Motorbus World.
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Two " Hanford " petrol-electrio omnibuses are proving themselves very popular at Brighton, although less speedy than the petrol buses there.
Will motorbuses tend to get smaller and smaller, whilst tramcars get larger and larger ? 'We would refer all interested parties to pages 127 and 137 of this issue.
The Peter Union Tyre Company has secured a contract to supply, during the next two years, all the tir3s needed for the motorbuses run by the Cardiff Tramways Company, Limited.
Bristol District Excursions.
Mr. Charles Challengor, traffic manager of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company, Limited, notifies the early resumption of delightful country excursions and tours, and short pleasure trips, by motor charsil-banes. These trips were very popular last year, and the itineraries include some of the most beautiful rounds in the western counties, to centres both of natural and historic beauty.
Anomalous Regulations.
A grave flaw in the 3?,-ton unladen limit for motorbuses is its disregard of axle-weight. The precedents of thHeavy Motor Car Order, and all scientific considerations, show that the total axle-load is the more correct weight factor to be considered, it being presumed that all other vibration producing conditions remain common. We have every desire to see the acenmulator-drivn motorbus encouraged, and the Chief Commissioner is evidently inclined the same way, but his willingness to exclude the weialvi-, of the battery from the 3-ton limit
does not accord with one's ideas of equal treatment for the internal-combustion vehicle.
To Canada.
Another l.5-seated char-h-bancs (see page 1281 has recently been shipped to Canada by the Albion Motor Car Company, Limited, of Scotstoon, Glasgow. It will be observed that there is a l'Orsidertible amount of luggage space in the " boot," and we may note that the vehicle fills a repeat order, the original Albion purchase for the same buyer having been made about July last.. Notwitlistandino. the high tariffs and the close proximity of Ameri• an ma-o
facturers, Albion eti •ds Vieir own, and succeed in beating the competition of keen rivals. No less than 12 shit% r chars-li-hancs have. since the beginning of March, bemi ordered from the Albion Connate v for Shipment to different pars: of the world, and the majority of these from old customers.
Tramcar or Motorbus?
Not only in one eonneetion, but in several, does the question of " Tramcar or motorlins? " arise. Who will settle to the satisfaction of either the a uthorities or the poblie, for example, how many of the fatalities for which motorbuses are blamed really should be ascribed to tranwars--if not wholly, at least in part: The latest case in point was before the City Coroner's Court. on the 15th instant, when an enquiry was conducted in regard to the death of a married woman named Silver. Mrs. Silver was attempting to enter an eleetric tramcar at a nonstopping place, and was knocked down by a motorbus in endeavouring to regain the pavement. Although a verdict of " Accidental death " was returned, and the jury exonerated the
motorbus driver from blame, this fatality goes into the statistical records to the debit of the omnibus, and not of the tramcar, whereas the facts show that both vehicle.s contributed. There are, of course, converse examples, but we fear that the balance is enormously and unfairly against the dirigible omnibus.
Thomas Tilling, Limited.
The annual report arid accounts of Thomas Tilling, Limited, for the year ended the 31st December last show a profit on working of kl9,553, to which .t 11.185, brought forward from 1907, has to be added. The report states that the directors are pleased to observe substantial improvements in earnings; it is added that these were partially due to the most rigid economies in all departments. As the motor branches are not shown separately from the extensive horse sections of this company, no useful purpose will be served by further references here.
Passing on the Near Side.
The Local Government Board, under date the 19th instant, has rescinded sub-divisions (3) and (4) of Article IV of the Motor Cars (Use and Construction) Order, 1904. No special regulation is substituted, aml it is now left, as stated in a covering letter from the Board, for the overtaking of tramcars to be ruled " by the ordinary law applicable to other classes of vehicles." This solution purports to be delightfully simple, hut we must rest content that it upsets the decision in the case of Burton versos Nicholson. in which the King's Bench Division of the HiPlt Court, on appeal, upheld the convietion of a motorist who had overtaken a tramcar on its left or near side. Extraordinary general meetings of 4, the share and debenture holders of the London General Omnibus Company, Limited, took place on the 16th instant, and confirmatory extraordinary general meetings will he held on the 6th proximo. The business was formal, and principally: (1) to approve the issue of debenture stock, instead of the debentures sanctioned under the scheme for the amalgamation; (2) to . approve the re-conversion of ordinary shares into stock ; and (3) to authorise the dealing with fractional shares under the scheme. On the first-named -date, the debenture stock-holders of the London Road Car Company, Limited, met and approved a resolution which provided that no L.G.O.C. _issue of debenture stock should take priority over, or rank pan i passu with, the authorised £500,000 B debentures of the L.G.O.C. The Road Car meeting also sanctioned certain detail alterations in respect of redemption -terms, whether in 1938 or earlier.
The most interesting part of the proceedings, from the point of view of the motoring industry, was the speech of Mr. Henry Hicks, chairman of directors of the L.G.O.C. We are glad to observe how fully be confirmed our own views in regard to the immediate position and early prospects of the enlarged undertaking, which views were more particularly expressed by the Editor of this journal, at the beginning of the present month, in the course of an interview which he accorded to " The Observer," and which appeared in that paper on the 4th instant.
Mr. Hicks expressed his gratification that drivers had no inducement to race one another, that the public was therefore freed from a danger which it had been almost impossible to prevent in the past, and that the company was saving enormously under the head of claims. Expenses had decreased largely, especially in the administration departments, but the discharge of a large number of old servants had not been effected without the award of moderate sums by way of compensation. Compared with a joint loss of about £150,000 for the half-year ended the 31st December, 1907, he might safely place the loss for the half-year ended the 31st December last at not more than £6,000. Further, he should be bitterly disappointed if, when the next annual accounts were presented, they were not able to issue a balance-sheet which showed no loss. He forecasted that, for the following 12 months, which would end on the 30th June, 1910, with the full benefits of the reorganisation ill addition to advantages under purchasing contracts, they should be again in a position to pay dividends, and he hoped good ones.
As regarded the new police regulations, the L.G.O.C. was both able and willing to comply with the 3-ton order, so far as any new omnibuses were concerned, whether the company built the vehicles or got them built. The directors, however, felt that the police authorities ought to allow the present over-weightomnibuses to run until they were worn out, and also to license a small number of old vehicles which had not, for certain good reasons, been submitted when the Order was notified.