News of the Week
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MOTOR' INDUSTRYPUBLICITY IN AUSTRALIA"
THE advertising and publicity cam:, paign 'to be 'conducted. in Australia -14,y the motor industry of Great Britain starts this month. The Overseas 'Publicity Committee of the S.M.M.T., which has been organizing it," has as its chairman Mr. A. F. Palmer' Phillips. Provision is being made for • a programme extending over several
viouths. . • . • .
. APPLICATION FOR REDUCED .RAre DISMISSED a UNDER the Road Haulage and Hire (Charges) Order, 1942,Leonard Fairclough,. Ltd., * AcIlington, "Lanes, Made an applitation to the R.T.C., North Western Region, in respect of a charge. made by Messrs.. Thomas Nield and Son. Gatley. It was in corknection with, the . carriage of a crane and accessOries from -Chillington to Pepdletoo; and the hauliers were asked to arrange for the movement on Sunday,.:November 8, . 1942. _ _ This meant that vehicles in Burnley on November 6. had to be recalled and sent empty. to Chillington. -The weight involved was 15-16 tons, requiring a 10-ton. low-loader and 5-ton lorry. Burnley to Chillington is about 92 miles, and from the latter to Pendleton about _70 'miles. The original charge for the work, was £42 10s. This was .reduced to £40, but the company making the application *as not satis
fied and asked for a revision: •
However., having. regatd'to the urgency, mirebers. of vehicles anthmee employed, and time involved, and after consultation with assessors from the Minister's Panels of Traders and Hauliers, the Commissioner decided that the charge was reaSonable, and dismissed the application.
TRAMWAY LINES CONTRIBUTE . 50,000 TONS OF STEEL
RECENTLY, i a Parliament, the Ministry of Works was asked how much scrap metal was being' obtained from old tramway lines. The reply given was that over 50,000 "tons of steel had been recovered from this source, and that this was actually less
than half the total which these rails can yield.
Qf course, the work involved in removing them is considerable, but to obtain steel in such quantities -must be a strong-inducement to the .Ministry to attend to this important matter. Many people, particularly cyclists and motorcyclists, will rejoice when all the lines possible . have been removed, because they are a source of _considerable. danger, especially when the roads are in a greasy condition.
LARGE SAVINGS BY BUS EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEES of the East Midland ...Motor Services, Ltd., are doing well in their efforts to increase war savings. They have just comPleted a 24,weeks' drive for a target of £2,500, and the amount actually, obtained in that time was 23,565, "representing an average weekly saving per .head over the whole staff of 5s. 5d. To effeit this, the staff was divided into seven., depots, each taking its share of the target; and this resulted in keen. competition.
The 'company, which is associated with the British Electric Traction Co., Ltd., operates buses from depots at Chesterfield, Clowne, Mansfield, Worksop and Retford, and employs smile 55ft people.
IN AID OF MOTOR AGENTS' RED CROSS FUND
()N April 2, at 7 p.m., at King's Hall', BelIe Vue,. Manchester, a boxing tournament in aid of the Motor Agents' Red Cross Fund is being: held . under the chairmanship of Councillor Tom .Mellor. The star-turn will be ,a contest between Sergt. Roderick; British and 'Empire welter 'champion,and Sergt. Stafford Barton, middle-weight champion of Jamaica. There is a limited number of reserved seats at five guiaeas and two guineas. Applicatiori should be made to the chairman it 133, Deansgate, Manchester; .3., '
PROGRESS WITH P.S.V. PRODUCE RS THE total number of gas producers which Itas been dispatched to p.s.v. operators to date, under the M.O.W.T. scheme, approaches 700. The time when they will actually be in service on . the road will depend upon the facilities available for fitting. COMPANY-OWNED BUSES SAVE MUCH PETROL THE -company-owned bus undertakings thloughout •Britain have effected big ,economies in Mileage and ' have, saved some 511.000,000 gallons of
petrolannually.Against this Igure, • * however, must be placed the increased consumption of oil fuel, which has resulted from the change-over to oil
engined buses. This is said to be 15,000,000 gallons per. year.' Returns from London Transport and municipally owned vehicles are not included in the figures given.
COUNTY COUNCILS' ATTITUDE TO CURTAILED BUS SERVICES
COUNTY municipal authorities are being circularized by the County Councils Association with reference to the diihcultY caused by the curtailment of transport services in rural areas and the result, of representations which the Association had made to the Ministry• of War -Tratispott on the 'Subject. ' It appeared that a number of remedies ' which Might be adopted bad been .diicussed with the Regional Transport 'Commissioners, ' who .endeavoured to adapt thein; according. to local .coaditions, for _the relief Of congested bus. services, , with a view to dvoiding real hardship and making provision for essential transport .needs. It was suggested that county councils shourldapproach the R.T.C.s direCt let any case where it-appeared that additional measures were required...for .this purpose, but the Ministry expressed the hope that local authorities would do, what they could to help in discouraging
unnecessary journeys. • HUGE BUS LOAD CARRIED IN 1942 BY TILLING GROUP
rkA TOTAL distance of 210,586,763 miles was covered in 1942 by the combined fleet of 6,658 buses and coaches in the Tilling group of 18 companies. In covering this distance the vehicles carried, during the 12 months, 1,085,579,663 passengers, or more than the vhole peace-time. population . of Europe, Africa and the two Americas.
Places were found for many of the passengers by re-arranging the seating in hundreds of single-deckers so as to make room for 30 persons standing, a suggestion by the Tilling group which was officially approved by the Ministry • of War Transport and covered . by :Tecial regulations.
We hope to publish in our net issue individual returns in respect-of the 18 separate concerns.
BROCKHOUSE CONCERN ACQU,1RES ERNEST LAKE, LTD. ME are advised that the whole of the VV share capital of Ernest Lake, Ltd., which is the proprietor of Harvey Frost and Co., Ltd., has been acquired by J. Brockhouse and Co., Ltd., of West Bromwich. Ernest Lake, Ltd., and Harvey Frost, Ltd., the factory of which is at Bishops ptortford, are well known manufacturers of garage equipment and vulcanizing equipment. Both concerns have wide connections with garages and commercial fleet owners.
It is understo2d that J. Brockhbuse and Co., Ltd., has plans, so soon as circumstances permit, for widely extending its activities following this acquisition.
Mr. R. G. Walters will remain in the service of the company and is at present acting manager.
FLOWER TRAFFIC VERSUS RACE ' HORSE TRANSPORT I N the House of Commons last week Mr. Butcher wished to know whether the ban on the carriage of flowers by road and rail was to be followed by restrictions on the transport of other goods desirable in themselves, but not essential to the health of the Nation or the success of the war, and whether, in the interest of equity, it was proposed to remove the ban on the carriage of cut cowers, • Mr. Noel-Baker replied that he had not at present in mind any comparable traffic the cessation ofwhich would achieve a substantial economy, but he would be prepared to give consideration to any suggestion Mr. Butcher might wish to make.
In another question this Member mentioned racehorses as having unfair priority over flowers in this connection, to which Mr. Baker said that the transport of cut flowers by road was not forbidden; it was allowed for short distanCes to local markets, and occasionally for longer distances as incidental or return loads on vehicles having space not required for essential traffic. Movements of racehorses by road were allowable only for distances not exceeding 50 miles, and only to the restricted number of race meetings allowed under the 1943 programme.
H.M.F. SETS UP GROUP AT MAIDSTONE A WELL-ATTENDED .meeting of IA local operators was held at the Star Hotel, Maidsto.ne, last week. It had been called by Mr, S. E. Thomas, of Maidstone, andwas held under the auspices of Hauliers' Mutual Federation. ,Mr. Lucas, in opening the meeting, said . that H.M.F. represented an attempt to get hauliers together on a,, national basis, in a way. never: before achieved. The membership of 'existing associations, he said, was 'not enough, numerically, to _enable 'those' associations to claim that they really represented the industry. On the other hand, some such representation was .essential to its continued existence. Referring to his experiences in addressing meetings up and down. the touutry, be emphasized .the fact that . fundamentally, the problems . hauliers are the same no matter where they ,are. With regard to the new' . Government Haulage Scheme, the whole thing. in his ,Opinion, was 'still in the stage of being in the melting pot; no haulier kiiows where he is in•
the matter. • -.
Mr. H.Scott Hall, secretary of II.M.F., then • described how the Organization came into being and emphasized that it was only after th.e careful eaarniaatioa Of every alternative method of achieving the numerical repreSentation which was essential, that 'the 'decision to goahead with the formation.of Hauliers' Mutual Federation had been made. s
A keen discussion followed and subsequently a group atas formed. Mr. S. E. Thomas, of S. E. Thomas and Sons, Ltd., Yeoman Lane, Dearsted, near :Maidstone, agreed to act as secretary of• the group for ,the time being. TESTS OF COTTON TYRES .NOT PROMISING
ASKED by Mr. Thorpe whether the .scientists of the Ministry of War Transport bad yet made a report on the suitability of cotton tyres fe-r motorcars, Mr. Noel-Baker, in the House last week, stated that tests of cotton 'bicycle tyres under road conditions were not yet complete. Motor tyres made ok cotton were also being
• investigated, but results so far had not • been promising.
APPOINT PAPER-SALVAGE OFFICERS
THEneed for saving every scrap of paper remains of vital importance. One way in which to help in this campaign is for every business and manufacturing concern to appoint a member of its staff as salvage officer, whether this be in a factory, office, shop or store. An enthusiast should be selected, and his efforts should be backed by his management.
INTERESTING PAPERS IN I.A.E. PROGRAMME
T"E Institution of Automobile . Engineers opens its session of Loudon general meetings at the Royal Society of Arts, John Adam Street, W.C.2, on April 13, at 6,15 p.m., when Mr. J. B. Osier, chief engineer of Carter Patersonand Co., Ltd., will read a paper entitled " Repairs and the Repair Department."
Further meetings will be held during the spring and summer mont'is as follow:--June 1, paper on "The Versatility of the Modern Tractor," by Mr. S. J. Wright (National Institute of Agricultural Research): July 6, informal -discussion on the.subject "Is it in the best interests aithb. British motor industry that its Mtdividuality of design is retained as a characteristic or is its overseas market likely to be increased and the home market improved by following American trends in design? " ..opened by Mr. Cecil Kimber (Specialloid, Ltd.):, September 7, paper on " Steering," by Mr. H. N. Charles (Austin Motor Co., Ltd.).
DATE OF TYRE ECONOMY EXHIBITION CHANGED
T AST week we referred to a Tyre 1.-Economy Exhibition organized by Tyre Control and the IVI.O.W.T. at Berkeley Court, Baker Street, London, N.W.J. The date has now been changed, and the opening will be at 12 noon on March 26.
TRIBUTE TO WORK OF JOINT CONFERENCE
A PPROV.AL in principle of' the Ischerne for the merging of operators' ,associations, as set out in the recommendations of the Read ,Transport Organization Joint Conference, is expressed in a -resolution which the C.M.U.A/ s North-Eastern,. Divisional Committee adopted at its March meeting. • The resolution, after paying tribute to the value of the work done by the Conference, emphasizes the Committee's desire that the proposals be brought into operation at the earliest possible moment as " the object to be attained is long overdne:".
The annual meeting of the NorthEastern 'Division of the C.M.U.A. will be held on March 30, at the Guildford Hotel, Leeds.
As the result of a transcriptimi error, the name of the late general manager of the sales and service departments ox the Scottish Motor Traction Co„ Ltd., Edinburgh, was incorrectly given in a paragraph in our issue lot last week ; many of our readers will, we feel sure, know that the referencl was to Mr. F. W. Bolam.
CRITICISr3 OF WORKS CANTEENS CHALLENGED
THE National Joint Industrial Council for the Industrial. Catering Trade is perturbed at what it describes as mischievous attacks made upon works canteens.
There have been allegations that tons of food are being thrown away because workers using the canteens " knew that their food was 6t only for pigs." Such statements are strongly resented by employers and canteen workers, and are unsupported by concrete evidence. [The use of the word " concrete" is slightly unhappy! —En.] The Council is also complaining at the inadequate wages paid to workers in some British Restaurants, which are supported by the Government and local authorities and employ voluntary labour, whilst commercial caterers also have rates and taxes to pay.
_ sarrisn BUS-SERVICE TRANSFER
WE learn that the Aberdeen-Methlick IN bus service, carried on by the trustees of the late Mr. .James Kerr, has been acquired by James Sutherland (Peterhead), Ltd.
MORE PETROL FOR SCOTTISH CREDIT TRADERS
FOLLOWING representations by Mr. Erskine Hill, M.P., on behalf of the Scottish Credit Traders Federal Board, for extra petrol allocations, • the Ministry of War Transport has agreed to allow extra fuel where concerns are 'delivering goods tei outlying places which cannot be supplied with similar goods. in their own aim
When members were asked to indicate where such conditions existed, the response, it was stated, had been very poor. In view of this fact, the concession will be granted only.where
members apply for such advantages.