Opinions from Others.
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The Editor invites correspondence on all subjects connected with the use of commercial motors. Letters should be on one side of the paper only, and type-written by Preference. The right of abbreviation is reserved, and no responsibility for the views expressed is accepted. In the case of experiences, names of towns or localities may be withheld.
Captain Scott's Wolseley Sleigh.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,144] Sir,—In your issue of the 7th April, you give an interesting account of Captain Scott's motor sleighs, and you state, as a matter that aroused much' comment, that, while the lower part of the track chains remains stationary, the upper part travels at twice the speed of the machine. Is that a fact? In the many experiments I have carried out, and the issue of which is now going through the Patent Office, I have found that, while the lower part of the chain does remain stationary, the upper part travels at the same speed as the machine.—Yours faithfully, H.B."
[We think that you will understand the statement as to the rate of travel of the chains more clearly, if you realize that the speeds of the whole sleigh and of the top portions of the chains are quoted in their relations to the ground over which the machine travels. The Patent Office will give you no decision as to the probable behaviour of any suggested mechanical device.—En.] Commercial-Vehicle Design.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,145] Sir,—With reference to Mr. H. Kerr-Thomas's article, and to your comment thereon, I would like to mention that, if further evidence is needed against the design of self-propelled commercial vehicles which includes the placing of the engine under the footboards or driver's seat, one may say that (1) every make of motor omnibus of the above design (with the exception of the Wolseley) has disappeared from London service ; (2) all British firms who are turning out commercial chassis are now offering the bonneted type of vehicle—even Messrs. Clayton and Co.; (3) the French firms who have taken to the bonnetles.s design cannot sell their vehicles, while the British and German firms with their bonneted vehicles are doing well. —Yours faithfully, .Annire E. A. M. TURNER.
Twenty Points for London Users of Taxicabs.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,146] Sir,—I think you are to be warmly congratulated on compiling the twenty points for London taxicab users, as sonic such list of instructions seems very necessary. I venture to suggest, however, that they might yet be more valuable had you decided to wait issuing the wall cards and pamphlets until you had heard the voice of the "countryon these points, as by this means, among the multitude uf readers and with fresh minds to bear upon the subject, difficulties not contemplated might have come to light. A point, for instance, that I sin not clear about and do not see mentioned, is as to where the hiring actually starts? Of course, if I am at a cab rank or hail a passing cab, and I at once get in and start the journey, it is clear that the hiring starts there. But, if I go and fetch a cab either off a rank (the nearest available), or in the street. and direct the driver to a house and get in, the intention being that the cab is merely fetched to start a journey from the house, where should the hiring and the registering start then? With horsed cabs. I was always under the impression—I may have been wrong—that the journey to the house in such a case did not count, and was not charged for in the mileage. I should think this is the case with taxis. I notice that, if a taxi is whistled for, the flag is not depressed until the house is reached ; but, if fetched, it is. And whistling should be discouraged, rather than encouraged. When personally fetched, the driver can very well argue that he did not know he was only being fetched—that he thought he was taking a fare. Ought one, therefore, in such cases, to tell him that he is being fetched, and that his journey starts from the house,
in which case he would be entitled to start registering directly he reached the house. Now, if he is telephoned for, according to the above, he should not start registering until he reaches the house. Does he do so, or does he start registering at the rank on receipt of the instructions ? The telephone directory gives some information of a rathernegative character. After giving a long list of cab-offices and shelters where cabs may be telephoned for, a further list is given (on page xv), of thirty motorcab stations, with the information that "fares are chargeable from the rank." Therefor?, presumably, they are not chargeable from the other places. If possible, a point or two regarding the above might prove to be desirable. I think point
would have been clearer, had you prefaced it with: " Observe that the taximeter flag or arm is tiepressed only at start of hiring, when it should only register 8d., etc."
Point 3 was in a somewhat dubious state, and I am glad to see it now authoritatively set down.
Point 11.—Nothing is said as to the right of the " fare " to get out without liability for any payment in the case of a serious mishap.—Yours faithfully, "
[There should be no difficulty in deciding as to where a hiring actually starts; in the event of a cab's being fetched from a rank, the hiring does undoubtedly begin from that. rank, although, as a rule, it is probable that. a driver would not depress his flag until he had actually arrived at the point where the passenger was to be taken up, in order to protect himself, as, in case the cab were not required on its arriving at. the intended starting-place, it would be difficult to make a messenger responsible for the hiring. If a driver be telephoned for, he undoubtedly has a right, upon receipt of instructions, to depress his flag at the time he leaves the rank or other standing-place. There is no differentiation in this matter between a rank and any other standing-place. With reference to the criticism of point 5. it must be understood that it is not always possible for the " fare," under circumstances such as those suggested above, to observe the actual depression of the taximeter flag. owing to the fact that the hiring may take place before the actual passenger uses the cab. Re criticism of point 11, we are unaware of such a right on the part of the " fare." Did such a right exist, it would be almost impossible, on each occasion, to decide what was a. serious mishap, without legal opinion at any rate.—En.]
The Storage of Accumulators When Not In Use.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
1,147] Sir,—We have noticed, at various times, inquiries in the Press on the above subject, and in many cases the advice given is such that, if followed, damage to the accumulator might result. We, therefore, give a few hints as to the methods to be followed, which an experience of 20 years in the manufacture of small pm-table accumulators for ignition and lighting purposes suggests. (1) if an accumulator has never been charged, wrap it up or store it in a dark dry place. (2) If it is desired to put away an accumulator— that has been charged—for an indefinite period, run it down on a lamp till each two-volt cell registers 1.9 volts, then empty out the acid and let it dry off, and store as No. 1. The slight sulphate formed in drying (if any) will disappear at the first charge. (3) If a charged accumulator is to he put by. for any period up to six months, charge fully, wipe perfectly dry and grease the terminals. Store in a dry dark place free from dust. At the end of the time, very little of the charge will have been lost. Water should never be put into an accumulator, whether charged or not, under any circumstances.-Yours faithfully,
C. A. VANDERVELL AND CO.
Acton Vale, W. English Machine Tools and Aeroplane Engines.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL Moroe.
11,148] Sir,—The prize for the first flight from London to Manchester having been won by a Frefichman on a French machine, it may be some consolation for readers of THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR to know that the motors which were fitted to both aeroplanes were manufactured on British machinetools, as we have supplied The Societe' des Moteurs " Gnome" (the makers of the motors in question) with a large plant of our labour-saving machines.—Yours faithfully, For ALFRED HKEIBERT, LTD., Coventry. E. D. Mini-m.1e
Rubber Tires on a Five-ton Steam Wagon.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR
11,1.49] Sir,—Wbilst the subject of " rubber versus steel tires •': for commercial motors is receiving so much attention, I think your readers might be interested to know that we have been running a five-ton Leyland steam wagon on rubber tires for the past four months. The tires were supplied by the Polack Tyre. Co., of London, through their Manchester agents, Messrs. Leo. Swain and Co., of Deansgate, Manchester. I believe we can claim to have been the first user to put rubber tires on a five-ton steamer [The City Engineer of Liverpool tried a set in 1902.—En.], and there was a good deal of head-shaking amongst our friends when they learnt of our proposals; but, I am glad to say, so far as we have gone, the experiment has been entirely successful. The machine has now run 5,000 mike on the tires without any appreciable sign of wear, the mileage being about 1,200 miles a month, or, nearly 15,000 miles a :year, which will compare favourably with most petrol lorries of the same capacity. We find, that, not only does the machine travel more smoothly on rubber tires, but it has much more power for hill-climbing; the coke consumption has been considerably reduced, and, apparently, the general wear and tear is now very much less, in spite of the increased mileage run. T need hardly say that the transfer to rubber tires from steel has met with the hearty approval of the driver, who is most anxious to display an advantage . with rubber tires which will encourage their continued use. During the past winter, we negotiated a distance of 30 miles successfully, through snow of an average depth of 2 ft., and only came to a standstill once—when the machine gotinto a drift 4 ft. deep. We are careful to prevent overloading, and the driver has orders to refuse loads of over 4? tone, which he is prompt to do. In one or two cases, customers have taken exception to our strictness in this matter, but it is a point which must be insisted upon wherever rubber tires are used. The general running of the machine is now practically noiseless, a point which has been quickly appreciated by the general public; the ease with which the machine can be mameuvred is also most marked. The driver, again, appreciates this.
Respecting the question of profit and loss, with rubber as compared with steel tires, it is as yet rather early to espress an opinion ; we have been trying them on various classes of work, with a view to ascertaining, as far as possible, which is the more suitable. So far as we can judge at present, it would not be possible to convert a whole fleet of steel-tired machines, which were engaged upon general carrying, on to rubber tires, as a certain proportion of such work can only be handled profitably in large quantities, and in some cases the requirements of customers fluctuate to such a large degree that it is only by the use of trailers that the case can be met. There are other classes of traffic where delays are inevitable in running, and, as rubber tires leave the owner with a reduced possible profit, the work must therefore be kept as regular as possible. The greatest risk involved, in using so soft a material as rubber for tire purposes. is the danger of their being cut, either by their having to run over unrolled metal or broken glass. A rubber tire may easily be placed hors de combat in a comparatively-short, time, and, if the road authorities wish to encourage their use, they must be careful to minimize the risk of damage through the first cause. I may add that the tires are fitted on to standard wheels, with the tires and felloes removed.—Yours faithfully, H. VINEY AND CO., LTD., Preston. C. LE M. GossetiN, Managing Director.
Taxi-drivers' "Extras" and Wages.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,150] Sir,—We thank you for the attention you are so generously giving to this subject. We much regret that our letter, in your issue of the 21st ult., should have been taken as a. challenge by the Proprietors. Association. It was intended to help the public to understand the drivers' attitude--not to provoke fUrther strife. Mr. Hughes asks Why are we rowing in this galley: Because we feel that we have a more-vital and more-individual in. tere,st in the prosperity of the trade than either masters or men solely can have ; because we—as Mr. Hughes is good enough to say-cannot, in this matter, have axes to grind, and so are interveners only in the interests of fair play, and because, further, we do want the publicto understand the present-day difficulties, which the companies outwardly ignore, and the men mutter about.
Your correspondent seems to admit that the men were at first promised the " Extras." In view of his later paragraph, " at the inception of the industry motorcab proprietors very reasonably counted on the revenue from Extras,' " it will perhaps interest him to know that, before the introduction of the taximeter motorcab, the public were officially promised, on behalf of the companies, that no ' Extras' whatever should be charged—Sir Henry Norman, in "The Daily Mail," 25th January, 1901. It was later that the men were told they would have "all the Extras,' " etc.
Your correspondent has, in effect, made the admission we are trying to obtain, viz., that the cabs cannot successfully be run on the fares first fixed. We tried to show that the men were not now likely to get a fair living wage. He says that without the " Extras " the increase of the rate must be 50 per cent.from 8d. to be per mile. Are we, Sir, to understand, that the payments for " Extras " are expected even by the most-sanguine companypromoter to equal that proportion of the day's takings on the present scale of time-and-distance charges? In sober fact, if all the " Extras" are punched up as many men have regularly done, they do not average is. per day!
Gratuities have, indeed, become generally smaller ; they are, now, almost at the. vanishing point, and this your correspondent should not forget is due to the action in the past of masters who are now members of his Association.
" stop your tips—I'll tell the public how much you get, and then they'll give you nothing " ; and, Sir, so it w as. The Press campaign against the drivers began within a week of that utterance.
In passing, I cannot agree that a legal claim and a moral one are the same. The difference between Mr. Hughes and myself is really that I have been in the trade from its commencement, and am trying to show that it is the companies' illegal action, long before the Association which he go ably represents came into existence, which has led to the men's illegal action now. It is only, as you so properly observe in your leader, every word of which we heartily endorse, a question of which side should begin to " play fair." As to the average daily wage, we left our driver with 2s. 3d. net. Mr. Hughes leaves him with 3s. net. And, if it were for six days—not five, which is not the ease—that is only a clear net wage of 188. (the inaccuracy referred to exists in Mr. Hughes' imagination, and is clue to the omission of the words " net " and " gross," which clearly, from the context, required reading in). It was by allowing for the much-greater takings which might hare been expected in the ensuing three months, but for the sad event which has to-day cast a gloom over the whole land, that we lifted our driver's average from 2s. 3d. to 5s. net.
The next paragraph of Mr. Hughes's letter is most damning to his contention. In 1908, the average of three drivel's' taximeter receipts at one firm was £800 per annum. I note that, in 1909, only one driver has been able to reach three-quarters of this sum. In January, 1998, the average daily earnings of the cabs were officially returned to the Board of Trade as la 9s. 3d. If, in 1999, the general decrease was at all in proportion to that of the prize driver he mentions, the average return for
January, 1910, must have been nearer 20s. than the 27s. we mentioned. As an association we, with you. Sir, seek peace and the prosperity of the trade. We believe that this can only be attained by a facing of the true situation on the part of men, the owners and the public, and we note, as the best vindication of our letter, that one large firm has already met its drivers in the admirable spirit your leader suggests—with, we learn, wholly beneficial results.--Yours faithfully,
Tun MOTORCAB OWNER-DRIVERS' ASSOCIATION, J. EDWARD DAVIES, Hon. Sec. Willow Walk, NW.,
7th May, 1910.