Opinions from Others.
Page 16
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Users Experiences: Rubber or Steel ?
The Editor, ME COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,136] Sir,-In your issue of lOth March, I made bold to suggest a few disadvantages which rubber-tired machines labour under for use by motor-wagon carriers, and I certainly find that my statements are amply borne out hy the experience of these svlio use rubber-tired
machines. For contract work, they appear to be excellent, as the conditions of their work ean generally be arranged to suit their requirements, but on general jobbing work the steam steel-tired machine atm its trailer still hold the field. Customers are frequently unable to specify the exact amount of goods which will be ready for shipment at a stated time they ehafe under any restrictions which the carrier puts upon them when using a rubber-tired machine, and prefer a steel-tired wagon and trailer with its greater margin of carryim:, power. The railway companicei are not to a ton, and the motor-wagon carrier must not be—if he is to compete successfully.
Regarding the cost to the carrier of" lost time." here again the rubber-tired machine is, as I previously stated, at. a distinct, disadvantage as compared with the steeltired-machine and its trailer : the latter, on ing to its greater carrying capacity, can often afford to drop a back load, and is able to recoup itself on some subseyient occasion, but the rubber-tired machine not only lacks capacity, but the possible margin of profit is less per load, and requires regular running and full loads to produce a satisfactory balance. I have several instances: in mind, where, through unwarrantable delays, back loads have been missed. and runs have been made light. which has effected a balance on the wrong side of the ledger.
There is a further risk. attaching to the use oi rubber tires, whieh seems to call for i liberal margin of safety in calculating their probable cost. I refer to the risks of the tires being badly cut. I have seen several examples of how really good tires become unseuiceable through this cause. I do not wish to suggest that rubber tires have not a great future before them for motorwagon carrying, for I am convinced that they will play a very large part in it ; I only wish to warn those who feel disposed to discard their steel-tired machines, •• to look before they leap." I am very much pleased to notice the thorough investigation which your paper is nicking regarding the authority of the police over " Tubes " and shallow railways as compared with the autocratic sway they hold over almost every movement of the motorbus. and I hope, when you have dealt effectively with this subject, you will turn your attention to the municipal tremways. These undertakings are rapidly blossoming out as carriers; although, as yet. they mainly limit their operations to small consignments. there is mbre than a possibility of their extending their field of operations. At present, they exceed their legal speed limits with impunity, also the number of passengers they are entitled to carry. Indeed, corporations generally conduct their business in a manner which can hardly be justified, unless they may he considered in the light of autocratic bodies. I have a driver who was recently employed on a corporation motor-wagon; he used daily to tow three trailers about the town, and in winter time was allowed to use spikes in his wagon tires which were not permitted to be used by private owners of motor wagons in the district! In my own town, throughout the recent spell of dry weather, not a water-cart has been on the road, and the dust has been indescribable. Such neglect by private individuals would be sharply punished by the law, in the interests of public health. and T think that motorists can demand an increased degree of rectitude.
Our log sheet for the week is as follows : earnings. £62: tonnage, 201 ; mileage, 940; percentage of work done, 90 ; coke used, 7 tons, 14 cwt. ; oil used igearl, 13 gallons ; oil used (cylinder), 11 gallons.—Yours faithfully.
"MOTOR-WAGON CARRIER.''
Taxi-drivers' Extras and Wages.
The. Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
_1.137] Sir,—May I thank you for yond kind notice of my week's letter to " The Daily 'telegraph " under this heading. and trespass on your courtesy to amplify some what tile arguments therein used Legally, undoubtedly, the whole of the extras now belong to the owners, though it should be noted in passing that, not merely were the men promised them in the first instance, but the police re no machinery to enable the men to account.
The case for the men rests, broadly, on two grounds. First, that the extras are at best a rough adjustment of amounts which they have been forced to pay to the owners. although never received by them. Whilst, in law, L servant cannot be held accountable to his master for moneys not received, most of the owners have set this principle at defiance, and nom consider they are aggrieved that the men roughly recoup themselves for such demands. ewner-drivers, we see, more clearly, possibly, than ethers, the harm which the bickerings between the men and the public are doing to the trade; we seek, if possible, to reinstate the men in the good opinion of the public, and we believe that this van only be done by moderation and justness on both sides. Second, on the men's behalf, it e would urge that they cannot possibly live decently on their earnings and pay the tolls which the firms demand on the present seal:: of fares, unless some concessions are made. In the interests of public and drivers alike, the ,d-frims must be registered on the nitter: the grant of these to time men, afterwards, by all the companies, as at present by some, would be appreciated and wholly beneficial.
I have said that the men cannot live on their present earnings: the average daily takings per cab, as returned by the three largest companies for the three months .lanuary-Nlareh, have been less than 27s. At none of these firms have all of the men engaged been able, though willing. to secure six full days' work per week. One firm alone twhose justness I have previously praised) pays its men a retaining fee when they cannot be given work. but this eoncerns 500 drivers out of 3,000. We are safe in assuming an average week's work of, say, five days per man : let us see, now, to what his net earnings, taking the daily returns given above as a basis, will amount. His commission on 27s. will amount to Cis. 9d. From this, be must pay an average of at least 2s. daily for petrol, is. 6d. for meals (which he is obliged to buy out), 3d. to people minding his cab while he is getting those meals, at least an average of 3d. for fares to and from work, 3d. (average) for permission to enter railway stations for hire; 3d. for insurance against enormous fines inflicted (borne entirely by him and not, as in private service, by the employer) for exceeding speed limits, and other offences. Thus. his daily expenses from the wage of 6s. ckl., are an absolute minimum of 4s. 6d.—a net wage to take home at night of 2s. 3d. for a day's work of 12 hours on the streets (company's regulation) with an almost certain addition to this of three hours spent in going to and fro, getting his cab out, and putting it away again. For the ensuing three months, his daily average will he probably much greater. but his expenses will increase almost pro rata; for the remaining six months of the year, the average will be about the same as in the three tinder discussion. Grant that, for the year round, his net wages, apart from tips and extras, amount to 5s. per (lay: this is only 25s. per week! For the remainder, he is dependent on the generosity of the public —and his extras. His tips have decreased, in the last two years, from an average of 5s. per day to less than half that, and we do most respectfully submit to the public and the owners that the net result now is a wage inadequate to the competent performance of the highly-skilled services the motorenh driver is asked to render. Bad pay is had service the world oven—Yours faithfully,
THE MOTORCAR OWNER-DRIVERS' ASSOCIATION, J. EDWARD DAVIES, Hon, Sec.
3, Willow Walk, Highgate Road, N.W.