News of the Week.
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" THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR" was the first journal announced as a weekly in connection with self-propelled vans and lorries.
The commercial motor world is waiting still for the publication of the conditions for the Automobile Club's Trials. We hope to deal with them in our next issue.
It is reported that the leading British manufacturers who are preparing to build motor omnibuses will have a combined output of forty vehicles a week by November next.
Owners of steam wagons who have not advised the Secretary of the Motor Van and Wagon Users' Association, to 16, Down Street, W., particulars of any smoke prosecutions they have suffered are reminded that this information is desired.
The Kensington Borough Council has received a letter from Messrs. Savage Bros., of King's Lynn, offering to allow the Council to have the use of one of their steam wagons for a month on trial, and stating that they would make no charge for the use of the wagon, feeling sure business would result. It was decided to accept the offer.
The Highways Committee of the Bucks County Council has given instructions (in accordance with Article XIV, of the Heavy Motor Car Order of 19o4) to have notices placed on the following bridges, declaring that they are insufficient to carry a heavy motorcar :—Caldecot Mill Bridge, Simpson Bridges, King's Bridge, Stewkley, Whitchurch Bridge, Ickford Bridge, Marlow Bridge, and Albert Bridge, Datchet.
One hundred electric cabs are to be put on the streets of Buenos Ayres by the German Transatlantic Company of that city in direct competition with the existing three thousand horsed cabs. The manager of the company, Mr. Mauro Herlitzka, states that he is open to consider quotations for additional motor cabs, as he is satisfied that the demand will warrant a considerable increase at an early date.
At the Chesterfield County Court on the 22nd inst. a claim was brought by the Chesterfield Rural District Council against the North-East Derbyshire Brick Co. for alleged damage to Hut Lane and Spink Hill, said to have been caused by traction engines hauling brick trucks belonging to the defendants. Damages were laid at 4;25o. Mr. Humphries, adviser to the Traction Engine Owners' Association, was called as a witness for the defence. he said that the roads in question had been repaired in a lavish and uncalledfor manner and were now in better condition than were many of the county main roads. Judgment was given for the council for J5o and costs. Our contemporary " Commercial Intelligence," in its issue of Friday last, contains an interesting editorial urging a greater use of motor wagons at the London docks.
Mr. John Scott, of 12, North St. Andrew Street, who was formerly Professor of Agriculture and Rural Economy at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, announces a series of five hand-books on motor farming. The first of these will be ready on July ist, and the price of each is as, 8d. by post.
British manufacturers should turn their attention to Roumania, where a demand for motors is evident. Members of the Bucharest Motor Club own So cars, but not one is of British origin. Two wagons were recently purchased as railway feeders, and the Director of Posts and Telegraphs intends to adopt motor mail services.
The St. Pancras Ironwork Co., Ltd., have received an order for two municipal wagons from the Corporation of the City of London.
The consumption of industrial alcohol for the production of motive power in Germany is less than three per cent, of the total production, and this notwithstanding excessive official encouragement.
We understand that other important firms have followed the example of Messrs. C. S. Rolls and Co. in refusing to sign the bond in connection with the Olympia Exhibition to be held next November.
At a meeting of the Wandsworth Borough Council on Wednesday it was reported that the motor water van recently obtained had been satisfactory in every way. It was decided to purchase another similar vehicle from the Lancashire Steam Motor Co., Ltd., at a cost of L600, the company to keep the same in repair for six months free of cost, and for the following seven years for the sum of .5c) per annum. Each of these motors replaces three ordinary water vans.
The London County Council has under consideration the question of providing motor ambulances for Central London. Sir William Collins (an ex-Chairman of the Council) has the matter in hand. London is more badly served for ambulance work than any other capital city in the world, and we are glad that the central authority has at last grappled with the -subject. We hope that the example of the Metropolitan Asylums Board will not be followed in purchasing a type of vehicle only built to carry heavy loads of merchandise. Apropos of this, we publish an interesting photograph this week of a German motor ambulance on page 243.
The Zurich Board of Works has sanctioned the purchase of two motor watering carts. The import duty is 8s. ad, per cwt.
The Standing Orders Committee of the House of Commons has thrown out the Bill to establish a public trust for the canals of the United Kingdom because no advertisements had been inserted in the manner laid down in respect of private Bills.
The Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Co., Ltd., has received a further large order for motor buses, to be used in London services. This is gratifying, because of the fact that Wo Icy vehicles are built throughout by the company, including the body work.
The British Empire Motor Trades Alliance, whose address is II, Red Lion Square, W.C., is actively carrying out its policy of aiding the home industry. Mr. Herbert Austin, of the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Co., Ltd., is working most energetically as chairman of the organisation.
The commercial motor competition projected by the German Motor Club for next autumn is shaping towards materialisation. In the rooms of the club a few days back leading representatives of the German motor industry met and talked over the project with the club officials, who had the satisfaction of seeing their idea most cordially welcomed by makers. Rough outlines of the competition were sketched at the meeting, and an elaborated scheme will be issued shortly.
It is instructive, if unsatisfactory, to see the reiterated statements of various Highways Committees as to the damage caused by motor traffic and the consequent necessity for increased expenditure. Such discussions are not infrequently followed by the adoption of estimates which positively disclose a reduction on previous years. Such proceedings are contradictory, not to say somewhat undignified, and where increased amounts have been sanctioned the additions to the votes have been small.
Mr. A. Carnegie Ross, H.B.M. Consul at Buenos Ayres, informs us that the use of motor vehicles for the carriage of goods is becoming more common in that city, in spite of the cheapness of horseflesh. He remarks in his communication that the city spreads over an unusually large area, which renders the great distance from the suburbs to the centre very much in favour of motor traction, in addition to which there are practically no gradients. Mr. Ross will be pleased to receive particulars of commercial motors from any British manufacturer. The directors of the Ivel Agricultural Motors, Ltd., have declared a dividend of five per cent, for the year ending March 3Ist, roos.
Cammell-Laird, Ltd., of Sheffield and. Birkenhead, is entering the motor inudstry, and will shortly place on the market motor vehicles of all types, which will be constructed at Coventry.
The tractor illustrated on page 217 of our last number was built by W. Tasker and Sons, Ltd., Waterloo Iron Works, Andover, Hants. Its work in aid of overtaxed horses in the neighbourhood of the Crystal Palace is under the direction of Surg.-141ajor Poole.
A complimentary dinner was given on Thursday last to Mr. John Tyrer, FAX', F.C.S., at the Hotel Cecil, in recognition of his efforts to advance the question of duty-free alcohol. Mr. Tyrer contributed a valuable paper on this subject to the London section of the Society of Chemical Industry in 1903, and he has been unremitting in his labours, The prospectus of the Metropolitan Motor Cab and Carriage Co., Ltd., was issued publicly on 27th ultimo. We can see no reason to make any alteration in our opinion of this venture, expressed in our columns on May 4th, page 161. One point in the prospectus is worthy of notice; no distinction is made between the earnings for public hire and private engagetnents of the three cabs which form the basis of the alluring figures published. If these vehicles are to run upon pneumatic tyres (as have the three sample cabs) " ,.7e per annum for tyres and other renewals, annual painting, and contingencies " will not nearly cover these items.
The Widnes-Runcorn transporter bridge is the fourth of its type, but embodies various improvements over the older ones at Portugalette, Rotten, and Bizerta. An illustrated description is given on page 236-238. It is a matter for regret that the directors have penalised heavy motor traffic to a degree which must be prohibitive. There is little to be said in favour of the high toll on a s-ton wagon, for which the charge would be 8s., assuming the total weight to be it tons. If the proprietors of the transporter wish to encourage a regular stream of motor wagons from Lancashire to the Birkenhead Docks they will require to lower this charge by so per cent., as the empty vehicles are obliged to pay a return charge across the ferry at Liverpool before they can pick up a back load to the mill. if the tolls are maintained at their present level, many hundreds of tons of baled cotton goods which would be sent by road with a little encouragement will continue to go weekly by rail.
The world's consumption of rubber has doubled in the last nine years and has now reached Scs000 tons a year.
The current number of our contemporary, "The Horseless Age," reports that the number of nrins which use motor vehicles for business purposes in New York City now exceeds one hundred.
There is an increasing tendency amongst American users to take advantage of the multiplicity of electrical power plants throughout the United States by installing electric wagons and trucks. Such wagons have only a limited range of action, but are suitable for purely town work.
The Tram Accident at Ramsgate.
Sir,The enclosed photograph, together with a brief description of the accident which it illustrates may be acceptable to you for insertion in your very interesting paper, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR," to which I am a regular subscriber.
On Friday, the 26th ult., while descending Belle Vue Road, a rather steep hill in Ramsgate, one of the electric trams (trolley system) of the Isle of Thanet Electric Tramway Co.; got out of hand at the commencement of the gradient, and, gathering impetus every moment, was trawlingat over thirty mites per hour when it reached she bottom, which culminates in a very dangerous and sharp corner. This corner the car, of course, utterly failed to negotiate, and, leaving the rails, crashed into a grocer's shop which faces up the hill, burying itself to a distance of six feet therein, and entirely wrecking both car and shop, which latter had to be shored up before any attempt could be made to extricate the car. Six persons were injured, a child (who was in the shop) very badly so, but taking into consideration the nature of the occurrence, it is providential that the results were not far more disastrous. This same hill was, two
years ago, the scene of another runaway tramcar accident, the car on that occasion being prevented from performing as above by the fact that half way down the hill the double lines converge, and on that occasion an ascending tram on the converging section was crashed into and both cars and passengers severely damaged. The result of the Board of Trade inquiry on that occasion was to have special slipper brakes fitted for hill work. The latest catastrophe will bear silent (?) witness as to whether this is an efficient safeguard, and should conclusively prove that on a hilly route electric trams are a great and ever-present danger, and that such fields sholild be left for the motor omnibus, which is under such ample control, leaving alone the numerous other advantages which it undoubtedly possesses over its unwieldly competitor. It is unnecessary to draw your attention to the harm such an accident as this may cause to a holiday resort like Ramsgate, just at the commencement of the season, when it w'shes to attract visitors.—Yours faithfully,
Ramsgate. A WELL WISHER. The daily increasing. interest France now takes in commercial motors is borne out by every paper and journal one takes up. Thus, our contemporary " L'Auto," which is the leading daily in automobilism, devotes a column to the trials in its issue of Saturday last, whilst the weeklies, without exception, are giving greater space to the trials and to the different makes of vehicles. A meeting of the commission des concours was held at the Automobile Club de France last week, when the budget and other important matters were considered. It was reported that a most encouraging response had been secured from the leading towns on the
routes to be traversed, and that 32 entries had already been received. This was regarded as very satisfactory, in view of. the ordinary closing date being June 15th, and, with late fee, July loth. A large number of artistic posters to advertise the trials and the several exhibitions were examined, and a resolution In favour of greater publicity adopted.
The secretary will be pleased to hear from owners of motor vans and wagons, or of other self-propelled vehicles. On receipt of remittance to cover annual subscription-one guinea—any individual, firm, or company will be added to the register, and will become entitled to all advantages-of-membership. These include free advice on matters of law and procedure arising under the 1896 and 1903 Motor Car Acts; support and assistance in case of disputes or other difficulties; to resist undue restrictions by authorities having jurisdiction over roads, bridges, etc.; opposing local by-laws embodying proposals restrictive of the use of mechanically-propelled Vehicles; and generally undertaking necessary public work on behalf of users of motor vehicles which can only be discharged by a strong and representative body. Recent addi
tions to the register of members include Richardson and Company (Leicester), Ltd., wholesale chemists, Leicester; The Motor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.,. 151, Wardour Street, London, W.; Peek, Frean and Co., Ltd., • Drummond Road, London, S.E. ; T. Healing and Sons, Borough Flour Mills. Tewkesbury; L. N. Meyrick Jones, Esq., Stanley House, King Stanley, StoneliOuse.