .compared with the same period or 1_919. The export of petroleum was represented by a decreage of 200,000 dollars between the last tour months of 1919 and 1920. The value of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts and accessories increased, in imports, from 1,500.000 dollars to over 8,000,000 dollars, and in exports by about 1,000,000 dollars.
An I.A.E. Paper.
A valuable paper was read before the Institutitar of Automobile Engineers on May 11th by Mr. Harry Ricardo on experiments carried out by him during i the years 1915 and 1916 n connection
with super-charging. In his introductory remarks he pointed out that Ore Oily two obvious ways or increasing the power output of an internal-combustion engine were by increasing the mean urea
Sure or the piston speed, and that the former was not hopeful seeing that the volumetric efficiency is already closely up to the highest obtainable, while the compression ratio has reached the highest safe limit for the fuels available Further objections would accompany the increase in maximum pressure. as it would involve heavierimoving parts and enhanced mechanical losses. He alse ruled out increase in piston speed owing to the difficulties involved in obtaining adequate valve area.
Mr. Ricardo started on his experiments withethe idea that the only hopeful solution of the problem of increasing the power and also the economy lay in the reduction of the maximum flame temperature. He then discussed the temperature due to various mixture densities, showing the need for weak mixture to maintain low temperature. Mr. Ricardo then described some ex periments in connection with weak mixtures leading up to the possibility of obtaining such mixtures which would nevertheless be capable of being ignited by means of stratification.
Newcastle Bus Services.
The Newcastle Corporation have received the sanction of the Newborn Urban District Council to run a service of motorbusesfrom the city to FooteJana via North Walbottle and High Callerton. The total single-journey distance will be about 10 miles. Many members of the Newborn Commil held that a bus service was being developed to 'a sparsely populated district, whilst neglecting those parts of their own neighbourhood where there were greater num bers of people. •
Eventually, after discussion, the permission was granted, subject to the N ewcastle Corporation paying an animal sum equal to Id. per mile run by the buses, and upon receiving a definite promise that the proposed service is not an substitution for the tramway to North -Walbottle, authorized by the Newcastle Corporat-on Acts, 1926.
Seaside Coach Owners' Claims.
When a deputation of Colwyn Bay motor coach, taxicab, and. hackney carriage proprietors waited upon the local council to make an application for licences they asked that those engaged in the trade should make it. their sole. occupation, and that they should prove that they were the actual owners of the vehicles for which they sought licences. They also pointed out that they intended to provide facilities for the conveyance of the public all the year round, and not merely during the summer season, One of the deputation emphasized that licences had been granted to people who came into the town in the summer months to take the cream of the business, renting a place for six months and paying rates for six months, whilst local owners paid rates all the year round.
Consideration was promised to the recommendation.
Self-contained Ford Factory.
Officials of the Ford Motor Co. at Detroit • announce that before many months have passed the company will be entirely independent of all manufac
turers of part.g and material. Final steps are Toeing taken to complete a gigantic programme, which provides for the manufacture in Ford-owned in of every part and product used 2n the construction of Ford cars, lorries, tractors, and petrol-driven railway cars. The completion of this plan, long the ideal of Mr. Henry Ford, is scheduled for eariy in the coming autumn. To this end the production of leather, celluloid, glass, cloth, steel, coal tar products, paint, and other products, recently started, is being greatly expanded
Doing Without Trams.
The shortage of fuel for generating sufficient electricity to maintain the many municipal tramway services up and down the country has resulted in drastic cuts being made—leaving some important centres of the population bereft of the electric tramcar services during certain periods of the day. In cases where the corporations have motorbuses, they have been put into commission, but, aS might be expected, they have been inadequate to cope with the big traffic that has been, and is, offering.
Private enterprise, has, however, risen to the occasion, and many motor "coach proprietors have, in some centres, Liverpool, for example, stepped into the breach and put their vehicles on to the streets, In Liverpool 'several companies are engaged in carrying passengers to and from the city and the outside districts, and area charging fares which are extremely reasonable. Many of the tram routes are now covered by motor conveyances, and the utility of the services is excellent propaganda for motor transport.
. We venture to suggest, however, to those who are maintaining these emergency services, that they indicate ,more clearly on the vehicles • the 'route which • is traversed.
Balteweil Urban District Council, which recently provided a motor park for vehicles, has now decided to increase the tolls for large chars-h banes from 2s. to 2s. 6d.
In two recent advertisements of the East London Robber Co. there has appeared a small error in connection with the Kerry detachable wheel set for Ford vehicles, the size of the wheel having been given as 30 ins. by 34 ins., whereas the correct size is. 30 ins. by 3 inc.
Local Proceedings.
West Ashford R.D.C. is to purchase a motor ambulance to cost £350.
£320 is to be spent by'Carnarvon T.C. On the purchase of a motor Ion.
Doncaster T.C. is recommended to apply for powers to run Tailless cats and motorbuses.
Oldham Town Council is borrowing £520 for the purchase of a motor vehicle.
The proposed purchase by Wein R.D.C. of a, stearn wagon has been temporarily deferred.
Walsall Corporation has referred to the tramways manager the question of erecting a bus garage at Bloxwich.
Consideration is being given by Church Stretton R.D.C. to a proposal to purchase a motor lorry.
Sanction to borrow £1,324, the cost of an alelectrie tipping wagon', is being applied for by Gainsborongh U.D.C.
Carnarvon Town Council hasgranted the application of Avery and Roberts, Ltd., for permission tu run a motorbus from Penmaenmawr to (Jarnarvon.
A motor road sweeping machine, at a cost. of £650, and three motor tipping wagons, at £346 7s. each, are to he secured by the Wallseral Town Council.
The Metropolitan Asylums Board has been asked to give its approval to the provision of a second 1 ton Ford lorry for the Southern Hospital.
The question of finding the. money to purchase a steam tractor and two wagons, estimated to cast, £1,316,: is being considered by a sub-corfimittee of Boston R.D.C.
The county surveyor of East Riding reports that the purchase of another steam wagon is imperative to enable him to deal with the increased haulage, and thus decrease the cost of hired transport.
Leeds Watch Committee reports that the Ministry of Health has approved of the by-laws suggested by the Corporation in respect of the licensing of motorcycles and sidecars as hackney carriages.
The Stockton Corporation Omnibus Committee hgs agreed to purchase four new vehicles. The Fire Brigade Committee has decided to obtain tenders for a second motor fire-engine.
Four new buses. are to be bought by the Stockton Town Council for their North,Bank service, and-the authority have also decided to obtain a second new motor fire-engine.
In order to provide work for the unemployed, the Stockton Corporation have agreed to the construction of a road joining the districts of Oxbridge. and Newtown, at a cost of about £14,000, half of the cost of which will be defrayed by the Ministry of Transport.
Sheffield City'Council has been asked to enter into contracts with (1) Agricultural and General Engineers, Ltd., to supply ten %. ton electric vehicles at L1,12.8 .each, and (2) ,General Vehicle Co., Ltd. ,to supply four 4 ton electric vehicles 1,29(..Y. each.
Many applications had been received for sanction to commence omnibus services in different parts of the &linty, it was stated at the annual meeting of the Durham County Council. In view of the rejection of the County Transport Bill, a sub-committee has been set up, with power to act.