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A Dennis char-à-banes, with a finely-upholstered body, has recently been engaged on demonstration work in Sydney.
New services are being demanded for the Fishponds and Kingswood districts of Bristol, and from Derby to Ashbo The Side-slip Appeal.
Messrs. Joynson-Hicks, Hunt, Moore and Cardew, were solicitors for the L.G.O.C. in the appeal case upon which we commented fully four weeks ago, and which goes far to settle the law of liability for side-slipping—a matter which now causes uncertainty. " Underground" Improvements.
The half-yearly reports of the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway and of the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton tubes, give evidence of improved traffic. This, to a considerable extent, is due to the unfavourable weather by which the months of April to June were characterized, and a somewhat different result would unquestionably have been on record hail the weather been anything like that experienced from the 10th to the 15th inst. Notwithstanding the enticement of " Cool in summer," people usually find the top deck of a motorbus more to their liking then. The " Bakerloo " carried approximately 1,400,000 more passengers than during the corresponding period of 1908, which gave it increased receipts of £6,992, whilst there was a decrease in total expenses of £3,228; the " " carried practically 2,200,000 more passengers; took £8,962 more in receipts, and experienced a net reduction in expenditure of only £1,459; the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead also had a satisfactory record, from its shareholders' point of view, as its passenger receipts increased by £16,139 (3,300,000 more passengers), whilst its total expenditure only increased by £702. It is the Central London line and the Great Northern and City which appear to be in something like an unhappy position at the momentthe secondnamed of these particularly. With the object explained by its title, and to carry out an agreement with Mr. W. J. McCabe, the Salisbury Hotel (Bournemouth) Motors, Ltd., was registered, on the 10th instant, with an authorized capital of 0,000 in Li shares. The registered office is at the Salisbury Hotel, Christchurch Road, BOSCO II1 be, Bourn emou th
Reports from Kieff.
A large number of second-hand omnibus chassis have been shipped to Russia. We learn that the vehicles in use on the Kieff-Jitomir and KieffChernigoff roads are suffering continua I breakdowns, and general regret is felt locally that the promoters who placed a large order with a well-known British manufacturer early in 1907 did not complete their financial obligations. We observe, too, that the British Consul at Kieff thinks trustworthy agents can be found; he gives a warning that trade on a cash basis must he limited in volume.
The motorbus committee of the Eastbourne Corporation, after having proved the most uncomfortable of the Borough Committees upon n hich any member of the local council could be chosen to serve, is now, owing to thesuccess and popularity of the vehicles,, becoming more attractive.
Asia' s Awakening.
Recent American consular reports show rapid development of the commercial motor in Asia. A communication from Syria states that the latest project is to carry pilgrims, from Khanikin on the Persian border to. the holy city of Kerbela, by motor. The journey is made every year by thousands of devoted Mohammedans, on muleback, in Sedan chairs, and on foot; it takes about eight days. The motor service, in connection with which a company has been formed, will reduce the time to eight, hours. In Asiatic Turkey, a concession has been granted to a company—for a service for freight and passengers—which %yin connect Beirut with Bagdad and do away with a sea journey of 4,000 miles in favour of a motor trip of 525. It is reported from Yokohama that the Japanese Minister of Communications is investigating the advisability of transporting the mails by motorcar in the principal cities of Japan. Cars will be bought in the first instance for Tokyo and Osaka, and, if satisfactory, the service will be gradually extended to other cities.
In the"West Country.
The motorbus department of the Bath Electric Tramways, Ltd., has been energetically developed this season. Numerous whole-day and half-day trips have been arranged in fresh directions, and most of these have proved highly popular; in fact, the company has had some difficulty to meet orders on occasion, as a number of special instructions have taken their vehicles as far afield as Bournemouth and Weymouth. All the regular country bookings remain in force until the middle or end of September ; the " feeding " of electric trams is clearly not the only use made at Bath.