The Eastern Motor Wagon Co., Ltd.
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A Haulage Concern which Busies Itself Principally with Contract Work for Many of the Largest London Breweries.
Duringthe present week, bre‘,ing and its allied industries are much in the air in the Metropolis. This is due, of course, to the holding of the annual trade Show at the Agricultural Hall, and to thegathering of all those who are interested in the brewery trades from all parts of the country. Desirous, therefore, of affording our readers proper illustrations of the employment of motor haulage by members of the trade which is having its annual convention this week, we came to the conclusion that few better subjects for the purpose could be found than that steam-wagon haulage concern which has specialized in contract work for many of the largest London breweries. We refer to the Eastern Motor Wagon Co, Ltd., the many steamers of which are familiar traffic units, New Allchin Agency.
Mr. H. W. Wigan, the popular managing director of the Eastern Motor Wagon Co., Ltd., has just been joined in partnership by his brother, Mr. Ernest Wigan. Our visit, therefore, to the headquarters at Buttcsland Street, Old Street, E.C., was appropriately timed, and we were able to congratulate all concerned on this further amalgamation of interests. Mr. H. W. Wigan, it may be remembered, has for many years been intimately associated with the brewing industry. Mr. Brassington, of course, still continues to act as engineer to the company. Another circumstance of importance at the present time in connection with the affairs of this prosperous concern relates to the assumption by Mr. Wigan, on behalf of the company, of the Allchin London agency. The Allchin is a steamer of a type which has much promise.
Mr. Wigan told our representative that his company now owns 31 steam wagons, of which 28 are lodens, one is a Straker, and two —the latest purchases—are Allchins. The first of these last-mentioned was illustrated in our report of the Doncaster Royal Show, where it was exhibited.
The Brewers.
Amongst the brewing concerns which the Eastern Motor Wagon Co. serves, we may mention : Whitbreads ; Watney, Coombe and Reid ; Truman, Hanbury and Buxton ; Taylor, Walker ; Stansfields ; D. Watney and Son ; Stagg and Hunt ; M. B. Foster ; and the Victoria Wine Co.
Most of the journeys consist of the transfer of beer in barrel or in bottle from brewery to depot, although a considerable number of the journeys are for distribution from depot to public-house—the work of the ordinary brewer's dray. The Journeys.
Asked as to the journeys which these machines carry out as a rule, two instances were quoted by Mr. Wigan. The wagon which is doing the Stansfield contract during the week does two journeys to Redhill, one to St. Albans, two to Enfield, and one to Leyton, all return trips. This is a five-ton steel-tired machine, hauling a trailer with another three-ton load. The Whitbread contract, provides work for many vehicles. A typical wagonand-trailer case is as follows : on Monday, to Kingston and Manor Park ; on Tuesday, five journeys to Willesden; on Wednesday to Thornton Heath and Willesden ; on Thursday, town deliveries over about 50 miles, and on Friday the same class of work.
"No Use for Tractors."
" We have found little use for tractors," said Mr. Wigan, in response to an inquiry as to the type of machine he now favours as the result of long experience. "They gave too much trouble manteuvring in the often congested brewery yards, where we pick up most of our loads. We are finding an increased demand for rubber-tired machines; brewers want the speed, but we do not attempt to use trailers with such machines. Tramlines are our particular bugbear ; we have had new tires from which great strips have been ripped out by tramrails, which are often as sharp as knives.
The Speed of a Steamer, " Steam or petrol you ask me With petrol at the present price I do not think you need doubt, but as to the presumed superiority of the petrol machine with regard to speed, I think that is a fallacy. You see that little rubber-tired three-ton Foden ? Well, that, without any trouble, is capable of a speed of--well, something to put on record, I can assure you—lout not in the ' C.M.' On the question of total cost of running, of .depreelation, and of freedom from breakdown, it will take a good system to beat a well-built steamer. We have had remarkable service from our Fodens.
Becoming Self-contained.
" Yes, we are settled down here quite comfortably. This was an old L.G.O. horse depot. We have a good staff of capable men for maintenance purposes, and we are gradually equipping ourselves to do all our own repairs and paintenance. We do our own painting and lettering, and our repairs now go so far as retubing our own boilers. We propose to fit all our wagons with mechanical oilers, as we find the economy in lubricant is remarkable from them.
" During holiday times and hot spells, of course, we are working
at exceptional pressure, People drink more beer at such times, and therefore we have to carry it. During the coal strike our experiences were exciting. You may remember," Mr. Wigan continued, to our representative, " seeing something like 150 tons of coal stored in this depot. Well, we ran down to half a hundredweight before a relief load reached us, and that relief load cost us something considerably in excess of 40s. a ton.
" We generally carry forty 36gallon barrels on each wagon and trailer. Yes, we have done a considerable amount of work outside the brewing industry, but the latter is our speciality. We made, two return journeys once to Leeds with an eight-ton outfit in eleven days. carrying up Brooke-Bond's tea and bringing back a mixed load of
woollen goods and drugs. Another interesting trip was when we shifted the whole of the Marconi plant to Chelmsford, and did 150 journeys altogether. Last year our mileage was something in excess of 570,000—surely a good record, and evidence of the fact that brewers are finding not only can they not dispense with motor haulage in connection with their business, but that in many cases they prefer to have this done for them on contract.
"It says a good word for steam, too," was Mr. Wigan's parting shot, as we hurried away from the salubrious neighbourhood of Buttesland Street.