Another interesting item about the Manchester Show reaches me. I
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understand th a t A Hyrnotic Foden's champion Sugestion. ship band has been engaged for t h e week, so we shall have a good opportunity of judging its merits for ourselves. Bandmasters at motor shows should choose seductive musical numbers which possess a hypnotizing effect; orders can then be contracted, and the success of your show is placed beyond doubt.
Years ago the price of Carburine was much higher than that of any other well-known brands, a n (1, whenever I wished to purchase any motor spirit, that unpleasing fact rose uppermost in my mind, and I left Carburine severely alone. When I called at their office recently, I learned that, some time ago, the price was brought into line with other makes of motor spirit. I should not be surprised if there are others who have an impression similar to that which I held until a few days atand so I hasten to correct it: ow then by these presents," as the old legal phrase goes, that Carburine, excellent stuff that it is, may now be obtained at the same price as any ordinary grade of motor spirit. Broatnte.into
In our issue of 4th November, I remarked that the St. Pancras Iron Work Co., Ltd., had
Still" practically relin Make quished " the mak Wagons. ing of steam wagons.
I gladly give pub icethin to their letter below, from which it is clear that they continue to manufacture them to order. It reads:
" We are much obliged by your reference to us in your issue of 4th November, but we beg to point out that an error has crept in when you say that we have relinquished the manufacture of steam motor wagons, as we are always ready to execute any orders.
"We may say that we are surprised at many people preferring the more expensive petrol motors to the steam lorries.
"We shall be glad if you will be good enough to rectify the error which may give an erroneous impression to possible customers." I have received the following most interesting letter from my friend Mr. H. Kerr Thomas, who was formerly with J. and E. Hall, Ltd. I am delighted to hear that he is finding a footing in the States, and shall be pleased to
hear from him again. " . . I left England in .July, with the object of starting up a factory for the Napier Co., in Boston. After prolonged negotiations, however, this project fell through, and, after some uncertain wanderings, I have located, as they say here, with the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Co., in this city. I have struck what I hope is a good thing. . . . At present they confine themselves to pleasure vehicles, and, indeed, there seems very little demand for commercial cars here as yet. I think this may be due to the experience of those daring people who have had the temerity, I may almost say the foolhardiness, to use those truly-extraordinary pieces of machinery which do duty for commercial motors in the States. don't think there is—at least, I have not seen one—any vehicle of that class which would he suffered to be upon the roads in England, with the sole exception of some de-Dion omnibuses in New York. There is a glorious field for one of our English makers who has the enterprise to come over, and start a factory, where really good-class vehi cles could be made. English Wagons People here would Wanted. buy them like hot cakes, only, at present, they don't believe reliable vans are made. I make no charge for this suggestion, but 30 cwt. vehicles for the large department stores, and two or three-tonners for the parcel-express companies, which, as you know, simply swarm in the States, would command a. ready sale. It's no use trying to export cars from England with a 45 per cent. ad rolorem duty here, unless someone has solved the problem of making ears for nothing, but there really is room for manufacturers who know what they are about. Again, the taxicab movement is very much to the fore in all the big cities here. yet, if ynn rode in one, you might well wonder what sort of machine it was. The most villainous old contrivances seem to be good enough, even in New York, and the farm charged are prodigious-50 cents (half-a-dollar) a mile! I should like to bring my old friend Mr. Bassom here, and turn him From the
loose, so to speak, among the American public-service vehicles; nothing less than nervous prostration could follow. By the time you get this you will be deep in the Olympia Show. I wish I could transport myself there, but I cannot manage it this time, alas! "
A great number of those interested in commercial motors foregathered, at
the Whitehall Rooms, on Wednesday, the 10th inst., to assist in heralding the approach of the Olympia Show, in good English fashion. The speeches were of excellent quality and not too long, which facts signify a good deal to those who attend many dinners. Prince Francis of Teck was breezy, as usual, and well received; he reminded us that he had been in business. The Hon. Arthur Stanley, M.P., subsequently gave us of his best, and his raillery about the Prince's trading transactions was received with great glee. The Prince and he were out in South Africa together, and he let in some light about the Prince's horsedealing and fowl-philandering in that country; his remarks caused shouts of laughter, in which the Royal victim heartily joined. Mr. Sidney Straker, a former chairman of the Society, was there, so also was Mr. H. G. Burford, fresh from Coventry, and in good spirits, and his successor at MilnesDaimler's—Captain Bagnall-Wild. I noticed Mr. S. F. Edge was hugely enjoying some of the stories given by Miss Present. Helen Mar, and I learnt, in a chat with Mr. E. Lisle, of the Star Co., some of the difficulties of trying to arrange a flying meeting. Mr. Lisle prophesies, by the bye, that the flying machine of the future will take the form of a motor-bicycle fitted with wings. Mr. G. H. Adams, of the Belsize Co., was one of my next-door neighbours, and his optimism, consequent on orders received and prospects generally, was quite catching. Mr. Albert Brown. of Brown Bros., Ltd., gave me the latest news of his brother Ernest's illness— happily he is now convalescent. Amongst the tire people I ran across were Mr. Paul Brodtman, of the Continental, Mr. J. MacLulich (Sirdar), and Mr. W. J. McCormack, of the ?roma tire concern. The general feel. ing was that business is distinctly on the mend. S.M.M.T Dinner.
Some of those