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There were several buyers of publicservice char-I banes and similar machines making enquiries at Olympia Pleasure-Car Show. One well-known maker actually booked several orders.
The Chichester and Selsey Motor Omnibus Co. is being wound up voluntarily. Mr. W. R. Jones, Dashwood House, New Broad Street, KC., is the liquidator.
Rotherham 'roan Council, on 9th November, decided to seek powers during next Session to run motor omnibuses in the borough and in various districts in the vicinity.
The Parson and the Motorbus.
Motorbuses, which run between certain little Somersetshire towns and Bath, nowadays enable the inhabitants to undertake pleasant excursions on the Sabbath and so to vary the monotony of life in some of these out-of-the-way districts. The Rev. H. L. Dawson, the cleric in chargeof the village of Clandown, has recently become so alarmed at the result of these facilities that he has addressed his Bishop upon the subject. " The service of motor omnibuses between this place and Bath," said he, " has for some time past afforded facilities for visiting that city on Sundays; I do not mean for such reasonable purposes as visiting sick friends
in hospitals, but tar purposes of pleasure only, and from what one has heard, some of these excursions into Bath on Sunday are by no means produetive of good."
Hindrances in Hull.
A request, that the Hull motorbuses should be employed on a circular service around the town, was brought before the Tramways Committee. which now states that no powers exist to run through Wineohnlee.
Hebburn Wants Motorbuses."
The District Wined of Elebburn. near Jarrow, intends to apply for powers to establish a motorbus service in the town. It is understood that the Council MIS, for some years, endeavoured to induce tramway companies to commence operations. A motorbus service, if properly organized, should be of benefit, where a fixed tramway would be commercially impracticable.
Keep the Trains Out.
At the last meeting of the Hove Town Council, at which the new Mayor, Capt. Fraser, J.P., was elected, a prolonged discussion took place on the subject of the motorbus services with which the town is at present provided. Over one route, the omnibus company has withdrawn its motorbuses, and a temporary horse drawn service is now being maintained,, owing to the bad state of repair of some of the road surfaces. The Works Committee complains that it cannot keep this particular thoroughfare in good order, because of the existence of a disused tramway in the middle of the road. Power is to be sought to remove this. Complaint was made by some members of the Council of the noise of certain of the machines and of the frequency of breakdown of the electric buses which the operating company had purchased, under pressure from the Council. Councillor JagO said that the money paid for these machines would have bought eighteen petrel machines of the latest type. They should have purchased these latter instead of the other !" white elephants." He hoped they would succeed in 'keeping the trains out of the town. It was to their interest to assist the motorbus enterprise, not to hinder it, and to maintain the roads in good order, especially in view of the movement in certain quarters to secure powers to lay tramways. The general opinion of the Council seemed to be that it should take the major portion of the blame, because of the poor state of certain of the road surfaces, and energetic action will now probably be taken to remedy this state of affairs.
A 30 li.p. " Commer Car " char-abanes has been sold to Messrs. .J. Steadman and Son, of Doncaster, a handsome wagonette (with canopy for shooting purposes) of the same make to Mr. Marshall Roberts, of Grantham, and a 26 li.p. chassis, also from the Luton works, for char-a-banes service in the Phillipine Islands, per Messrs. Reschke and Pickering.
Possibilities in Sydney, R.S.V.P.
The New South Wales Minister of Works has recently received a large number of requisitions for powers to lay new tramways and to extend railway connections. In almost all cases, these have had to be refused because the necessary funds are not available. Some effort is now being made locally to advocate the possibilities of the modern motorbus in this connection, and opportunities should occur for British enterprise in this direction.
Chairman.
Rtunours have been current in certain financial quarters, during the past week, that Mr. Henry Hicks, the well-respected chairman of the London General Omnibus Co., with which he has so long been associated, will not seek re-election at the next meeting of shareholders. The secretary authorises officially to deny his resignation. It would be difficult to find a gentleman who would occupy the chair of this much-harassed company with more courtesy and tact.
Austrian Soldiers Driving Motorbuses for Practice.
Last summer, with a view to serving military and postal ends, the Austrian War Office drafted a company of 18 soldiers and an officer into the Tyrolese hills, with instructions to work there a motorbus line established by the Post Office. It strikes its as a smart idea : on the one hand, the Army benefits by the addition of nearly a score of men who have had practical experience in handling heavy automobiles over difficult roads; and on the other hand, the Post Office could work the line at a comparatively-low cost, since, in regard to pay, the soldiers were treated as such, and did not draw wages on the civilian-chauffeur scale. Next year will witness the working of several Austrian motorbus lines by soldiers.