War on Obsolescence A S the occasion marked a jubilee, Mr.
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Dawes's address was largely retrospective. He said that it would probably come as a surprise to many to know that at the close of the 19th century there were comparatively few public cleansing departments in this country. The Institute was founded during the reign of the horse. To-day, the horse had been almost superseded; there were but a few hundreds employed on cleansing work, The passing of this milestone resulted in a mild internal revolution in many departments, for the horse was greatly loved by the majority of old-time cleansing officers.
T"general compactness and the lines of the body attract attention to the new Cleco Bijou 6-10-cwt. electric van. It has been designed to meet the 'requirements of a small and light round, and to be produced at a competitive price. The body has a capacity of 75 cubic ft, and it is 4 ft. 8 ins, long and 4 ft. 1 in. wide inside. Maximum speed of the Bijou is 10-12 m.p.h., with an effective range of 30-35 miles,
Although a small model, the chassis frame is extremely rigid and is formed
from angle-section steel. The h.p. motor is mounted amidships and drives through a propeller shaft equipped with needle-roller bearings to the doublereduction spiral-bevel drive of the rear axle. Cleco-pattern controller gear is incorporated in the design. It comprises a pedal-operated quick-makeand-break contactor with auxiliary heavy-duty mercury switches. A separate hand control located between the driver and mate's seat engages the forward, reverse and neutral positions.
Exide lead-acid 24-cell batteries are housed at the centre of the chassis and are reached through floor traps. They are of 168-amp.-hr. capacity at the 5-hour rating, and are contained in five separate blocks. Their total weight is 908 lb.
He said that officers of to-day could not appreciate some of the difficulties which confronted many of those officials. In the early part of the century, many towns were without complete sewerage systems, and the result was a continuance of the "wet" conservancy system.
Slowly, the importance of sanitary reform was recognized. " Wet" refuse disappeared and enteric fever declined. Gradually it became apparent that many constituents of dry" refuse were potentially usable matter, and the practice of planning refuse-disposal systems on data derived from scientific analysis was begun.
A simple mechanical braking system is employed. The hand and foot brakes are interconnected and operate through cables to all four wheels. Internal-expanding brake units with 1!-in. wide shoes take effect on drums of 8-in. diameter. To provide an unimpeded cab floor line, the handbrake lever, of " umbrella" pattern, is secured along the steering column. Pneumatic tyres of 5-in. by 16-in. section are fitted to all four wheels.
The Bijou is light and manoeuvrable. Its total weight, complete with batteries, The first completely mechanized scheme of refuse handling was not introduced until about 1920. Mechanical cesspool and gully-emptiers and snow ploughs began to appear about the same time. During the past 25 years, a period of great and rapid developments, public cleansing officers had had the advantage of the expert co-operation and technical support of a body of vehicle manufacturers which had always striven to provide welldesigned and well-made vehicles to carry on their important work.
Mr. Dawes urged the necessity of engaging in ceaseless warfare against obsolescence, whether in the office, workshops, garage or disposal plant. Out-of-date organization and methods must, in future, be regarded as varying forms of sheer waste,