Motorbus World.
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A correspondent in " The Financier " suggests a committee of investigation into the affairs of the L. G.O. Co., Ltd., with a view to the securing of more-remunerative fares.
We record, on page 215 of this issue, an interesting interview with Mr. G. A. Green, late assistant chief engineer to the L.G.O. Co., Ltd., and now general manager-designate to the Brussels Compagnie Gemerale des A u tohus.
No Monopoly at Brighton.
With reference to the application which had been made by Tilling's, Ltd., for the exclusive right to run motorbuses over certain routes in Brighton, in return for a payment of 20 per cent, of the estimated profits towards the upkeep of the thorough. fares, the Town Clerk has now intimated that the Corporation has no power to grant a monopoly over the public roads.
Less Moss Litter.
Amongst the principal sufferers. owing to the supersession of the horse in favour of mechanical haulage, must be reckoned the British MCASS Litter Co., Ltd. The London General Omnibus Co., Ltd., the London Road Car Co., Ltd., most of the large cab-owning concerns in London and the old horse-tram companies were all verylarge users of the Mom Litter Co.'s material.
The Japan-British Exhibition.
A visit to the Japan-British Exhibition, on Saturday last, was sufficient to satisfy us that a repetition of the success of 1908 is assured, and upon this we heartily congratulate Mr. Imre Kiralfy, who has worked so inces.santly to bring about a combination of undoubted attractiveness. To London motorbus companies, with whose interests we are more immediately concerned; we would say this : put as many vehicles as possible on to the lines which converge upon this year's exhibition, and do not limit these variations merely to an increased frequency of service along the line of Oxford Street and the Bayswater Road. We feel that there is a distinct opening for a new route, which might begin either at Sloane Square or Knightsbridge, the deviation towards the exhibition occurring at the corner of Holland Road and Kensington High Street.
Average Bus Speeds.
In the course of a chapter on "
Locomotion in London Statistics " some interesting comparisons of the relative speeds of horse-omnibuses and motorbuses are quoted. Timed by
L.C.C. officers, the following actual data were secured. It took a horseomnibus 71 minutes to go from the Bank to Wormwood Scrubs, a distance of 6.7 miles, while it took a motor-omnibus 62 minutes to do the same journey. It took a horse-omnibus 25 minutes to go from the Marble Arch to Kilburn, and a motorbus 20 minutes. A horse-omnibus averaged 5.9 m.p.h., and a motorbus 7.1 m.p.h.
Motor Co. Runs Horse Buses.
The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Co., Ltd., whose activities are now confined to the running of horse-omnibus services in Birmingham, made a profit, for the year 1909, of 21,928, as against a loss of 7E4,640 during the previous year. It, is proposed to transfer the company's, undertaking at Deal to the British Automobile Development Co., for the MEM of 21,976. Three motor chars-bebanes, formerly belonging to the company, are to be sold, for 2125 each, to the Leamington and Warwick Electrical Co.
"It's Never Too Late---" A correspondent of the " Daily Chronicle," who signs Ids letter " A.S.," has suddenly discovered that great distress is likely to be caused to " a highly-respectable class of civil servants " owing to the supersession of horse omnibuses by motor vehicles. He considers that the remedy for this state of affairs, whose existence he has so tardily discovered, is to be found in the proposition that the omnibus companies should now consider " the opportunity of opening up new lines of omnibus services in districts where they do not exist " by means of horse buses. Be concludes: " In the meantime, the motorbus is not the desideratum of everyone, and many invalids or nervous people show a distinct preference for the horse hns."