WHEELS OF INDUSTRY.
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"The wheels o/ wealth will be slowed by all diffloates of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which it runs,"—John Beattie Crozier.
The Proposed Mersey Tunnel.
The chairman of the Merseyside Joint Tunnel Committee recently announced that the Government had decided to increase its grant towards tli-e cost of the proposed tunnel under the River Mersey. We dealt with the scheme at some length In our issue for March 3rd last, when -we gave details of the projected tunnel in which the chief roadway is arranged for two double lines of traffic above a deck for the use of the tramways.
The tunnel is estimated to cost about £5,000,000, and it is stated that the total sum to be borne by the Government is now one-half of the capital outlay. It is stated that the Government has also agreed to extend the toll-paying period from 15 to 20 years, and this will-increase the sum derived from this source
by £180,000.
• Tilling's Report.
The annual report and statement, of accounts for thO year ending December -31st last of Thomas Tilling, Ltd:, shews a net profit for the year of 1132,950 • 14s. 6d. To this has to be added the carry-forward from the previous year of £52,246 1s. 5d., making an available total of 1185,1.96 15s. lid.
Interest on income debenture stock and preference share dividend to the end of December absorbed£24,120, whilst_ au interim dividend on the ordinary shares at Is. 64. per share has . absorbed £23,163 12s. It has now beea recommended that a final dividend of 1s. fith per share be paid on the ordinary shares, making 15 per cent, for the year, and absorbing a further. £23,163 12s.; that £52,271. 16s. 1d. be placed to the special reserve fund (bringing that fund to £1.00,000), and that £5,000 be placed to the -retiring stair benefit fund, leaving 157,477 15s. 2d. to be carried forward.
Regulations for Coach Passengers.
Drastic regulations, which have as their object the control of the conduct of motor coach parties, were adopted by the Cheshire County Council at a recent meeting. The Clerk reported that the regulations had been before the-parliathentary committee on several occasions and that a great deal of correspondence had taken place with the Secretary of State on the subject, and they were now in a form officially accepted. '
In the main the regulations are drawn up to prevent coach passengers causing annoyance or acting in a way which is likely to endanger the safety of other road users and pedestrians. The provisions of the regulations are very comprehensive in character, and any person offending against them is liable to a ,penalty not exceeding, 40s., whilst in certain circumstances the driver is also liable.
The Contents of ihis Issue.
As this is a special issue of The Commercial Motor, in the main devoted to -passenger travel in all its phases,. there is no need for our uD.ial column of notes drawing attentien to the contents of the several articles. The aleScription of the new 15 cwt, chassis for van and ainbu-. lance work called for by the War Office may, however, be mentioned. • With regard to the two articles on the problem of London's street traffic:these represent two somewhat opposed sets of opinions. One is by" Mr. T. A. Maequieten, KC., ALP., who haE closely studied the problem, baying had the benefit of the friendship of the late Mr. Kennedy Jones, whom he had assisted in his efforts to secure an improvement in prevailing conditions. The other =Cele has' been written at our invitation by one of our leading traffic authorities, who, however, desires to remain anonymous.
• ,Bristol Co.'s Results.
According to a, recently issued report of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Co., Ltd., for the year 1924, the net revenue of the company amounted to X89,293, as against £84,251 in the previous year. The company are paying a final dividend of 3 per cent., making 6 per cent, for the year, which is the same as for 1923.
It is interesting to note that for the first time in the history of the company the receipts on the motorbuses exceeded those on the tramcars run by the company, the former showing an increase of £69,500 and the latter a decrease of £10,800. The total number of passengers carried by the Bristol vehicles was close on 91,500,000.
Current -Fuel Prices.
We have had a number of inquiries of late concerning the prevailing prices for motor spirit. These were published by us some little time ago.
The prices which we quote are those for England and Wales, except within the London radius, where the prices for petrol are 1d per gallon less than those tabulated. In Scotlaud the price is Id. per gallon and in Ireland 2d. per gallon above the figures giVen. Quantities of less than 2 gallons may be sold at the rate of ld. per gallon over mid above the following Charges Per gal.
Aviation ... ... 1s. 11id.
Petrol No. 1 ... is. 71d.
Petrol No. 3 ... 1s. 51d.
National benzole ... 2s. lid. National benzole mixture Is. Sid.
L.V.L. London Distr;butors.
We are informed that Messrs. McGillivray and Cates, 167, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, .W.G., have been appointed agents for the London district for L.V.E. vehicles as manufactured by Light Vehicles, Ltd., of Wolverhampton.
A New Republic Chassis.
We learn from America that the Republic Motor Truck Co., of Alma, Michigan, have just introduced a new chassis to be known as Model 19 (three series), which takes the place of a second series model of the same class. The vehicle is of 3-ton capacity, and, we are told, includes several improvements in design and construction.
One of the striking improvendents in the new model is the radiator, which has an increased area of approximately 60 square ins., and the polished aluminium top tank, together with the addition of a skirt for the lower tank, lends a distinctive appearance to the vehicle. The skirt for the lower tank also affords protection to the bottom water outlet in cold weather.
The depth of the frame has been materially increased, another improvement being that the cross-members are. riveted in such a manner as to eliminate the localization of stresses. Heavier, longer and wider springs, withjarger eyes and replaceable bushes, have been adopted for the new model, and there is a tic-bar between the rear brackets of the back springs. Improvements have also been effected to the steering gear, which is so located that it is readily get-at-able.
The wheelbase of the new model is 13 ft. 9 ins., although it is available in, wheelbases of 13 ft. and 15 ft. 5 ins.
Much attention has been given to the build of the driver's cab, which is roomy and comfortable, 'and gives adequate protection in all weathers, being, as it is, provided with sliding storm'curtains in the doors.
Republic chassis are handled in this country by Republic Motor Trucks Sales and Service, Ltd., 20, Peterborough Road, Fulham, London, S.W. 6.
New L.G.O. Garage.
The London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., have just opened a new garage at Hanwell, the total area of which is approximately 47,000 super. ft. The garage proper haS a clear floor space of 254 ft. in length and 123 ft. in width. The reef construction is of the Warren girder type carried on stanchions, with cantilever steel trusses and wood purlins boarded and covered with asbestos tiles.
On the right of the garage is an area of approximately 6.750 super. ft., on which the various offices, stores, workshops, etc., have been built. The washing shed, petrol stores and cleaners' room arc to the left and occupy about 8,000 super. ft. Petrol is stored in bulk in two underground iron tanks, which have a total capacity of 14,000 gals.. The fuel is delivered by Bowser pumps. The building is protected from the risks of firelv a sprinkler installation.
Lincolnshire Road Improvements.
It is to the great satisfaction of users of commercial vehicles that the county councils which exercise administrative .control over the three large areas into which Lincolnshire is .divided for local government purposes, continue to pursue an enterprising policy in relation to road maintenance and improvements. The advantage is being exemplified in one direction by the encouragement of a large volume of char-à-hence and other traffic, which las been developed of late years to an enormous extent, in affording facilities for reaching the county's popular seaside' resorts. In apprecia
thin of much important road work yet remaining to be undertaken, the chairman at the last meeting of the Holland County Council indicated that there is much still to be done, and that its policy is to see that essential work is not neglected without, however, unduly burdening the ratepayers.
Refuse Collecting by Tractor.
With a view to securing increased efficiency in some branches of municipal work and in the hope of effecting economies in certain directions, the authorities in Peoria, Iillinois, are trying out a number of new ideas, particularly in relation to transport. One of these is concerned with the collection of garbage, for which work a chain-track tractor, hauling a number of large-capacity trailers, is being employed. It has been found that by this means two tractors can accomplish the same volume of work as 20 wagons and, moreover, that the former can be used in the depth of winter, when horse-drawn vehicles are
put out of commission, due to the heavy falls of snow. The authorities state that the tractors have reduced the cost of, the collection of garbage in the city by 40 per cent.
More G.W.R. Motorbuses.
The Greet Western Railway Co.,•Ltd., announce that, in anticipation of an
increase in traffic during the present year, they are adding 75 vehicles to their fleet of motorbuses.
The Trojan as a Taxicab.
-At a meeting of the -Swansea Watch Committee the town clerk submitted a letter from Leyland .Motors, Ltd., inquiring if the Corporation would be pro-, pared togrant a licence for a two-seater taxicab, on a 10 h.p. Trojan chassis, to ply for hire in the borough. He . alao submitted the ,chief •eonstable's 'report on this vehicle, which bad been exnmined and tested. The committee,
however, did not decide that the vehicle submitted could be approved.
The Motor Licence Rush,
The public control committee of the London County Council reports that during the recent " rush " period in connection with the annual and quarterly issue of motor vehicle licences, which lasted from December 17th, 1924, to January 21st, 1925, 34,987licentes were issued over the counter and 46,681 were issued by post. The latter figure includes licences issued to owners of fleets of vehicles, who, in order to facilitate the work, were invited at the end of November, 1924, to forward their applications early in December. I:pon receipt of the applications the licences were prepared in advance for issue upon payment of the requisite duty.
It is, apparently, not sufficiently generally realized that licences may be renewed at any time during a period of 28 days—viz., 14 days before and 14 days after the date of expiry. A very large proportion of motor vehicle users' delay making application for renewal until the licences have expired and thus throw a very great strain upon the council's staff (taring the 14 days of grace. Nearly 8,000 persons submitted incomplete applications.
On the busiest day of the period in question no fewer than 2,009 persons made personal application for licences, and 3,161 licences were issued over the counter, the amount of duty received totalling £31,564. The total duty collected during the period under review amounted to £1,450,591, as against £1,325,400 in 1924.
The Minister of 9`ransport has expressed his `! appreciation of the successful efforts. made . . . . to surmount the many difficulties encountered in dealingwith a task of such magnitude."
The Milan Motor Show.
The annual Italian motor show, which will be held in Milan from April 12th to 27th, will comprise ft seetlan for commercial vehiclea, together with components and accessories.
Wirral's Bus Services.
Seventy services, covering 11 counties, 800 separate and distinct miles of routes, 200 towns and villages served, comprising a population of 3,000,000—such are the extent and scope of the motorbus services of the Crosville Motor Co., Ltd., of Chester, who now have a fleet of about 320 motorbuses. For some years past the inhabitants of Wirral have experienced in increasing measure the convenience and value a the services run by this company, and the improvement of facilities, together with the development and extension of services and routes, has been responded to by an increasing patronage. Isolation, in many instances, has been removed, and the peninsula in general opened up by the introduction of the company's buses.
Routes on which Crosville buses now run extend from Heswall to Singleton Avenue and Woodside (at some periods of the day the buses running at the rate of seven or eight to the hour), Heswall to Rock Ferry Pier, Parkgatei and Neston to Prenton, Heswall to Mania (via West Kirby and Hoylake), and Birkenhead to West Kirby (via WoOdeliurch, Irby Mill Hill and Grange). The lastnamed route, which extends from Singletoll Avenue to the Wirral station at West Kirby, is particularly useful to the travelling public. The through journey takes 40 wins., and the service is helping to supply .ft long-standing need. There have also been recent developments of the Crosville services in mid-Wales.
A Scottish Fire Brigade's Activities. The fire-brigade authorities of Dundee use a number of up-to-date motor fire appliances, and that these machines have proved of considerable advantage In connection with the protection of the City is indicated by the report of the fremaster for 1924.
The number of calls received by the brigade in the year was 284, and the damage caused by fires involved an estimated loss of £26,900 within the city and £16,760 in those areas beyond the city boundaries served by the brigade's vehicles.
The motor appliances of the brigade include three Leyland fire-engines, an C22 Argyll engine, a Garford tender, and a Shand-Mason steam engine. The net cost of upkeep and operation of the brigade for the year ended May 15th, 1924, amounted to f5,741.
New Prices for International Chassis. The International Harvester Company of Great Britain, Ltd., 80, Finsbury Pavement, London, E.C. 2, inform us that they have been able to effect considerable reductions in the prices of the range of International motor lorry chassis.. The new prices for the respective models are :-1-ton speed truck, £300; model 33 (30-cwt. chassis), £395; model 43 (2-ton chassis), £475; model 63 (3ton chassis), 1550. •
A New Two-seater Taxicab.
The Birkenhead Corporation has just licensed a two-seater taxicab (four: wheeler) which has taken up a stand at Central Station, Birkenhead. A 10.8 h.p. Rhode engine is built into a Rhode.
chassis, and it is computed that the car will cover 40-50 m.p.g. of petrol and about 2,000 miles per gallon of oil. The running costs are estimated to be 50 per cent, less than for the conventional fourseater. The fare for the use of this vehicle is 1s. per mile, compared with is. 6d. per mile for cabs of the larger type.
Fuller's New London Headquarters.
Fuller's United Electric Works, Ltd., of Chadwell Heath, Essex, inform us that they have removed their London depot to more commodious premises at Sparta House, 176, Tottenham Court Road, W.1, where large stocks of their cables, accumulators, dry batteries and other products will be available. The company also notify us that their Leeds agent, Mr. F. Dawson, has taken much larger premises at 7, Park Square, Leeds.
BIyth Bus Licences.
Blyth Corporation has granted licences for 117 motorbuses, t)ut rejected one for a vehicle belonging to the United Automobile Services, Ltd., carrying 70 passengers, deeming this sire of bus to be too heavy for the roads. This would seem a case for six-wheelers.
Ford Plant for Japan.
It is announced that the Ford Motor Co. are to erect an assembling plant at Yokohama. Japan, and in connection with the formation of the Ford Motors Co. of Japan, Ltd., Mr. Edsel Ford said that "improving economic conditions abroad have made a large expansion programme imperative, and the formation of our new company in Japan is simply a part of the general plan." Mr. Ford made it known that the foreign sales of the company last year, exclusive of those of the Ford Motor Co. of Canada, showed an increase of close on 20 per cent.
Preparing a Road for a Bus Service. At a meeting of the Swansea Watch Committee the town clerk submitted an application by the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., for permission to ply for hire with motor omnibuses between 0y,stermouth and Langland Bay. The borough engineer and surveyor reported On the matter and stated that he was • preparing a report and scheme for the improvement of the road from Langland Road to Langland Bay.
It was agreed to request the highways committee to carry out the necessary improvements to render the road • • suitable for motorbus traffic as quickly as possible, and that so soon as these • improvements are completed the licences be granted.
New Shrewsbury to Swansea Road.
The construction of a new arterial road is prom:red from Shrewsbury to Swansea and Llanelly via Mid-Wales by a direct route that would give traffic a. straight-through journey instead of the present route south to Newport and then West via Cardiff and Bridgend en the main South 'Wales road. The stretch from Swansea to Ammanford is now to be laid down, a conference of local authorities having engaged engineers to prepare the scheme.
Only four miles of the road—from Swansea to the border—will be in the county of Glamorgan, but this short stretch will save five miles on the present route to the boundary via Cwrugorse, Clydach and Pontardawe, besides • diverting traffic from a congested area. For this reason the Glamorgan Comity Council will pay a proportion of the engineering fees incurred by the two Glamorgan local authorities who are interested in the scheme. The Carraarthenshire County Council and certain • local authorities will bear the main burden of the cost of this portion of the road after deduction of a sum received by way of Government grant.
A Regrettable Accidint.
It was with great regret that we learnt of the untimely decease recently of Mr. F. H. C. Wilton,, who has been head draughtsman for the past five years to Messrs. Strachan and Brown, the well-known engineers and coachbuilders. He was returning home from work on his motorcycle and came into collision with a motor lorry.
We have known Mr. Wilton for some years and have always found him thoroughly conversant with hie work and willing to go out of his way to he of service.His employers will feel his loss very deeply, as they regarded him. as a rising .man with a considerable future before him.
Goodyear Appointments.
The appointment of Mr. A. R. Sadler as general sales manager of the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co., Great Britain, Ltd., is announced. Mr. Sadler, who is a director of the company, has been associated with their activities since 1915. For some time he was manager of the service department, being later appointed secretary, a position which he still holds conjointly with his new appointment.
The company also announce the appointment of Mr. W. H. O. Steer as a director. Mr. Steer has been with the Goodyear Co. for the past 10 years, for. several of which he has acted in the capacity of manager of the London branch, which deals with a wide territory, including many counties in addition to those adjacent to London. He will continue to supervise activities in this area.
Tractor Developments in Belglum.
. The unfamiliarity of the Belgian peasant with machinery is still a hindrance to the sale of motor tractors in Belgium. The Belgian Ministry of Agriculture maintains a school at Gembloux, where a course is given covering the operation and repair of tractors, but the school is poorly attended. Nevertheless, the tractor market is developing slowly, and an interesting development which is expected ta take place shortly will be the placing on the market of a tractor, produced by a Brussels company, which is expected to compete with the lowerpriced American machines.
India's Imports.
According to figures which have recently been issued by the Department of Overseas Trade concerning the imports into India. for the nine months to the end of last year, it is clear that there has been a considerable expansion in the trade in motorvans and motor lorries during the period under review. In fact, the actual number of vehicles of these classes imported has nearly doubled as compared with that for a like period in the previous year, which was 735 valued at Rs. 171 lakhs, that for the present year being 1,500 valued at Its. 271 lakhs. The number of
vehicles imported from the -Rallied Kingdom rose from 47 to 56, although their value was somewhat less.
So far as the import of solid rubber tyres is concerned, of a total trade of Rs. 9 lakhs, transacted in the nine months, the United Kingdom's share was valued at Rs. 5 lakhs.
Compulsory Insurance.
Carlisle Watch Committee has decided that licences for motorbuses will be granted in future only on the understanding that the proprietors take out insurances against all risks.
Local Proceedings.
West Hartlepool Corporation is to purchase 12 more trolley-buses.
The parks committee of the Weymouth Corporation recommends the purchase of a Ford lorry.
Barnes Urban District Council proposes the purchase of a motor ambulance at a cost of £275.
The electricity ,committee of the St. Pancras Council recommends the purchase of a Ford lorry.
Gravesend Corporation is allowing Lens' (England) Co., Ltd., to demonstrate one of their motor sweepers in the borough.
St. Pancras Borough Council is calling the attention of the police to the speed at which newspaper motor vehicles are driven.
Dorchester Corporation is considering the desirability of purchasing a motor fire-engine in view of the age and condition of the steam fire-engine.
The stores committee of the Swansea Corporation has accepted tenders for the hire of 4-ton tipping motor lorries for three months at a rate not exceeding £2 7s. 6d. per day.
Irish Free State Imports.
The imports of commercial vehicles Into the,Irish Free State during December last limbered 24 machines valued at £12,085, bringing the total for the whole of the past year to 355 (121,52p). Seven of the vehicles came from foreign countries, chiefly France, the remainder being credited, as ports of shipment, to Great Britain and Ireland.
A Demand for Emergency Exits on Buses. The Penzance Watch Committee has • recently given attention to the subject' of emergency exits on motorbuses, and it is informing owners who are licensed to ply for hire in the town that it may have to consider the question of refusing licences if public-service vehicles of this type do not meet this requirement.