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A Suggested Trial for Commercial Vehicles Suitable for Overseas.

15th April 1924, Page 1
15th April 1924
Page 1
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Page 1, 15th April 1924 — A Suggested Trial for Commercial Vehicles Suitable for Overseas.
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HE SUGGESTION for a trial of certain types of commercial vehicle, contained in a short article on the next page, is put forward by a qualified and well-known authority on mechanical transpoft over difficult country and under conditions peculiar to overseas operation.

Briefly, he suggests that the .presence in this country of overseas visitors attracted by its great Exhibition at Wembley should be regarded as a magnificent opportunityby the Royal Automobile. Club (as the pfficially recognized trials-promoting body) and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders for propaganda work, in the endeavour, not only to show what British manufacturers are producing in the way of commercial motor vehicles suitable for overseas use, but to demonstrate the capabilities of the vehicles under conditions. approaching as closely as possible those obtaining in the Dominions and elsewhere..

The types of vehicle that should be offered for frial are steam wagons working On charcoal, wood, crude oil and coal, and other vehicles specially designed for difficult-road (or roadlesi I) conditions, such as those with multi-driving axles, caterpillar or chain tracks, and four-wheel drives ; whilst the country over which the tests should be conducted should be hilly, sandy, -rocky and generally capable of being described as '" bad land." Country of this kind is available inthe neighbourhood of Salisbury Plain, and there should be no difficulty in finding suitable routes or of providing'facilities for the attendance of overseas visitors likely to be interested. The fullest publicity for the results (which, it is urged, should include full particulars of the cost of running and maintenance), and for a statement of the conditions under which the trials were conducted, should be secured through the Agents-General of the different Dominions, in order that those visitors who were not in the country at the iime of the trials should be made fully acquainted with what had taken place..

A knowledge of local conditions wedded to an acquaintance with the capabilities of British vehicles suitable to operate under those conditions should bring about the establishmentof new transport lapin-ties which will help the Dominions and provide new cutlets for the productions of the British. motor industry.

Super-cleanliness The Essential for Cup Winning.

LORD DARLING, a few days ago, said with truth that nothing obtained without labour is worth having, which being the case, the corollary is acceptable that something gained as the result of hard work should bring considerable pleasure, and therefore that the rewards given at the London parade of commercialtmotor vehicles, organized by the Commercial Motor Users Association, are tinctly worth the having. For unremitting care and attention from one year's end to another, with an extra amount of thought and consideration during the few weeks immediately preceding the parade, accompanied by a good deal of hard work, rtre all required nowadays if The Commercial Motor Cup is to be won, or if any of the other awards are to fail to the lot of a team. At one time a single .vehicle, brought to a, greater pitch of cleanliness than .usual, could win the cup provided it had scored a high total mileage figure. Nowadays mileage does not count for such a large proportion of the total marks, whilst team work has' become snore and more important. Since the change was made a few years ago in the scale of marks; there has ,been a distinct upward movement tow.ards what'Snay fairly be termed super cleanliness, with a strong tendency towards the maintenance of the $cleanlinessright through the year, for it is being discovered that a sudden effort, made a few days or-"a week: or so before .entering the parade ground, is not' sufficient, and that it does not pro duce the results that will place a team at the top of the list. And one has to thank naval training for this enlightenment !

The competition this year has been more than usually keen, for, in all friendliness, there had grown a determination to endeavour to wrest the eh-isfrom the holders, so preventing them from winning it three times in succession. The original deed of gift under which the cup was handed to the Association by the proprietors of this journal did not provide that the cup should be won outright ; but, on the representa tion of the President and Council of the Commercial Motor -Users' Association, the donors had not only agreed that the cup should become the absolute pro perty of any competitor winning it three times in succession, but that they would replace it in the event of it being so won. Our congratulations to the winners are hearty and sincere. We had fully anticipated the success, for the third year in succession, qf one of Messrs. Wethered's teams when, a year ago, the engineer of the company informed us that, in preparation for the 1924 parade, the drivers had already begun to get Et• polish on their front axles and gearboxes! This struck us as an instance of true enthusiasm and an expression of determination that simply compelled success.

Emergency Exits a Wise Precaution.

HERE IS no doubt that the by-law which, in many districts, enforces the provision of an emergency exit in all-enclosed passenger vehicles for public service which use one door only in the ordinary course of work is a very wise one. It is quite possible, and even probable' that such an exit may never require to be used during the whole life of the vehicle.; but, -at the same time, it may be the means of preventing severe injury and even loss of life.

Considering the large numbers of passenger vehicles in use, accidents are comparatively few, and we do not believe in the scare policy which is a relic of the time when the motor vehiele was looked upon almost as an unnatural monster and something upon whim everyone should shower execrations. At the same time, we always believe in upholding all means by which greater safety may be secured, and we believe the emergency exit to be one of considerable importance. • in an accident which occurred recently a small bus caught fire as the result of colliding with a tram standard, and, unfortunately, two men lost their lives because they could not be extricated from the interior of the:body.

It -appars that the vehicle in question was provided with an emergency exit at the rear ; but, upon examination, this was found to be locked—as a matter of fact, the key was discovered afterwards in the debris. If this door had been immediately avail able as a means of exit, in all probability all the occupants would helve been enabled to leave ;he vehicle in safety.

It is of very little Use providing an emergency door unless it can be opened with comparative ease ; but, on-the caller hand, there is the difficulty that, if the manipulation be too easy, the door may be opened at undesirable times. To prevent such occurrences the locks are, in some cases, concealed by a thin panel, which may easily be broken, or the opening mechanism is so arranged that it can only be operated if the seat, usually placed in front of this exit, be lifted. • Whatever method is employed it is essential that the passengers should know what to do, and .the instructions necessary should be as simple as possible; for in moments of panic little thought can be given to them.,


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