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WHEELS of INDUSTRY

" The wheels of 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 runs."—John Beattie Crozier.

The First Green Line Double decker. FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Green Line Coaches, Ltd., has had 1931. constructed a double-saloon luxury bus, Sept. 10.26—Shipping and F.ngineering Exhibi incorporating the A.E.C. Renown LTtype six-wheeled chassis. The body, which has a front entrance, a curved. stairway at the rear, a simple allweather roof and a novelty in the form of a ventilating fan in ea& saloon, seats 50 persons and was built at the Chiswick works of the Loudon General Omnibus Co., Ltd.

• Subject to the vehicle being passed by the police authorities, the company's desire at the time of going to press was to commence operating this vehicle on Saturday morning last as a limited-stop bus on the Redhill-Bushey route, across London. The vehicle is painted in the familiar Green Line colours and upholstered in the style of the Green Line single-deckers.

Alfa-Romeo Building Oil-engined Commercial Vehicles.

The Societa Alfa Romeo, of Milan, Italy, has lately taken up the construction of oil-engined lorries and buses, the power units being made under licence from the German Dents Co. Several models are being made, namely, a 6-7-ton four-wheeled lorry, a 6-ton chassis for goods transport or bus use, a 5-54.-ton chassis specially designed for use as a bus or coach, and two six-wheelers, one being intended for bus work and the other as a 10-ton lorry.

A feature of the six-wheelers is that each of the rear axles is driven by its own propeller shaft.

Ruled Books for Transport Men.

For many years the Charnwood Publishing Co., Atlas House, Coalville, Leicester, has sold account books for -special trades and professions and among its range there are three books in particular which will appeal to our readers. An account book for retailers Is sold at 7s. 6d. or 12s. 64., according to the number of pages. This book, listed as No. 1, is of service to garage proprietors, etc. No. 3 is specially ruled to suit bus proprietors, haulage contractors, garage proprietors and those in other branches of the motor trade ; it sells at 1.0s. 6d. The first 53 pages contain a record of receipts, segregated into cash and cheque items, whilst the cash payments can be entered in any one of 12 columns. Next follows a section for an analysis of cheque payments and finally there is a summary of the bank account for the 12 months concerned.

An interesting and helpful new publication is No. 7, selling at 12s. 6d. or 17s. 6d. (double thickness). It is a crqh book and record for bus owners, ant! enables them to collect data as required by Traffic Commissioners ; from this book returns can be compiled with ease and certainty. Receipts on contract, express-carriage or stage-carriage work can be entered separately, whilst the daily entries provide data regarding

520 mileage, passengers carried, dogs and parcels transported, etc. Its use provides a check on operating costs and it is of assistance for income-tax purposes. A useful addition to each of these three books is a section containing instructions for making entries.

A South Wales Bus Association.

The South Wales Private Bus Owners' Association (Ltd.) has been registered as a company limited by guarantee without share capital, with 300 members, the objects being to provide a special organization of transport owners, etc. The subscribers are Messrs. C. E. Minton, F. Stephens, A. T. Chivers, H. C. Herbert, G. Evans, R. Evans and S. Golding. The management of the organization is vested in a council.

Roadway Publications.

Mr. R. N. Martineau, Polebrook House, Golden Square, London, W.1, advises us that he is forming a private company for the purpose of acquiring and publishingthe Roadway Time Table, the Roadway Goods Transport Guide and other publications formerly owned by Roadway Time Tables, Bookings and Publications, Ltd. It is intended to publish the autumn (No, 16) issue of the time-table on September 28th.

A Big Seller.

If all the copies of "The Motor Manual " that have been sold to motorists were laid end to end, the resulting trail would be over 80 miles in length, or as far as from London to Southampton ! Over three-quarters of a million copies have been sold to date and the figure is steadily growing. The latest edition of "The Motor Manual" is said to contain more practical information on motors and motoring than any other single book.

Chester's Application Refused.

Chester Corporation was refused the application it made at last week's public inquiry of the North-Western Commissioners to run a bus service partly outside the city boundary.

Registration of an Important Haulage Association.

The Long Distance Road Haulage Association, Ltd., was registered on September 10th as a company limited by guarantee, without share capital, with 500 members, the objects being to protect the interests of all those engaged in the long-distance haulage of goods by road in the United Kingdom. The subscribers are :—Messrs. J. A. M. Bright, L. W. Gupwell, E. B. Hutchinson, S. F. Kneller, E. C. Marston, A. C. Marston, J. S. Nicholl, R. W. Sewill, W. D. Wright, W. W. Dring and E. C. Thomas.

America Loses Over £4,000,000 in Six Months.

The serious effect of the world's industrial depression on the American commercial-motor industry may be gauged from the fact that the exports from the United States during the first half of the current year show a decline in value of no less than £4,175,861. During the period under review the exports of vans, lorries, buses and chassis amounted to 28,990 units, valued at £3,133,603, as contrasted with 55,050 and £7,309,464 respectively in the corresponding six months of 1930.

The major portion of the exports, 20,874, or about 75 per cent. of the total, have a capacity of between 1. ton and 30 cwt.

So far this year the principal markets for American vehicles, in the order of importance, have been Belgium, Sweden, Japan, India, Denmark, Spain, the Philippine Islands, and Canada. It is interesting to add that the exports represent only 11.4 per cent, of the total American output of commercial vehicles.

Bus Operations at St. Helens.

In the year ended March 31st last the motorbuses of St. Helens Corporation were operated at a gross profit of £1,532, equivalent to an average of .691d. per bus-mile. Income totalled £21,985 and working expenses £20,453, these figures on a per-mile basis being 9.916d. and 9.225d. respectively.

During the year 21 motorbuses were in service on a route-mileage of 63 anti they covered an aggregate mileage of 530,081 and carried 1,994,226 passengers. Each motorbus covered an average mileage of 99 per day, the number of passengers per bus-mile being 3.76.

The corporation also runs a small fleet of trolley-buses, and ht the past year the 11 such vehicles which it had in service were rim over a route-mileage of 5.9. The machines covered a total mileage of 319,590 and carried 2,228,326 passengers. Each trolley-bus covered an average mileage of 130 per day.

The income from the operationof trolley-buses was £16,557 and working expenses amounted to £11,157, the gross profit thus being £5,400. The net deficit on the working of the motorbuses was £2,867, whilst the net surplus on the trolley-buses was £2,495.

Body Tenders Required.

The director-general of the India Store Department, Belvedere Road, Lambeth, London, S.E.1, is inviting tenders for 63 ambulance bodies for fitting to Morris-Commercial sixwheeled chassis, 11 lorry bodies for Guy CAX-type chassis, 12 bodies with cranes for breakdown vehicles and 10 bodies for mounting on Albion sixwheeled chassis, In each case, tenders Lave to be delivered by September 25th.

Depressed Trade in India-.

A further definite downward tendency Las so far this year been noticeable in the imports of vans, lorries, buses and commercial chassis into India. The returns for the two months ended May last show a total of 1,110 vehicles valued at 1107,486, as contrasted with 1,614 (210,486) in the corresponding period a year ago, and 3,469 (f416,867) in April-May, 1929.

Of the total, the 'United States is credited with 977 vehicles, Canada with 76 and Great Britain with 28.

Laurels for Lodge Plugs.

' The Vickers Supermarine RollsRoyce machines, which won the Schneider Trophy and set up the new world's air-speed record, were equipped with sparking plugs made by Lodge Plugs Ltd., Rugby, as were all the British machines entered for the contest. Incidentally, Lodge plugs were used in the machine which won the 1929 trophy, as well as in the machine to set up the world's air-speed record which has now been broken.

110,000 Agricultural Tractors in Russia.

In a booklet specially prepared for the Social Economic Congress lately held in Amsterdam it is mentioned by Mr. A. Gaister that whereas, in October, 1924, there were only 2,560 tractors used in agriculture in Soviet Russia, at the commencement of the spring of the present year no fewer than 110,000 machines were in operation. Russia is said to be second to the United States in the number of such machines employed.

New Registrations.

A return issued by the Ministry of Transport shows that 26,798 motor vehicles were registered for the first time under the Roads Act, 1920, during the month of July, 1931, as compared with 29,018 in the corresponding month of 1930. In this year's total are included 4,852 goods vehicles, as against 4,555 in July, 1930, and 922 hackney vehicles, as against 1,111 a year earlier.

Palestine an Improving Market.

With the gradual improvement and extension of the road system, mechanical transport is assuming an increasingly important role imp/the economic development of Palestine. Even the smaller farmers, who have hitherto used animal drawn vehicles to transport their produce to market, are beginning to find it more economical to use motor vehicles.,

Choosing Vehicles for Public Cleansing.

In a paper before the Sanitary Inspectors Association, Mr. J. W. Mellor, the cleansing superintendentof Barnsley Corporation, said that the transport of refuse formed an important part of the cleansing service. .. Whatever class of transport was used, there were certain features that should be considered; such as the loading line, capacity and -the facilities for dustless '

Local conditions, roads, gradients and so forth must, Mr. Mellor remarked, be deciding factors when making a choice of the class or classes of transport to be adopted. Vehicles should be tried out under actual working conditions in a particular area.

Withdrawing a Fare Condition.

In connection with the application to the South-eastern Traffic Commissioners by Southdown Motor Services, Ltd., for permission to continue certain stagecarriage services, Eastbourne Corporation is to withdraw its condition that. a minimum fare of 4d. should be charged in Eastbourne, because the company's fare schedule already meets the case.

Forty Years in Transport.

The latest contribution to the literalire of transport is "Forty Years in Pransport," from the pen of Mr. Walter 3ammons, founder and managing director of Walter Gammon; Ltd. It is published at 7s. fid. net by Industrial Transport Publications, Ltd., Dudley Elouse, Southampton Street, London, W.C.2.

Whilst in the main it is a story of the life of the author, it contains a great deal of information which should be of value to all those concerned in the transport of goods by road. Mr. Gammons's early training was as a railway man, but he left the service at the age of 19, and has since devoted himself almost exclusively to road transport.

His contribution forms a striking indictment of many features of railway administration and practice, and he is very outspoken in his comments upon certain controversial topics.

We must take up the cudgels against Mr. Gamroons-on one point with which we are concerned. He refers to the

part which we played in the formation of the Long Distance Haulage Committee as being an occasion for scoring points against other journals. We definitely refute this suggestion. We took the initiative in bringing together some of the warring interests amongst the hauliers, in an endeavour to promote the general good of the industry. The committee then formed has now developed into the Long Distance Road Haulage Association, Ltd., with a large and increasing membership. The result is a justification of our efforts in this matter.

A Shropshire Bus Association.

The Shropshire Omnibus Association (Ltd.) is the title of a private company recently registered with a capital of £1,000 in £1 shares, with the object of promoting the interests of bus operators and others with road-transport-operating interests in mid-Shropshire and elsewhere and, in particular, in connection with the members of the Mid-Shropshire Omnibus Association, which was formed in 1930. The latter has been absorbed by the new association, the first &rectors of which are Messrs. J. H. Poole, 822 J. Williams, A. Price, W. R. noggins, A. T. Brown, T. G. Smith and P. G. Jones, who are all bus proprietors. The secretary is Mr. L. Ross, and the registered office of the association is Walker Street Chambers, Wellington, Shropshire.

More Thornyerofts for Brazil.

John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., has received orders from the San Paulo Railway Co., of Brazil, for 27 chassis, comprising nine of 30-cwt., capacity, seven 2-tonners, six 3-ton six-wheelers and five 3i-ton six-wheelers. Thornycroft products have achieved much popularity in Brazil, and these vehicles are• intended for use in conjunction with the company's railway services.

The Anti-dazzle Demonstration.

The demonstration of anti-dazzle devices for motor-vehicle headlamp; organized by the Royal Automobile Club, was held on Midsummer Common, Cambridge, on Thursday last. The total number of entries was 85, the largest which has been received for an event of this character, and it included the names of some of the foremost manufacturers of anti-dazzle lamps. The demonstration was not, in any sense, a competition, and no awards are to be made.

In our next issue we shall deal with the features of some of the outstanding devices which were demonstrated.

Courses in Automobile Engineering.

A course of automobile engineering is included in the syllabus relating to the evening classes held at the University of Sheffield. The course extends over two years and the fee per session is 108. The first term for 1931-1932 starts on September 28th next. Mr. A. Bayliss, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.M.I.A.E., is the lecturer for this course.

A Two-way Drive on Fire Pumps.

In a recent issue we referred to the two-way drive (i.e., for propulsion or rotation of the turbine pump) employed on a Scottish-built fire-engine. We are advised by Morris Commercial Cars, Ltd., Soho, Birmingham, that this principle has been incorporated in its sixwheeled fire pumps since 1927.

Personal Pars.

The Minister of Transport, Mr. P. X. Pybus, M.P., has appointed Mr. Aubrey Clark to be his private secretary and Mr. Geoffrey Shakespeare, M.P., to be his Parliamentary private secretary. The Parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Mr. G. M. Gillett, M.P., has appointed Mr. S. S. Wilson to be his private secretary.

The general-purposes committee of Eaton Urban District Council recently nominated Councillor T. M. Scott to a panel from which the Minister of Transport is appointing a Traffic Commissioner. Councillor Scott has been actively connected with the organization of public-vehicle services in the Teesside area.

Mr. P. W. Brick has been appointed publicity manager of Guy Motors, Ltd., in succession to Mr. R. A. Bishop, who has taken up a similar position with Armstrong-Saurer Commercial Vehicles, Ltd.'

Vehicle Speeds in Oxford.

The watch committee of Oxford Corporation has decided not to make application to the Ministry of Transport for the continuation of the regulations fixing a 10 m.p.h. speed limit at present in force in the centre of the city and which, under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act, 1930. will cease on January let next.

Power Progress on the Farm.

A new rotary cultivator, operated by an Austin tractor, was recently publicly demonstrated at Woburn Experimental Farm, near Bedford. The machine—the Austral, made by Messrs. J. and F. Howard, of Bedford—represents another step in the development of farm power for certain purposes, enabling, as it does, the carrying out of the three processes of ploughing, cultivating and harrowing in one operation. The machine is operated by the power take-off of the tractor.

A New Bi.motal Piston.

Hobbies, Ltd. Dereham, Norfolk, is going into production with a new bimetal piston of a patented type. It is called the Lancaster piston and comprises a die-cast head of light alloy and a pressed-steel skirt, the two being secured by the gudgeon pin, as well as by four locked bolts which are screwed into steel nuts. The principal claims for the design are that piston slap when the engine is cold is reduced and cylinder-wall lubrication is improved, whilst at high temperatures also the fit is said to be accurate.

Profits of Broekhouse and Co.

During the year ended June 30th last the profit of J. Brockhouse and Co., Ltd., the name of which is well known in the commercial-vehicle world, was £5,504, as compared with £27,549 a year earlier. The directors have withdrawn £10,000 from the reserve, and £11,399 was brought forward, so that £26,903 is available for dividends. The preference distribution for the year requires £883 and £13,252 is absorbed by the ordinary dividend, which is reduced from 10 per cent. to 6 per cent., leaving £12,767 to be carried forward. A Dennis Specialist.

A concern of automobile engineers in Surrey which specializes in the overhaul and repair of Dennis vehicles is Seesrnith, Ltd., Imperial Works, Guildford, Surrey. The company is under the personal supervision of the managing director, Mr. C. E. E. Smith, who, for a considerable time, was in charge of the repairs shop at the works of Dennis Brothers, Ltd., Guildford. Mr. Smith is, therefore, well acquainted with practically every Dennis component, including both old and up-to-date types.

. A Simple, New Non-skid Device.

Something new in non-skid devices has just been produced by the United Steel Cos., Ltd., 17, Westbonrne Road, Sheffield, the equipment being known as the Pladdey. The attachment can be fitted to wire or artillery wheels without the need for jacking up the vehicle, and a complete set of six devices is retailed at £1 16s.

The Pladdey attachment consists of two chains which pass across the tread of the tyre, baying hooks on their ends. These hooks pass through holes in side plates, which have gripping lugs for engagement with the rim of the wheel. A bolt carrying spring washers is inserted in the side plates, and the device is firmly secured.

• It is recommended that three fittings should be used on each wheel, being evenly spaced around the circumference ; thus, six chains are available on each wheel. The attachment is made throughout of hardened steel.

An improved type embodies butterfly nuts which fit on to screws on the ends of the chains, instead of hooks being used, an arrangement facilitating attachment and removal.

A New Cleanser.

Brown Brothers, Ltd., Great Eastern Street, London, E.C.2, is marketing a new cleanser under the name of Grymoff, which, as its name implies, is a grime remover. It is an effective antiseptic and mild disinfectant, suitable for use on the hands, and replaces soap, soap powders, etc., for all cleaning work. We are told that there are no acids or injurious chemicals in its composition. It is an economical cleanser. It is supplied in 6d. and 10d. canisters and in bulk for quantity use. Grymoff should be a good line for garages.