()PINIONS and UERIES
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ROAD TRANSPORT TREATED AS A STOP GAP TRAFFIC movement by road in this area, except for aerodrome construction and a certain amount at short-distance work, is practically non-existent, and we are heartily sick of beihg told that the Ministry ot Supply, Ministry of Food and War Office instructions are "All goods by rail." It may be that, for certain reasons, the number of ships entering the ports is sufficiently widespread and small in number that the railways-can deal with it all whatever theodelay. This latter includes the putting of goods into lighters and holding them in a dangerous area ,until such time as the railways can deal with them.
We presume that the M. of W.T. Road Haulage
Scheme tomes next in order to the railways, but we find that both chartered vehicles and those in the Pool are only partly employed, this in spite of the fact that Lord Leathers some months ago announced the need for the Goveinment to have an efficient and economical method of dealing with large quantities of material vital to our war needs. The result is that once again it would appear that the road-transport industry has to sit by waiting and begging for the crumbs .which may fall from the table.
If anything can be done nationally to impress upon, the powers that be that road-transport operators should not be kept in idleness, only to be used as a safety valve in an emergency or to help out the railways, when some misfortune befalls them, it shauld be done at once and with all possible pressure.
P. • BARRICK, Managing Director, Hull. For Barri& and Fenton, Ltd.
WILL GAS PRODUCERS OPERATE IN POST-WAR TIMES?
APPARAPPARENTLY, in the very near future, there are to ENTLY, some 10,000 producer-gas-driven vehicles on our roads. These will undoubtedly effect a very consider-• able economy in the consumption of petrol and prove a valuable aid to our war effort with which everyone must agree, more especially when we bear in mind the tanker tonnage which will be saved and the consequent reduced risk to our -merchant sailors.
At the same time we have to think of post-war conditions, because just as soon as the war is over we must get down to normal peace-time conditions and work as quickly as may be possible.
Taking into account all available reports on gas plants, favourable and unfavourable, also the efficiency of liquid fuels, one cannot foresee a big demand for the former after the wer when liquid fuels are again freely available. There will be exceptions, of course. For example, small vehicles with over-size engines whereby the disadvantage of low calorific value is minimized, and vehicles speaially designed for producer gas. Here again, however, if we are to have live coal fires, why not go back to steam?
This being -so, then every effort must be made to ensure the rapid change over . to normal liquid-fuel conditions. Much can be done in this direction. For example, all gas-producer plants should be carried on trailers behind the vehicle, thus avoiding the necessity of cramming a gas plant on the vehicle, reducing the load space, altering the cab, body, etc.
Another advantage of the trailer system -is that there is less danger of fire onthe vehicle, or in the garage, ASO because the trailer can be rapidly unhitched.
With the trailer system, when the war is over, all that will have to be done will be to replace the normal pistons, remove. the gas mixer and gas piping, and the vehicle will be ready again for liquid fuel. Not all of the cost of the plant will be lost,. because the trailer chassis is always a marketable asset, but, unfortunately, the gas plant will have to be, written off.
Leeds, 11. NORTHERN ENGINEER.
DRIVERS AS MOBILE HOME GUARDS CONGRATULATIONS on your series of First-aid Hints. I was also pleased to note the formation of an
association for goods-transport managers. The latter sliould have an excellent influefIce upon the wellbeing of road transport and its personnel: The objects of the Association, as given in your issue of June 19, clearly indicate the high standard which it is hoped to achieve.
Now a few points regarding the question of 'drivers being members of the Home Guard. According -to some informants, there appears to be only one thing for the driver to do, and that is for him to cut out going to bed. The present scheme, so far as drivers are concerned, is clumsy.
That road-transport drivers would be invaluable in home defence is undeniably true, but I think there are better ways by which they could be trained and kept efficient, It would seem preferable if they could be enrolled into a unit in the immediate vicinity of the garages from which ther work, or units actually formed in these. In fact, it might be possible to arrange for the whole army of drivers to be formed into a special mobile branch of the Home Guard. Every big company or garage should be responsible for-the training and practice of its drivers. An hour at night as the wagons come in, or in the morning before they go out, would be better for the men and for the national interest than the present system can ever hope to be.
Invasion, if it ever came, would, no doubt, be unheralded, and a large number of men would be out on their normal jobs, probably miles away from their Home Guard units; in fact, their first jOb would be to get the wagons through under any conditions.
Slough. H.G.
FORCING LOADS PROM ROAD TO RAIL • 4 TWO items in "The Commercial Motor" for July 10 • have prompted me to write to you : these are the article by Mr. J. F. E. Pye and the report of the protest against the ban on the transport of soft fruits by road.
Taking the latter first, -our own experience may interest you. The soft fruit. Order also ineaudes peas, except from Bedfordshire to London, whilst Evesham peas can go anywhere. as outward loads. .e are the only hauliers here who are affected, as for the past 10 years we have run a vegetable service to Nottingham market. Through this service 'many farmers and smallholders who cannot get a good rail service have been able toasupply this market. The work Etas been done on oil-engined vehicles, and last year, in addition to outward loads, over 2,000 tons of back traffic were handled, these consisting of soot for local farmers and supplies for Aerodromes under construction.'
We maintain that the country has had as near 100 per cent, value for the fuel we have used as any vehicle
-operator can possibly give, whilst local growers are able to gather for longer hours without having -to leave off work to send produce to a station earlier in the day. The soot also would have been lost to the farmers as there is no one to collect and rail it, and other manures are scarce.
Mr. Pye's aiticle is very timely and iris a thousand pities that the daily Press cannot (or will not) take the matter up, for a second blitz would put 'the country in trouble if this rot be not stopped. As you may know, approximately 2,000 tons of produce go to London weekly by road fromthis district, and the regular hauliers are being deliberately robbed of these return loads and steps are being taken to transfer the vegetable traffic to rail by degrees.
The hauliers' back.loads have been fertilirrs ex-I.C.I. and it has been taken out of hauliers: hatida 'by the simple expedient of allowing only Ss. per ton for road haulage, so that the merchant has to .pay the balance out of profit if he has it delivered by road direct from factory to farm, whereas rail is paid right through. Again, an enormous tonnage of other fertilizers is being carried by an important brick company, yet surely .the A licensed haulier should have preference over a C
licensee? DISCOURAGED. Sandy.
• THE SEPARATE LICENSING OF.
. TRAILERS •
will{ referenceto Mr. H. Havelock-Slack's letter, VT ". Why not licence trailers independently?" and the very interesting editorial footnote in your issue of June 19, .1942, I would suggest that a licence. Might be taken out in respect ofeach trailer, on the basis of the additional rates of duty for towing vehicles, as laid down in part III of the 7th Schedule of the Finance Act, 1933, and shown on Goods Vehicle Registration
Form, .
If this principle were adopted, only . three types -of'
licence would, be necessary, where the towing vehicle falls into one 'of the categories—up to 21 tons, up to 4 tons and exceeding 4 tons unladen weight, with rates of -duty at £10, £15 and £20 respectively.
With individual trailer licences bearing no specific index mark -and number, the necessity of transferring licences to and from alternative towing vehicles, which would obtain in .the case of a " right to draw" licence,
would be obviated. CviRia E. BEST. London, N.W.10.
[We appreciate this suggestion from Mr. Best, but we fail to understand how this scheme could help materially if the licences have to be restricted to certain weights of towing vehicle. This would appear to restrict the use of the trailers to the particular vehicles for which they are licensed, and would not permit them to be employed with any other size of vehicle which happened to be available.—ED.]
HIGHER SPEEDS FOR LIGHT TRAILER UNITS
WE have noted with great interest the article in your issue of June in", dealing with the limitations of speed on light trailer outfits and recommending that the Minister of War Transport should reconsider the existing restrictions.
We particularly appreciate your article, as the points stressed by you are, as you are aware, those Which our experience would support, and any modification of the existing 20 unpin would be of great benefit to us in our long-distance journeys.
' P.W.V.C., for-Sunbeam-Talbot, Ltd. • • London, W.10. PUNISH THOSE WHO RUIN TYRE EQUIPMENT
L'ROM my experience, I feel that a strong warning should be given with regard to the proper use'of that valuable form 'of equipment,--tyres and tubes. --This should be directed, in the main, to those officials and others whose. dutyit' is to detail the .vehicles -fortheir work, but who have no 'other interest than the amount of _ running.that A to be obtained from them.
The result is that drivers are often forced to carry on with neglected tyres and overloaded vehicles. I have known cases where, with vehicles having twin wheels, the drivers have been ordered to continue running when one of the covers has been deflated. The consequence is that many covers are cut to ribbons around the Walls, and inner tubes ruined.
I sincerely hope that such practices are not too prevalent, for, if sb, in the near future, we shall be in a real mess so far as the supply of tyres is concerned". Complaints made appear to have no satisfactoryeffect, and the seriousness of the position does not seem to be realized.
I may add that th6 vehicles concerned are operated by the corporation of this city, and comprise, about 150 lorries and some 5.0. cars, 'also. numerous vehicle for A.R.P. and Mobile canteens. RUBBER. Bristol,
COMPENSATION--BUT NOT FOR
ROAD HAULAGE CONCERNS • wpm e,at anticipation. I read of the new justice " which is to be an everyday feature after the war has been won, and note in the papers that milkmen .,who would be put out of business by the new methods to be introdKed are to receive Compensation.
This makes me think of the hundreds of hauliers and " one-man businesses" who have lost their all—in the traffic courts of pre-war days. If milkmen are to be paid compensation, why not hauliers?
Is it not time that the "square deal" commenced" a little lower on the ladder and kept more in line with democracy, or should not that word be mentioned in connection with the Road and Rail Traffic Act?
What a pity that we have no Douglas Reed in our ranks! G. Tkviiciar.i, London, S.E.6. For Tryhorn Transport.
HOW SHOULD A HAND BE BANDAGED?
D EGARDING the comment under "One Hears," i‘from a Red Cross certificated -instructor, which you published on July 3, I would like to add some remarks of my own. .
First, I am aware that the Red Cross method of Using a triangular bandage for the hand is to apply the hand palm downwards on to the bandage, irrespective of whether the wound be on the front or the back. By this method, if the wound be on the palm,. then only one layer of triangular bandage covers the 'dressing beneath it. If, however, the hand be placed with the wound above, then the triangular bandage crosses from each side over the dressing, thus providing three thicknesses to retain the dressing in position, which seems to the a better plan.
. Secondly, this series is not according to British Red Cross methods in its entirety, as othelpiethbds are occasionally to be preferred on the road. The main object is to provide the .simplest methat of assistance for a
casualty. . R. G. London, E.4.