OPINIONS and QUERIES Are British Makers Neglecting Oil Engines ?
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The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3429] Sir,—Your correspondent, writing under the name of "Oil," in your issue for last week, on the " ascendancy " of the Bosch fuel pump, would appear to be singularly out of touch with recent developments in British oil engines and fuel pumps.
The percentage of foreign oil .engines, especially for road traction, in use in this country must be extremely small, and British manufacturers are to be commended on the great headway they have made during the past year or so.
It is obvious that your correspondent is not yet acquainted with the operation of either the Picard° or the Benes fuel pumps, to mention only two well-known examples of British-made mechanisms.
As most oil-engine users know, the " snappy " injection and rapid cut-off which he mentions, are inherent in the Benes pump, and, if he will examine the design of this device, he will quickly realize that, not only is it simple but high injection pressures, accurate metering and a rapid cut-off and consequent destruction of pressure are obtained in this pump, whilst it is made in England by a company the name of which is a household word.
There is little doubt that British manufacturers are at least, as far ahead in the development of oil engines and fuel-injection equipment as their foreign competitors, although, perhaps with the characteristic• caution of the British engineer, they have not yet seen fit to give the same degree of publicity to their efforts.
London, N.W.6. A. NEWMAN.
Transporting and Dumping Road Chippings.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3430] Sir,-1 am a regular reader of your valuable journal, especially of *" Opinions and Queries" and "Problems of the Haulier." I am operating two 30-cwt. lorries and want your help in solving a problem. I may be asked in the near future to tender for hauling
road materials, such as chippings, etc., from our station yard. Now, this yard seems to be situated near the centre of the district, anyway it has approximately two miles of road to the west and .between four and five miles to the east.
What would be the charge for the first mile per ton to the west road and the charge for the second mile in the same direction? As you know, the loads would require only to be dumped on the roadside every 30 to 40 yards.
What would be the charge for the first mile along the east road and each subsequent mile?
South Wales. CHIPPINGS. [Your 30-cwt. vehicles will cost you approximately VI 10s. per week, gay. 2s. per hour, plus 3d. per mile.
If you can load and unload in 25 minutes and run two miles (one mile Out and ono mile return) in five minutes, 1130
then the first mile will cost, say, half an hour at 2s, per hour, which is ls., plus two miles at 3d., which is 0d.; total, 1s. ad., and an additional Sd. for each mile (out and home).
Sixpence per hour brings you approximately per week net profit, so that you should, for that profit, charge 2s. for the first mile and 10d. .for each subsequent mile. If you want £2 per week profit you should charge 2s. .6d. for the first mile and Is. for each subsequent mile, and so on.—S.T.R.:1
Fire Extinguishers for Public-service Vehicles.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3431] Sir,—Under the Statutory Rules and Orders dated May 16th, 1931, every public-service vehicle must soon be equipped with fire-extinguishing apparatus.
I shall be much obliged if you could inform me whether hackney carriages are included among the public-service vehicles for which this order is made.
London, W.C.2. PUBLICITY. The particular regulations to which you refer in your letter have been revoked, but they are being reissued with a slight alteration concerning the date from which certain clauses take effect; they apply to all public-service vehicles, within the meaning of the Road Traffic Act, i.e., all motor vehicles used for carrying passengers for hire or reward other than vehicles which are contract carriages within the meaning of the Act and -adapted to carry fewer than eight Missengers. Tramcars -and trolley-buses are also included.
Contract carriages are defined by the Act as being motor vehicles carrying passengers for hire or reward under a contract expressed or implied for the use of the vehicle as a whole at or for a fixed or agreed rate or sum.
Summarizing the above provisions, the result is that the regulations apply to all vehicles in which passengers are carried for hire except vehicles which carry fewer than eight passengers and are let out as a whole.—En.1
Carrying Goods in a Private Car.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3432] Sir,—I beg for advice in your Valuable columns regarding the following. A brother of mine, during his occupation as a wholesale merchant, had trouble with his van late on the evening of May 16th. To save delay and probably expense he used his private car to enable him to deliver a parcel that was left over. While handing over the parcel he was approached by a police constable and a sergeant, and they questioned him as to why he was carrying parcels in the saloon car ; they even questioned the customer. My brother politely informed them as to the circumstances in which he was using the car. After much talking, during which they said that they had seen the car delivering before, which was not true, they took particulars and left him, only to run—they could not have walked—to another entrance of the street, where they again questioned him and said that they would
make a ease of it, although the car was, insured and . everything, else was correct.
When leaving they asked him if. he was the proprietor and he answered "Yes," upon which the constable said they could make it easy for him, but he had the sense not to ask how._ Is he likely to be fined for this offence?
W. D„ HUGHES, M.I.M.E.
LIt is -not an offence under any motorcar regulation to use a private car for conveying or delivering goods. So far as taxation is concerned there is no objection to a private car, which has been licensed on the horse-power basis, being used for the conveyance of goods. The only difficulty which can arise where a private • car is used for such work is where the owner, when • applying for an insurance policy, has stated in his replies to the questions asked, that the vehicle will be used only for private purposes, Iii such a case, the policy would not cover him while he was using the vehicle for business purposes, and he would therefore be driving an uninsured, car.
We consider it unlikely that your brother will hear any more of the incident, but we suggest that he should communicate with his insurance company and make certain that he will continue to be insured if he should use the car for business purposes, including the conveyance of goods—En.]
Licensing by the Customs.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[34331 Sir,—Having become a regular subscriber to your valuable -journal, and having decided to take up goods transport, I shall be pleased if you will kindly forward to me a copy of your Tables of Operating Costs.
I should be glad, too, if you could inform me the exact meaning of the words "Licensed by H.M. Board of Customs," which appears on many lorries, and what privileges are granted by same, with the costs attached, if any. E. H. LINES. Barking.
[A copy of our Tables of Operating Costs has been sent to you. The term "Licensed by H.M. Board of Customs" Is in connection with the haulage of goods which are in bond and means that the person or firm so licensed is entrusted by H.M. Customs to convey such goods from one bonded warehouse to another. It is of value only, of course, to those who are engtged; or are likely to be engaged in such. work. If you intend to become so engaged you should apply to the Customs Officers at Custom House,.-E.0.3.—S.T.R.]
Carrying Potatoes to Market.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3434] Sir,—I was recently asked by a Lincolnshire farmer how much I would Charge to take 5 tons of potatoes to London. It was a question of seeing whether he had paid another man too much.
The return journey is-240 miles—a two-days' trip for a 5-tonner. On the basis of 720 miles per week, according to Table I of Tables of Operating "Costs, the minimum charge per mile is is., or the price for the job £12.. The figure paid by the farmer wad 110, and he decided it did not pay at that in comparison with the railway. A 3-tonner carrying 5 tons, as is so often the case, could have time the job for £10 by the same reckoning.
Have I used the table correctly, and, if not, will you put me right? I am a regular reader of The Commercial Motor and am shortly opening a business for market and sugar-beet transport, and am anxious to know whether it is worth my while to figure on the long-distance jobs.
In this case the railway charged about £6 10s. but the farmer had to send the potatoes to the depot.
Lincoln. SPUDS.
[The charge of is. per mile is the minimum you must make if you wish to earn a gross profit of £6 per week, as set out in the Tables under the heading "Assumed Establishment Expenses and Profits." If you are content with less you may charge less, ,but bear in mind that on a weekly mileage of 720 Id. per mile is equal to 13 per week, so that if you reduce your charge to lid. Per mile your gross profit will fall by that amount to £.3 per week. At 10d. per mile, or £10 for the job you have in mind, you are only just clearing your total operating costs.
The only possible way of reducing your charge is for you to obtain some more or less regular return loads. If you could get three return loads per week, you could do the work for from 17 .10s, each way and make a handsome profit per week.—S.T.R.]
Licensing an Express Carriage.
The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
134351 Sir,—I should be very grateful if you could advise me regarding one or two points in the Road Traffic Act. I have a Gifford coach which is occasionally used for advertised day and half-day tours starting from Kidderminster, as, for example, a day trip to Weston-super-Mare; no passengers are picked up or set down at any other point except Kidderminster, but I am told that " backing " is required by the Commissioners in the other areas through which these cars would pass. This appears to me to be unnecessary and can serve no useful purpose, because once the vehicle has left this town it becomes practically a carriage for a private party.
Should backing be necessary, however, is it necessary to make out a schedule of tours in triplicate for each area?
I should like to take this opportunity of thanking you for the great help which The Commercial Motor
gives to the small operator. W. C. GREENHILL. Kidderminster.
[Your vehicle is an express carriage under the Road Traffic Act, for which a road-service licence is required. The Act provides that a road-service licence granted by the
• Commissioners of any Traffic Area shall not be valid in any other Traffic Area unless it be backed 'bythe Cornmiasioners for each other Traffic Area. Presumably the reason for this, in a case such as yours, is to enable the highway authorities of the other areas to provide for tile imposition of conditions as to routes to be used, places at Which the vehicle is to stand and other conditions of this nature. The application for backing has to be made in triplicate, but it must be made on Form P.S.V. 10 instead of Form P.S.V. 9.—En.]
Carrying Road Metal.
Tke Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[3436] Sir,—As I have an offer for the haulage of road metal, using 30-cwt. and 50-cwt, tipping lorries, could you let me know how much per ton-mile to charge to give a reasonable profit? W. STURROCK.
Dalbeattie.
[The charges per ton-mile, in accordance with the conditions set out in your letter, should be as given below.-S.T.R.]