The Wheels of Industry.
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This journal, dealing as it does with the "Chariots of War," no less than with the "Wheels of Industry," continues of national importance. Its interests embrace impartially the transport wagon and the parcelcar, the military tractor and the steam Wiry.
Proposals and Purchases.
The Louth (Lincs.) Town Council has ordered a steam roller from Ruston, Proctor and Co., Ltd.
Laffly motor road-sweepers have been ordered by the Hackney and Bethnal Green Borough Councils.
A coke-fired chassis, of Clarkson manufacture, has been ordered by the Kensington Borough Council, from Messrs. Chalmers and Co.
Mr. George Winter, Borough Surveyor of Darlington, is seeking tenders, on or before Saturday next, for a 3-ton or a 5-ton lorry (petrol, electric, or steam), with an end-tipping body. A form of tender will be supplied on application.
Rubberine Fillings.
Mr E. A. Muskett, the secretary of Rubberine, Ltd. Campsbourne Works, Hornsey, R., advises us that, as we surmised when referring to a high-mileage performance in our issue of last week (page 438 ante), the record was accomplished on a Superintendent's inspection ear.
"Out L.G.0."!
An A.S.C., MT., officer who has been amongst the recipients of the cricket gear sent out by the Campaign Comforts Fund, writes to us as follows :— " The other Saturday afternoon we were playing the Base M.T. and one of their batsmen was hit on the leg by a ball from one of our bowlers. He appealed to the umpire, who gave the batsman out and • shouted to the scorer 'Out L. G. O. !' " Comtner Staff Dinner.
An interesting fixture of last week was a dinner given by the departmental chiefs of the Commercial Cars (Luton) Works, to the management. The event took place on the evening of Wednesday the 21st, at the George Hotel, Luton. The guests were Mr. H. C. B. Underdown, the popular chairman and managing director, thre Hon. Wilfrid Egerton and Mr. L. G. Jackal, directors, Mr. J. E. Dacies, the secretary, and Mr. E. L. Coxhead, the works manager. The chair was taken by Mr. P. Williams, the works foreman, and the vice-chair by Mr. J. W. Worrall, the chief of the pattern. shop. Forty of the departmental chiefs were present. In responding to the toast of "Our Guests," Mr.' Underdown expressed the very great pleasure he and his guests felt in having received the invitation. The company, which was one of the pioneers of the industrial motor vehicle, had reaped success largely through the friendly co-operation. of the management and the employees. Among their hosts of the evening no fewer than 50 per cent. had been in the company's service for over seven out of the ten years since it was formed. One heard a great deal about business organization in these days but that was no good without good fellowship and enthusiasm. Mr. Tom Wing, M.P., who had recently visited the factory on behalf of the Parliamentary Munitions Committee, congratulated the firm on the way it was carrying out its work for the W.D.
Magneto Repairs.
The Bosch Magneto Co., Ltd. of 204, Tottenham Court Road, London, W. (Museum 430, five lines), is very busy manufacturing magnetos for the Government, also repairing them, and is still capable of attending to the requirements of commercial users of Bosch magnetos.
Tramcars v. Motorbuses The ilaghways Committee of the L.C.C. is becoming increasingly solicitous about its tramways undertaking, having regard to the increasing difficulty which is experienced in the matter of making this class of public-service vehicle pay in London. It is now stated by the Highways Committee that the motorbuses run 20,000,600 miles annually on 100 miles of tramway routes, and it is sought to avoid the alleged "duplication of services" by limitation of working. The Highways Committee maintains that there is an excess of transit facilities, but we doubt if many passengers will support this view, and especially workpeople and business people. There is undoubtedly an excess of practically empty tramcars between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., which unnecessary excess causes grave inconvenience and monetary loss to the commercial ald trading community as a whole. A conference is suggested and the aid of the President of the Local Government Board is to be invoked. The Council seeks to enforce some working arrangement with the motorbus proprietors for the period of the war. So far as the proposal is honestly directed to an effort to conserve labour we are in accord with it.
We have no doubt that motorbus proprietors will be well able to protect themselves against any ulterior motives, but we are strongly adverse, as an independent observer of events in the London passengertransport world, to a programme which must of necessity remove the motorbuses from their established routes and leave the tramcars in undisputed possession. Having regard to the fixity of rails' all the disturbance will be of motorbus services. This underlying flaw in the proposition, in so far as it. purports to be a disinterested one, is irremediable.
We are strongly inclined to view the overtures as an indirect method of rescuing the tramways from the downward course in which their finances have become involved. Hereanent, we would refer readers to our first leading article. Our Fund.
The latest accessions to our list of donors, of which we shall publish details in due course, had brought the total income up to £5051 on Saturday last. The extent and variety of purchases continue to make severe demands upon the Assistant-Editor, who has from the start been entrusted with the important duties of buying and distributing.
The King's Visit to Various Midlands Works.
It is evident that H.M. the King was greatly interested by what he saw on the occasion of his visit to the B.S.A. works, at Small Heath, on Friday last. Following the Royal visit, a telegram of thanks was despatched from the works, and the reply from Lord Stamfordham read as follows :—" The King thanks you and your workpeople for your messag& just received. His Majesty was greatly interested in his visit to your works.. Your assurance that. it stimidate your efforts to mcreaae the butpUt of munitions gives tO his visit an Additional satisfaction to His Majesty."
His Majesty :included Coventry and Birmingham in his visit, and in the former city .colisiderable time -was spent in the Coventry Ordnance, Daimler, Alfred Herbert, and the Rover 'Sps._ At the Daiinler works an exhibition 'flight in a Coventry-made aeroplane wai witnessed by the King in the pouring rain. We are enabled to reproduce oil page 460 an interesting photograph showing His Majesty with his suite in the course of his subsequent tour of inspection of the Wolseley Motor Works, at Adderley Park, Birmingham.
Mechanical Power in Agriculture.
The Somerset County Council is apparently not the only local authority which is actively engaged in.schemes to encourage farmers to take an interest in mechanical aids to production. A large gathering of Essex agriculturists took place recently, at Chelmsford, in connection with a demonstration of implements mplements and appliances at Moulsharn Lodge Farm, the property of Mr. R. H. Currie. The arrangements were made by the principal of the East Anglian Institute of Agriculture, Mr. R. M. Wilson. The response to the invitations to attend were greatly in excess of anticipation, due no doubt to loss of horses and labour to serve military requirements. The machines which took part in the demonstration included a Wyles motor plough, a Crawley motor plough, an Ivel . tractor, a Saunderson tractor, an International-Harvester tractor, a Bull tractor from America, a manure distributor, and a milking machine. B30 Whiting (1905), Ltd., of 334=40, Euston Road, N. W., advises us that the Whiting-Federal commercial chassis have been awarded a gold medal at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition at San Francisco.
Aircraft and Bombardment.. We are notified by the managing director of the Car and General Insurance Corporation, Ltd., Mr. Fredk. Thoresby, that his company has been included by the Government as an approved company to transact business officially in connection with the national aircraft and bombardment insurance scheme. We may recall that the Committee which the Government appointed, to draw up a scheme and to appoint authorized agents in the shape of recognized insurance companies, is constituted as follows :— The Rt. Hon. Frederick Huth Jack son, P.C., a director of the-Bank of England ; Sir Raymond Beck, an insurance broker and a member of Lloyd's ; Mr. Cuthbert Heath, a member of Lloyd's.; Mr. Evan Roger Owen, the manager of the Commercial Union Insurance Co., Ltd. ; and Sir Gerald Ryan, the manager of the Phcenix Insurance Co. The official rates are so attractive that an enormous expansion of business in the risks is anticipated.
C.M.U.A. First-aid Outfits.
The Secretary of the Commercial Motor Users Association, Mr. F. G. Bristow, writes to inform us that he now has in stock a good supply of the special C.M.U.A. first-aid outfits. The price is only 17s. 3d. (carriage paid), due to the making of large purchases, and we understand that the retail price at the present time would otherwise be at least 25s. The capital of S. Smith and Sons (Motor Accessories), Ltd., has been increased from £100,000 to £200,000, by the -creation of an additional 100,000 shares of R1 each. The extra working capital is required in order to enable the directors to deal with important new developments.
Transport-Infantry Drill.
We understand that the Adjutant of the M.T.'Coldinn of the-City of London National Guard V.T.C., Mr. F. G. Bristow, 83, Pall Mall, S.W., will be happy to supply, free of.'charge, a reasonable number of reprints of the transport-infantry drill which was published in our issue of the 15th inst.
Australian Market.. „ The Australian market is one of many at the Moment which is extending invitations to British and American manufacturers of . conimercial'motors with but scanty response. Some 250 'yehicles have been taken to date by the Military authorities, and American vehicles —of types Which are not of the best —are new:-practicaIly alene•-aVailL able for replacements. We observe with regret 'that the Sydney City Council has been obliged to returii to horse traction.
The Heavier Dennis Models.
An interesting example of special attention 'fp-r particular seatknis 'of output is provided in the mostrecent Dennis publication. A 28page booklet to hand is entitled Instructions for Management and Control of the Dennis Commercial Motor Vehicles, Subsidy-type Models." Part of the contents are based on our own "Care of the Chassis" series, and the whole are admirably framed and phrased to help buyers when they can get delivery. For the time being, we fear, the particulars and illustrations, through which we have looked with interest, will serve only to whet the appetites .-of would-be users who still have to exercise the -quality of patience. The booklet gives 4 "Dents."
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Tractors on Bridges in Aberdeen..
shire.
Owners of tractors in Aberdeenshire have been dissatisfied with the regulations under which they are prevented from using certain bridges. One of these owners, Mr. Alexander Forbes, granite merchant, of Dunecht Quarry, Duneeht, appealed to the Aberdeen County Board, against a resolution of the Aberdeen District Committee refusing consent for use of the following bridges : Wantonwalls, Skene ; Jessiefield, Newhills ; Strathrae, Kinellar. The clerk to the Aberdeen District Committee said that there was no competency of appeal; the bridges at Jessiefield and
Strathrae were closed under the terms of the Locomotives Act of 1861, and the bridge at Wantonwalls was closed, so far back as 1886, by the Road Trustees. The appellant had no right to go to the County Board ; the County Board could not grant a pass.
The County Board decided, by six votes to four, that the appeal be dismissed as incompetent.
The apparent effect of the decision is, that owners of tractors cannot use these bridges without the written perinisSion of the sdrveyor for the district, or a certificate of sufficiency from the Secretary for Scotland.
A Governor Case.
A driver named Thomas Mellor was summoned, at the Middleton Police Court, on a recent date, for exceeding the speed limit of 12 m.p.h. with a heavy motor. We comment on the ease on the second page of this issue. The police evidence testified that
the lorry, :a Chase two-tonner,.-wAs timed over a measured 440yds. in Rochdale Road,. Middleton, and found to do the distance in 58 seconds, or at a speed of 15 miles 910 yds. per hour. The legal speed was 12 m.p.h. The driver stated that he saw he was travelling a trifle over 12 m.p.h., according, to his A.T. speedometer, and he thereupon brought the speed down, by using the brake, to 6 m.p.h. The lorry had an automatic governor as VAL In cross-examination by the defending solicitor, it was shown that the governor did not act when the clutch was out, and that the test took place on a slight down-grade. The solicitor offered the Bench to prove that the lorry could not be driven, with the clutch in, at more than 12 m.p.h. The superintendent of police was unwilling to accept the test, although the magistrates clerk twice suggested that a test should be made. A fine of ids. was imposed.
London Trafiic Pays.
The L G.O. C. interim dividend is at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum, likewise that on the Underground Income Bonds.
Later than Usual.
The issue of this journal dated 5th August will be published at 6 p.m. on the Thursday afternoon, nine hours later than usual. Advertisements for this impression have to reach the manager not later than first post Saturday, 31st July.
A Kent Road Improvement.
Until quite recently Chinbrook Road, Grove Park, Bromley, had been recognized by road users generally as one of the worst road surfaces in the outlying suburbs of London. As it affords direct communication to Eltham from Bromley and Grove Park, it is rather astonishing to find that only during the course of the past few weeks have the authorities found it necessary to carry out repairs to the surf ace.
The A.S.C., M.T., established quarters are in the neighbourhood, and the frequent use of this road by vehicles belonging to this branch of the Service has probably in no small way accounted for the new improvements' being made.
The Check of the Governor.
"Why try to be good ? " might well be the query passing through the minds of owners who have fitted, or who -are thinking of fitting governors and speedometers to their vehicles, on their reading the case which we report on page 459. We also comment on the case editorially. In spite of the efforts of the owner in question, a well-known Lancashire manufacturing company, to eliminate excessive speed, it has been treated the same as other owners who have taken no such precautions and fined precisely the same amount by the Middleton Bench. No credit appears to be given for efforts to help the authorities and the road surveyor, whilst the superintendent of police declined the offer of an independent test by an expert, to try to get more than 12 m.p.h. out of the vehicle. A List of "Trucks."
We have received an interesting publication from the B. F. Goodrich Co., Ltd., the London address of which is 117, Golden Lane, B.C., entitled "Motor Trucks of America." In view of the large number of Americanmachines which are at present being sold in the British market, this little volume should be of particular concern• to our readers atthe present time. It opens with an interesting article entitled " Fundamental questions involved in changim from horse to motor delivery,' which very clearly states the case for the commercial motor vehicle. This is followed by a few notes referring to the question of tire equipment in general, and, as perhaps is natural, the next few notes have special reference to the products of the Goodrich Co. The remainder of the book, which contains 96 pages in all, is occupied by an illustrated list of American lorries with specifications and prices ruling in America to-day. A copy will be sent to any bonafide inquirer.