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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.

WEIGHT CONCESSION FOR DOUBLE-DECKERS.

It is understood that the Minister of -Transport has decided that regulations increasing the maximum permissible unladen weights of double-deck buses should be introduced at once, Ile proposes tcr increase the weight of four-wheeled double-deck buses from 10 tons to 101 tons and, for sixwheelers, from 12 tons to 12i tons.

That Appointed Day.

The Minister of Transport has made an Order bringing into force for all purposes, as from June 1, Section 6 of the Road Traffic Act, 1934. After that date, any applicant for a driving licence must satisfy county councils or county borough councils that he held a licence before April 1, 1934, or that he has passed the prescribed test of competence to drive.

Applicants liable to undergo the test are strongly advised to apply immediately, as delay will cause congestion, and there may be risk of many finding themselves unable to obtain a new licence other than a provisional learner's licence with all its restrictions.

Notes on applications for licences for driving heavy goods vehicles will be found elsewhere in this issue.

The Royal Jubilee Number of " The Motor."

The Royal Jubilee Number of The Ilptor will be published on Tuesday

next, April 30. It marks a .special occasion and will be different in many ways from an ordinary issue. The price will be fid.

Its contents will include a Royal jubilee Souvenir dealing with motoring in the reign of King George V. In this the story will be told of the King's interest in motoring from early days down to the present time. There will also he an article entitled " The King as a Motorist," specially written. by The Hon. Mrs. Francis Lascelles, aunt of the Princess. Royal and the Earl of Ha rewood.

This souvenirr which will be printed in colour embellished with silver, will contain also some historical royal motoring incidents—two pages of pictures.

Of outstanding interest will be the story of " Twenty-five Years of Motoring Progress.– Illustrations in colours will accompany this narrative.

." The Story of the Land Speed Record of 25 Years " will also be told with striking illustrations of the men and their cars. There will be a special article, " The Prince of Wales as a Royal, Ambassador," showing his interest in the motor movement.

British achievements in the classic motor races of 25 years will also be 1501: ri hed and illustrated.

SCOTLAND'S RECEIPTS FROM THE ROAD FUND.

The grants made from the Road Fund to highway authorities in Scotland from April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1934, totalled £82,020,711. The authorities also received the amounts due to them through the general Exchequer contributions, towards which the Road Fund paid £2,734,078. During the same period, the net proceeds of motor-licence duties and of penalties for motoring offences collected in Scotland amounted to £24,162,042.

High Court Rejects Commercial Roadways Scheme.

In the Chancery Division; last week. Mr. Justice Bennett heard a petition by Commercial Roadways, Ltd., for the sanction of the Court to a proposed scheme of arrangement with its unsecured creditors whose debts were outstanding on March 28, 1934.

It was stated that the company had a large -number of vehicles which it held on hire-purchase agreements. The unsecured , creditors had agreed to accept notes hithalf the amount of the debts owing to them, and part of the scheme was that the company should be given a new lease of life by the suppliers of the vehicles entering into fresh hire-purchase agreements, with a readjustment of the periodical payments.

His lordship said he could not sanction the scheme in its present form, and dismissed the petition, stating that he would give his reasons next term.

Wages Fixed for Drivers' of Bleetrics.

The question of wages for drivers of electric vehicles was raised before the Conciliation Board, at Derby, last week. On behalf of the men, Mr. A. W. Burrows argued that, under the Road and Rail Traffic Act, 1933, the conditions as to licences and drivers' hours regulations were the same as for drivers of petrol vehicles. He contended that the driver of an electric must be a motor driver within the terms of agreements previously made, and was, therefore, entitled to the same rate of pay..

After hearing the arguments, the Board awarded the following rates:— For drivers of vehicles of 12-cwt. capacity or less. 60s.; over 12 cwt. and up to 15 cwt., 61s.; over 15 cwt., 62s.

This scale represents an increase of Is. a week in wages to -many drivers of this class of vehicle, in the Leicester, Nottingham and Derby areas.

Receiver Appointed for Sentinel's.

Mr. T. M. Welsh has been appointed receiver and manager of the Sentinel Waggon Works, Ltd., of Shrewsbury. "MIDLAND RED" RESULTS.

In 1934, the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., made a net profit of £248,719, as compared with £208,181 in 1933. A sum of £72,216 is allocated to the reserve and £10,000 is added to the employees' assistance fund. The dividend and bonus on the ordinary shares is maintained at 15 per cent., and the credit balance to be carried forward amounts — to £60,258, as against £51,756 brought into the accounts. During the past year the company acquired a number of competitive bus businesses.

Manchester's Busy Police Fleet.

The annual report of Manchester Watch Committee contains a summary of the work of the police-ambulance and the transport department. The vehicles include two prison vans, two patrol wagons,. two lorrieS and eight ambulances.

The calls for ambulances for accidents total 14,247, and the mileage, 22,231; and patrol wagons for prisoners, 4,492 calls, 20,262 miles. The motor patrol section uses six cars and 10 motorcycle combinations, the aggregate mileage of which, \ for the year ended December 31 last, was 271,565.

Mr. Daniel D. Sloan, chief officer of the fire department, reports that there were turn-outs .to 1,119 fires, at which the total loss was estimated at £127,754, and the value of the property at risk at over £8,000,000. Motor pumps were used on 32 occasions within the city and five beyond the city boundary. The firemen were engaged at fires (not including watching) for 962 hours, or an average of 59 minutes for each fire.

All Unusual Drivers' Hours Defence.

In his defence, Mr. W. Whiting, an Abergavenny haulier, who was charged with permitting two drivers to work for longer than the statutory period, relied upon an alleged error in a legal pamphlet issued by the Road Haulage Association. . •

When their records were being inspected by a police officer, at Garth, the drivers of the Sentinel steam wagon concerned said that they had experieuced delay at various loading points., and the lorry had to return, after unloading, to Abergavenny.

The police contended that one driver worked for 121 hours and the other for 13/ hours. The defending solicitor pointed out that Mr. Whiting had joined the R.H.A. and, in a pamphlet issued by the Association, it was stated that a lorry driver might work or be on duty for 14 hours in any period of 24 hours, provided that he did not work for more than 5/ consecutive hours. Two drivers were sent Out with the vehicle, and neither had exceeded the 14 hours.

The solicitor asked for a month's adjournment in order that Mr. Whiting could bring the matter before the R.H.A. The magistrates thought that an offence had been committed, as the men had worked for more than 11 hours. In the magistrates' view, an employer should not rely upon any pamphlet, but, at the same time, they thought that there had been unusual • delays, and so the summonses against the operator were dismissed.

New Ulster Bill Introduced.

The new Road and Rail Transport Bill, which is to provide for the establishment of a Road Transport Board for Northern Ireland and to amend the existing laws relating to railway, tramway and canal transport, in accordance with the scheme outlined. by Sir Felix Pole in his report to the Government, last autumn, was formally presented to the Northern Ireland Parliament by the Minister of Home Affairs, last week. The Bill was read a first time. .

Dennis Dividend Maintained.

Dennis Brothers, Ltd., has declared an interim dividend of 4d. per ls. share in respect of the half-year ended

March 31. This distribution is the same as in the previous year. PERSONAL PARS.

Mr. H. L. Kenward, sales director of the Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., has been , elected president of the Motor Trade Association.

Tecalemit, Ltd., has appointed Mr. C. H. B. Price to manage its publicity

department. He was previously in charge of the advertising side of the Skefko Ball Dearing Co., Ltd., and, before that, with Buck and Hickman, Ltd.

After 50 years' experience of road passenger transport, commencing in the days of the old horsed bus, Mr. G. T. Gray, a traffic controller at the headquarters of London Transport, is retiring. In 1912 he was appointed divisional inspector of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., and, in 1925, was transferred to headquarters.

Mr. A. J. Kiliaey has joined the research staff of Goodlass, Wall and Lead Industries, Ltd., 3, New London Street, London, E.C.3. He has been connected with the battery industry for over 20 years, and was previously with Oldham and Son, Ltd., of Manchester, before which he was responsible for technical developmenta with Mr. H. W. Lewis has been appointed special sales representative for the southern area of the industrial battery section of Oldham and Son, Ltd. For many years Mr. Lewis represented Simms Motor Units, Ltd., in the same area.

Shipping Guide for Hauliers.

The following is the number of ships arriving at the London docks, wharves and jetties named, from April 26-May 4 inclusive :---DocKs : -King George V, IO; Royal Albert, 11; Royal Victoria, 6; Surrey Commercial, 3; West India; 2; East India, 2; SouthWest India, 3; Tilbury, 8; Tilbury Stage, 2; Millwall, 3; London, 1; Purfleet, 1. WHARVES: .1-lays, 4; Middleton's, 1; Mark Brown's, 1. Tilbury

Jetty, 2. B1B MINISTRY ASSISTANCE IN ELIMINATING TOLLS.

Important comments regarding toll bridges were made by Mr. L. HorsBelisha, the Minister of Transport, when he opened the new Leckwith 'Road bridge, at Cardiff. This bridge crosses the River Ely and affords an alternative route to the Penarth toll road.

At a luncheon prior to the ceremony, Mr. Hore-Belisha expressed his willingness to make grants from the Road Fund to encourage local authorities to remove toils from bridges and roads. Whilst, he said, it was his department's policy to assist authorities to eliminate perpetual tolls, it was for the highways authority to consider whether optional routes were available.

He added that the powers of local authorities might be extended to enable them to construct parking accommodation above or below the ground. It should, he added, be obligatory upon all those who attract a constant volume of traffic to their doors to provide parking, loading and unloading facilities, Prior to the ceremony, the Minister drove to Caerphilly personally to inspect the Cwrt Rawlin Hill, one of the most dangerous main traffic routes in Wales.

American Exports More Than Doubled.

Last year there was a decided revival in the overseas demand for American commercial vehicles, for 92,723 goods vehicles and buses, valued at .8,841,460, were shipped from the United States, as contrasted with 43,616 vehicles and £4,022,562 respectively in 1933. The bulk of the vehicles (71,649) were of the 1-14-ton type: 9,576 had a carrying capacity of under 1 ton; 9,340 between 30 cwt. and 2i tons; 1,763 were over 2i tons, whilst 69, valued at £22,163, were bus chassis and 326 were second-hand vehicles (£27,637).

Fuelling Aeroplanes by Tank Wagon. The tank wael which is used by the National Bonzele Co., Ltd„ for fuelling aeroplanes has been improved by the addition of a power-driven pump, thus enabling spirit to be pumped as high as 35 ft., so that even the largest type of aircraft can be fuelled. The tanker has, as its basis, a Leyland chassis, and is equipped on both sides with metering dials, similar to the electric dials at service stations, whilst it has chain tracks, enabling it to negotiate soft ground. The new power-driven pump works off the gearbox and has a patent safety-locking device on the gear lever to prevent the vehicle being driven away while the pump is working.

I.A.E. Summer Visit.

The 1925 summer visit of the Institution of Automobile Engineers will take place from May 30-June 1 inclusive, and will be held jointly with the members of the Societe des Ingenieurs de l'Automobile, of Paris, who will he visiting this country. Excursions will be made to the works of several prominent motor-manufacturing concerns.

A-Novel Service Lorry.

An unusual Vauxhall lorry is being used by Brilliant Neon, Ltd., as a service car for maintaining installations of neon lighting. The cab is a halfwidth one, so that space is available on the near side for carrying a threepart 50-ft. extension ladder. As the ladder is at a low and convenient level, it can be handled by one man.

The body is panelled on only the off side, and there is no tailboard. On the near side there is a locker for transformers and cables. Repairs required to a neon sign are soon completed, because all parts are made in duplicate and kept in the store. WAGES IN THE REMOVAL INDUSTRY: F.W.R.A. MEETING.

Under the auspices of the Reading and District Centre of the Furniture Warehousemen and Removers' Association an open trade meeting will be held at the Great Western Hotel, Reading, on Wednesday, May 1, at 7 p.m. This will be attended by honorary officers of the Association and the general secretary, who will give information with regard to negotiations with the Transport and General Workers' Union on the subject of wages and conditions of employment in the removals industry. It has been proposed that a new agreement shall become operative as from July 1, and particulars should shortly be available.

A Treatise on Bronze Castings.

A practical treatise, published in a, high-grade form, which deals with the composition, properties, manufacture and application of bronze castings for engineering purposes, has recently been issued by David Brown and Sons (Huddersfield), Ltd., Huddersfield. It serves as an illustrated'commentaryon the control, manufacture, testing and use of Taurus bron‘e castings. An outline is given of the chief considerations which enter into the selection of bronzes, such as material and analysis, methods of casting and the necessary physical properties to meet particular conditions of service. The booklet serves as a valuable work of reference. 275 MILES A YEAR—BY FOUR FIRE-ENGINES.

In his annual report, the chief constable of Southport reviews the work of the fire brigade. He states that the time occupied in dealing with the 52 fires in the borough was 35 hours 50 minutes, an average per turn-out—from the time of the call to the return of the brigade to the station—of 41 minutes 24 seconds. The time occupied in dealing with six fires outside the borough was 34 hours 54 minutes, or 5 hours 49 minutes per turn-out. The total distance travelled to and from fires in the borough was 168i miles, and outside the borough, 106 miles. The brigade has four fire-engines.

Pyrene Works Expansion.

An idea of the progress that is being made by the Pyrene Co., Ltd., can be gained from the fact that important extensions are now being completed at the head office and works of the company, on the Great West Road, Brentford.

An Authoritative Paper on Welding.

Among the papers that will be presented at a Symposium on the Welding of Iron and Steel, which will be held at the Institution of Civil Engineers on May 2-3, will be one entitled " Welding in Relation to Automobile and General Repair Work," by Mr.

C. W. Brett, M.I.W.E., managing director of Barimar, Ltd. The event has been organized by the Iron and Steel Institute, Metal-faced Plywood for Bodies.

London. Plywood and Timber Co., Ltd., 384, Old Street, London, E.C.1, has recently issued a new price list of Plymaco, which is suitable for a variety of uses in connection with motor-vehicle bodies. The plywood is Laced with galvanized steel or aluminium and is available in many sizes and thicknesses. Full details and prices are included in the list.

An Interesting Booklet on Oiliness.

In the issue of The Commercial Motor dated March 8, particulars were given of an interesting machine devised by Germ Lubricants, Ltd., Salisbury House, Finsbury Circus, London, E..2, for testing the oiliness quality of different oils. Further information on this subject is contained in an

FORTHCOMING SITTINGS OF THE APPEAL TRIBUNAL, May 9, 10.45 a.m., King's Buildings, Smith Square, Landon, S.W.1..

S. J. Norman, Plymouth, and others, against grant of A licence to Great Western Railway Co. (Western Area).

V. W. Allett (trading as G. Garter and Son). London, 1i.5, against refusal of variation of A licence (Uetropolitan Area).

May 14-15, 10.45 a.m., King's Buildings, Smith Square, London, S.W.1.

H. W. Hawker, Ltd., Bristol, against refusal of variation of A licence (Western Area). Southern Railway Co., against grant of variation of A licence to P. 0. Barnes, Chalk, near Gravesend (South-Eastern Area).

interesting booklet describing Germ Mo toils recently issued by that company.

There are some interesting graphs, and a note on the latest development showing how a new polar substance has been found which gives an even greater oiliness property to the new type of Germ oil, Readers of The Commercial Motor can obtain a copy of this booklet on application to the company.

Municipal Haulage Prices.

Harrow Urban District Council has accepted the following tenders for motor hire for 12 months :—Messrs. L. Bignell and Sons, 30-cwt. tipping lorry at 28s. per day, and 2-ton tipping lorry at 32s. per day ; and A. Pannell, Ltd., 5-ton lorry at 48s. per day.

In the notice sent out by the Institution of Automobile Engineers announcing that Mr. A. J. Hancock had been elected President of the Institution for the session 1935-38, it was mentioned that Hartwells, Ltd., of which Mr. Hancock is managing director, is a distributor of Morris vehicles. We are informed, however, by the Morris Garages,. Ltd., Oxford, that the latter company is the sole distributor in Oxford. Fleet owners are probably more concerned with reducing fuel costs than with any other of the various running expenses. To afford a check upon carburetter adjustment, Eben Products, Ltd., 57, 14Ioorfields, Liverpool, has recently introduced a device described as the Eben Carburation Analyser, which, when connected up to the exhaust pipe of a vehicle, gives a reliable indication of the state of the gas mixture supplied to the engine The principle upon which it operates is the detection of the proportion of carbon-dioxide in the exhaust gas; the higher this is, the more complete the combustion. Upon the mixture strength depends the percentage of carbon-dioxide in the exhaust gas. Thus, a valuable indication of the conditions which directly influence the rate of petrol consumption is simply afforded.

Municipal Contracts for Karriers.

The authorities at Carlisle, Edinburgh, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Ruislip and York have recently placed orders with Karrier Motors Successors, Ltd., for vehicles included in tte company's municipal range, whilst, through the agency of Rootes, Ltd., the company has secured orders for road-sweeping machines from the Cape Town, Gothenburg, and La Plata municipalities.

Cambridge Level Crossing to Go.

The Minister of Transport has approved plans for the construction of a new bridge and the reconstruction of an existing bridge in Long Road, Cambridge. The new structure will eliminate the level crossing over the London and North-Eastern Railway, whilst the existing bridge, carrying the road over the London, Midland and Scottish. Railway, will be widened and strengthened, The schemes are estimated to cost £36,400, of which 75 per cent. *ill be borne by the Road Fund.

MANCHESTER C.M.U.A. INTERVIEW WITH 14I.P.s.

A deputation comprising Messrs. W. E. Macve (chairman), S. Royle, E. F. Topham, C. H. Clague and Councillor Howard Robinson (secretary) has been appointed, on behalf of the Commercial Motor Users Association, in Manchester, to wait on Manchester Members of Parliament, at the House of Commons, in order that certain facts may be put before them to ensure equity for commercial users.

The haulage and rates committee, which has been in abeyance for some time, is being revitalized and the following members of the Manchester branch of the C.M.U.A. have been added : —Messrs. W. A. Pillsington, T. N. Grindley and A. Hancock. One representative from each sub-branch in the Manchester area has been added. Its purpose is to stabilize rates.

Subject to confirmation, Mr. S. Royle has been appointed a delegate to the national council.

The recent appointment by the Manchester C.M.U.A. of Mr. H. Backhouse, Jraer., as legal adviser, is of special interest, because of a case in which his services were enlisted, last week, by one of the biggest and oldest members of the Association. The company was charged with running a vehicle "with brakes not maintained in a good and efficient working order and properly adjusted." Mr. Backhouse took up the line of defence based on this question: " Has the constable technical knowledge to judge whether brakes are mechanically efficient? " The case was dismissed.

Road-accident Returns.

The following figures are extracted from the Ministry of Transport return of persons killed or injured in road accidents during the week ended April 13, 1935, the figures in parentheses being those for the corresponding week in 1934. The number of persons who died as a result of accidents during previous weeks is included in the total. In England 77 (105) persons were killed and 3,171 (3,424) injured, whilst

TENDERS OF INTEREST TO HAULIERS. ITIENDERS are invited by the following (latest dates given in parentheses) :—Barnoldswiek U.D.C. for granite chippiugs. Apply to Mr. W. Ellis. Town Hall, Barnoldswick (April 291. Herefordshire C.C. for house coal, steam coal, anthracite and coke. Apply to public assistance officer, Shirehall, Herefo'd May 1).

Llandudoo 15,1/1., for supply of 7,500 tons of best screened gas coal and/or cobbles, Apply to engineer and manager, Gas Offices, Market Street, Llandudno (May 1). Ealing (London) E.C. for coal and firewood. Apply to director of education, Town hall, Ealing, London. W.5 (May 20)•

Southampton E.C. for supply of house coal, anthracie, gas coke, also haulage of that material from railway station in Hampshire. Apply to Mr. W, Coates, The Castle, Winchester (May 4).

lanes C.C. for sapply of approx. 750 tons of tarmacadarn (granite, slag or limestone) to be deliviired at .Formby Station or Church Road and Liverpool Road. Apply to Mr. P. Schofield, County Offices. Preston (April 29). • Chichester R.D.C. for cement, lime, timber, sand and bricks, et o Apply to surveyor, 'salient lL,vte Chichester (May 231.

• (All applications must be acccmpanied by stamped, addressed envelopes.)

in Scotland 7 (9) were killed and 297 (283) injured. The figures for Wales show that 7 (3) persons were killed and 118 ((24) injured. LIGHT-ALLOY BODIES FOR BUILDERS.

There is great scope in the bodybuilding trade in the matter of saving weight in the various types of body employed by builders and contractors. In this oonnection, a pioneer of lightalloy bodybuilding is the Duramin Engineering Co., Ltd., 23-24, Hythe Road, Willesden, London, N.W.10.

Duralumin is strong and particularly hard wearing, as is shown by the experience of one user of a Duramin tipping body for ballast, who has used it continuously for three and a half years, carrying loads of from 9-11 tons of abrasive materials, such as sand and crushed and washed shingle; other loads were limestone, both tarred and dry, and asphalt at high temperatures. This user has stated that no replacements have been made, and the riveting is as good to-day as when the body was first put into commission, whilst the plating shows hardly appreciable signs of wear.