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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 Crosier.

Halley's Report.

The directors of Halley Motors, Ltd., have recently published their report and accounts from January 6th, 1927 (the date of the incorporation of the company) to March 31st last, and they have included in them the trading results of Halley's Industrial Motors, .Ltd. (in liquidation) from September 1st, 1926.

The profit for the period .aihounts to €8,213, from which depreciation to the extent of £3,085 has been written off, leaving a balance of £5,128. Interest to holders of certain preference shares amounting to £1,090 has been paid, and the directors propose to syrite off against preliminary expenses the sum of £1,000 (these expenses amounting to £5,702)-. The balanee of £3,038 they propose • shall be carried forward, for whilst _the interest on the preference shares could have been paid, the directors consider that it -is desirable to conserve the financial resources of the company, and they remark that no directors' fees have been charged for the period under review. The total issued capital of the 'company amounts to £163,000, and there are bank loans secured by mortgage of €104,685.

Crossley Six-wheelers Approved for Subsidy.

We are advised Ly Crossley Motors, that the Army Council has approved as eligible for enrolment under the War Department subsidy scheme the latest types of Crossley six-wheeled vehicle. There are two models, one having a normal .position for control and the other a forward position, _ and both are fitted with a 26-65 h.p. engine.

High Insurance Premiums in Ulster. A resolution has been passed by a number of Northern Ireland Chambers of Commerce calling attention to the high premiums charged for the insurance of, commercial .vehicles in . Ulster. In bringing the matter before the tariff companies the Ballymena Chamber exPreSses the opinion that the rates charged are justified neither by experiences of claims nor by any other causes.

Cerrie Lacquers in Demand. •

Several months ago Cellon (Richmond), -Ltd., purchased five acres of land at Ham, Surrey, for the purpose of erecting thereon a new works, as it. was found that its Richmond factory was not sufficiently large to cope with the growing demand for Cerric lacquers and other products of the company, It is expected that the new works will be completed by the end of the present year and expanded at a later date, so that the company can cease manufacture at its existing premises.

Allerk-Liversidge Report.

The report of Allen-Liversidge, Ltd., for the year ended April 30th last, shows a net profit of £72,591, after making allowance for repairs, maintenance, depreciation, income-tax and other expenses. This sum is increased to £79,609 by the amount brought forward from the previous year, and against the D14 • total has to be charged £25,000 for general reserve and £4,000 for the reserve against freehold properties, thus reducing the balance to £50,000. An interim dividend of 5 per cent. on the ordinary shares has already been paid

and has absorbed €15,000, whilst £13,000 has been accountedfor by preference dividends. Out .of the unappropriated sum of €22,609 a final dividend of 5 per cent., leS.s tax, is to be paid, making 10 per cent. for the year ; this will 'absorb £15,000 and leave £7,609 to be carried forward.

In a Line or Accounts of the tramways committee of the York Corporation show profits of £655 on motorbuses, €279 on tailless vehicles and £254 on tramways.

It is estimated that there are about 16,000 Motor vehicles in service in Portugal; approximately 3,000 were imported during 3227.

The recent growth in the imbiber of taxiCabein Lisbon has been phenomenal and there are stated to be seine 1,500

on the streets. The average -annual distance covered by each cab is given as about 42,000 kilos.

Hull Corporation accounts • for the pest municipal year show profits of €6,362 on the Motorbuses .and £3;348 on the tramways.

The first open-top, six-wheeled motorbus to be put into service in London has appeared ou route 211) and is being run by Messrs. Pickup. '

That reduced bus services shouldrun during the slack hours ofthe ay in the same proportion' as obtains on the tramways is the view expressed by the general purposes committee of the L.C.C.

The number of motor lorries and buses in service in Constantinople on March 31st last was 1,850. • The total number of • motor vehicles in Chile-is about ,18,000.

Twenty-five double-deck pneumatictyred buses were put into service in London last week. The Brussels Show.

The 22nd Brussels. Salon for all classes of motor vehicle, including those of the -commercial type, will be held at the Palate du .Ginquankenaire from December 8th to. 19th inclusive: It is hoped, by the executive committee that entries will be received Irma manufacturers in Great .Britain, " and entry forms. 'must be received -before August 31st. The drawing for stand accommodation will takeplace on September

12th.

If . desired, the brochure containing full particulars (in French) can he examined at the offices of this journal, or cart lie obtained from the Commissariat General, 15,Avenue. Marnix, Brussels.

• More Buses for Wallasey.

The tramways committee of the Wallasey Corporation has just. decided to buy a further 12 Leyland° motorbuses at a cost of £1,830 each, and it is stated that the new vehicles will be used on the Seabank Road service. The increasing popularity of the municipal buses in Wallasey is shown by the fact that during May last a total of -363,249 passengers were carried, as compared with 186,164 in the correspontring month of last year. Furthermore, the receipts in May of this year were almost 11,700 higher than for the same month of last year.

Bus By-laws Enquiry.

A public enquiry is to be -held by the Northern Ireland Ministry of Home Affairs into the matter of the bylaws drafted bY the Belfast Corporation for the regulation of bus traffic. Itis expected that considerable opposition to the by-laws will be offered on account of their drastic nature. On -20 city routes buses . now . run in opposition to the municipal tramways undertaking.

. To Be or Not to Be.

Whether or not the people of Colwyn Bay are in favour j of trains and buses being run on Sundays is to be 'deterinined by a plebiscite to be taken on Saturday, July •14th, This referendum will be condneted in the same manner as a council election. The ratennYers' who are on the roll of electors will attend at the polling stations of their respective wards and will there he handed voting papers.

The voting paper will present the issue to the electors in this way :7- " For the running of trams and buses on 'Sunday

• "Against . the • running of trams and

buses on Sunday. ..

-Parking Problems at Brighton. Brighton Watch Committee hai 'considered a request for regulations that .motor vehicles be not permitted to stand ,longer than two hours. on ally narking place on the sea-front or three hews in any other part of the town. The committee reports that such a regulation is in force in the borough, but the Home Office has refused to sanction

by-law imposing penalities for noncompliance with it.

Books on Diesel Engines.

By the courtesy of Attendu Engines '(England), Ltd., 21, Suffolk Street, Pall Mall, London' S.W.1, we learn that the book entitled " Dieselmaschinen," by Julius Magg, which we reviewed in our issue of June 26th, is priced af 26 marks, plus 1.80 marks for pestage, and can be obtained from the V.D.I. Bachhandbag, Berlin, N.W.7, Germany. Another interesting book, "Die Kornpressorlose Dieselmaschine," by Hansfelder, can be obtained at 22 marks, plus 1 mark for postage, from M. Krayn, Berlin, W.10, Germany.

Aluminium for Bodywork.

Some idea of the types of vehicle for which aluminium bodywork proves advantageous is given in a booklet which the British Aluminium Co., Ltd., Adelaide House, King William Street, London, E.C.4, has just issued. This deals with trade and publicity van coachwork, and embodies many illustrations which certainly prove the value of aluminium, not only for special types of body designed primarily to give a novel publicity value, but for standard types of body in which loading space is not sacrificed in an effort to secure bold advertising effect.

Although the extent of the use of aluminium differs according to the nature of the body, this metal is in general service for panelling, roofing, canopies, cabs, dashboards, mouldings, and a variety of fittings.

Henley's Substantial Profits.

The annual report of W. T. Henley's Telegraph Works Co., Ltd., for the year ended March 31st last shows a profit of £342,291, which is reduced to £283,074 niter making allowance for debenture interest, an amount written off for depreciation of buildings, machinery, etc., and directors' fees. With the amount brought forward, the available total is £786,277. From this sum the following amounts have to be deducted :—Income tax, £31,846 • transfer to reserve account, £50,000; dividend on preference shares to December 31st, 1927, 19,000; interim dividend on ordinary shares, £48,750. After these items have been accounted for, the balance available is £646,681.

The directors now recommend the payment of a final dividend on the ordinary shares of 2s. 6d. per share, less income tax, making 4s. for the year, as well as a cash bonus of Is. per share ; less income tax. These allocations account for £113,750, and leave £532,931 to be carried forward.

The Concessionaire for the Continental Engine.

We regret that in our description of the new overhead-valve six-cylindered engine built by the Continental Engine

Co., of America, we omitted to give the name of the company acting as the con cessionaire.. This is the Automotive Products Co., 3, Berners Street, London, W.1.

Buses Gaining Traffic from Trams.

There has been a big turnover of passenger traffic from the Birkenhead Corporation tramcars to the municipally owned motorbuses. During a recent week the trams carried 347,970 passengers, and the buses 349,181 passengers. A year ago returns showed that the trams had a lead of nearly 19,000 passengers, but month by month this figure has been reduced as more buses have been placed in service.

Mr. Stafford's Appointment.

It is announced that Mr. Edgar Staf

ford, whose portrait is published on this page, has been appointed sales manager of Will Overland Crossley, Ltd., at Heaton Chapel, Stockport. Mr. Stafford has had a long and intimate association with the motor trade, and was one of the founder membersof .the Agents Section of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, and of more than one section of the Motor Trade Association.

lie was employed by numbers SO far back as 1903, and, after experience with the Deasy Co., launched out on his own in Manchester, specializing in White steam and petrol ears, of Which he had a good knowledge, having previously been manager of the White Co. for some years. He joined the Crossley Co. before the war, and accomplished valuable work for it both in England and Russia, where he went at the outbreak of hostilities. At a later date he joined the British Motor Trading Corporation in the capacity of sales manager, later becoming general manager.

Mr. Stafford is a past-president of the Manchester Motor Club, and was the founder and first secretary of the northern branch -of the Institution of Automobile Engineers.

Extension of Long-distance Services.

Mr. C. F. Rymer, of Liverpool, who operates a motor-coach service between Liverpool and London, has been granted a licence by the Southport Watch Committee to run a bus service between Liverpool and Southport, connecting with the existing daily service from Liverpool to London, and Liverpool to Newcastle and the West Riding of Yorkshire. The committee has stipulated that passengers must not be picked up in the borough on the inward journey, or set down within the borough on the outward journey.

A Bus Hoist to Facilitate Under-body Repairs.

The Equipment and Engineering Co., Ltd., 2 and 3, Norfolk. Street, Strand, London, ).V.C.2, is placing upon the market an ingenious form of bus hoist, which is designed virtually to obviate the difficulties usually associated with under-body repairs and adjustments of the steering gear, and which does away with the use of the pit. The hoist also , simplifies the removal of bus bodies without the use of packings or overhead lifting tackle, and shows a remarkable saving of time when changing dynamos, motors, etc., on petrol-electric vehicles, as well as dealing with the main components of other types.

The appliance consists of an elevating platform formed of wrought-iron channels of dimensions which will admit the largest vehicles. This is carried on four elevating screws' which are operated simultaneously by a 74 b.h.p. reversing motor. We hope to illustrate and give further particulars of this appliance in a. later issue of this journal. Van Deliveries from British Works.

The group of illustrations on this page shows three attractive vans which have recently been delivered from works of prominent British -makers. . The first is rather unusual in that it depicts a special van body mounted on a chassis which is normally emplbyed for passenger carrying, this being the 25-seater bus model made by the Albion . Motor-Car Co., Ltd. The vehicle has been supplied to Prices (Taylors), Ltd., which already has two Albion vehicles on the-road, these being used on express• service between the :users' factOrY in Leeds and the various shoPs in London. The picturefterves to show that a really distinctive van can be built on a low load-line bus chassis.

A company which has branches in all parts of the country has just put into commission the Dennis box-van shown in the second picture. The basis of the -vehicle is the maker's 14-ft. wheelbase chassis which is shod with pneumatic tyres. , The body design is interesting" in that it incorporates a hinged tail:beard in addition to the main door, which opens in vertical ' halves, the complete rear of the van thus being enclosed. Garner Motors,. Ltd., has supplied the 30-35:cwt. van shown in the third illustration to a well-knOW11 flintier merchant. The body is particularly capacious and has a loading area of 465 cubic ft. Accommodation for long lengths of timber is • provided for by a hinged flap which opens outwards above the cab and .extends for the full width of the body. This chassis has a wheelbase of 12 ft. and is one of the few models of its capacity which comes within. the £26 taxation limit,

A New London By-pass.

On Monday of last week the new Bexley Heath by-pass road, which has cost over £300,000 to construct, was opined to traffic. It has a carriageway 30 ft. wide and is 54 miles long. It has been bnilt in V sections, each onbodying a 'slightlydifferent specification in order that the relative durability of the various forms of construction can be tested. The London County Council has contributed 25per cent, to the cost of the work.

Loading and Unloading Hours in Westminster.

Westminster City Council has received a letter from the Ministry of -Transport, stating .that, after consultation with the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee and re D16

presentatives of the building and decorating trades, the Minister has decided that the hours during which vehicles may not wait -for more than a quarter of an hour for the purpose of loading and unloading, shall be between 4.30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and that excep. tion shall not be made in the case-of vehicles from which• articles are passed from hand to hand across the public way in connection With building operations.

The Ministry and Defective Tyres.

The Ministry of Transport has informed the Pinchley Urban District Cenneil that it is extremely doubtful whether there is any legal remedy in the ease of motor vehicles which are used nu_ public roads with damaged or defective rubber tyres, but that when the

regulations relative. to motor vehicles were revised, this point would receive consideration. .

Results of the Institute of Transport Examinations.

The results of the third examination of the Institute of Transport, which were held concurrently in a number of centres in April last, have now been announced. They show that of the 102 candidates who took the associatemembership examination 63 passed, and that of the 45 who entered for the graduateship examination 17 Succeeded in satisfying the examiners. Argentine IMports of -Motor Vehicles.

It is officially 'stated that the-numbers of complete Motor vehicles and of chassip recorded in the United Kingdom • and United States accounts as exported from those cciuntries to the Argentine in 1927 were as follow (motorcycles not being included) :— • No. Value. Prom the United

-Kingdom ... 788 286,138

From the United .

-StateS ... 44,799 5,873,000

The exports from the United Kingdom included 177 touring cars, valued at £63,489, and 29 -commercial vehi cles, valued at £6,510. The exports from the United States, which. are exclusive of• electrically driven vehicles,

included 34,245 passenger cars and ehas: sis for such cars, valued in all at £4,389,000, and ' 10,554 motor lorries and buses and chassis for such vehicles, valued in all at £1,489,000. The chassis exported in 1927 from the United Kingdom cannot be assigned to the two classes of motor vehicles distinguished above.

New icaland Registrations.

According to . the sales charts of the New Zealand Motor Trade Association 226 commercial vehicles were registered in the North island and 941e-the South Island during the month of April. Attracting Traffic to an Agricultural Show.

As in past years the north-western division of the Commercial Motor Users' Association is co-operating with the Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society in setting out to attract motorcoach and motorbus traffic to the Royal Lancashire Show, which takes place in Oldham from August 2nd to 6th. Special facilities are being extended to bus and coach Proprietors, these including free parking and one free admission ticket per motor coach or bus load.

. A Useful Washing Gun.

Users of high-pressure vehicle washing plant will be interested in the Typhoon gun which is now obtainable from Brown Bros., Ltd., Great Eastern Street, London, E.02. It is said to be suitable for use with all types of washer and has been designed for the express purpose of facilitating the cleaning of mudguards and parts of the chassis which are difficult to reach with the ordinary straight-nozzle-type of gun.

The nozzle of the Typhoon appliance is set at right angles to the main body of the gun which is sheathed with rubber to prevent scratching and to provide the operator With a firm grip. Intended for chassis cleaning only, the Typhoon gun delivers but one jet, which can be— turned off instantly by the movement of a handle. It sells at 42s.

A Sheffield to Manchester Bus Service.

A few days ago the first regular passenger road service between Sheffield and Manchester was instituted by the Underwood Express Services, Ltd., this company having put two 26-seater buses on the route. Three journeys are made each day, and the route is by way of Deepear, Stoeksbridge, Woodhead, and Stalybridge. The run is completed in 2,1 hours.

Lanark's Application for Roaddosing Powers.

The Lanarkshire County Council's application for permission to close Mousemill Read against heavy motor traffic and to restrict the Stane Highway to one-way traffic for heavy motors was the subject of an inquiry recently held at Lanark by a divisional engineer of the Ministry of Transport. Motorvehicle interests were well represented, including the Scottish Commercial Motor Users' Association,

The Automobile Association approved oF the project to dose Mousemill Road, but considered that any Order made

should be for a limited Period, It was considered that the Stage Highway should not be closed to heavy motor traffic, as it was an ordinary classified road. The commissioner is reporting to the Ministry, the decision of :which will be announced later.

Garage Equipment on Extended Credit Terms.

Thg Purchase of garage equipment on extended credit ternis is now a procedure which is adopted in some quarters of the motor trade, the usual plan being for the buyer to pay, say, 25 per cent. of the purchase price, the balance being payable in six or twelve monthly instalments. This is the plan which was first introduced by Harvey Prost and Co Ltd when it first introduced its system of extended credit terms. The company now informs us that it has made a drastic 'change which gives the

purchaser the advantage of securing delivery of equipment without a large first payment being made. Instead of the first charge being one-quarter of the total amount due, it may simply be a: single instalment equal to one-sixth or one-twelfth of the total. This means that a purchase may be made On terms extending over 12 months, the goods being-delivered upon the paymeet of the iirst instalment.

Parking at Tenby.

The Tenby Town Council has now provided garage accommodation for visiting coaches at the pier and at the wharf. At present Is. per day per vehicle is charged for the use of these sites, but the council is considering the question of providing free accommodation for vehicles visiting the town.

Carlisle to Darlington Daily.

Carlisle and Darlington are now linked up by an express motorbus service which runs via Appleby and Richmond and gives connections at Darlington with Leeds, York, Sheffield and other big cities. A Vehicular Tunnel from America to Canada.

Work has been commenced on a large tunnel for vehicular traffic under the Detroit River, which will connect the Canadian border city of Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit City. It will he capable of dealing with a flow of 6,040 motor vehicles per hour and will be three-quarters of a mile long, It is expected that the scheme will be completed in about two years and the tunnel will cost £4,000,000 to construct.

Motor Tractors In Palestine.

Motor tractors were introduced into Palestine after the war, and though the number in use is not large it is gradually increasing. A number of 75 h.p. machines of an American make were left over from the old Army stock, but the majority of those now in use is of from 12 h.p. to 20 h.p. The fuel used is 'paraffin, petrol being employed only for starting. The large increase in the duty on petrol has made this fuel altogether too expensive to be employed in tractors.

The present market for tractors in Palestine is small, but it is believed to be capable of expansion, particularly so far as track-laying machines are concerned. There is no duty on tractors when they are imported solely for agricultural purposes, but if used for road transport purposes 12 per cent. ad valorem is charged.

Shipley Transport Returns.

The transport superintendent of the Shipley Urban District Council has submitted a report for the year ended March 31st last which shows that 7,548 loads, comprising 16,948 tons, had been dealt with by the department during the year, and that the Austin lorry had travelled 9,229 miles and the Austin car 9,463 miles. Based on a 48-hour week, the average time all the vehicles were engaged was 66 per cent. No vehicle was involved in a road accident during the year.

Coach Design in America.

Some interesting points regarding the progress in the design and construction of motor coaches in America were contained in a paper dealing with the evolution of this type of vehicle recently read . by a member of the White Motor Ca. before a section of the Society of Auto-. motive Engineers, I'

nc. of America. • The

has of front axles as been increased to 6 ft. 6 ins., and the tyres have grown biggerand bigger until those used at present are 10i-in.:section, these, of course, being of the low-pressure variety, whilst wheelbases reach 20 ft.

or More. • Power plants' have increased about 60 per cent. in piston diiplaeement and 125 per cent. in power output, and it has now become a problem to obtain adequate radiator surf see in the space available without making the radiator too high for the driver to see over. The author believes. that gear .transmission for inter-city coach work is unchallenged and it is still a competitor in urban work ; also that major improvements in gear transmissions are still possible.

Mention was made of the bid which is now being put forward by the steam. driven coach, and the author points out that, whilst the steam engine offers ideal torque characteristics, his experience has been that the many accessories, such as thermostats, water-feeding devices, and open-fire burners, are more of a handicap to it than are the carburetter, ignition, and other accessories of the internal-combustion engine.

Bus-licence Applications to Lianelly. The intentions of the Great Western Railway Co. in the matter of running bus services in the West Wales area have been indicated in an application made by the company for service licences to the transport committee of the Llanelly Borough Council.

The company asked for licences to run buses between Carmarthen and Llanelly and Carmarthen and Pontyates. It was stated that the policy to be followed by the company in West Wales was to have all bus services radiating from Carmarthen, which would be the main West Wales railhead.

It was decided to defer consideration of the applications until January, 1929, when the committee, will hold its annual meeting to consider the renewal of busservice licences.

An application by the South Wales Transport Co., Ltd., Swansea, for licences for new services from Llanelly. to Carmartheh, via Five Roads, to Pont yates, was also deferred. • Coventry's New Buses.

The Coventry Corporation has recently taken deliverY of a number of new 26-seater Maudslay buses, and certain of the vehicles Were subjected to a trial run over new routes on which they will be operated, when they gave ads -, quote proof of their all-round capabilities. The type of vehicle is shown in au accompanying illustration, this bring one of a fleet of ten Maudslay saloon buses supplied to the Coventry authorities. Since the delivery of these vehicles this year the Coventry Corpora tion has placed a further repeat order for buses of this type. The new vehicles have Hickman bodies.

Westinghouse Agent in Glasgow.

Bryson Brothers (Motors), Ltd., 122, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, has been appointed agents for Glasgow and the West of Scotland for the vacuum-servo and pressure brakes for motor vehicles made by the Westinghouse Brake and Saxby Signal Co., Ltd.

For Eastbourne-to-London Service.

In our issue dated Jima 26th we described in brief an Associated Daimler bus put into seivice on the Eastbourne-to-London route. We understand that the well-equipped body of this vehicle was built •by the Duple Bodies and Motors, Ltd., The Hyde, London, N.W.9, and that the vehicle was slpplieti by Mansfields, Ltd., 21, Cornfield Road, Eastbourne, to the user, Mr. Southan.

Bus Results at Southport.

The working results of the Southport Corporation motorbus fleet for the year ended March 31at last are now available., The corporation runs a number of Vulcan buses of different types and has ordered another three of this make, these being six-cylinder 36-seaters.

• The receipts for the year amounted to £9,263, as compared with £6,550 for the previous year. The expenses increased from £5:503 to £8,787. As a result of the additional services, the number of miles run (268,207) was 116,973 more than the previous year's total of 151,234. The total passengers carried were 922,968.

Owing to the alteration of the bus fares on October 10th, 1927, the average fare charged per mile has been reduced from 1215d. to .970d.

The average fare paid per passenger dropped from 3.6d. in 1926-7, to 2.4d. in 1927-8. With the receipts per busmile down to 8.289c1.as compared with 10.3950., and the expenses at 7.862d., or only .871d. less than last year, it will be necessary to increase the fares unless there is a considerable improvement in the revenue.