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WHEELS of INDUSTRY "The wheels of wealth wilt be slowed

1st September 1931
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Page 38, 1st September 1931 — WHEELS of INDUSTRY "The wheels of wealth wilt be slowed
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by all difficulties of transport at whatever points arising, as a carriage is by the roughness of the roads over which if runs."--John Beattie Crozier.

The Short Distance Hauliers Alliance.

Members of the Hauliers and ConCrete Aggregate Merchants Alliance have agreed that the title of their association shall be changed to the Short Distance Hauliers. Alliance. The secretary, Mr. Gilbert Oglesby, still has his office at 6, Stamford Brook Road, London, W.6. Membersof the committee are now as follow :--Mr. Frank F. Fowler .(Murrell's Wharf, Ltd.), chairman, Mr. H. ,lanes (Janes Brothers (Contractors), Ltd.), vicechairman, Mr. E. G. Gordon-Poggi (Gordon Transport Co., Ltd.), Mr. H. G. Greenhorn . _(H. G. Greenhorn (1929), Ltd.), Mr. J. Guyatt, Mr. H. Hands (William Truckel, Ltd.), and Mr. T. R. Sanders.

The reason for the change of title is that the alliance is constituted to include in its membership concerns engaged in the haulage of any commodity, since the main object of stabilizing haulage rates involves a problem common to them all. The alliance is growing steadily in its membership.

Stockport Corwration Successful.

The North 'Western Traffic Commissioners have announced their decisions with regard to applications made by Stockport Corporation and other transport undertakings for road service licences for the route between Poynton, Hazel Grove, Manchester and Bury. The application of Stockport Corporation for Stoekport-ManchesterBury route has been granted subject to the service being operated in two sections to avoid running across Manchester. Extension to Hazel Grove and Poynton has also been •allowed. it is possible that an alternative scheme to

the division of the Stockport-Bury service may be submitted to the Commissioners.

Mr. MorTison's SIMCCOSSOIC.

Mr. Herbert Morrison, M.P., finding himself unable to support Mr. Ramsay MacDonald in the provisional jointparty Government, has resigned the position of Minister of Transport. As we close for press Col. Wilfrid Ashley I s being spoken of as a likely successor to Mr. Morrison.

A New Deputy Commissioner.

The Ministry of Transport has appointed Councillor W. Wesson, Deputy Lord Mayor of Nottingham, to act as a Deputy Traffic Commissioner for the East Midland Area. The Misuse of First-aid Equipment.

In our issue dated August I8th we drew attention th the use by police officers of first-aid equipment carried on public-service vehicles for accidents in which the vehicles in question are not in any way concerned. The secretary of the Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association, the new office of which is at 12, Spring Street, Padding: ton, Loudon, W2, wrote on this subject to the Minister of Transport. The Minister has replied asking the association to obtain statistics of the number of occasions during August, September and October on which motor coaches, etc.,' arc stopped so that use can be made of their first-aid outfits.

The secretary of the association will appreciate it if operators and drivers will send him information of such incidents, giving, in particular, the time the vehicle was delayed, the time and place of the occurrence, police officers' numbers, etc.

It would appear that the Ministry of Transport does not wish to introduce further regulations in this matter, and hopes to overcome the difficulty through the medium, of the Home Office.

Heavy Vehicles and County Authorities.

The County Surveyors Association has sent several resolutions to the County Councils Association, drawing attention to the heavy vehicles' now legalized, the need for checkingthe declared unladen weights of motors submitted to licensing authorities for registration and the desirability of setting up an organization for checking the weights of vehicles on the road.

In submitting the first resolution attention was drawn to the method of spacing the wheels of six-wheelers, but the County Councils Association considers that further action in this Connection would not be justified at the present time. It is further opined that the overloading of vehicles cannot effectively be prevented other than by the use of movable weighbridges, and the County Surveyors Society has been requested to make inquiries on the subject.

The M.H.C.S.A. Registered.

The Motor Hirers and Coach Services Association has been registered as a company limited by guarantee without share capital, to promote the interests of motor-vehicle proprietors and, in particular, the National Advi.soty Council of Public Service Vehicle Owners Association, etc. The management is vested in a council which includes Messrs. R. Baxter, R. W. Birch, G. Bown, C. Culverhouse, C. Dobbs, G. Dudley, J. H. Ewer, R. H. Pavel], W. Featonby, F. A. Flin, W. F. French, A. L. Guidmant, E. W. Harris, J. Hearn, L. G. Hillier, H. 0. Jones, M. Logette, J. H. Lowe, E. A. Monkman, F. Nightingale, G-. Nowell,

H. E. E. Palin, H. T. Rickards and A. E. Tapper.

Self-tapping Screws fox Sheet Metal.

The II type of drive screw made by the Parker-Kalon Corporation, of New. York, is now so well known that it needs no mention. The company has, however, recently introduced two new types of screw, which are not driven in with a hammer; but are screws proper, being driven into their holes in various materials, such as metal, Bakelite, etc., without tapping the hole, the screw forming its own tap.

The threads resemble those of wood screws, more than those for metal. The heads are of somewhat unusual strength, having an extra-wide and deep cut for the screwdriver. They are ease-hardened and, if inserted in a hole of .the right size, will actas a tap, forming quite a good thread, The tapered A type is mainly intended for use in sheet metal, whilst the parallel Z type may be used for die castings, aluminium, etc.

They are handled in this country by Buck and Hickman, -Ltd., 2, Whitechapel Road, London, E.1.

,Swisaloon Markets All-weather Head.

. The patent telescopic metal-panel allweather bead introduced by Duple Bodies and Motors, Ltd., The Hyde, London, N.W.9, and fully described in our issued dated June 17th, 1930, is, with certain modifications, now being marketed by Sunsaloon Bodies, Ltd., Castleford Road, Sparkhill, Birmingham, the latter company having, we are informed, acquired the rights of manufacture and sale.

Municipal Lorry Costs at Chorley.` In the past financial year Chorley Corporation's four Ford lorries cost 2s. 9.401d. per hour to run. The items of cost were as follow :--Licences and • insurance, £114 Gs. 3d. ; wages and national insurance, £689 13s.; petrol and oil, £229 Gs. ; repairs, tyres, etc., £98 12s. 9d. ; total, £1,131 18s. Altogether 9,600 hours were worked, the cost being 2s. 4.4011. per hour, but the adding of £200 for depreciation brought the rate to 2s. 9.401d. per hour.

The Prague Exhibition.

The 23rd International Automobile Exhibition in Prague will take place from October 22nd-28th. It will be held under the patronage of President Masaryk. It is said to be the largest show of its kind held in Central Europe, and the exhibits will consist of commercial and private vehicles, motors for agricultural uses and other products of the motor industry. Full particulars of the event can be obtained from the organizing committee, at Prague.

• Send Suggestions to Daimierways.

The Daimlerways continental tours, operated by Daimler Hire, Ltd., 243, Knightsbridge, London, S.W.7, with Daimler motor coaches, have had a successful season, and this despite the bad condition of trade this year. The results to date show a considerable increase in business, month by month, over the corresponding periods of 1930.

The company confidently anticipates increasing its fleet and augmenting its tours programme.

Plans for the 1932 season are already being made, and Mr. J. Lammin, who is the Daimlerways manager, will be pleased to consider suggestions from our readers, particularly booking agencies and others interested in the tours, as to any new district that might be covered, any change that might be made in the present itineraries, and, especially, the proper length of time for Continental tours.

Lower Canadian Output.

During June last 6,835 motor vehicles were produced in Canada, the total including 1,252 commercial vehicles, the latter figure contrasting with 2,117 in

May. The total production of commercial vehicles for the six months ended June last was 13,274 vehicles, as compared with 17,326 in the corresponding period of 1930.

First-aid for the Vehicle.

A revised edition of the booklet entitled " First Aid for the Car," published by Sternal, Ltd., Royal London House, Finsbury Square, London, E.0.2, has just been issued. It is a useful little guide, designed to assist the Owner-driver to ascertain the cause of mechanical trdubles and to indicate in a clear manner the best way to effect a speedy cure. It is not merely a treatise on lubrication, but Contains information under various headings, including troubles associated with the oiling, ignition and water-cooling systems. Although written, in the main, for the motorist, it should be helpful to some commercial-vehicle drivers. Southampton's Bus Profits.

The report of the general manager of the tramways and motors department of Southampton Corporation for the year ended March Slet last shows that the total revenue from the operation of buses was 149,679, and, as expenditure totalled 145,019, there was a balance of /4.660 to carry to the net revenue account, where 11,609 was absorbed for interest and other charges, leaving 13,051 to be carried to the appropriation account. • Reduced to a per bus-mile basis, revenue amounted to 12.175d. and expenditure to 11.033d. The total mileage covered by the buses was 979,273, and they carried 6,084,213 passengers, both these figures being appreciably higher than the comparable returns for the previous year The average fare paid per passenger was 1.838d., and the average number of passengers carried per busmile was 6.213. At the end of March last the total borrowing powers sanctioned in connection with buses was f80,t55, the actual capital expenditure on the system being 164,587.

The corporation is operating a fleet of 45 buses, comprising 23 of Guy make, nine Thornyerofts, eight Leylands, three A.E.C.s and two Morris-Commerciale. The municipality's first experience with buses was in August, 1901, but the service was discontinued a few months later, and motorbuses were not reintroduced until July, 1919.

Stockton's Oil-engined Buses.

In connection with the illustration of a Crossley bus which appeared on page 20 of our issue dated August 18th, and which was described as the •first oilengined bus to run in the Stockton area, it should be pointed out that the information given to us was not quite correct, for an A.E.C. oil-engined doubledecker was placed in service by Stockton Corporation about April last.

Harimar's Mobile Welding Plant.

Berliner, Ltd., 18, Lamb's Conduit Street, London, W.C.1, is, perhaps, best known for its welding repairs to cracked and broken cylinders, crankcases, etc., but the company's organization can deal with any form of metal fracture, if the parts be too heavy to transport, to a Barimar depot, the company's mobile welding plant is available for E22 making a repair on the spot. Its plants of this description have carried out some good repairs and a booklet of illustrations which the company has prepared gives an indication of some of the jobs which have been undertaken_ A copy is available by communicating with the company at the address we have given.

Commercial Motors in France: Interesting Ftgums.

As mentioned in our issue dated August 4th there were 411,495 commercial motors registered in France at the close of last year, as compared with 366,007 at the end of 1929, being an advance of 45,488, or about 12.4 per cent. From later information we learn that the registrations are divided into three classes : vehicles under nine years of age, those over nine years, which kayo the benefit of a reduction in the annual tax, and producer-gas vehicles. Of the last-named class it appears that there are only 879 in use throughout France.

As for the other two categories, 294,621 vehicles, or over 70 per cent, of the total, are less than nina years old, and 115,995, or nearly 30 per cent., are of greater age.

Reo 2-tonner Road-test Report.

Owing to the Reo Company's difficulty in deciphering very small figures iu a data sheet received from America, the bore of the Reo four-eylindered engine was given, last week in ear road-test report on the Reo 2-tanner, as 3* ins. It should be 31-gins. Readers who file our road-test reports should be careful to make the alteration.

A Valuable Handbook.

The twenty-eighth edition of " The Motor Manual" has just been issued by Temple Press Ltd. The text matter has been revised and brought up-to-date, many new illustrations have been added and the handbook has been considerably enlarged. Over three-quarters of a million copies of this popular motoring handbook have been sold. One of the special features is the complete information on the Road Traffic Act. The latest developments in car Construction are fully dealt with and illustrated. "The Motor Manual" is priced at 2s. 6d. net, and 2s. 10d. by post from 5-15, Rosebery Avenue, London, E.0.1.

Canadian Production Statistics.

According to figures recently issued by the Dominion Bureau a Statistics, at Ottawa, the production of motor vehicles in Canada fell last year by 43 per cent., as compared with the 1929 output. The actual number of vehicles produced in 1930 was 153,372, compared with 262,625 in 1929. Exports, including re-exports, totalled 45,371 vehicles, a drop of 56 per cent., whilst imports were 48 per cent, lower at 23,233 vehicles.

During the year 11 companies were engaged in the manufacture or assembly of vehicles in Canada, and 16 separate factories were in operation. The annual capacity of all these plants is estimated at 324,600 cars and 60,800 commercial vehicles.

In the year 16,742 complete lorries were produced, as compared with 50,293 vehicles in 1929. Of this year's total, 4,554 were rated as having a capacity of less than one ton, 11,458 falling in the category between one ton and five tons, and 63 above the latter capacity. Including commercial-vehicle chassis, the output totalled 32,035 vehicles, of which 17,892 were equipped with four-cylindered engines and 14,142 with six-cylindered units.

In 1930 the number of motor vehicles registered in Canada was 1,239,888, an increase for the year of 3.7 per cent.

Coach Parking at Bournemouth..

The Minister of Transport considers that the provisions of the Road Traffic Act would not permit Bournemouth Corporation to make an Order fixing stands for coaches belonging only to local firms or to prescribe the positions to be occupied by the vehicles of the different proprietors. The stands would, have to be available for all public-service vehicles. A sub-committee is to meet the owners of coaches at present using the stand in the Square to discuss the matter.

Municipal Buyers of A.B.C.s.

Amongst municipal operators of passenger vehicles which have recently ordered A.E.C. buses are the following corporations:—Nottingham (20), Halifax (12), Chester (4), Colchester (3), the figure in parenthesis being the number of vehicles ordered of either Regal single-deckers or Regent double-deckers.. In every case these are repeat orders.

The Premier Line Case.

• Last Wednesday the AttorneyGeneral, acting on information given by Red Raver Saloon Coaches, moved for nn injunction to prevent the Premier Line, Ltd., from running a service between London and Aylesbury, pending the hearing of the action • brought against the company concerning this service. For -the company it was contended that operation of the service was authorized under the Road Traffic Act, 1980, the magistrates having stated a case when the company was fined recently for running coaches on the

route. Au appeal to the Ministry of Transport against the refusal. of a road-service licence also is pending. The injunction was refused, but facilities are being granted for a speedy trial of the action after the vacation.

Licence Objections Withdrawn.

Owing to Bournemouth Corporation and the Hants and Dorset Motor SexVices, Ltd., objecting to one another's applications for road-service licences, a conference between representatives of 'the two undertakings was arranged. It was eventually agreed to withdraw the f;bjections, certain revisions in the bus firne-tables of the corporation and company being decided upon. Christchurch Council has also withdrawn its objection to the corporation's application.

France Enforces the Use of Petrol. alcohol Spirit..

Under the terms of a clause in a Bill, recently passed by the French Chamber, all concerns importing petrol into France are obliged to mix a certain proportion of French-produced commercial alcohol with in. This rule applies to all petrol except No. 1 grade, known in France as " tourisme " spirit.

A minimum of 25 litres and a. maximum of 35 litres of alcohol must be mixed with every 100 litres of petrol, otherwise importers' licences will be cancelled. It is, moreover, stipulated that the alcohol shall be purchased from the State, thereby ensuring that it is of French origin.

It may be mentioned that the Paris buses have, for the past 10 years or more, run quite satisfactorily on an equal mixture of petrol and cammercial alcohol.

Trade Union and Workers' Conditions.

At a sitting of the Western Area Traffic Commissioners a few days ago the local secretary of the passengerservices group of the Transport and General Workers "Union brought up the question of wages and conditions of service in respect of drivers and conductors employed by the smaller bus operators. The Commissioners had asked an operator if he worked in accordance with the conditions of the Potteries Electric Traction Co., Ltd., and the answer had been in the affirmative.

The cohtention of the Union was that no other operator in the district worked in accordance with the terms of the agreement existing between the Potteries company and the Union. Under that agreement drivers reach a maximum of Is. 3d. and conductors is. lid. per hour. The men receive 25 per cent, higher rates for Sundays and Bank Holidays, eight days' holiday with pay, double rates on Christmas

Day and a uniform provided by the company.

The attitude of the Commissioners was that this was a question for the trade unions and the workers to settle between them. The Commissioners might ask general questions, but would have to pass the matter on to-the local conciliation officer of the Ministry of Labour. If the Union could not negotiate satisfactory conditions, the matter should be brought before the Commissioners on the renewal of operators' licences.

Items of News in a Few Lines.

The -transport committee of Glasgow Corporation hasapproved a capital estimate of £90,000 for the bus services.

United Automobile Services, Ltd., has recently opened a new garage in Newcastle, which is designed to accommodate 150 buses.

The Scottish Motor. Traction Co., Ltd., of Edinburgh, is to erect a bus garage for 50 vehicles at Berwick-onTweed.

Local authorities are combining to obtain expert opinion in regard to schemes for abolishing the Merton Park level-erossing.

Hull Corporation's buses last year made a profit of £829. The municipality has 56 buses of Guy, Bristol, A.E.C., Leyland and Dennis makes.

The watch committee of Merthyr Corporation has decided not to object to an application by Red and White Services, Ltd., for permission to cover the Tredegar-Merthyr route on Saturdays.

The sanitary inspector of Whitby (Yorks) Urban District Council reports that the Cost of house-refuse collection by motor is much lower than by horsed vehicles and enables the work to be undertaken with greater expedition.

Coach Chartering for 1932.

Mr. C. F. Rymer, the well-known motor-coach operator, of 17, James Street, Liverpool, who has considerable connections in America and Canada and caters largely in the summer months for visitors from overseas, informs us that during the next few weeks he wishes to get into touch with comparatively small owners of coaches who wish to let out their vehicles, particularly for the season commencing May, 1932. It is probable that six to 10 machines will be required for regular work.

Imports Drop by £632,532.

A. marked decline still continues in the imports of tractor parts into the Irish Free, State, the total for the six months ended Jane last having attained a value of only £62,122, as compared with £694,654 in the corresponding

period of 1980. Heavy declines are • also recorded in the six months' ex

ports of tractors Ellifi parts from the Free State, those of complete machines having dropped in number from 13,605 to 8,879, and in value from £1,418,731 to £31.8,798, and those of tractor parts from £719,002 to £84,772.

New "Midland Red" Garage.

The new "Midland Red" garage, which has been constructed during the summer, at Evesham, was opened last Tuesday. Evesham is a busy and productive centre and during recent years the development of bus services has been considerable.

Service Extensions in West Midlands . Area.

The West Midlands Area Traffic Commissioners have intimated that unless there be very good reasons they will be chary of granting extensions of 'services until they have had the whole position put before them as regards the existing services. Operators must not, however, assume that all modifications will be refused without regard to the needsof the district concerned.


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