From Our Berlin Correspondent.
Page 6
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The vehicle shown on page 170, in your issue of the 5th inst., was built by Bussing, and is not a Gaggenau as there stated.
Berlin's Fleet of New Electricdriven Mail Vans.
Berlin's long-since-projected fleet of electric-driven mail vans has at length crystallized into being, and I forward photographs as supplemental to the descriptive text published at the time when the Norddeutsche Automobilund Motoren-Gesellschaft, of Bremen, received tile order for the vehicles. As regards propulsive machinery and ap
plication of electric power, these new vans do not differ from the three submitted by the Gesellschaft for trial in the Berlin postal district over a year ago, having a front-wheel drive by hub-motors, fed from a battery slung under the chassis-frame. But, whereas the trial-vans were used simply for transporting sealed mail-bags, the permanent vehicles possess windows, in order that, to a certain extent, sorting may be done en route. An illustration of the interior of such a van shows an official at work. I under
stand that the Bremen Gesellschaft has contracted to maintain batteries, tiring and bodies on the basis of a given sum per kilometre. It has a spacious repairing shop in the southwestern district. The Berlin Electric Works is supplying the current. The P.O. are to be congratulated on having taken this step to improve the delivery of letters within the metropolitan area. Its next business will tie to grapple with the suburban parcels-post, which is sadly behind the times.