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There are nc.v 27 licensed taxicabs in Nottingham and 10 private-hire machines.
Mr. J. S. Critchley, read a paper, at the Royal Automobile Club, on Wednesday of last week, and a sammary will be found on the two following pages.
Is the initial fare to be &I. or 10d., inFaanclonf' That is the question about which we have something to say on the that page of this issue. Correspondence 0 11 the subject is invited.
Charles Macintosh and Co., Ltd., of 22 and 22, Jewin Street, E.C., informs us that it has entered into a contract to supply, for a period of twelve months, all the pneumatic tires necessary for the vehicles owned by the
Motor Cab Co., Ltd.
Blackpool Town Council has at last removed its ban on taxicabs; the Wateh Committee, when recommending the 'Fowl' Council to take this action, suggested that four carriage licences should he surrendered for every taxivab licence which was granted. It is understood that this stipulation will not be enforceil.
Brighter Lamps.
In reply to representations from the London Motoreab Proprietors Association. Tad., to the Commissioner of Police, with reference to the use of headlights on motorcabs, the Commissioner has now agreed that in the outlying and less-lighted thoroughfares of the metropolis, something of higherilluminating power than the present oil side-lamps may he desirable. He is prepared to have tested and to consider the possibility of approving any suitable lamp of higher power that may be submitted for his inspection, providing that such lamps be not of a nature to cause inconvenience to other Users of the high road.
An Inner Case for Taxicab Tires.
A puncture-proof inner case for taxicab pneumatic tires has recently been brought to our notice; it is marketed by the Atlas Non-Puncture Inner Case Syndicate. of 124, High Street, Kensington, W. It is not an inner tithe, neither is it a reinforcement for the outer cover, but a parate case which is interposed between the outer cover and the inner tube. It consists of a number of layers of canvas and rubber, with three lovers of small metal discs. the discs being imperimposed in such a manner that it is impossible for anything, even a pin point, to find its way through the ease. We have seen a letter written by Mr. Charles J. Clark, the owner of an Argyll taxicab hearing the registration number LB. 7198, in which he states that he fitted one of these inner cases to a cover which was so badly worn that it had been scrapped, but after fitting an Atlas inner case to this cover lie continued to run it. and at the time of his writing (24th December) the cover in question had run 2,431 miles without giving any trouble whatever.
Chaos in Manchester.
We have received a letter from a prominent merchant of Rochdale, in which he amply confirms the conclusions which we drew with regard to the results that would accrue from Manchester's muddled taxicab regulations. He tells us: " All you said has
come true, and as the men are allowed to charge by guesswork like the horse cabby, it is net worth while keeping the taximeter in working order, and hardly any cabs in Manchester have them now." He considers that the local owners are having a very-poor time, and that the public is in no way properly served by the taxicabs that are actually licensed. We would strongly advise anybody who has occasion to take a Manchester taxicab, to make a firm bargain beforehand with the driver, and so to avoid subsequent disputes. For all practical purposes, there are no taxicabs in Manchester, although it possesses a few motorcabs.
A New Napier.
We illustrate on this page an improved type of 15 h.p. Napier taxicab chassis. A number of small constructional modifications have been made in this model and improvements have been embodied in the design ; of such details as the torque rod, the frame members, the propeller-shaft, universal joint, the steering gear and the carburetter. 8. F. Edge, Ltd., informs its that its last contract with W. and G. Du Cros, Ltd., called for a petrol consumption of 23 miles per gallon over a route starting from Acton and going up to the Bank of England and hack via the Embankment. It was to carry out this test, we are informed, that this new carburetter was designed, " as we could not buy a carburetter on the market that could do it." The new Napier carburetter which we illustrate is of the twin-jet variety, with an annular-shaped float. The petrol from the twin jets enters separate and distinct channels which are controlled by a specially-ported throttle-valve. The small jet is thus in operation up to a certain speed and the larger one when greater calls are n irle upon the ergine.