THE REFUSE OF A I ) MILES OF STREETS.
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IT OCCURRED to us, when deciding to describe in this issue the use to which certain typical municipal authorities put the motor vehicle in the service of some of their departments, that. the City of Westminster offered a good field for investigation, for there has always been intense enthusiasm in the Highways Department of the City Council for the most efficient forms of transportation, the problems confronting it-are severe, and efficiency was suggested as one of its attributes by the condition of the Council's fleet whenever it was brought on parade in competition for The Commercial 31. otor. Challenge
Cup. .
Let us at once frankly admit that we intended, if we got an opportunity of examining .a number of fleet details, carefully to scrutinize engines and transmission and bodywork to see how nearly the condition of the vehicles in ordinary circumstances approached the parade state ! We soon found that there was no need to be so circumspect about it, because Capt. F. W. Cable, MC., A.M.I.C.E., who is chief of the Highways Department, attaches importance to this matter of unfailing cleanliness and, without hesitation, raised the bonnet of every vehicle, had floorboards lifted, and verily surprised us by demonstrating clearly that the condition in which one sees a Westminster City Council vehicle at a C.M.U.A. parade is the normal condition. The cleanliness of all parts reflects immense credit upon all concerned, and it is interesting to know that it does not come because the drivers have a lot of spare time—rather the other way in fact, because the men on the first shift can only snatch the few odd moments whilst the loaders are emptying refuse from the house 'bins into the wagon, and the second shift men only get a clear half-hour a day.
Westminster City has 99 miles of streets to maintain and keep clean and from which to collect refuse, -and it. is one of the few municipalities where every house and -building is given a daily service in refuse collection. It is interesting to know that the Council's predecessors, the Strand District Board of Works owned motor lorries as far back as 1898 and used them for carrying cut the work of house refuse collection and street watering. The real change over from horses commenced in 1906, when four Leyland steam wagons wer purchased, followed a year later by four Thornyeroft chain-driven steam wagons, which latter were sold to the Edmonton Borough Council last year .• A batch of new -Thornycroft wagons, bought in. 1912, formed the nucleus of the petrol-driven fleet. In 1918 ten new J type Thornycrofts were bought, and last year three similar vehicles were bought off the dump at Slough and reconditioned in the Council's own workshops. When the threat of a railway strike was 'made a
couple of months ago half a dozen new C. J. type Daimler 21 ton chassis were purchased, to which temporary bodies were fitted. In addition the fleet includes a 2 ton Thornyc5oft disinfecting van with two bodies, a 7 cwt. Ford van, an open Ford van, used by the Finance Department in collecting money, a Vauxhall car, -used by the heads of the department, and motorcycles and cycles for the inspectors' use.
Horses are not being replaced as they die out. The Council still owns 65, and as they gradually go the way of all flesh motor vehicles will take their place, because it has been found that it costs 8s. 8d. per ton to collect refuse by means of horses and carts and only 5s. 9d. per ton by means of motors. The accounts are kept with scrupulous accuracy, and the figures leave no possible room for doubt, but since the last report embodying these figures was prepared the cost of petrol and wages and of horse fodder, hire, etc. has been reduced. Perhaps, if the horses were working in an area which was near a depot, horsed transport would show a little better than 8s. 8d. per-ton, but the cost would never come down to the lower level shown by the motor vehicle.
The bodies of the refuse wagons are built by the
Eagle Engineering Co.-, of Warwick, and the chief of the Highways Department speaks highly of the quality of the work. They are equipped with powerdriven, twin, telescopic, screiv-tipping gear -which tips• the body to an angle of 55 degrees, the whole time for running up and back being not more than 38 seconds. The dust cover to each tip wagon represents quite a new line of thought. It was devised by Capt. Cable, who has had experience with Auster's Lightning curtain and flap fastener, which consists of an edging of small cup and ball tongues. The two edges are caused to interlock by a runner when the latter is moved in one direction, whilst when it is moved in the apposite direction the two edges are separated. We have had some personal experience of this fastener on the hood flaps on a motor boat and have found it to be effective and reliable, and Capt. Cable has found that it works admirably, even in the dusty surroundings in which it is called upon to operate. The cover is fastened down to the body by eyelets and lashings at the four corners and is cut away on the near aide leaving two narrow end strips each firmly lashed down. A double cord is tied to each of the fastener runners, one cord being thrown over to the off side of the vehicle. --A pull on these off side cords rips up the two.fastened edges and the flap can then be thrown back for the reception of refuse., A pull on the two near side cords after the flap has been thrown back entirely closes up the two seams and effectively covers in the load. When the load is tipped, the cover does not require .to be touched. The whole
operation is shown in our special set of photographs on this page. It is extremely simple and saves the continual tying, down and uncovering that is involved in the use of the one-piece tarpaulin cover.
Each lorry body is interchangeable with a water body having a capacity of 750 gallons. These water bodies are used in street watering and for soaking down the carriage ways prior to flushing by means of hose attached to street hydrants.
A couple of• hoists are erected at the depot—one for water bodies and one for lorry bodies. It takes but a few minutes to run the vehicle under the one and shed whatever body is already fitted and then to back under the other hoist and receive the alternative type of body.
The lorries are also used for the cartage of material such as wood blocks, granite, cement, ballast, etc., for the use of the Works Department in the repair of footways and carriageways, etc., and for the cartage of salved and saleable materials from house and street refuse. Any cartage carried out for departments of the Council is booked up and charged against the departraent concerned.
Where the Hand-cart and Manual Labour are Desirable.
The work of sweeping and cleaning of the streets i throughout the day is, n the City of Westminster, where the traffic is exceedingly heavy, and so many vehicles are constantly stopped at the kerbside, best done by manual labour, hand-trucks, each holding about half a yard of street refuse, being at work all day long. The sweepings are brought into the yard mixed with the stable manure and sold.
So far, gulley emptying has been effected also by manual labour. The department is experimenting with vacuum gully emptier's, but at present is
allowing the national call for economy to carry its full weight, and so it is riot altering existing methods.
• Reverting to the subject of refuse collection, our illustrations of the vehicles in the fleet will show that the older vehicles are somewhat high in the side, making it difficult to empty bins into the wagon,
• and therefore involving the use of ladders. The newer bodies are much lower in the sides and have a middle hinged flap, still further to assist loading until the vehicle is half full. Each Leyland steamer and Thornycroft wagon, when collecting refuse, draws a tipping trailer, the total capacity of the motor and trailer being from 12 to 14 cubic yards, the motor . body being the larger and having a capacity of from 7 to 9 cubic yards. Various types of trailers are employed, and the experience of the department with them is equally varied.
A Mechanical Service Depot Contemplated.
The vehicles at present are garaged at three depots in different parts of the city, but it is hoped, as the remaining stud of horses owned by the Council die out or are disposed of, to take the opportunity to adopt a scheme which is now under consideration for building a mechanical service depot at which the whole of the fleet of motors and trailers would be garaged and where all the repairs could be carried out. At present the repair facilities are just good enough hut no more.
The staff of motor drivers totals 44 and there are two chauffeurs, all being thoroughly qualified men, who take the keenest personal interest in the motors under their charge. Every possible encouragement is given to the staff to take the utmost pride in their vehicles, also to bring forward suggestions for improving the methods or conditions of working. Each driver is entirely responsible for the motor allottee to him. during his shift and he has to report an3
defects, noticed during his spell of work, wlien booking off at the depot. tie is also responsible for keepmg the engine clean, but he does not touch the bodywork, which is washed and cleaned by the employees of the department disabled in the war and employed at the depots.
Although the drivers are not responsible for the cleanliness of the bodies, it was remarkable in what good structural condition they were. In fact it seemed absurd, when looking over a Westminster City Council lorry after it had come off the wash (where inside and outside had been thoroughly flushed down by a powerful hose -jet), to think of them as dust -tvgons.
They looked as clean and spick and span as if they were engaged in the transport of food stuffs?
As Capt. Cable said to us on shaking hands when leaving, it pays one over and over again to have one's vehicles not only well kept but beautifully kept. Working in an atmosphere highly charged with dust as the vehicles under his control have to do, it is important that they should start in a clean condition and be kept clean, otherwise matters would go to the other extreme and a spirit of neglect would get the upper hand. We are sure that be is right and recognize that he has imbued the whole of the staff under him with the same spirit.