Visible Vapour and Smoke.
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Owners of steam vehicles are sometimes exercised in their minds by sudden bursts of energy on the part of the Police and other Authorities in relation to the escape of exhaust steam from the funnels of motor wagons. Recent prosecutions at the instance of the London County Council have indicated that a confusion exists between visible vapour and smoke; and police witnesses, under cross-examination, have used the term "white smoke," which clearly must have referred to escaping gases over-saturated with aqueous vapour. The solicitor to the Motor Van and Wagon Users' Association, Mr. Staplee Firth, has been successful in securing several dismissals by demonstrating to the satisfaction of more than one London magistrate that a motor wagon which has been registered as such is not liable to any penalty for an alleged technical offence of this character. Section 30 of the Highways and Locomotives (Amendment) Act of 1878 provides for a penalty of if locomotives do not consume their own smoke as far as is practicable, but no section in_ this Act deals with the question of visible vapour. Further, the schedule attached to the Motor Car Act of 1903 specifically exempts every heavy motorcar from the operation of the whole of part TI. of the 1578 Act, which includes Section 3o. No conviction or penalty can hold good in law against the owner of a steam wagon who is summoned for emitting visible vapour or smoke, because Section i of the 2896 Act only prescribes that the vehicle shall be " so constructed that no smoke or visible vapour is emitted therefrom except from any temporary or accidental cause." Now this forms part of the definition clause only, and is not accompanied by any mention of a penalty for infringement, whilst any prosecution must establish the fact that the machine against which an information has been laid is not " so constructed." Expert evidence can readily be called to prove that motor-wagon boilers and engines are invariably " so constructed," and this evidence can only be broken down by the prosecution's proving that the emission of smoke or visible vapour was other than "temporary or accidental."
IAs regards visible vapour, the word " temporary " can validly be held to cover a few hours or a few days without in any way approaching the quality of being permanent, just as we look upon several weeks of frosty weather as only a temporary visitation in this country. Should there be any breakage of a pipe or a joint, or should packing blow out of a gland, the defence is at once available that the escape is " accidenta.l." As regards the allegation that any emission of smoke is more than temporary, which degree of latitude is granted under the definition clause of the Act, it can safely be taken that the only occasion where any discharge of smoke will occur must he when ordinary bituminous coal is used. In the comparatively rare Instances where coal is used, it is generally of the anthracite variety which is smokeless, and should a man be temporarily using bituminous coal he would have the statutory defence that such was the case. It is perfectly welt known that smoke cannot be produced from coke because the volatile constituents have been expelled already in the retort or coking ovens_ We do not hesitate to say that in no single case, unless through deliberate and continued use of a soft coal, can a conviction justly be obtained against the driver or owner of a motor wagon on the ground that it does not consume its own smoke, or that it has been emitting smoke or visible vapour. The mere fact of the acceptance of the wagon for registration under the 1903 Act provides an adequate answer to any charge under the 1878 Act, because a machine cannot be the subject of an offence against that Act when it has been classed and passed by the Authorities as a heavy motorcar under the 19433 Act ! Any users who are harassed by technical prosecutions of this character can set their minds at rest in the knowledge that they possess a full and complete defence to any such charge, and that they will be supported in such defence by the representative body of users—the Motor Van and Wagon Users' Association. It seems to be a matter of small account that contractors' boilers belch forth visible vapour -in huge volumes at numerous points in our thoroughfares where building or other operations are in progress, and the amount of attention paid to the relatively insignificant escapes from motor
lorries borders on the ludicrous. .. ,
Passengers for Motor Omnibuses.
A point of interest at the present time is the question of how the increasing number of motor omnibuses will affect one another and existing horse-drawn omnibuses in their contest for public favour. London will see dose upon a total of one thousand self-propelled, vehicles for public passenger conveyance, apart from motor cabs, at the disposal of its teeming millions by the spring of 1936. Small wonder, therefore, that the question of the custom to support them arises. In our interview with Mr. Richard Tilling two weeks ago we were apprised of the opinion that motor omnibuses would bring about only a small increase in the travelling public. We believe that the balance of argument is in favour of a very marked increase, although it must not be forgotten that many services of electric trams have diverted passengers from other means of transport, as has been witnessed by the complaints of Railway Companies in so many. directions, rather than created an entirely fresh demand. The
parallel to this experience may be anticipated as between motor and horse-drawn omnibuses in the near future, but the convenience of being able to travel from a suburban district to the heart of London's shopping centres in half the time and at half the cost which has hitherto been practicable must lead a large number of people to make the journey at least twice as frequently under the more pleasant conditions. We have also taken note of the comments which are invariably passed by those who have been able to experience the pleasures of being driven in a motor omnibus, or on its upper deck in fine weather, and their general trend indicates clearly that the attractions of the new means of travel gratify the senses in a manner which cannot be equalled by the slower or more confined methods of getting about. Neither are these considerations limited to the metropolis, for they must apply with equal force in many other pants of the country.
It is not sufficient to attribute the present popularity of motor omnibuses to their novelty. That possible explanation of their crowded state does not account for the fact that the receipts of th.e new Companies are largely in excess of their estimates--admittedly a novelty in itself ! The interest of people who support any undertaking by reason of its novelty becomes exhausted after one or at the most several trials, whereas information which has come to hand clearly shows that a preponderant number of business men give undoubted preference to the motor omnibus over tube, rail, or horse-drawn omnibus. Ladies are equally eager to obtain seats for their morning shopping expeditions, whilst children seem to appreciate the exhilaration of motion more than their elders. Given a reasonable measure of public confidence in the power of the management of the several Companies LO maintain regular services, and a permanent avoidance of the necessity of changing from the mechanical vehicle to the horse-drawn bus (at the cost of double payment of fares, as was the case not infrequently upon certain routes which shall be nameless) the superiority of the mechanical vehicle cannot be combated by any means we can conceive. It will secure the whole of the travelling public at the expense of the horsedrawn omnibus; it will excel the tubes in the rapidity of transfer from point to point; it will enlarge the radius of residential London without involving tiresome underground journeys; it will force the sweltering Londoner to take an air bath each morning and evening; it will enable a business man to get through twice as many calls in a day and. therefore, justify his spending more money in moving from place to place; it will, in short, force people to patronise it nolens volens because of its inherent advantages and its great average speed.
The Driver's Interest.
The valuable communications from users which appeared last week in our section devoted to the results obtained by brewers who are employing commercial motors contained many points of practical interest. The variation in the repair bills is probably not the least important, for a range of expenditure between and "8f) in twelvemonth is of great moment in the annual cost sheet. An examination into the causes of such wide discrepancies discloses two principal facts. The first of these is that much more strength has proved to be needed in road vehicles that are to run upon iron tyres than was originally allowed for by designers, particularly in respect of wearing surfaces, springs, axles and piping connections; the second is that the successful driver is the man who evinces a keen interest in the machine under his care, and not the happy-go-lucky type of man who was too often allowed to handle commercial motors in the early days. It is true that a reconciliation has to be established between the exigencies of daily work and the legitimate request of the makers that the machine shall not be over-driven. Owners who call upon their men to perform anything in the neighbourhood of two hundred miles a week ,,must take into account the fact that the wagon is embracing work which necessitates steady pushing along for practically the whole time. An average pace of five miles an hour means forty hours of actual travelling, whereas the deliveries and delays in many classes of work obviously reduce the period during which the machine is running to less than this. It is false economy to set too great a task before any driver, because it is only human for him to make the return journey at the maximum speed of which the wagon is capable—not unusually from eight to ten miles an hour. It is then that the road shocks are intensified to a degree that causes crystallisation or breakage even in structures where the factors of safety are very liberal, and it is in these high speeds that we find the explanation of three-quarters of the troubles that are experienced by some users. Given a fair day's work and given an intelligent driver, as is easily detected from the records of the brewing trade alone, repairs and replacements need not exceed ,4,xo a year apart from labour charges. We commend the principle of a bonus to drivers who are free from road accidents or breakages, although the system of payment by bonus, or by trip, must be accompanied by a standing wage of some sort. We have seen successful results attend the payment of drivers on the basis of 25s. a week in any event, whether they were required to do journeys below or above the normal in any particular week, bonuses of from is. to 2s. per day being arranged for accordlag to the severity of the work done. Added to this, several firms have adopted the practice of crediting each driver with Zs in their books on the 1st of January in each year, debiting them the amount of any fines incurred on the road and making other deductions in respect of any negligence, the balance left being paid to the man each year as a Christmas box. An incentive of this kind goes a long way to secure careful driving and to establish esprit de corps Mo tor Hiring Companies.
We have had occasion to make frequent reference to the openings which exist for the motor job-master, and these allusions already appear to be bearing fruit. Apart from the scope for self-propelled cabs and private broughams, there is persistent enquiry from many City establishments for the services of travellers' vehicles, whilst the large West End furnishing and drapery houses are ready to avail themselves of similar facilities in respect of delivery vans. We have during the last few days been shown a number of sealed contracts which have been entered into for long periods with a Syndicate which has the organisation of a large motor-hiring Company well advanced, and this is only one of many indications that a rapid development is taking place in connection with the uses of commercial motors. A scheme of this kind has much to commend it to traders, because it provides a guarantee that will protect them against lack of regularity in the provision of the motor brougham or van. It will be the essence of the business of the hiring Companies never to fail in having their motor at the door of any warehouse or other establishment which they have entered into a contract to serve, the performance of which is very difficult of attainment for any concern owning only a few machines. Another important point is that a jobbing contract, particularly in respect of a relatively new method of conveyance, rids the commercial house of any uncertainty as to the annual cost. Further, one difference which arises, in the case of ownership by a large firm, with mechanical as opposed to horse-drawn vehicles, is that Fire Insurance Companies are hard to satisfy When it is sought to introduce a petrol vehicle into a large block of buildings, and it not infrequently happens that the economy in respect of delivery charges is more than lost by an increased rate of premium. Again, the control of horses is fairly understood by many managers who would hesitate to undertake to look after the mechanical vehicle at present. For these and many other reasons we believe that the proposals which the Syndicate in question is bringing to a head will result in the whole of their motor broughams and vans being booked without the slightest difficulty.