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OPINIONS and QUERIES

Fire and Compression-ignition Oil Engines.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[3354] .Sir,—Major Goddard has indeed given me a severe shock in his letter in your issue of February 17th; it has almost staggered me, but having recovered from the first blush I venture to qualify once more for his good feelings.

The industry connected with the compression-ignition, internal-combustion engine is not exactly perfect, but it seems to be functioning in an altogether healthy manner for a centenarian. As a matter of fact, no business -undertaking is perfect ; there always exist opportunities for advancement and betterment. Such opportunities constitute the incentive that increasingly stamps any .human undertaking a success, anti-; when, they cease to exist, or when the undertaking attains perfection, just so soon does it end its existence and enter the limbo of failures. . • Notwithstanding the great strides made by the oilengine industry in giving the public " almost" perfect fireproof and• cheaper, service—a fact which Many within, and without, our industry will enthusiastically acknowledge—, -there are always individuals who seem to take a delight in making statements so obviously untrue—and which are generally disastrous for themselves—that too much is generally expected by the uninitiated, and a good departure from the orthodox, perhaps not quite perfected, receives a death blow by the simple reason thae it is not able to perform all the particular features which have been claimed for it. An old saw that is paraded now and then is the moth-ridden expression, "What the heavy-vehicle industry needs is a few first-class funerals." Happily we get them, but in this case reference is not made to " men " but to "methods." No industry is more alert to discard outgrown ways than our own, and we do not haverto wait until they are 40 years old before administering the chloroform and easing them into a speedy demise, to which, of course, the petrol engine must soon submit. The trouble usually is that many of the " crape-hangers " are tardy and bunglesome in aiding with the lethal dose; they are not playing the game any more than Major Goddard does when he states— or tries to make out—that the otherwise immaculate compression-ignition oil engine is completely fireproof.

With due deference to Major Goddard, I think it will be in the general interest of the development of the compresSion-ignition oil engine if we admire its good features and recognize its defects. My researches have shown defects, not in the design or construction of any particular make of oil engine, but in the thermodynamic cycle under which the ordinary oil engine operates, and although it is perfectly true that there is less danger from fire, compared with the petrol engine, the ordinary compression-ignition engine is not entirely free from this defect, and to make a general statement to the effect that it is, is not only incorrect, but places those who claim this advantage 'under quite unnecessary responsibilities, apart from misleading purchasers and others interested in our endeavours to bring about improvements in English commercial-motor development, The Major's ether remarks are really superfluous; the many advantages and essentially sound commercial prospects do not require the assistance of any unnecessary or incorrect phrases.

I have even known the time—not so long ago—when some good people' used even to call this excellent oil engine a " Diesel " engine, which, of course, is another mis-representation of the true facts of the ease. .

London, S.E.5, WILLIAM P. DURTNALL.

[If has been proved to our satisfaction that a fairly heavy oil, when sprayed into the atmosphere under a high pressure, will take fire with almost the force of an explosion if exposed to a naked light or a surface which is sufficiently hot. An oil engine is certainly very much safer than a petrol motor, but the slight possibility of a fire occurring, due to a mist of oil spraying from some faulty pipe or joint, must not be totally ignored, Such a fire certainly would, lowever, be much easier to extinguish and could be localized, because the contents of the tank would not be liable to explode or even burn.—End

Running Breakdown Vehicles on Trade Plates.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[3355] Sir,—As a regular and satisfied reader of your excellent journal, I should like_to raise a query with reference to the last paragraph of your answer to letter No. 3342 of your issue dated February 24th.

Here you state "you may not run a motor lorry ambulance on trade plates of any description." Surely this is wrong? So far as I know, motor lorry ambulances, which are used for the purpose of towing-in breakdowns are nearly always run on trade plates.

I wish you and The Commercial Motor every success.

London, E.16. A. E. WILLIAMS.

[You are quite correct in your belief that a great many breakdown vehicles are legitimately run on general trade plates. The qUery to which our answer applied we originally took as referring to a vehicle used for the conveyance of patients to hospital.—End

The New Licences.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR. [33561 Sir,—I see in your issue of February 17th that a driver must apply to the Commissioners for a driver's licence before March 31st. I should be glad if you will inform Inc if this is an additional licence or one to take the place of the existing driver's licence. I shall also be glad if you can inform me what vehicle licence I must apply for, public service vehicle licence or a road service licence. I have, for the past 10 years, been carrying at a weekly rate, workmen to Falmouth in the early morning and returning again in n31

the evening. I only carry my own men, and do not pick up or drop other fares on the way, nor ply for hire on any 'other road. The remainder of my work is private parties and _seasonal contracts with football

and cricket clubs. .T. 0. IrVHEAR. Camborne.

IThe licence which drivers of public-service vehicles have to obtain fro7n the Traffic Commissioners is quite distinct from the licence to drive a motorcar. It is a licence to act as a driver of a public-service vehicle and replaces the licence to act as driver. which had to be obtained under the Town Police Clauses Acts, which were dated 1847 and 1889.

It appears. that your vehicle will be an express carriage when carrying workmen to Falmouth, consequently a public-service vehicle licence and a road-service licence will be required.

When used for private parties your vehicle will be a contract carriage, for which a public-service vehicle licence will be sufficient uuless the passengers be carried at separate fares.—En.]

Transport Rates in Ireland.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[3357] Sir,—I have been operating a Leyland 3-4tonner, also a 30-cwt. Ford,but am considering buying ' a new Ford with the long chassis and fitted with auxiliary rear springs to carry 2 tons. Will you tell me how much per mile I ought to get for this model, as against the standard 30-cwt.? Perhaps the following data may be of -help to you in estimating same-:

Price, £250; tax, £30; insurance, £20; approximate average weekly mileage, 400; driver's wages, £3; rent, £15 per annum. I carry various loads ranging from livestock to furniture, etc.

I should also be glad of your Tables of Operating Costs, as I find your articles most helpful, and I only wish that all the carriers in this locality would be guided by them, as rate cutting here is simply appalling, In fact some of them are running (mostly 30-cwt. trucks) for almost anything they can get; there is no

fixed rate. MICHAEL RYAN. Clonmel.

[The operating cost of your 2-ton Ford will be 7d. per mile, on the basis of 400 miles per week.

therefore, you charge .8d. per mile you will make a gross profit of 33s. 4d. per week, and if you charge 9d. per . mile a gross profit of 66s. 44. per week. This will hell) you to make a decision.

These figures are on the understanding that you charge . for the total mileage run, that is to say, the distance covered when returning from a job as well as on the outwari trip.—S.T.R.]

A Coach-hiring Problem.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[3358] Sir,—Will you be good enough to tell es whether or not a road-service licence will be required In the following case, and if so by whom it should be taken out? A motor-coach company hires to another coach company, running an express service, a motor coach for a lump sum per day. Will the owners of the coach be running a contract carriage and the hirers of it running the same vehicle as an express carriage, also who will be required to obtain the road-service licence, the owner or the hirer?

The vehicle will have a road-service licence for its own area, but will in this case be hired as an express carriage by another concern which will take it into au outside area. G. WILLIAM SMITH, Director.

Matlock. For E. Williams and Co., Ltd.

[Where a motor-coach company hires a motor coach from another company in order that it may be used as an • express carriage, the hirers will have to obtain a roadservice licence from the commissioners for their area, and they must have the licence backed if the service runs into any other area. The fact that the owners -have already obtained a licence to use the vehicle as an express carriage will not affect D32 the position. The Road Traffic Act provides that a vehicle shall not be used as a stage carriage or an-express carriage except under a road-service licence and that a vehicle which is used as a stage carriageor as an express carriage, shall not be deemed to be so used under a roadservice licence unless it be so used by the holder of the licence and in accordance with the provisions connected therewith.

In the above circumstances the owners will not be running the vehicle as a contract carriage.—En.I Is Private-hire Work Profitable ?

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[3359] Sir,—Could you give me any information upon private-hire work?

-I have been out of employment since December and have been wondering whether, if I bought a saloon car, it would be possible to earn a living with it.

I have been a motor' mechanic for eight years and as most of my work has been upon Morris cars, I thought that one of this make would suit me.

In the event of buying a car would I be entitled to trade discount?.

What would be a fair charge to make for such work, providing I had my own garage, etc.?

I understand there is a heavier tax to pay on cars used for this purpose. What would the tax be and are there any more regulations concerning hire work?

Leeds. H. M. DUNN.

[Yon should be able to make a living with a saloon .rifr on hire work. Since your experience has been in connection with Morris vehicles, I agree that it would be adviiable for you to use a Morris in the work. I do not think you are entitled to trade discount, but probably if you were to try you could get some recognition of the fact that the car is to be used for a commercial purpose.

Your fair charge depends upon your weekly mileage. If you run 300 miles per week is. per mile would pay you ; but if you run 500 miles per week this could be reduced to 94. per mile. Bear in mind that this is is. or 9d. per mile for every mile run, so that if you run 300 miles per week and only 150 of that is paid for, you must charge 2s. per mile and so on.

The tax on a hackney carriage seating up to eight persons is £12 per annum.—En.]

Using Solid Tyres on a Mobile Crane.

The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.

[3360] Sir,—I am in charge of the tyre and wheel shop, and we are adapting a chain-drive 3-ton Albion for breakdown service. The crane will be a permanent fixture on the chassis. At present-this is equipped with solid rubber tyres, but I am not quite clear as to the position concerning a vehicle such as we are now altering. Pneumatic tyres can actually be fitted to this model, and there are two so fitted in the locality. This conversion • would, we are given to understand, cost about 190.

I shall be very grateful if you will "lay down the law." I am a regular reader, but have mislaid sonic of last year's copies with the new Act in them. I must also thank you again for the Tables of Operating Costs that you sent me last year. They have enabled one haulier, at least, to keep 'in business by convincing his customers that they were not being overcharged; and enabled me to show many a User that overloading tyres is an expensive pastime.

We intend also to make a towing anabulartce, with small solid-tyred wheels, to carry eight tons, or as near as we can get to this weight, even using three tyres per

wheel. CRANE. Wakefield.

[As regards the use of solid rubber tyres on your crane you will be permitted to employ these until 1940, and no doubt by that time the Vehicle will have worn out. As a matter of fact, any new machine so fitted 'can be licensed up to January 1st, 1933. You will find summaries oE the new Act in our issues for January 27th and February 3rd. In the latter case the data is sectionized andaided by a pictorial display.—En.]