A pleasant chance meeting with Mr. H. Burford, last week,
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revealed the fact that the ITumber Co. is entering seriously upon the manufacture of commercial vehicles. Mr. Burford told me that he will have a full range of models ready for the Olympia Show in March. Mrs. Burford than joined us, and I learnt that they had taken a house at Leamington, which is a charming place, she said, but not dear uld London. Of the two, Mr. Burford seems more content with it ; he drives early each morning to Coventry, picking up one of the chief officials of the eompany, at Kenilworth, on his way. I was quite pleased to notice that in spite of his tremendous responsibilities, and the period of arduous work he has gone through, he retains the buoyancy of yore and the same cheerful outlook. Humber business at the Olympia motor-bicycle show had been extraordinarily good, compared with last year ; improved models and the advance of motorcycling ensures an output for the coming season of 60 Humber motorcycles per week. All this had its interest for me, but what I liked best to hear was that the great Humber factory, with its capacity and its resources, is at last engaged on the construction of business vehicles, and when one reflects on the unique experience and knowledge of this branch of the business possessed by Mr. Burford it is easy to see that it will not be done half-heartedly.
I have referred more than once to the extraordinary success achieved by
three-wheeled motor vehicles for light loads. During a perambulation round the recent motor-bicycle show I discovered a new one, staged by Maude's Motor Mart. of 136, Great Portland Street, London, W. Two photographs of this handy vehicle appear on thus page, and may say that. it is fitted with a Rex water-ccooled engine and a spring clutch which takes up the shocks when starting, and makes the chain drive apparently as flexible as a belt but without the obvious belt troubles. The price is £75, and 1 understand Messrs. Maude are also contemplating a maintenance scheme in connection with these carriers.
The man who attends to the advertising side of a paper is credited with an abnormal amount of pushfulness and persistency; he is really quite different. I know one or two intimately and they are a shrinking unobtrusive set, their only haunting fear being that clients will never forgive them if they fail to point out all the advantages of bold announcement. Now the insurance man is a different being altogetlier. He is pertinacious. He ought. to be dealt with firmly. :Nearly as bad is the oil man, usually a pleasant, plausible fellow. The man, par excellence against whom protection ought to be provided by the authorities is the fire extinguisher person ; one prominent personality comes to my mind,
and from "morn to noon . from noon to dewy eve " he iterates and reiterates the dangers of existence apart from his precious extineteurs. It is a poignant regret to him that motorbuses and taxicabs are not compelled to carry a pair ; garages and workshops ought by good right to be regulated on the parliamentary voting principle one man one extinguisher, and it follows that every room ir die private dwelling, even to the bath room, should have its faithful protector— the red-coated cylindrical can of chemicals referred to and hereby hangs a tale.
The assiduous fire-quenching fiend referred to in the previous paragraph had convinced many of his personal friends of the hideous folly of living without an extincteur in every room, and many household equipments have been delivered ; and their possessors sleep calmly now, lulled into a grand feeling of security. One of these fortunate people was lately week-ending with the assiduous fire-resisting person, at the latter's homestead, where dwelt his much-beloved mother—a priceless treasure—and judge of the amazement and horror of the latest convert when he found there was not a fire extinguisher in the house.