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Correspondence.

10th September 1908
Page 17
Page 17, 10th September 1908 — Correspondence.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

"Chain Makers at Play."

The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

Sir :—With reference to the paragraph headed " Chain makers at play " on page Do9 in your issue of 3rd September. We should like to point out that Priestnall Hey, Heaton Mersey, where the office and works stall of IIans Renold Ltd., were entertained on Saturday, the 29th ult., is Mr. Renofd's own residence, and that he and Mrs. Renold were host and hostess on that occasion. The invitations were to ifleet Mr. and Mrs. Jackson—Mr. Renold's recently married daughter and her husband—before their departure for U.S.A. We shall be glad if You will kindly make this correction in your next issue.—Yours truly,

HANS RExotre

Progress Works, Brook Street, Manchester, 4th September, 1908.

" Herculean " Wheels.

The Editor, "THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

Sir : -Wi notice on page 542 of your issue of 13111 August, a description of our " Herculean " wheels, a pair of which you state have been made " specially to the order of kxlens, Limited, of Sandbach." If you will refer to the particulars we sent yeti, you will find that we stated a pair of these wheels laid been supplied " for use on a Foden wagon," and not specially to the order of Messrs. Foden, Limited. The wheels in question were supplied to Messrs. J. Kay and Company, Limited, Gorton, Manchester, for use on their Foden wagon. As the statement is misleading, we think it only fair to Messrs. Foden, Limited, that you should correct same in y,our next issue.

Thanking you in anticipation,—We are, yours faithfully, Ti 1E ATLAS REsiLlENT ROAD WHEELS, LIMITED. 13th August.

-7 1We regrel the incorrectness of the constructions which we pm upon the adrices in the above two cases.—End Tramway Traffic and London Streets.

The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

Sir : No doubt it will interest the readers of your valuable paper to know that the L.C.C. have now (at any rate, according to the numbers put upon each car) over t,000 electric Cars upon the streets, for No. 1,002 can be seen on the new road from King's Cross to Finsbury Park via Caledonian Road. Considering the number of roads which are not et electrified, but which are the property of the L.C.C., the number of cars will be enormous when all the roads are so electrified.

It makes one feel quite nervous to think of perhaps 2,000 of these racing fiends going from 16 to 20 miles an hour along all the principal streets of London, and making them as bad as racecourses. When one compares these with that so-cared " monster," the motorbus, I think it is about time the motorbus critic kept his mouth shut and his es open in case he should be knocked down by an L.C.C. tramcar.— Yours faithfully, w. V.

38, Bryantweod Road, Holloway, N. Further Winnipeg Trials in 1909.

The Editor, "Tint COMMERCIAL Moroa."

Sir :—At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition Association, it was decided to continue for another year the Light Agricultural Motor Competition that was held at the late Exhibition, and it is the present intention to widen the scope of machines that are able to enter this competition by making more classes. The details have not yet been worked out, but will be gone into, and manufacturers notified, early this fall, as to the date of the Fair next year, and the conditions and classification for the competition. We are very pleased to state that the competition this year, as you are doubtless aware, created considerable interest, and will no doubt prove a splendid educational feature to those who wish to purchase machines of this class.

As soon as the conditions and classification have been prepared we shall be pleased to forward you copies of the same.—Yours very truly, A. W. BELL, Manager.

Winnipeg Industrial Exhibition Association, Union Bank Building, Winnipeg.

The Self-propelled Traffic Acts.

The Editor, " THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR."

si.: I am rather surprised that attention has not been in,:I }:ersistently drawn to certain anomalies in the Selfpropelled Traffic Acts. The commercial motors and tractors of the 3-ton class running under the 1914 Heavy Motor Car Order, must, as is well known, have their driving wheel rims of certain specific design, and may only draw a single trailer. The heavier vehicles, On the contrary, coming under the 1898 Act, may draw up to three loaded trailers, and have driving wheel tires of a substantiallv better form for obtaining surface adhesion. Whilst, also, the former need only be registered at a cost of twenty shillings once during their lifetime, the tatter are subjected to a very prohibitive scale of. curn o

ulative taxation. For a r-ton engine a charge of io per annum is made by the authorities of the County or Borough Council within which it is primarily employed. with additional fees by the authorities of every other County or Borough Council whose jurisdiction it enters. Licenses under the 1898 Act must in all cases be resorted to when either the traffic is so bulky as to require two trailers for its accommodation, or when the gradients are too severe for negotiation by 3-ton vehicles on 1904 pattern wheels. It is true that .4:to is the maximum fee chargeable, and that Highway Authorities may, if they see fit, reduce it to even a nominal charge, but this, unfortunately, they very, very rarely do. Surely, however, it would meet every requirement if all licenses under the 1898 Act were based upon an

equitable maximum scale of for each ton of tare weight, so that the fees payable on a 5-ton vehicle might never exceed k,-5. As, also, the structural limitations of road steamers are framed solely \vial a view to highway protection, it doesn't seem unreasonable to claim that so long as a 191)4 registered motor is allowed to carry a substantial load on its own platform, and an additional one on its trailer, a tractor of like tare weight might be permitted without the necessity of an 1898 license to convey the same load upon two trailers. I suppose no one can deny that a given gross load distributed over twelve wheels must be considerably better for the roads than a like load restricted to eight wheels only. Further, if two trailers are permissible at all, surely the mere possession of a license cannot affect the general good.

But there is another important matter. There are throughout England many hundreds of roads and bridges barred, either wholly or partially, against the passage of heavy traction engines. Hence, I should like to enquire as to whether the licensing (for either of the two purposes named) under the 1898 Act of motors and tractors, which otherwise fully comply with the icy% Order, leg-ally disqualifies them from traversing these barred bridges and roads. If it does, then the la W appears to me to savour pretty moat of the proverbial " bass."

I am told that in some counties no motor or tractor can be both registered and licensed. But surely such vehicles might fairly be allowed to run under the 1904 Order when their traffic suits, and under the 1898 Act when it doesn't. Doubtless there might be trifling difficulties in the different statutory speeds, but, so far as T am aware, the 2-mite-perhour through towns and villages traction-engine limit) is virtually a dead letter, being considered by the police quite obstructive to the general traffic, so that, in practice, all road steamers are freely allowed to run at a steady 5-mile lx': hour pace.—Yours respectfully,

JOHN NIORRISON.

St. Peters, Newcastle-on-Tyne.


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