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GOVERNMENT "SUGAR FUEL" FOR SOUTH AFRICA?
NATAL sugar interests hope that some form of Government assistance for the production of power alcohol from surplus cane, may result from an interview which a deputation representing the industry had, in Pretoria, with the Fuel Research Board, at the invitation of the
Government. Some time ago, the South African Sugar Association issued a report on the possibilities of this by-product, and this was followed by an invitation from the Government to discuss the questions. Sugar circles would like to see the mixing of vegetable alcohol with petiol made compulsory, as in some other countries.
Death of Removal Company's Founder.
THE death has occurred, at the age of seventy-one years, of Mr. Joseph May, J.P., of Great Clacton. Mr. May was the founder, in 1893, of the company of Joseph May, Ltd., removal contractor, of Howland Street, Tottenham Court Road, London, a business which has become well known throughout the country. It was one of the first concerns to take advantage of road transport in the removal business.
Scottish I. of P. Starts Work.
OVER 100 people attended the L./inaugural meeting in Edinburgh, last week, of the Scottish branch of the Institute of Petroleum, which is concerned with the oil industry in, its widest sense, including geology, mining and the coking gas industries. Professor W. M. Cumming, of the Royal Technical College, Glasgow, is hon. secretary of the new branch.
Operetta to Benefit Benevolent Fund. .
THE Alan Turner Opera Company is performing Strauss's operetta, " Der Lustige Krieg," at the New St. Pancras Town Hall Theatre, Euston Road, King's Cross, London, W.C., on February 2 and 3, in aid of the Motor and Cycle Trades' Benevolent Fund. Tickets, ranging from Is. 6d. to 21s., can be obtained from the Alan Turner Opera Co., Northdown House, Northdown Street, King's Cross, London, N.1, or from the Benevolent Fund's offices, at 204, Great Portland Street, London, W.1.
Railways and "Change of User" Objections.
RANY cases for the renewal of A at licences, in the North-Western Area, are being opposed on behalf of the railway companies on the ground of change of user. An application by Mr. J. A. Petty, of Wigan, was resumed at Manchester last week, and trader witnesses were called to prove that he was 420
doing work for them of exactly the same nature as that he had done in 1924, 1925 and 1929.
For the applicant, it was submitted that the evidence showed that only 20 per cent, of the.turnover was from new customers. It was important for the Licensing Authority to know whether the route was changed, but whether the customers had changed mattered little, provided the route was the same and provided the general class of commodity was not changed. The Appeal Tribunal had never decided that a Change of customer was a change of operation. Sir William Hart reserved his decision.
Synthetic Rubber in the Reich.
THE first big factory for the production of Buna (synthetic rubber) in Germany is to begin work shortly. ft is at Schopau, near Halle. In a few weeks, it is declared, it will be possible to satisfy a large part of Germany's rubber requirements with Buna. Other Enna factories are to be erected in different parts of the Reich.
Chassis Specifications Amendment.
aie asked by Dennis Bros., Ltd., v v Guildford, to draw attention to the fact that no mention of the recently introduced Dennis tractive unit was made in the Chassis Specification Tables published in our issues dated January 13 and 20. This model has a 24.8 h.p. engine, a haulage capacity of 8 tons, the maximum drawbar pull being 5,300 lb., and a wheelbase of 8 ft. 31 ins. Its price is £500.
OIL-FUEL HEATER TO COMBAT COLD WEATHER.
erprevent fuel oil from congealing a:It low temperatures in the tanks and feed pipes of oil-engined buses and lorries destined for service in cold climates, Leyland Motors, Ltd., is now fitting a fuel-tank heater, which utilizes the engine exhaust gases. The extremely cold weather recently experienced in Central Europe revealed that without a fuel heater the flow of oil became so sluggish that, in some instances, an engine stopped altogether through fuel starvation.
The principle used for the heating system is to by-pass the engine exhaust gases through a secondary exhaust pipe, complete with silencer, which runs through the fuel tank. The fuel feed pipe, from tank to engine, is lagged and runs to the injector clipped' alongside the exhaust pipe.
Fordson Six-wheelers for Demonstration.
ARRANGEMENTS have recently been made by the Ford Motor Co., Ltd., which enable Fordson dealers in any part of the country to offer prompt demonstrations of the Fordson Surrey
and Sussex six-wheeled lorries, The Surrey is a single-drive unit for normal road work, and platform lengths up to 17 ft. 8 ins, can be obtained. With a light body, the unladen weight of the complete vehicle can be brought under the 50-cwt. limit. The SuS'sex, which is a double-drive six-wheeler for crosscountry work, has been extensively purchased by the Government.
NEW DUAL-PURPOSE DRIVING LAMP.
CHANGEABLE, as easily as the weather conditions, from projecting a parallel white beam to illuminating by a penetrating amber light, a new Runbaken Dual Beam fog and spot lamp appears to represent a contribution to road safety, and should facilitate the task of the night driver. It is equipped with tinted slats, arranged and , operated on the Venetian-blind principle, which are controlled by a switch and instantly alter the function of the lamp.
Available in two types, costing 22 5s. and 23 5s. respectively, it is made by Messrs. Runbaken Electrical Products, 13-15, Liverpool Road, Manchester, 3.
Shipping Guide for Hauliers.
THE following is the number of ships arriving at the London docks, wharves and jetties named from January 27 to February 4 inclusive :— DOCKS King George V, 9; Royal Albert 9; Royal Victoria, 4; Surrey Commercial, 10; East India, 1; West India, 3 ; South-West India, 2; Tilbury, 10; Tilbury Stage, 2; Millwall, 4; Royal, 2; London, 2. WHARVES: Hayes, 6. Tilbury Jetty, 2.
A Fireproof Petrol Bath,
()NE of the commonest causes of %...fgarage fires is the accidental ignition of petrol used for cleaning purposes. To eliminate this risk, Joseph Bradbury and Sons, Ltd., Braintree, has devised a petrol bath, equipped with a lid, wlhich automatically closes if the contents catch fire and thus extinguishes the blaze.
When the bath is in use, the lid is had open by a spring-loaded catch. The spring is anchored by means of a fixing made of celluloid. Within three seconds of the commencement of the fire, the celluloid melts, the spring and the catch are released and the lid shuts by gravity.
Named the G.E. safety petrol container, this device, circular in shape, equipped with feet and bench sockets and having a capacity of 21 gallons, costs 21 15s, to the trade.
New Derbyshire By-pass.
ROAD communications between Derby and Nottingham are to be improved by the construction of a by-pass 211 miles long, north of Borrowash. The scheme, which is estimated to cost 296,000, has been approved by the Minister of Transport, who has made a grant from the Road Fund to Derbyshire County Council.
On the existing road through Borrowash there is a single carriageway, 20 ft. wide, which has to accommodate upwards of 13,000 tons of traffic a day.
On the by-pass there will be dual 22-ft. carriageways, 9-ft. cycle tracks and 6-ft. footpaths. The width between the road boundaries will be 100 ft.
Buses and Lorries at Utrecht Fair.
A SECTION for goods vehicles, 1-t motorbuses and coaches is to be included at the annual Spring Fair to be held at Utrecht, Holland, from March 14 to 23.
WHAT ROYAL COMMISSION WANTS FOR ONTARIO.
uSTABLISHMENT of a three-man
transport board, having authority to deal completely with problems of Ontario's $130,000,000 road-transport industry, was recommended in the recent report of the Royal Commission • on Transport. The report proposed minimum wages for lorry drivers, maximum hours of work, and other regulatory features that would be enforced by the transport board.
Dealing with competition between road transport and the railways, the report states: " Whilst competition of road transport with both the freight and the express departments of the railways has been keenly felt, nevertheless, the evidence definitely showed that the principal source of the drastic competition that has disorganized the roadtransport business, is the competition between the road-transport operators themselves."
This Royal Commission recommended to the Governmentthe adoption of a payas-you-go policy on highway expendituin, to eliminate in 40 years the province's estimated highway debt of $212,691,010, or one-third of the funded debt and unfunded debt of Ontario. Among sug gestions were a reclassification of taxes on motor vehicles and an increase in the tax on petrol from 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon. Other motor fuels would be taxed 13 cents a gallon.