From Our Berlin Correspondent.
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Subsidised Lorries.
Germany will soon possess no fewer than 180 motor lorries bearing the subvention-plaque. Only 11 firms are interested.
Germany's Foreign Trade.
Returns for the first three-quarters of the current twelvemonth show a rise in exports as well as imports, in comparison with a like period in 1908. Germany imported 45 frieght automobiles valued, roughly, at £19,700, whereas in 1908 the number stood at 37 with a value of £17.590. AustroHungary's sales rose, while Switzerland's dropped. The latter country sent vehicles weighing, collectively, 21,900 kilos. over the frontier. As to exports, Germany sent 118 vehicles abroad, as against 108 in 1908. The respective values were. however, £67,550 and £70,400; hence, the increase of tonnage was accompanied by a decline in value. The sales in Russia dropped from 91,100 to 72,100 kilos. Great Britain figures but low in the list of buyers.
Barre11-beer Transport in Germany.
As an instance of how the production of reliable motor lorries has hit the railway, I may mention the case of the Bohmisches Brauha us, in Berlin, which uses such vehicles for transporting beer between Berlin and WendischBuchholz, a distance of 33.1 miles, or 67; miles out and home. Naturally, horse-drawn drays are wholly out of the question, in view of the great distance, and the weight to be carried. Now, the Brauhaus saves money by discarding the railway in favour of the automobile; also a lot of time, as the loss due to the need for double loading and unloading disappears, and there are none of those other tedious delays inseparably bound up with railway transport. Whereas, by using the railway, tha Brauhaus could not feed its branches under 24-36 hours, its motor lorries are doing the work in six hours, the beer arriving at the branches practically as fresh as it was on leaving the cellars of the brewery.
I understand that most of the vehicles too, are now valued only pro forma in the annual balance-sheets, the yearly allowance for depreciation having more than covered the prime coat. I do not speak of vehicles on the superannuated list," hut those actually worked. Of course, the Branhaus took care not to buy on the cheap-and-nasty principle: it paid a long price for first-class material, and has reaped the due reward. Another point: Thanks to a number of reserve engines—not chassis, please note, but engines—the Branheus has raised the working days of the several wagons from 210 to 280 during the year. Formerly, with no reserves at hand, wagons with defective engines had to be towed to the repairing shop of the motor works, and days elapsed before they were returned ; now, however, as soon as an engine becomes defective, it is promptly dismounted and replaced by a sound one, so that the wagon comee out of action for a few hours on the time necessary for changing engines.
German Makers Estimates of Working Costs: Sharp Indictment of Figures.
Engineer T. Wolff, writing in the " Teelmisehe Rundschau " on the " Working Costs of Automobiles," sharply criticises the practice of some makers in attempting to do business with more or less fanciful estimates of working costs. That the percentage of industrial vehicles amongst modern automobiles should still be so low is due, in his opinion, to the fact that trading concerns which may be considering the purchase of motor vehicles " are not yet in a position to form any absolutely reliable conception of the working costs of industrial vehicles as compared with horse-drawn vehicles." And how has this regrettable ignorance arisen? " The main blame," he writes, " for this ignorance must be laid at the doors of the motor makers themselves. A few years back, when directing attention to the building of commercial motors, they flooded the industrial districts with catalogues containing positivelybrilliant estimates for the cost of working business motor vehicles. On the strength of the tempting estin ates, not a few firms acquired vehicles. The experiments resulted in failure. The promising figures in the makere' estimates were given the lie direct by actual working: depreciation charges and working costs proved to he three or four times higher than the estimates, and, in the majority of MSPAS, horse-drawn transport proved itself much cheaper than cartage by motor! Very many houses which had adopted self-propelled vehicles were compelled, hy reason of the enormous expense of working, to lay them aside again. Since then, there has been a widespread end deep mistrust, in industrial circles, against makers' estimates of working costs; this mistrust is still the main obstacle to the progress of mechanical road-transport, although modern freight-automobiles stand on a much higher level of technical efficiency, reliability and general usefulness than did their predeceesors.
"Unfortunately, most of the makers are still pursuing the old tactics of submitting, to possible users, worthkss estimates of working costs, with enticingly-low figures, instead of offering real practical results, and supplying interested parties with an impartial picture, where light and shade, advantages and disadvantages are painted in their actual proportions." This leads Herr Wolff up to an investigation of the kinds of transport best tackled by automobiles, but I do not propese to quote him now on this important point ; my present purpose is but to present his indictment of a practice which, whatever its immediate ,success, tends to time subversion of the industry. Speaking for myself. 1 have frequently applied to motor firms for actual figures, and received the most fantastic estimates imaginable—produced, of course, at the works. I have written: " Your estimate is of no use to me; what I want are actual figures from a customer; please send them along." I am still waiting for the bulk of them! Hence, my satisfaction at Engineer Wolff's bombshell.
Military Motorism in Russia: A Chance for "Industrials."
Russia is to have an automobiletesting section on the lines of the Prussian "Versuchsabteilung der Verkehrstruppen " (Experimental Section of the Train). The army officials will purchase vehicles from the various makers and subject them to a. trial extending over six months, a minimum of 50 miles daily being expected from the industrial types. On the basis of experiences gathered during the probation, the Government will lay down regulations for the building of vehicles suitable for military service. At present, the Russian Government requires no more than an engine of 30 h.p. for its lorries and the like. The section in question is to be under the control of a captain of the Royal Engineers, assisted by a number of subordinate officers.
A Berlin Motor-Plough Co. of Interest to British Makers.
I note that a concern trading as the Stock Motorpflug Aktien-Gesellschaft (Stock Motor-plough Co. Ltd.) has been floated at Berlin with a capital of four million marks (£200,000). It will acquire, manufacture and sell motors and ploughing tackle, also carry on businesses directly or indirectly connected with such machines in all varieties.
Apropos af ploughs designed for power machines, it will probably surprise not a fee of your readers to learn that Germany's imports of this category are drawn wholly and solely from England. I refer to No. 905a of the German Customs Tardiff, which comprehends "pfliige für kraftbetrieb, auch mit zugehorigen kraftmaschinen" (ploughs to be worked by power, also with power machines belonging to them). tip to the end of September, during the current year, the imports totalled 12,000 double cwt., and opposite Great Britain's contribution are the same figures. In fact, England's sales to Germany exceeded by 3,475 double cwt. Germany's total sales abroad.