I met Mr. Fritz Adler, of the Premier Taximeter Co.,
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in Glasgow. Their position is, is one sense, a fortunate one; they are so much behind with deliveries, that his mission to the north is not to take other orders, but to try and pacify impatient longsuffering customers, who cannot get the taximeters quickly enough. A Peaceful Mission.
It has become a practice to drive up to Edinburgh, for the show, undee R.A.C. official obser .5no•to vation, and some of Troerbks, those starting on
Thursday of last week had an awful time because of the snow-drifts. Mr. J. W. Stocks, with the de Dion, had to give up at Darlington; it had taken him three hours to go as many miles. The starters on the Wednesday had a cold time, but they managed to get through. I hear stories of sodawater supplies—brought on one car— being frozen solid, whilst hot chicken brought in hot sand was a mass of ice before it could be eaten: Still, the
Bedford and the Austria Austrian Daimler Daimler. both came through, in somewhere about 20 hours. The latter firm are, I understand, already embarked in commercial-vehicle business: they have just arranged for an electric bus to be given a trial at Brighton, and there are several lorries in course of trial with different firms and corporations.
The two motor-mail vans used in the Edinburgh-Glasgow service had a trying time in the Snow Up to snow, on Friday Their Chins, evening last. These
vans are used to deliver and collect the parcel mails, from the villages lying between the two great cities, and it is the custom for each van to leave at 10.30 p.m., and then, after each calling at intermediate places, they meet in a long stretch of straight road, about midway, and the drivers change over, so that each man returns to his native heath. On Friday, however, the snowdrifts were up to the men's chins, and the vans had to be repeatedly dug out of the snow. Eventually, the exchange was made, and the mails delivered, like those from the south, as I found
out, a few hours late. It meant, in the case of the vane, going on the low gear the whole time. The vans in question are 16 h.p. Albions, and an examination shows that the parts arc unharmed_ The local papers contained full accounts of this snowing-up, and say that the vans stood the ordeal splendidly.
The Simms magneto was fitted to many vehicles in the show, and Mr. Geo. E. Roberts was all Show assiduously looking Items. after the interests of this concern. Mr. R. T. Smith, the inventor of the Lynton wheel, was in personal attendance at the show. He has a convincing style, and soon attracts a crowd of eager onlookers. Mr. F. B. Goodchild expected to be at the Belhaven stand for most of the show week. I saw also Mr. John Cates, of the "Shell " motor spirit, early in the week, at Edinburgh.
Political feeling is more rampant in Scotland even than in England: they are utterly uncompromising with each other. I was talking with a manufacturer in connection with the motor trade, a most-genial spirit, whom I have known some time, and I remarked that I had met a personal friend of his (mentioning the name) at luncheon at the Glasgow Liberal Club. He
No Compromise, looked most unhappy, and wanted tos know what we were doing " in that place." The fact that we were both guests of a mutual friend seemed a poor reason, and altogether inadequate. Just then—it wasn't at the. Edinburgh Show — another friend brought up and introduced a newlyelected Liberal member for some Scottish constituency, and that nearly caused an eruption. Later on, the lion and the lamb will lie down together, I suppose, but they are not dealing out many compliments at present.
It will be remembered that the head of Crossley Bros., Ltd., was recently made a Knight, and I was in his constituency (Altrinchatn). one perishiugly-cold day last week. The election was on, and a clergyman, with whom I. travelled back to Manchester, assured me of one vote given against Sir William Crossley. My clergyman was visiting a friend of his, who was laid, up in the local hospital, and he remarked with a political chuckle that at any rate he would not be out to vote that day, and the hospital inmate responded that it just happened that lie would. The matron was making_ special arrangements, seeing that he was going to vote Tory, "and," ray fellow-traveller said, " just as I left Altrincham, I saw him being carried into the polling-booth."
More Election Amenities.