Opinions and Queries
Page 32
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CONDEMNATION OF COSTLY EXPERIMENTS
A S a regular reader of "The Commercial Motor" rm. since 1926, may I commend you on your leading editorial of August 30? I am one of the disillusioned people who voted Labour with one thought uppermost —housing. I certainly did not envisage nationalization, least of all of such a progressive and energetic industry as road transport, of which I have never heard any public criticism.
The housing programme has failed miserably. In my own town there are over 1,400 applicants for houses and the total number of dwellings so far built is three
" pre-fabs." and my fellow workers agree that too much time and money are being wasted on experimental nationalization schemes.
For several years I worked for a north-country haulier and was content. I knew that, once on the road, I was my own boss, with certain responsibilities, and able to use my initiative in choosing routes, loading procedure and halts, etc., and was prepared, should bad weather or breakdown delay me, tp work a few hours extra to present a reasonable return for my wages.
However, during the war years, I have had to work for a Government department, and, having endured the inefficiency and indifference of this organization, I dread to think of the results, should such a dead hand control road transport.
What with a multitude of controls, restrictions nationalization schemes, and now the "closed shop," we seem to be heading for a dictatorship State.
Hucknall, Notts. J. 0. LANCASTER.
"THE COM MERCIAL MOTOR" GOES THE ROUNDS IN INDIA
HAVING just arrived back in this country from India "after an absence of 27 months, I would like to express my appreciation and thanks for the way "The Commercial Motor" arrived regularly each week. It was always in great demand.
I was with an Indian brigade with five battalions, each with a British officers' mess, and the paper went to each mess and was read by all, also by the British other ranks in the mess at brigade.
Thank you very much for the excellent service you gave me, and I wish "The Commercial Motor" every
success in the future, _ F. HOWARTH Bolton. (Capt, R.E.M.E.).
MORE ABOUT LONGEVITY OF LEYLANDS
ALTHOUGH on holiday, during all-too-frequent downpours I have found time to keep abreast Of events by studying "The Commercial Motor." I was more than usually interested in reading, in your issue of August 30, of the mileages obtained by our old friend, the City Coach Co., Ltd., with four of its Leyland single-deck six-wheeled Tigers.
As you may know, we ourselves operate six machines of this type, which were put into service during the period July, 1936, to May, 1937. Their average life to date is nine years and four months. During this time the average yearly mileage of each of these machines has been about 61,500, but for some years now they have been " notching " about 80,000 miles apiece! So great was our faith in these vehicles, that some three years ago we scrapped the 43-seater bodies of four of them and (greatly daring -xnd, we suspect, to the secret horror of Leylands!) fitted 64-seater double-deck bodies • They have been a great success. With our friend, the "City," we are rather partial to Leylands, our present fleet of this make comprising six 35-seater Cheetahs, 11 35-seater Lions, one 48-seater Lion, two 43-seater Tigers, four 64-seater Tigers, two 55-seater TD7 Titans, and four 55-seater PD1 Titans.
In addition, during the next few months we expect to take delivery of six further Titans and six Tigers, so that next year we shall be operating 42 Leylands, all of which, except six, will be oilers. G. M. BIRCH London, N.W.5. (Birch Bros., Ltd.).