In Public Service.
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Proposals and Purchases.
Darlington Town Council is about to purchase a five-ton motor wagon with tipping body.
Middles br ough Wa,teh Coinm ittee is about to spend 2600 on a motor ambulance.
Croydon Corporation has ordered a motor ambulance with Wolseley chassis from Messrs. Chalmers and Co., of Hedhill.
Btadford Town Council is seeking tenders for a supply of solid rubber tires for its petrol-driven vans and railless trolley omnibuses.
Fire Brigade Matters.
Exmouth U.D.C. has bought a Merry weather fire-engine at 21060.
Coventry City Council has taken delivery of its two Dennis fireengines.
The L.G.B. has sanctioned a loan of 2800, to the Cirencester U.D.C., for its new motor fire-engine.
The Wolverhampton Tgwn Council has finally approved the purchase of two Dennis motor fire-engines at .21720.
. The Perth (W.A.) City Council has now received the first of eight motor fire-engines from Messrs. H. Simonis and Co.
" Maidstone Town Council has decided to notify the Dennis, Leyland, and Merryweather companies to send motor fire-engines for inspection.
Bristol Watch Committee has recommended the acceptance of the tender of Dennis Bros., Ltd., at 22345, for the supply of two motor fire-engines.
Oldham Fire Brigade has come to the conclusion that it is working with antique apparatus, and is eager to get to work with its new Morris motor fire-engine.
The Manchester Watch Com mittee requires the tenders foi which it is asking, for the supply of four petrol-driven motor fire-engines to be lodged on or before the 26th inst.
The efforts of the Wokingham fire brigade, of which the Marquis of. Downshire is captain to raise money to secure a motor' fire-engine have been crowned with success, chiefly as the result of a local bazaar.
New Registrations.
The Uttoxeter Motor Char-hbanes Co., Ltd., has been registered with an authorized capital of 2500.
The New Brighton Motor Coach Co., Ltd. (215,000), with its registered office at 8, Cook Street, Liverpool. Business : proprietors and hirers of motorcars, motorbuses, motor chars-h-bancs, etc. c2
The receipts of the National Steam Car Co., Ltd., for the week ended 7th May, 191,1, were 24641. This shows an increase of 21746 over the corresponding period of last year.
The receipts of the Tramways (M.E.T.) Omnibus Co., Ltd., for the week ended 2nd May, 1914, were 29835, and for the Gearless Omnibus Co., Ltd., £510. These show an increase of 26900 and 2305 respectively over the corresponding period of last year.
L.C.C. Traffic.
The L.C.C. has retained M. Manage, the general director of the Paris General Omnibus Co., to advise in respect of certain difficulties with which its tramcar undertaking is confronted at the present time. It is reported that M. Manage is to be paid a. fee of 2250.
The L.C.C. apparently has more schemes in hand which it desires to support by alleging similarity between conditions in the French capital and in London.
At the time of going to press, considerable feeling is reported to exist concerning this appointment. The Middlesex County Council Bin.
A Committee of the House of Commons, over which Colonel A. B. Bathurst presided, has concluded its hearing of opposition to the Middlesex County Council Bill, with reference to the construction of a new 80 ft. highway about five miles in leRgth, beginning with a junction with the Chiswick High ltoad near Gunnersbury, and passing through Brentford, Osterley, Lampton, and Heston, into the main road to Bath beyond Hounslow. Mr. lionora,tus Lloyd, K.C., represented the promoters, whilst the case of the London Omnibus Owners Federation was presented by Mr. Balfour Browne, K.C.
Mr. H. T. Wakelam, the county surveyor for Middlesex, submitted statements by which; it was sought to show that motorbus traffic had at least doubled. the cost of maintenance on certain roads. He particularly cited lengths of the Bath Road and of Golder's Green Road.
Counsel for the opposing motorbus proprietors argued against any differentiation between motorbuses and other vehicles, and claimed that it would be a monstrous discrimination against the " poor man's car " to sanction anything of tlie The Committee having intimated that it was prepared to approve such charge, the rate of ad. per mile run was inserted in the clause, and the Bill was ordered to be reported to the House of Commons for third reading. We purposely refrain from reporting the proceedings at any great length, but we pass editorial comment (pages 245 and 246) upon the situation which has arisen. Coventry Chains.
An interesting report has reached us concerning the stall dinner of the Coventry Cnain Co., Ltd., which dinner took place at the Masonic Hall, Coventry, on the 1st inst., under the chairmanship of the managing director of the company, Councillor A. S. Hill. The chairman was supported by Mr. Norman Hill, Mr. C. W. Goff, Mr. W. Nelson (works manager), and others. The company now employs some MOO bands.
A Drunken Driver.
A driver named Moody, lately in the service of the London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., was sentenced to one month's imprisonment witl loud labour at the Mansion House Police Court, London, on Saturdke last, on his _conviction for baing drunk when in charge of a motorbus. His driving licence was suspended for 12 months and his hackney carriage licence was revoked. Amongst this year's developments of new char-k-bancs services in Scotland. we observe that Mr. A. Paterson, of the Central Garage, Elgin, will attend to the requirements of the Elgin-Lossiemouth road.
Motorbuses and Roads.
In the House of Commons on Friday last, Lord Charles Bercsford asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he would inform the House in what manner companies running motorbuses in London and the suburbs contributed towards the upkeep of the muds ; what was the total sum contributed by these companies in 1913 ; and whether, looking to the amount of damage done to road surfaces by these vehicles, he would consider the advisability of taking steps, by legislation or otherwise, to secure that these companies should pay their fair share of the cost of the upkeep of the roads. Mr. Herbert Samuel: Companies running motor omnibuses so far as they are in the occupation of rateable premises, contribute as ratepayers to the upkeep of the roads, and further contributions in respect of motor-spirit and carnage-licence duty are made to the cost of the roads under the Finance (1903-10) Act, 1910, and the Revenue Act, 1911, but the total sum so contributed cannot be distinguished. As regards the last part of the question, the recommendations of the Local Taxation Committee on the subject are under consideration.
A Bodywork Dispute.
The Royston C.D.C. has refused to grant licences to the Barnsley District Electric Traction Co., Ltd., in respect of certain motor coaches, by reason of a dispute in respect of the type of bodies to be employed. The Council is of opinion that there should be an exit at the back.
Wellington (N.Z.) Tenders.
The Wellington City Council wants tenders for a battery-dri% en chassis to carry 2000 lb., and a battery-driven motorcar. Anybody who is desirous to tender ioust pay one guinea for each of the specifica nons, and must accompany any quotation with a cheque, drawn on a bank in Wellington, N.Z., for £40 in the ease of the heavier chassis, or £25 in the ease of the smaller one. In addition, local representation is liecessary. These demands appear to us to be unnecessarily exacting, and we doubt if many parties will trouble even to look at the specifications, copies of which are available at the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade, 73, Easinghall Street, E.C.
Barnsley to Crystal Palace by Chars-abanes.
Opposite on this page we reproduce a photograph of one of those long-distance char-h-bancs parties to which we are gradually becoming quite accustomed in this country. The machine in question is a 1909 English Daimler, which, however, has, since its date of building, been fitted with a Knight engine ; it belongs to the Barnsley Motor Co., Ltd. The photograph was taken on the occasion of the departure of a party of Barnsley football enthusiasts, who left that town to attend the Crystal Palace on Friday, the 24th ult., on the occasion of the Football Cup Final. The start was made at 7.43 a.m., and the party arrived at Charing Cross at 0.45 p.m.. a distance of 180 miles. The journey was made to the Crystal Palace and back on the Saturday, and the return journey to 33arnsley occurred on the following Monday. As the return fare was only 21 Os. each for 14 passengers, which was the equivalent of the ordinary return fare to London and the Crystal Palace, it will be seen that the trippers evidently had excellent value for their money, in addition to what was undoubtedly a very pleasant outing.