News of the Week
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A RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE NATIONALIZATION
AT its next meeting at Caxton Hall on September 1, the National Chamber of Trade will be asked to approve a resolution calling on all traders to support independent road hauliers instead of nationalized transport, wherever this is possible.
When the Government first announced its intention to nationalize certain sections of the transport industry. protests were made by numerous trade and industrial undertakings. Objectors included the ,Federation of British Industries, the National Union of Manufacturers, the National Farmers' Union and the National Chamber of Trade.
MAKING CARBON BLACK IN ENGLAND DROGRESS is being made with the production of carbon black in England. A factory, to cost 11,000,000, is to be built at Avonmouth for the Palatine Development Co., Ltd. This company has obtained from the Phillips Petroleum Co., Ltd., Oklahoma, the rights to manufacture two types of the black. It is hoped that building will commence this year. The Government has already accorded permission to the scheme.
ANOTHER " UTILITY " CASE
AMAN who said he purchased. registered, licensed and insured a shooting brake as a private car, and paid purchase tax on it, was acquitted of a charge of exceeding the speed limit by Christchurch magistrates. The police contended that it was a goods vehicle and subject to a speed limit of 30 m.p.h., but the magistrates held that it was a private car.
MEMBERS OF TWO RECENT R.T.E. ACQUISITIONS
THE boards of Bouts-Tillotson (B.T.C.), Ltd.. and HoldsworthHanson (B.T.0 )• Ltd., will be constituted as follows:—Of both, Mr. H. T. Dutfield, member, Road Transport Executive. chairman; Mr. N. D. Fawkner, principal officer (parcels), R.T.E.,
A26 Mr. N. R. Bellwood, chief accountant, R.T.E., Mr. C. Holdsworth and Mr. R. Hanson; secretary, Mr. E. A. Wilkinson. Mr. F. C. G. Mills, divisional manager, South-Eastern Division, R.T.E., is a director of Bouts-Tillotson, of which Mr. Malcolm Holdsworth is managing director, and the divisional manager, North-Eastern Division, R.T.E. (not yet appointed), will be a director of Holdsworth-Hanson. ROAD SAFETY CENTRE IN LONDON
IN September, the first permanent safety-training centre exhibition in this country will be established at Rospa House, 17, Knightsbridge, S.W.1, under the auspices of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. It will be equipped to deal with up to 500 students in organized parties every day, whilst about 50 students will be able to receive individual instruction for a twohour period.
Rospa House has been suitably ,appointed for film projection, with accommodation for 80 people, and there is a general exhibition section which, as a whole, will be devoted to instructional devices designed to simplify difficult subjects. The whole of the ground floor is taken up by a learner-driver section which is fitted up with devices to encourage the proper development of road sense.
GLASGOW BUILDS ITS FIRST BUS
UUI NDER powers recently granted to Corporation. the first single-deck bus was recently produced. The chassis and components were acquired from outside contractors, but the assembly was undertaken in the corporation's own works.
Five more chassis are on order. In some small degree, these home-built vehicles will compensate for the present inability of the undertaking to obtain buses from outside sources. EXPERIENCED TRAFFIC CONTROLLER FREE
ASENIOR official of the Control Commission in Germany, who has been responsible for road transport administration over a wide area, will shortly be free to take up a suitable position. Prior to the war he spent many years in the motor trade and later reached high rank in the R.A.S.C. His experience covers both passenger and :goods-vehicle operation, as well as overhauling on a substantial scale. Letters should be addressed C.C. Official," care of the Editor of this journal.
RETREADING STANDARDS
ATECHNICAL COMMITTEE, under the chairmanship of Mr. R. H. Pike, of the Pike Tyre and Rubber Co., Ltd., has been set up by the Permanent Conference of the Retread Manufacturers' Association, to advise on the standards which should he laid down and maintained for retreading.
EASILY MOULDABLE WRAPPING
AN air-tight and waterproof wrapping, which is self-sealing and can be moulded by hand around any solid product, is marketed by William Palfrey, Ltd., Haddon House, 66a, Fenchurch Street, London, E.C.3. In rolls, 30 ins., 40 ins. and 44 ins, wide, it is offered at 6d., 8d. and 9d. per yard (linear), whilst there is a special cotton-lined cloth at Is. per yard. In appearance it resembles brown paper.
LEYLAND'S BUSY BODYSHOPS
ORDERS for double-deck bus bodies of the metal-frame type now passing through the bodyshops of Leyland Motors. Ltd., include the following: Birmingham Corporation 50, Sheffield Corporation 64, Cape Electric Tramways, Ltd., South Africa, 50, Bolton Corporation 100, Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., 50.
Other body orders nearing . completion are 100 for Central Scottish Motor Traction, 80 for Southdown Motor Services. Ltd., and 100 for Coras lompair Eireann, Eire. All are of the 56-seater Hybridge type with the exception of those for Ribble Motor Services, Ltd., which are for 8-ft.lwide 53-seater Lowb ridge models.
IN A LINE OR TWO The next annual .dinner of the Institute of Transport will take place onFriday, March 18, 1949.
Copies of the index to Volume 86 of "The Commercial Motor" are now available from these offices, price 7d., post free.
More than 700 orders have been received by Leyland Motors Ltd., during the past three weeks, of which one-third is for Leyland Comet goods or passenger chassis.
Full descriptions of the Taskmaster, and the D.B. heavy industrial tractor, are included in a new booklet now available from David Brown Tractors, Ltd., Meltham, Yorkshire.
BATTERY CHARGING . SIMPLIFIED
ANEW portable battery charger has recently been introduced by Standard Telephones and Cables, Ltd., Connaught House, Aldwych, London, W.C.2. This charger will restore a discharged battery to a useful condition in a few hours. Owing to its portable nature, it can be taken to a vehicle and a battery charged in position.
An interesting feature is that no adjustments have to be made for mains voltages between 200 and 250 volts, and the output automatically adjusts itself to suit 6or 12-volt batteries. In place of the usual ammeter, a red light serves to indicate if the battery be properly connected. The intensity of the light diminishes as the charge proceeds. Protection is provided against overload or damage which would normally be caused by reversed connections.
R.T.E. DIVISIONAL MANAGER THE seventh *divisional manager (freight) to be appointed by the Road Transport Executive is Mr. A. J. Wright, who will take over the South Western Division.