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WTHEN we were at the Cardiff Corporation offices recently. discussing with Mr. William Forbes, the tramway and bussystem manager, the transport position in South Wales, an inquiry came through from the educational authorities as to whether Mr. Forbes could arrange to transport, in the course of four days, 15,000 school children to an exhibition. Unexpected calls upon road transport are not infrequent, but, needless to say, an undertaking must be at a high pitch of efficiency to cope with them.
Utilizing the tramcars as well as the buses, Mr. Forbes said that he could easily transport these children in batches of 1,000 at a time without ,inconvenieneing the regular traffic or causing the children to be delayed or to travel in overcrowded vehicles. UNDOUBTEDLY the prompt arrival of police reinforcements proved the turning point in the recent affray at Dartmoor. Their prompt despatch and speedy transit are in no small measure due to a coach belonging to the "Western National." In peace-time emergencies, as in war, the motor coach proves its value in affording mobility to detachments ; in olden days the western counties might have been at the mercy of desperadoes.
THE funeral of the late Mr. J. A. Jackson endorsed the fact that he was much respected and esteemed by his rivals in business.
On his grave in Sheffield Cemetery there are wreaths from members of the staff of Motor Transport and Bus and Coach. There, is also a largo wreath from his Masonic Lodge, mingling with many others from relatives and personal friends, whilst letters of sympathy and regret at our loss have been received from World's Carriers, Motor Commerce, Modern Transport, The Autocar, The Motor World, The Garage and Motor Agent and many members of the commercial-vehicle industry.
Jackson was a genial Yorkshireman with a hearty laugh and a ready wit. He was a companionable man and in his heyday something of a raconteur. Open-air motoring and golf were his main hobbies. He lived a bachelor life for years, right in the centre of the motor trade in London, owning a flat In Great Portland Street. Until recently nobody would have guessed that he was 71 years of age. He will be missed in club land by a large circle of friends.
IT is earnestly to be hoped that the Traffic Commissioners will pay more attention to the time factor in public life than has been the case in some recent decisions. If the operation of a coach or bus service means that men and women can get to their daily work in, say, 40 minutes by road, why should they be compelled to adopt a less direct rail route, involving probably double the time, including the covering of distances to and from stations? Now, more than ever, dq we all need to devote our available time to effective work instead of expending energy in roundabout ways. National efficiency must take precedence over the enforced bolstering up of antiquated short-distance services.
SUGGESTIONS liave been made that the main tenance of six-wheelers must be considerably heavier than the corresponding costs for the fourwheeler, but that this need not necessarily be the case is proved by the experience of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., which finds that its sixwheelers can actually be maintained at a lower figure than other types of bus.
This is believed to be due partly to the fact that a third differential is utilized, this preventing heavy stressing of the rear axles and their shafts.